In Alma there is a story about two characters, Amalickiah and Lehonti.
Amalickiah was an evil man who sought for power at any cost.
Lehonti we know very little about, only that he was chosen by his people to be a king and leader over them. They trusted him to protect them. And he seems to have betrayed them seeking himself for power. He and his followers were effectively staging a military coup against their King who had commanded them to go to war against the Nephites less than two years after covenanting with Moroni never to take up arms against the Nephites again. Lehonti’s following set up camp atop the mount Antipus and awaited the armies of the King.
Amalickiah in the meantime had gained favor with the King and marched to the mount Antipus with orders to compel Lehonti and his army to join the armies of the King.
Three time Amalickiah tried to coax Lehonti from his stronghold, and three times Lehonti refused. The fourth time Amalickiah succeeded. This telling line from Chapter 47 verse 14 says it all: And it came to pass that Lehonti came down…
That decision led to Lehonti’s death by poisoning by degrees, and the slaughter of many thousand of the Lamanites at the battle for the city of Noah.
I’ve thought much about this story. The mountain was a place of safety, and as long as Lehonti and his followers stayed on the mountain they were safe.
Lehonti would never have taken the poison if he knew what was happening to him. He probably thought he was catching a cold, or had an allergy to something. When their leader, the one entrusted with their safety gave in to temptation it cost him and them their lives.
Our spiritual mountains are the temples, our homes, our churches. Our weapons against the enemy are the Book of Mormon, personal prayer and repentance. Our security against false leaders, peers and media is the Holy Ghost. To avoid being poisoned by degrees, we must stay on the mountain, and never come down, no matter how enticing it may seem.
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