Come Follow Me: Alma 13-16 “Enter Into The Rest of The Lord”

Trigger warning – this lesson has descriptions of genocide.

When I signed up to write this lesson plan I picked a week that worked for me – I didn’t really pay attention to the content. About a month ago I sat down to read the chapters covered in this lesson. I opened up to Alma 13 and was SUPER confused. 

Verse one of chapter 13 says, “And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things until the people.”

I had so many questions. Who was speaking? Who was he talking to? What commandments is he talking about? Why are we talking about priesthood?

After a little bit of flipping forward and backward through the chapters I realized this was Alma preaching at Ammonihah. This week’s lesson was the second half of the story of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. Part One is Chapters 8-12. Part Two is Chapters 13-16.  I decided to write both lesson plans for this story. So I recommend you go back and read last week’s lesson plan. 

If you don’t have time for that, here is a quick run down of what happened before and where we are headed with this story. 

Part One

• Alma goes to Ammonihah to preach.
• The people reject him.
• He leaves, but is visited by an angel and told to go back
• Amulek was also visited by an angel and told to help Alma
• Amulek takes Alma to his house
• The both go preach
• They are met with hostility by the lawyers of the city
• Questioned by Zeezrom
• Questioned by Antionah
• They preach long sermons in response to the questions

Part Two

• Arrested and taken before the Chief Judge
• Men who believe are cast out
• Women and children are burned
• Alma and Amulek are abused in prison for many days
• God’s power destroys the prison and kills everyone inside, but Alma and Amulek walk out unharmed
• They go to Sidom and find believers
• Zeezrom is there. He is sick and haunted by what happened
• He believes and is healed.
• Ammonihah is destroyed by Lamanites less than a year later

Context

As with all my lesson plans I like to start out establishing some context.

Who wrote this? Mormon compiled the Book of Mormon almost 500 years after this story happened. There is a lot of dialog in this story so we can assume that this was written down much closer to the time it happened. Chapter 9 is specifically in the first person with Alma telling what he said and did. At some point over the next few chapters the narration slips back into third person.

When does this story take place? About 82 BC. This is the 10th year of the Reign of the Judges.

Where does this story take place? The city of Ammonihah which is roughly northwest of Zarahemla. 

Who is mentioned by name in the text?

Alma – This the son of Alma. We often refer to him as “Alma the Younger” even though that title is never used in The Book of Mormon. He was serving as both the Chief Judge and the High Priest of the church, but he has given up being Chief Judge so that he can focus all his efforts on preaching. 

Amulek – A resident of Ammonihah who helps Alma and then preaches with Alma. He says he knew of the mysteries of the Lord but would not hear them. It wasn’t until he saw an angel and helped Alma that he had a change of heart.

Zeezrom – Zeezrom’s story arc is one of the most interesting parts of these chapters. He was one of the lawyers in Ammonihah who were trying to destroy Alma and Amulek and stir up the anger of the people of Ammonihah. He is shaken by the words of Amulek and Alma and has a change of heart. He tries to stop the violence the people of Ammonihah commit and is cast out. He is sick from what he has done and is eventually healed by his faith.

Antionah – A chief ruler of Ammonihah. He asks Alma one question at 12:20-21. Alma is answering him when he is speaking in chapter 13. We don’t hear anything more from Antionah specifically so we can assume he does not have a change of heart like Zeezrom.

Chief Judge of the Land – unnamed man who repeatedly assaults Alma and Amulek when they are in prison. 

Topics of this Lesson Plan

It’s impossible to cover every specific bit of theology brought up in this story in one lesson plan. So we are going to focus on two main topics here. 

1. Zeezrom’s Conversion
2. Thoughts on the violence

Examples of Repentance – Zeezrom’s’s story

There is a lot of talk about repenting and turning to the Lord in these chapters. What’s interesting is that this story contains three great examples of people who have repented and turned to the Lord. Alma himself once sought to destroy the church and was called to repentance by an angel. His story of his change of heart happens at the end of the book of Mosiah, and it’s not brought up in this story – but we remember that it happened. Every word Alma says about repentance is personal to him. 

Amulek’s change of heart is documented in these chapters. We focused on his story arc in the last lesson.

The third person we see repenting is Zeezrom. We will look at his story arc in detail here. (Also I will be spelling his name correctly this week. Last week I often wrote his name as Zeezrum. I’ve realized that is incorrect.)

Zeezrom is first mentioned at the end of chapter 10. Verse 31 says, “And there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he was the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people.”

Earlier in the chapter we are told a little more about the lawyers of this city in general. Verses 13-16 describe the lawyers as planning to trip up Alma and Amulek in their preaching so that they can find a reason for them to be accused and be either killed or put into prison. The reason for this is explained in chapter 11 verse 20, “It was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them.”

