David Journal

Tag: Alma

  • Where is our faith?

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    David
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    As contention has risen among the people of our nation there are many who have felt the need to arm themselves in preparation for our disagreements to escalate from violent language to violent actions. (What initially appears to be an assassination attempt on our former president would serve to validate and enhance such fears.) While…

  • Choosing a name

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    David
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    In our language Anti-Nephi-Lehies is a very awkward name. I have no idea whether it was awkward in their language but either way it is interesting to consider the construction of that name the the considerations that would (or should) go into intentionally selecting a name. This awkward-to-us name is instructive. These people were trying…

  • See from alternate perspectives

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    David
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    If we consider the perspective of the queen her actions make sense, but because she was wicked but because she had no information to work with. Aaron and his brethren arrived and spoke to the king but the queen was not present to see or hear anything. Her introduction was “the king has fallen” and…

  • “Not because I was good”

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    David
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    Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people? Alma 21:5 An Amalekite challenged Aaron with those words. I have no idea if Aaron responded to that but if he had responded he could have acknowledged that yes, he had seen an…

  • The father of Lamoni

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    David
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    I don’t think we ever make anything if the fact that Lamoni wanted to take Ammon to meet his father. That appears to be his first thought after they had established the church in his land. I don’t know if Lamoni expected his father to be receptive to the message of Ammon or if he…

  • Alma’s reflection

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    David
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    Alma’s “O that I were an angel” was obviously a personal reflection recorded in the sacred text but I’m realizing that his summary of the conclusion of the 15th year of the reign of the judges was also a matter of prophetic reflection from Alma. After all that had happened with his time in the…

  • Powerful humility

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    David
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    I am amazed at the power of the example of the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi in refusing to fight back. Their determination and faith were so powerful that many of those who had come to kill them refused and over a thousand of their angry antagonists joined them instead. We don’t generally think of humility as…

  • Not how Abish expected

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    David
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    Abish went about encouraging people to gather and see the kinda household fallen in hopes that they would be covered. She was surprised and disappointed to find them quarreling instead although her wish was realized after Lamoni began to minister to them when he was lifted up by the queen.

  • “Wilt thou hearken unto my words?”

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    David
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    Thanks to President Nelson I now know that “hearken … means ‘to listen with the intent to obey.’” Ammon and Lamoni both knew that what Ammon asked and Lamoni agreed to was for Lamoni to act upon the things that Ammon would teach.

  • In service to the king three days

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    David
    in

    We don’t actually know how long Ammon was in the land of Ishmael before he began to have success. Did Lamoni truly offer his daughter to this random Nephite the day he met him or did he take him into his household as a guest (under observation) where we found that he really liked Ammon…