Monday, August 23, 2010

And the Meek shall Inherit the Earth

Today I read Alma 14, a chapter of great sorrow and perseverance. In this chapter the people of Ammonihah cast out all those that believed on Alma and Amulek's words, including Zeezrom, and then brought all the copies of the scriptures and the wives and children of those men who believed in the word and burned them in front of Alma and Amulek. Honestly, as horrible as it would be to be burned alive, I think I would rather have been one of the martyrs as opposed to Alma and Amulek. I can only think with sorrow at the tears they must have shed and the pain in their hearts as they were forced to watch such an act in front of them and commanded by the Spirit to do nothing.

Perhaps that trial was even more severe than the one they were next called to bear. They were next thrown into a prison for many days and given no food, no water and beaten on an almost daily basis. It is interesting to note that another type of Christ can be found in this chapter. Verse 18 tells us that when they were cast into prison, for three straight days, no one came to see them. I do not think it is a coincidence that they were left alone for exactly 3 days. I think it was just another foreshadowing of the Savior's ultimate sacrifice for us and His death and resurrection.

Poor Alma and Amulek suffered greatly during those days. They were humiliated by having their clothes taken away, they were weak from lack of food and water. They were sore from continual beatings. And through it all, they said nothing. I am reminded again of the quiet dignity through which the Savior allowed Himself to be calmly beaten, spit upon, nailed to a cross and brought before Harrod without any words being spoken. It is amazing to me that these men, and Jesus, were humble enough that they could not be coerced into talking when they did not wish too.

Recently I had a good friend of mine that called because his wife was giving him the silent treatment for over a day. He said he had tried everything to get her to talk to him. So he called and asked me for help. My answer was to pick a fight with her. As childish as it is, very, very few people can resist responding to a remark they don't like or when their honor is insulted. Yet Alma and Amulek were humble enough to not allow their pride to force them to respond. That can be a challenging thing.

I imagine that the predominant feeling these men felt towards their captors was sorrow. They knew these men were lost and there was no hope for them, and Alma especially knew what was in store for them when they passed to the other side of the veil. So I imagine as angry as they might have been at their circumstances, as frustrated as they might have been, I think they were more sad that these men had so closed off their hearts that there was no hope for them. That when Alma and Amulek did finally show their power the only thing they could feel was fear, for they knew what this meant, that Alma and Amulek had been telling the truth.

That's the way it usually is, those with true power don't like to show it off. The Savior had no problem doing miracles to enrich people's lives, but it was rare if ever that He would do miracles to prove who He was. He had the power to do anything He wanted, but he almost never used it. He practiced true temperance, something we are all going to have to learn if we are to be exalted some day.

There is a reason the Lord has said the meek shall inherit the earth. We all need to learn true humility and temperance at some point in our lives. It is better to learn them on our own that to have Heavenly Father give us experiences to learn it. At least I think so. :) Until tomorrow.

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