Alma 46:1 - 46:5

Alma 46: 1 And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the words of Helaman and his brethren were gathered together against their brethren.

As Helaman and his brethren tried to revive the need to live gospel principles among the Nephites, they had generated enemies of those who did not like this restriction to their power and influence.

Alma 46: 2 And now behold, they were exceedingly wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them.

The anger of these people was such that they were actively seeking to kill Helaman and his fellow laborers.

Alma 46: 3 Now the leader of those who were wroth against their brethren was a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah.

The leader of these men who were against Helaman was a large man named Amalickiah.

Why is that there are men who always want to be in power and have control over other’s lives and thoughts? It is one thing to express an opinion and a point of view on how things should be run, but why are they willing to go so far as to kill to get this power? They get so caught up that they forget they are mortal and it will not last forever. They will eventually die and what they have created always dies with them. And what’s more, they are never satisfied even when they have everything that is possible to have. They never seem to realize that being a servant of their neighbor is far more satisfying and this kind of attitude does last forever. There are many persons who seek for power and influence but few of them go so far as to get people to support them as they actively seek to get in control and even fewer who will kill to get it.

Alma 46: 4 And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king; and those people who were wroth were also desirous that he should be their king; and they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land, and they were seeking for power.

This Amalickiah wanted to be king. Those who were also angry with Helaman joined up him and wanted him to be king. Many of the supporters of Amalickiah were lower officials and judges who also wanted power over the people.

Alma 46: 5 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if they would support him and establish him to be their king that he would make them rulers over the people.

Amalickiah had been talking to these folks over a period of time telling them that if they would support him as he sought to be king, he would give them the power they wanted over the people in their purview.

This shows that evil men can only get into power with help. And because he had help, this shows the condition of the people and why it was a dangerous period and why Helaman felt the great need to go out again to try and remind the people of the need to live gospel principles. This is the pattern we have seen over the history of mankind and it continues even until this day. And because this story is in the Book of Mormon, a book for our time, it will continue to manifest itself in our time too.