Alam 17 – 18
What the sons of Mosiah undertook could be called a righteous crusade – going up among those who were known as their enemies and taking a select group of people with them to combat their enemy. Unlike the Christian crusades to Jerusalem they knew their real enemy to be the devil and they fought to convert, not to conquer.
If the land of Ishmael was populated by the descendants of Ishmael in general it may have been the largest individual kingdom in the Lamanite empire. Lamoni might well have been the intended heir to his father for the overall throne. Of course that is pure assumption and inference on my part.
Ammon was not thinking of converting the king in particular when he stood to gather and protect he sheep. He was thinking of convincing his fellow servants.
It sounds like the people of Lamoni’s kingdom were more honorable and decent than many of the other Lamanite people – possibly because Lamoni was a decent man (even if he did lack the light of gospel knowledge to guide his actions).
When Lamoni offered him anything he wanted that is when Ammon decided to use this opportunity to convert the king and not just his fellow servants.
Lamoni promised to believe, but his belief was not simply a product of that promise, it was a product of the spirit testifying to his heart as he listened to Ammon that what Ammon was teaching was the truth.
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