In Chapter 11 verse 21 we are specifically told that “Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good.” (11:21)

Almulek is the one who is preaching when Zeezrom starts questioning him. His first step is to try to bribe Amulek. He offers him six onties of silver if he will “deny the existence of a Supreme Being.” Earlier all the monetary system is laid out so people smarter than me have figured out that six onties is the equivalent of 42 days of labor for a judge. (I found that fact in the footnote to 11:22 in my Annotated Book of Mormon.)

Amulek does not take the bate at all. He gives one of the more memorable replies of The Book of Mormon by stating, “Oh thou child of hell, why tempt ye me?” Amulek totally calls Zeezrom out for offering the money but not planning to give it to him even if Amulek denied the existence of God.

Zeezrom changes tactics. He tries to show that Amulek is lying by getting Amulek to say that there is one God, but that God also has a Son (11:26-33)

Before he’s fully developed this line of questioning he tries to show that Amulek is lying by saying that Amulek contradicted himself by saying that God would save his people – but he wouldn’t save them in their sins.

Then Zeezrom switches back to asking the questions about God. He askes “Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?” (11:38) You can see that he is planning to use Amulek’s response against him. But Zeezrom never gets a chance. Amulek answers that question with a long explanation of God’s redemption of the righteous and his judgement of the wicked.

When Amulek is done talking we read that Zeezrom began to tremble. (11:46) And “The words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom.” (12:1)

He is trembling because “Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and . . . he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt.” (12:1)

Alma sees Zeezrom’s reaction and jumps in and starts speaking to Zeezrom in particular and the crowd in general. It’s the spike to Amulek’s bump set. Alma explains how Zeezrom has lied to God.

After hearing Alma’s words, “Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and and intents of his heart.” (12:7)

Zeezrom continues to ask questions, but his goal is no longer to trick Alma and Amulek. “Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God.” (12:8) He specifically wants to know more about the resurrection and judgement.

Other lawyers take over the questioning of Alma and Amulek and get back to the business of trying to trip them up. But Zeezrom is no longer interested in that. In Chapter 14 we read, “Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.” (14:6)

Chapter 14 is where things come to a head. Alma and Amulek are arrested. Many of the people are whipped into a frenzy of anger against Alma and Amulek. The people come and bear witness against them using many of the arguments that Zeezrom sowed the seeds for. Verse 5 says, “The people went forth and witnessed against them — testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek.”

Zeezrum tries to undo the damage he did. Verse 14:7 says, “He began to cry unto the people saying, “Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God.’”

I wonder what that was like. He was trying to push against the current of a river he made by cracking dam. Verse 7 also says, “He began to plead for [Alma and Amulek] from that time forth; but [the people] reviled him, saying, “Art though also possessed with the devil?””

Verse 7 goes on to say, “And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them.”

Zeezrom misses the holocaust that happens next, but he cannot escape his guilt. 

When Alma and Amulek come to Sidom Zeezrom is there. Chapter 15 verse 3 says, “Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.”

In verse 4 we read, “When he heard that Alma and Amulek were in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come to him.”

They did come – which shows that they could put aside their own feelings and do the work they were called to do – but I wonder what they were feeling as they went to Zeezrom.

Verse 5 says, “The found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was exceedingly sore because of his iniquities; and when he saw them he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him.”

Now let’s pause here. What would you do? What would you think?

If you were Zeezrom, would you wonder if maybe you were past saving, past healing?

If you are Alma or Amulek, would you wonder if maybe his crimes were too much? Was he really worth saving? Shouldn’t he be punished for his guilt?

Maybe?

But remember this is a story of repentance and redemption. Alma and Amulek have also had their own change of hearts in the past. They have also become better people through turning to Jesus. They can’t deny this same opportunity to Zeezrom.

Verses 6-10 show that Zeezrom is healed by his faith in Jesus. Verse 11 says, “and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people.” Do you think they were astonished by the healing in general or by the fact that Zeezrom was the one who was healed? I’m guessing there was a lot of talk about what it could mean that even someone like Zeezrom was healed by God.

Verse 12 says that Alma baptized Zeezrom and “he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.”

Zeezrom is not specifically mentioned in the narrative again. But we can assume he helps Alma establish the church in Sidom. At some point he must move to the city of Melek and work with Amulek because Alma 31 says that they were there. (Do you think they ever had a conversation where Amukek was like, “Hey remember the time you tried to bribe me?”) In Alma 36 Alma establishes a missionary dream team to go preach to the Zoramites. He brings Amulek and Zeezrom in addition to three of the sons of Mosiah and two of Alma’s own sons.

We don’t have any specific words from Zeezrom in this later part of his life. But based on his presence there we know that he did not go back to his old ways. He stayed converted to the Lord.

Thoughts on the Violence

If you want a happy ending in this lesson you should probably just stop with the story of Zeezrom. Because this next part might be a downer.

This was my FAVORITE Book of Mormon story when I was a kid. I loved how Alma and Amulek’s friendship was facilitated by an angel, I loved Zeezrom’s change of heart, I also kind of liked the violence. People getting burned for what they believed – that seemed so fascinating. 

