Never did fall away

This really is a remarkable change to witness. Ammon has a chance to teach Lamoni and his whole household is converted. Through this event, Aaron teaches Lamoni’s father, the uber-king of the Lamanites. Not only is Lamoni’s father and his household converted, but he decrees that Ammon and his brethren may preach in any part of the land occupied by the Lamanites and that no one may persecute them in any way. He also grants them access to the Lamanites houses, churches and temples.

Through the preaching they do throughout the Lamanites, there is a great conversion. In fact, it states “…that as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.” Alma 23:6

To really grasp how amazing this is, I think it’s important to realize just how wicked the Lamanites were and how complete their conversion was. In general, they delighted in murder and plundering and tormenting, even their own people. Remember the story of Ammon tending the flocks of the Lamoni. It was Lamanites, their own people, who were scattering and stealing the flocks of the king. And Lamoni’s reaction was simply to kill those who were tending the flocks at the time of the scattering. As a sign of their conversion and as a covenant to God, those who were converted buried their weapons of war and promised to never take them up again. Of course, not all the Lamanites were interested in the teaching of Ammon and his brethren and when rebellion happened and the war began, those who were converted decided it was  better to lose their lives than take up arms and defend themselves. That is exactly what happened. When the armies of the wicked Lamanites came, those who were converted laid on the ground and were killed by the approaching army without any resistance.

I wonder, what is the modern day equivalent of burying our weapons of war? What are we willing to give up as a covenant to God of our conversion? And what price are we willing to pay to keep that covenant? And what are we hanging on to that might prevent us from making that covenant (or keeping a covenant we’ve already made)?