Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Twenty-Three
The Grand Key is to Follow the Prophet – Alma 16:1-10
The people of Ammonihah rejected the prophet and were destroyed – After years of peace among the Nephites an army of Lamanites suddenly attacked the wicked city of Ammonihah and completely destroyed it, “yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness. But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness” (Alma 16:9-10).
Four years earlier Alma went to Ammonihah and told the people that if they did not repent the Lord would destroy their city “in one day” (Alma 9:4). These people were warned, but they did not repent. They rejected the prophet the Lord sent to them, and they were destroyed in one day.
Those who follow the counsel of prophet will be blessed and delivered – The Nephites raised an army, led by Zoram and his two sons Lehi and Aha, to drive the Lamanites out of the land and free those captives taken by the Lamanites from the wilderness outside of Ammonihah. (See Alma 16:3-8)
Zoram and his sons did not know where the Lamanites had taken their Nephite captives, so as men of great faith, they got their answer in a most remarkable and effective way. They “knowing that Alma was high priest over the church, and having heard that he had the spirit of prophecy, therefore they went unto him and desired of him to know whither the Lord would that they should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been taken captive by the Lamanites. And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter” (Alma 16:5-6).
And when Alma returned to them after inquiring of the Lord, he not only told Zoram where the Nephite army should go, but he also promised that “there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren who have been taken captive by the Lamanites” (Alma 16:6). Zoram did as the Lord told Alma, “and they took their brethren who had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them had been lost that were taken captive” (Alma 16:8).
The grand key for blessings and guidance – follow the prophet – Throughout the Book of Mormon we are reminded that those who follow the living prophet are blessed, and those who do not eventually suffer. These same truths apply to God’s children from the beginning, and especially in our day.
President Ezra Taft Benson gave a landmark sermon at BYU on February 26, 1980, entitled Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet. President Benson introduced his theme by saying:
“To help you pass the crucial tests which lie ahead I am going to give you today several facets of a grand key, which if you will honor them, will crown you with God’s glory and bring you out victorious in spite of Satan’s fury…Here then is the grand key – follow the prophet.” President Benson then set forth “fourteen fundamentals in following the prophet, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” We should study the entire sermon, but I will address only the first and last fundamental.
“First fundamental: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.” (See D&C 21:4-6; 132:7) Alma inquired of the Lord on a military matter and was given an answer and the promise of deliverance. Certainly, President Russell M. Nelson has inquired of the Lord on Covid-19 and the civil unrest that we are experiencing. I know the Lord is directing President Nelson just as He did Alma, and I believe that this period, and the changes that will result, will be foundational as the Lord hastens His work in its time. (See D&C 88:73)
“Fourteenth fundamental: The prophet and the presidency – the living prophet and the First Presidency – follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.” President Benson concluded his sermon: “If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord, then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain. How closely do our lives harmonize with the words of the Lord’s anointed – the living prophet, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Testimony – I add my witness that the grand key for receiving blessings and guidance to navigate the uncertainties and challenges of our day is to stay in the main stream of the Church by giving strict heed to the council and teachings of the Lord’s living prophet who is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.