The Whole Meaning of the Law

Amulek taught the Zoramites about the relationship between the law of Moses and the atonement of Jesus Christ. He said, “Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:13-14). I was struck today by this declaration that “the whole meaning of the law, every whit” was to point the children of Israel to the atonement of Jesus Christ. All they did under the law—sacrificing animals and food, worshipping in festivals, eating only certain types of food—was to point them to the sacrifice of the Son of God. Surely there were many who wondered as they were following the specific prescriptions of the law why they were required to do these things. Here Amulek taught that it was all for the purpose of pointing them to the Savior and His sacrifice for them. I wonder if this verse cannot likewise apply to each of us in the difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in. When things happen to us that cause us to wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” perhaps we can answer, “the whole meaning of this is to point me to the great and last sacrifice.” In other words, when life doesn’t make sense and our struggles cause us to wonder at the Lord’s plan for us, we can say: “Whatever the other reasons this is happening to me, at least one purpose is to point me to the atonement of Jesus Christ.”

                Amulek continued, “And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety” (Alma 34:15-16). The Savior made His great and last sacrifice in order to “bring about the bowels of mercy.” In other words, His atonement allows Him to show us mercy, and when it is hard to find meaning in our experiences, we can look for that mercy from Him. This is what Lehi did even in the midst of great struggles with Laman and Lemuel and as he approached the grave: “A few more days and I go the way of all the earth. But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” He found the “arms of his love”—what Amulek called the “arms of safety”—given through the mercy of the Savior. We can seek to be encircled in those arms even when we feel “great anxiety of soul” like Lehi did (2 Nephi 1:14-16). But, we might ask, how do we actually do this? Amulek gave us the simple answer: “Begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him” (Alma 34:17-19). Alma had found this to be true in his own experience: “As my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!” (Alma 36:18-20) The way to Him is to cry to Him in our hearts for mercy, whether that is for forgiveness of our sins or simply help in life’s challenges, and Alma’s witness is that our soul can be filled with His joy and marvelous light when we do. I know that there is power in prayer that comes to us when we seek His help. As we do so, the “whole meaning” of our trials can be to point us to the grace found in the great and last sacrifice of the Son of God.