Lamoni was king over the Lamanites in the land of Ishmael.  As such he had power over the life and death of the people of his realm, and supposed that whatsoever he did was right.

Lamoni’s subjects were not necessarily orderly and obedient.  Some of them had a practice of waiting at the waters of Sebus for the people to bring their flocks for watering, and would then rush into the flocks yelling and screaming to scatter the frightened animals.  They were then able to gather any lost stragglers and take them for themselves.

Even the king’s flocks were not exempt from this practice of plunder.  The king, being all-powerful, might have put a stop to the practice by apprehending and executing the robbers.  Instead, he chose to deal with the problem by executing the herders, his servants, who should have done a better job protecting his sheep or cattle.

Therefore, being hired or being compelled to serve the king as a shepherd or a herder was not a desirable position.  It was essentially a death sentence, and every servant knew it.

One day a Nephite missionary came into the land, and when brought before the king, announced that he desired to be the king’s servant.  I’m sure it was always the case that there happened to be an opening just then among the servants who tended the king’s flocks.  The Nephite missionary, Ammon, was assigned to join them.

This could not have been a happy group.  They were nervous and worried.  They didn’t want to be doing what they were doing.  They knew that it was just a matter of time before they’d have to face a band of robbers.  Their choice would be to die trying to defend the king’s flocks, or to die at the hand of the king for failing to do so.

All went well for two days.  On the third day, however, as they approached the waters of Sebus, a large group of ferocious men rushed among the flocks and scattered the animals every which way.  The shepherds’ worst fears were realized.  They were paralyzed with fear.

All but Ammon.  Ammon saw the problem as an opportunity.  Up to that point he hadn’t known how he was going to open a way for the preaching of the gospel among the people, but suddenly he saw a glimmer of a possibility.  His father, the prophet, had said that the Lord had told him that his sons would be preserved in the dangers they would face among the Lamanites.  Ammon believed that.  He also had confidence in his skills with the sling and the sword.

Ammon rallied his companions, assured them that the situation could still be saved, and sent them running to gather the fleeing animals.  Being successful in getting them rounded up, Ammon instructed them to keep the flock secure while he went to deal with the robbers.

The robbers were waiting at the waters of Sebus.  They were a group of perhaps 20 ferocious men.  Some distance away they could see the king’s flocks waiting.  The flocks were guarded by a group of men much less numerous than their own.  The shepherds were fearful and trembling, while the robbers had no fear.  Both groups watched in amazement as one man—a Nephite yet—detached himself from the group of shepherds and resolutely marched toward the robbers.

Was he intending to talk with them?  Was he going to plead and reason with them?  Whatever he was going to do, he was an idiot.  What was he against 20 strong men?  He’d be easy to kill, and it would be a pleasure to do so.

When Ammon was about 50 feet from the robbers he suddenly stopped, slung his sling, and let a rock fly.  One robber dropped down dead.  Then another.  The surprised robbers unleashed their own slings and sent a volley of stones in Ammon’s direction, but every rock went wide.

Ammon stood firm, and sent stone after stone sailing into the group of robbers.  Every stone hit its target.  Six men fell down dead, while dozens of stones slung at Ammon failed to so much as touch him.

Seeing that they couldn’t hit Ammon with their stones, the leader of the robbers ordered an attack.  With the clubs they’d used to scatter the flock, they rushed in a body on Ammon.  He dropped his sling, it not being useful in close combat, and drew his sword.  He purposely slew the leader of the band.  Surrounded by a dozen or more men intent on killing him, Ammon’s sword slashed this way and that taking off every arm that raised a club to strike him.  He disarmed not a few.  In less than a minute it was over as the survivors and dismembered attackers fled in confusion.

The robbers were not the only ones astounded by what had just happened.  Ammon’s astonished companions saw him beckon to bring the flock down to the water.  They obeyed.  They stared at Ammon and the results of the battle as they gingerly made their way past the seven bodies and numerous arms that were lying about.  They couldn’t believe what they’d seen with their own eyes, and knew that no one else would believe them, either.  They’d need evidence when they related their tale, so they gathered up the arms.

Back at the king’s house they told the story.  They were in awe.  They swore that Ammon was indestructible, more powerful than an army, was protected by unseen powers, and suggested that he must be a god.

The astonished king heard the tale, saw the evidence, believed the suggestion, and was struck with sudden fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his previous servants, and would now be punished by this god who had come to avenge the wrong.

“Where is this man that has such great power?” the king asked.

“And they said unto him:  Behold, he is feeding thy horses.”  (Alma 18:8-9).

Such diligence, obedience, and precision tipped poor Lamoni over the edge.  He knew not what to think or how to act around this marvel of a man or god or whatever he might be.

So it was that Ammon found in the king a humble listener who was willing to be taught.  As he taught the plan of salvation to the king, and as the king realized how out of compliance he was, and how terribly lost, his emotions, his wrought-up mind, and the Holy Spirit completely overcame him, and he fell over as if he were dead.

This must have been surprising even to Ammon.  The king’s body was taken to the queen and was laid on the king’s bed.  For two days the family mourned and greatly lamented his loss.  (Alma 18:43).  Ammon heard the mourning, and wondered what to do.  Everybody in the kingdom thought the king was dead, and all sorts of rumors were flying about concerning this Nephite who had been responsible not only for the king’s death, but for the slaughter at the waters of Sebus.  There was not a soul in the kingdom who would so much as talk to or go near this Nephite.  Those two long days were lonely ones for Ammon as he wondered what would happen next.

At the end of the second day, to Ammon’s relief, one of the king’s servants approached him and said that the queen wished to see him.  At her request he was permitted to go into the king’s bedroom to view the body.  He knew that the king was not dead, and told the queen that he would rise on the morrow.

The queen believed.  She had a chair placed by the king’s bed, and patiently and believingly sat there for 24 hours waiting for the king to wake up.

This whole saga resulted in the conversion to the gospel of most of the kingdom.  There are many lessons to be learned from the story including lessons on faith, courage, diligence, repentance, and desire; but one of my favorite lessons from the story concerns light.  Images of light and darkness are used nine times in one verse as the scripture describes what was happening in Lamoni’s mind during the three days that he was in a coma.  (Alma 19:6).

Lamoni had thought that he was walking in the light of day prior to this experience.  He thought that he could see, but he was only operating on one bulb.  Ammon’s preaching of the gospel turned on so many lights that it overpowered the king’s mind.

The gospel does that.  The world is in darkness, and doesn’t realize it.  There is so much more to comprehend and enjoy.  I have personally experienced this great turning on of lights.  My world is filled with light and joy.  I wish that all people could see what I see, experience what I experience, and feel what I feel.

I know that my Savior lives, and that it is His purpose to increase the wattage of the light coming into my life as fast as I am able to bear it.

This should be our purpose, too.  I was sent to this earth to bring light to the world.  (3 Ne. 12:14, Matt. 5:14).