As a child I accepted Alma’s answer as to why God was allowing this to happen. In verse 11 of chapter 14 Alma explains to Amulek that they can’t save the women and children from the flames. He says, “the spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand, for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that they people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgements which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea and cry mightily against them at the last day.”

Or in other words, “It’s okay that these people are dying because they are going to heaven. And the people doing this are going to get judged for it. So it all works out in the end.”

I accepted that explanation. And honestly it wasn’t until 2020 that I started to look at it differently. I was listening to the Maxwell Institute’s Podcast series on the Brief Theological Introduction books that the institute was publishing about each book of the Book of Mormon. Sometime at the end of May 2020 I listened to the episode about Alma 1-29. Kylie Nielson Turley was the author of this particular Theological Introduction. 

She shared some really interesting points about Alma’s experience in Ammonihah. I highly recommend listening to the whole interview or even reading the book. But in the meantime here is my attempt to highlight the points that she brought up. 

1. Alma had preached about the wicked being tormented as if “by a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.” (12:17). This seems to have inspired the fire that the women and children were thrown into.
2. After Alma and Amulek have been forced to watch the bodies burn, the Chief Judge of the Land asks them, “After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?” (14:14)
3. Alma never again uses the metaphor and it never shows up in the Book of Mormon again. 

Just as powerful as Kylie Nielson Turley’s analysis was listening to her speak about it. She broke down in tears as she talked about the atrocities in this story. 

I was on a walk while I listened to the podcast and I can still remember the exact spot where I was when I realized that maybe this story couldn’t be tied up in a nice bow. Yeah, maybe the righteous martyrs were going to heaven. But what happened to them was a tragedy. We can’t just gloss over it. We need to sit with it. Cry with it even. 

The Book of Mormon for the Least of These has nearly 4 pages of commentary on this tragedy. I found this paragraph to be especially moving, “This part of the Book of Mormon deserves a lot of attention because it challenges the narratives we construct around God. Alma and Amulek’s experience teaches us this: God may not always show up in the way we need. If we do not talk about the harm to testimony and spirits in times of deep wounding, then we are not really speaking to the complexity of people’s faith and their relationship with God. Like Alma, we may not have any satisfying, complete answers to these incredibly difficult questions. But the discussion can be deep and rich and invite people to think about how they wrestle with God and make meaning from the struggles of mortality.” (Page 187)

I can’t make this part of the story happy. And even the nicer and happier parts of the story are harder to like because of what happens to the women and the children. 

God cares enough about Alma to send Amulek to help him, feed him, and preach with him. Why doesn’t God care enough about these women and children to save their lives?

God saves Alma and Amulek from prison – dramatically killing all their tormentors while Alma and Amulek walk out unharmed. Why was there no such dramatic rescue for these women and children?

God loves Zeezrom enough to heal him from a fever and release him from his sins. Why doesn’t God save these people from the consequences of what Zeezrom stirred up before his change of heart?

I know the pat answers that are supposed to make everything seem okay. Sayings like, “Everything happens for a reason.” or “Suffering is part of life.” Or “God’s ways are not our ways.” However, I don’t want to cover this up with a thought terminating cliche. I want to “Wrestle with God and make meaning from the struggles of mortality.”

And I’m giving you permission to do the same. This part of my lesson plan does not have an ending. I’m not going to tell you the conclusions you should have after reading this part of Alma. You can think about them. You can wrestle with them. If you’d like to share your thoughts in the comments you can, just be respectful of people who may be sharing different thoughts and feelings.

Conclusion

There are a lot of pieces to the story of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. And sometimes those pieces are in conflict with each other. Zeezrom has a complete change of heart and goes from contending with Amulek to laboring to build the church with him. But there are also horrible things that happen because of Zeezrom’s actions before his change of heart. I think it’s possible to be both happy for Zeezrom and also mad at him. We don’t have to pick a side. Both feelings can be true and valid.

These kinds of conflicting things are what make scripture dynamic and relevant. These things that get a little messy make us look at our own messy lives in a different way. We can learn that actions have consequences – even if we have a change of heart we can’t always undo what we’ve already done. We can also see that God does truly redeem all who repent.

It’s interesting, and hopeful, and yes, even a little frustrating. As adults we can ponder and wonder and think about these things. This is the end of the lesson plan, but I hope its not the end of you thinking about the things that came up in this lesson.

Further Resources

This has been a long lesson plan and yet we’ve barely scratched the surface of what is contained in Alma 13-16. Here are a few more resources that you can look to for more ideas as you study the chapters.

1. The Book of Mormon for the Least of These -Volume Two by Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming

2. A Brief Theological Introduction to Alma 1-29 by Kylie Nielson Turley.

3. Maxwell Institute Interview with Kylie Nielson Turley about her book. Click here for the youtube link.