1 Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor either of their brethren who should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land.
2 Yea, he sent a decree among them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries.
The upsetting implication of this order or proclamation is that prior to it, the people were completely free to abuse others in all of those horrible ways. And surely that is what had happed to Aaron and his brethren.
Now, thanks to the king's conversion, the people were not only commanded to cease those abusive and wicked practices, but also were commanded to open up their churches and even their homes to their preaching! Who would have thought (did they ever think?) that such a nightmare would end up in such a miraculous blessing!
What faith these men had to endure what they endured! They trusted God completely, and had also submitted their will to God's. They were willing to suffer what they might, and have no success, if that was their fate. But because they endured their afflictions well, kept their faith, and did not give up, they were rewarded richly!
And so must we. In the darkest of circumstances, with seemingly no hope, we must have hope and faith, for the day will follow the night, always! Whether it takes days, month, or years. Whether on this side of the veil, or the other. The light will come. Whatever we suffer- for righteousness sake, for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, will be rewarded that much more in the end. Make no mistake. Those who suffer more for righteousness sake will receive a greater reward. And why would it not be so? In our Father's house are many mansions of many different sizes, many varying degrees of rewards in many varying degrees of glory, all commensurate with our faithfulness.
This day is the day of our probation. The day to prove ourselves. Not payday. We don't get paid and then work. We work and then get paid! Our reward, although partially paid along the way in the form of love, peace and joy within, and blessings and tender mercies along the way, will all eventually be rewarded richly, even more than we can comprehend- if we hold out faithful and endure.
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