The Deadly Compromise

Lehonti

There is a story in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 47 about a man named Lehonti that I found really interesting... There are two main groups of people in the Book of Mormon. The first group is called the Nephites - the people of God, and the the second group is called the Lamanites - the people who do not follow God. They have several battles througout the Book of Mormon. In one instance after a series of failed attempts to beat the Nephites, the King of the Lamanites orders his army to prepare to fight them again. Well, Lehonti and several others in the army don't want to fight because they know they will lose. Lehonti leads those men who will not fight away and they set up camp on a hill away from the rest of the Lamanites.

When the King finds out that they left he is very angry and sends a man named Amalickiah with the rest of the army to go and force them to fight. Amalickiah didn't really care what the King wanted, he himself wanted to be king. He told the King he would do as ordered, but for him to be able to be King he needs the support of the entire army of the Lamanites.

Amalickiah goes with his men to the bottom of the hill where Lehonti had camped. He sent a messenger asking Lehonti to come down to speak with him. Lehonti, being smart firmly refused. Amalickiah sent another messenger telling him that he wished no harm and would simply like to talk. After being told no a second time, Amalickiah went halfway up the hill and sent a messenger a third time and told him that he would only have to come halfway down and that he could bring guards with him for safety.

Lehonti, thought about it and decided that he could meet him halfway. That would be OK and he had his guards so he would be safe. This was his first mistake. He lowered his standard; he had originally decided that he would not meet with him, but he let himself be fooled into believing he would be safe.

This is something that Satan tries with all of us, if we would just be willing to step down only a little ways... but no, it's a trick!! It's never safe to compromise our standards or our safety. When I first read this story I though that Amalickiah would try to kill Lehonti and take over the army by force, but he didn't. He was more cunning than that. He made an offer to Lehonti that they could join their two armies together and refuse to fight the Nephites. He said that Lehonti could be leader and he would be second in command. Well that sounded good to Lehonti- to be leader over the whole army! He quickly agreed.

Amalickiah

This was his second mistake; once Lehonti agreed he was in Amalickiah's grip - fooled into believing he was in control.  He liked the idea of having all that power and the plan was presented so nicely - what could go wrong? - in Verse 18 it says, "And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died."

Lehonti fell for his tricks and cunning. After Lehonti died, Amalickiah took over the whole army, killed the King, and became a ruler over all the Lamanite people just as he had planned.

There is a scripture, also in the Book of Mormon, in 2 Nephi 28:21 that states referring to Satan, "And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security. . .  and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."


I can testify of the importance of having our standards high and firm. Satan will try to fool us into compromising, but if we make the decision now to say no and stick with it we will be safe and far out of the reach of his poisonous grip.