Alma 36-42

 Now we turn to Alma’s council to his sons. As you read these chapters think about what Alma might say to you.

To Helaman

Alma 36 is a chiasmus. What is a chiasmus and why do we care? From the Book of Mormon Study Guide. 

“Chiasmus, sometimes called an inverted parallelism, is a Hebrew literary form where words or ideas are arranged in a certain order and then repeated in reverse order. This repetition emphasizes important ideas and words. In addition, the writer’s main idea is often located at the center of the chiasmus.”

So, whenever you feel like your reading the same thing in reverse order, PAY ATTENTION, there’s a point. The center of this chiasmus is verse 17 and 18

“17… I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.”

“18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me”

The center, the main point, is the Son of God, Jesus Christ and His atonement and mercy.

 

Alma 36:3 

“…whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.”

Trials, troubles and afflictions are part of this life, but if we trust in God He will helps us through them.

 

 

Alma 36:19

“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.”

Do you ever think maybe you haven’t been forgiven of something because you still feel bad about doing it? Here’s what Elder Uchtdorf has said.

“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process.”

I think the pain, or the memory of the pain, will remain as strong as it needs to so we don’t repeat it. As we come closer to Christ that pain lessens because we don’t need to feel it to keep from going back to that sin.

Alma 38:47 Alma tells Helaman to “declare the word, and be sober.” What does he mean? From the Book of Mormon Study Guide.

“The gospel message is a voice of gladness, a declaration of good news, a proclamation of peace. It has been delivered to make of us a happy people. But we are also under obligation to take seriously the manner in which the message is presented. Souls are at stake” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary, 3:283).

To Shiblon 

Alma 38:8

“And it came to pass that I was three days, and three nights in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul; and never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, did I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul.” 

Richard G. Scott said, “From this scripture you can see that suffering does not bring forgiveness. That comes through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His teachings so that His gift of redemption can work its miracle” (Scott, “Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind,” (17).

 

And to Corianton. The thing I love most about Alma’s counsel to Corianton is the hope and forgiveness not condemnation Alma gives him.

Alma 39:6 Talks of the unpardonable sin. The way it’s worded it kind of sounds like we could all be guilty of this at some point in our life. We’ve all thought, and will again, maybe the spirit was guiding us to do or say something and we didn’t right? That’s part of the learning process.

Joseph Smith said, “All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him” (History of the Church, 6:315)

I think once someone has gone this far they won’t want to be forgiven either.

 

Alma 39:7 “…. I would not dwell upon your crimes, to harrow up your soul, if it were not for your good.”

I love that Alma points this out. He’s calling up Corianton’s sins so that he can see them and repent of them, that’s all, not to just make him feel bad, not to say see how much better others are, just so he might repent and return to God. Remember, Alma had done some pretty bad things too, he knew where Corianton was because he had been there.

 

Alma 39:9 What does “cross yourself” mean?

“To erase, to cancel, to counteract, to stop, to preclude” (Noah Webster’s first edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828)

 

Alma 40:5 “… it mattereth not;”

That might seem like an odd thing to quote but I love it and its application in our lives. There are things we don’t know, LOTS of things, but many of them “mattereth not,” the answers won’t change anything and have no bearing on our eternal salvation.

 

Alma 42:27 “Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.”

It’s always our choice.

 

Alma 42:29 “And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.” There again Alma says he only bring up his sins so he can see them and repent.

Alma 30-35

Alma 30

The world will tell us, as Korihor did, that following Christ and His teachings is restrictive. He used some truths mixed with lies to make people question, and another common tactic, name calling. How do you feel when someone calls you foolish, crazy or deranged for something you believe? How does that affect your actions and commitment to Christ? What lies do you see Korihor tell? What half-truths? What is Alma’s response to these?

 

From The Book of Mormon Study Guide

“Korihor was arguing, as men and women have falsely argued from the beginning of time, that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights of independence. But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence” (Eyring, “Finding Safety in Counsel,” 25)

 

 

Korihor says we cannot know that there is a God or that Christ would come (now has come). Don’t you just love Alma’s response?

Alma 30:40, “And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.

“41 But, behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true;” 

What other proofs does Alma say we have?

Alma 30:44 “But Alma said unto him: Thou has had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.”

Now can many people believe in something that’s not true? For sure, we see that all the time. What’s the most important sign then? The Spirit testifying to our hearts and souls that, as Alma says in chapter 32, the seed is good.

