Aaron and the Amalekite

At the beginning of his mission to the Lamanties, Aaron went to the city of Jerusalem.  We learn that the Lamanites called “it after the land of their fathers’ nativity” and it likely was the Amalekites and people of Amulon that were the driving force behind the city.  If these apostate Nephites weren’t among the Lamanites it’s very unlikely they would have named the city Jerusalem; the Lamanites had no records or religion before these former Nephites had come among them and probably wouldn’t have even known the name.  The Amalekites and Amulonites clearly brought religion among the Lamanites, though it was their apostate beliefs as former Nephites.  They were “after the order of the Nehors” and rejected that a Savior would come, and they proved to be very unteachable (Alma 21:1, 4).  In Mormon’s summary of the missionary work of the sons of Mosiah, he said that of the thousands of Lamanites who were converted only one was an Amalekite (Alma 23:14).  Their pride and hardness of heart prevented them from receiving the gospel.  

            I think Aaron’s encounter with the Amalekite in Alma 21 shows how pride stops us from opening our hearts to the Lord’s message to us.  This was the apostate’s response to Aaron: “What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people? Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men” (Alma 21:5-6).  His pride was evident in all of these statements.  He couldn’t accept Aaron’s teachings because he didn’t want to consider the possibility that Aaron was “better” than himself in some way.  If Aaron saw an angel, then surely God would have shown him an angel.  If Aaron’s people were good, then surely his people were also good.  And how dare Aaron suggest that he had something to repent of—his people had built churches and worshipped God so there could be nothing wrong with them.  This Amalekite could not swallow the idea that this outsider could teach him anything, and so he shut his heart from him.  This kind of attitude is something that we all have to guard against.  When someone tells us of their spiritual experiences, do we inside doubt the validity because we haven’t been privileged with the same experience and so reject it?  When we are taught that we need to change something in our life, do we chafe under the direction and murmur to the person, “Physician, heal thyself” (Luke 4:23)?  Being teachable is perhaps one of the hardest parts of being a disciple of the Savior.  But it is a spiritual gift that we must seek in order to not end up like the Amalekites who lost the light they once had.