Chapter 26
Ammon glories in the
Lord—The faithful are strengthened by the Lord and are given knowledge—By faith
men may bring thousands of souls unto repentance—God has all power and
comprehends all things. About 90–77 B.C.
1 And now, these are
the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my
brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could
we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have
granted unto us such great blessings?
2 And now, I ask, what
great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?
3 Behold, I answer for
you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the
darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous
light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that
we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great
work.
4 Behold, thousands of
them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.
5 Behold, the field
was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap
with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of
your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.
6 Yea, they shall not
be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be
harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered
together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither
shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry
them.
7 But behold, they are
in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise
them up at the last day. (Alma 26:1-7)
After having the success with the Lamanites, Mormon shares
with us what Ammon said to his brethren.
He marvels at the success they have had. Who would have
assumed, when they left for their mission to the Lamanites, they would have
found so much success and received so many blessings.
He asked, [W]hat great blessings he [the Lord] bestowed upon
us? Can ye tell?” (Alma 26:2). Ammon answers his question.
The Lamanites were in darkness; however, many have seen the
light of God. Here is a list of those who accepted their message.
“Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord:
“The people of the Lamanites who were in the land of
Ishmael;
“And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the
land of Middoni;
“And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the
city of Nephi;
“And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the
land of Shilom, and who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the city of Lemuel,
and in the city of Shimnilom.
“And these are the names of the cities of the Lamanites
which were converted unto the Lord; and these are they that laid down the
weapons of their rebellion, yea, all their weapons of war; and they were all
Lamanites” (Alma 23:8-13).
The Lord conferred great blessings on them, making them instruments in His hands to bring forth their great work. Paul expressed similar feelings. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
“To become an instrument in the hands of God is a great
privilege and sacred responsibility. Wherever we live, whatever our
circumstances, no matter our marital status or age, the Lord needs each one of us to fulfill her unique
part in building His kingdom in this final dispensation. It is my testimony
that we can know what the Lord wants
us to do—and experience ‘the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we
have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.’”
(emphasis in original)[1]
Reading about their mission gives us insight into the
Lamanites. The stereotypical view of the Lamanites is they were a bloodthirsty,
wicked people. J. Christopher Conkling explains what we have learned about them
from this account.
“[I]f we read the account of Ammon and Aaron’s 14-year
mission among the Lamanites side by side with Alma’s mission among the Nephites,
what the records show is that the Lamanites were almost as civilized, decent,
receptive, and, yes, hostile, dishonest, murdering, and persecuting as Alma’s
Nephites. They had highways, transportation, government, religious buildings,
planned cities, various religious customs, government officials, soldiers,
outlaws and renegades, and kings and subkings (or ‘chiefs’), just as the
Nephites had, and were not quite as uncivilized as the Nephites originally
feared. If anything, their record shows that it was the Nephite apostate
groups— Amlicites, Amulonites, and Zoramites—who were responsible for most of
Alma’s problems with the Lamanites.”[2]
The field was ripe and ready for harvest. “Say not ye, There
are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up
your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John
4:35).
“For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo,
he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store
that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul” (D&C 4:4).
They were able to reap as they labored “all the day long.”
He told them to number their sheaves.[3]
“Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden
with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you” (D&C 33:9).
“And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many
sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life”
(D&C 75:5).
They will not be beaten down by the whirlwinds.
When the storm comes, they will be gathered together in
their place and protected from the storm. They are in the hands of the Lord. They
are His. “[W]hosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at
the last day” (Mosiah 23:22).
[2] Alma’s
Enemies: The Case of the Lamanites, Amlicites, and Mysterious Amalekites, J.
Christopher Conkling, Journal of Book of
Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 115.
[3] A
bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping.
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