 

What is a big caution from the story of Korihor? Anytime someone resorts to name calling or when their purpose is to destroy your faith and force you to agree with them, we should be wary. Very often they will take things that sound like they could be true but are false, mix truth with lies, or take quotes out of context so they mean something different than as they were originally said. They want you to feel ashamed and confused.

 

 

 

Alma 31 comment from The Book of Mormon Study Guide on this crazy word Rameumptom.

“Rameumptom has at least one Semitic root: ram, which refers to a ‘high place’ like the Hill Ramah”

 

And the definition of Semitic from the oxford dictionary online: “relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family.” 

 

There’s a lot in Alma 32. One point, how our trials can be blessings. Here are people who have been cast out, they are poor and unable to worship the way they think they are supposed to. This leads them to be humble and willing to listen to Alma and accept what he is saying, a blessing. As Alma says in Alma 32:13

“And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye;”

Why?

“for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.”

Sometimes the blessings of repentance are not temporal, or at least not immediately, but there is always the eternal blessing of mercy and forgiveness.

Many times, following a trial, comes a greater temporal blessing. For those here in Alma 32 great temporal blessings follow later as we see in Alma 35:9

The poor Zoramites who were kicked out are welcomed by the people of Ammon in spite of the threats of the other Zoramites. More than providing for their needs, “they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants.”

 

Alma 32:27

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words"

And then we have the beautiful analogy of a seed. An interesting note, the seed is not faith but “the word” or a principle, "28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed," while faith is the action of planting that seed, thus we "exercise" our faith. Another fun thing, how do you know if the seed is good? And how do you remember that? They spell SEED!

S – Swells within you

E – Enlarges your soul

E – Enlightens your understanding

D – Delicious

Have you felt these? Not everyone feels all of them or all at once or the same ones or in the same order. Some feel the swelling and know, others may feel enlightened or like it makes sense first. I love the idea of it being delicious!

 

Now if we nourish the seed what does it grow up to be?

Alma 32:40

“And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.”

The word is the word of God, the gospel of Christ. When we plant Christ in our hearts and nourish it, pray, study the scriptures and the words of modern day prophets, cultivate our relationship with God and His spirit, and strive to follow Him, it will grow into the tree of life and we will partake of the fruit of that tree.

 

 

 

Alma 33:4-11 The Psalm of Zenos. Where should we pray? In our wildernesses, fields, houses, closets, congregations, when we are cast out, in our afflictions, I think he’s saying everywhere. I love the last verse.

“11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgement away from me, because of thy Son.”

Did you catch all that? Because of his sincerity, and most importantly, because of the Son of God. Because Christ suffered for our sins and paid our debt the Lord can be merciful to us, because the demands of justice have been paid.

Alma 34:15-17 shows the great battle between mercy and justice (italics added)

“15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

“16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

“17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;”

 

 

Alma 34:18-27 What should we pray for? Mercy, over our flocks (or things we have stewardship over), our household, against the power of our enemies (or those who oppose us, maybe kids at school who are less than nice), against the devil, over the crops of our fields “That ye may prosper them” (or that we might do well in a job or at school), the flocks of our fields that they may increase. Basically everything right? Have you ever thought, or heard someone say that God doesn’t have time to listen to you pray about all these things? He has time for everyone else but not for me, he’s too busy? Who is God? Is he not all knowing, all powerful? To say he does not have time to attend to any of your problems or anything you may want to say to Him is to say that He is NOT God, but He is, and therefore has all the time you could possibly need. Sometimes He does not answer right away, sometimes because we are not listening, we are not ready to hear, or we need to put in more effort in finding the answer ourselves, or it’s not something we need an answer to, but it is NEVER because He doesn’t have time or capacity to be there. He is there in the most loving, perfect way possible, the way we truly need Him to be even when we don't see it, the best way to lead us to Eternal life.

 

Alma 34:27 My most favorite “place” and “time” to pray

“27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.”

And then in verse 28

“And now behold, my beloved brethren I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.”

If your hearts are “drawn out in prayer unto him continually” “For the welfare of those who are around you” would you not see the needy, the naked, and the sick and long to fill their needs however you can?

Alma 34:38 “…Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.”

How does that feel? To live daily in such connection with our Heavenly Father, praying continually in our hearts, having His spirit as our constant companion, and feeling such gratitude for everything he has done for us, everything we have, knowing he will provide always because He always has? How much easier would life be in this state?

 

Alma 35:11 mentions the Lamanites preparing for war, we won't read of that again until chapter 43.

Alma 17 – 29

First, important definition I forgot last time. To “wrest the scriptures” is to distort the meaning or interpretation of them to suit one’s own interests or views.

Alma 17:2

“…they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.”

“3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting”

From The Book of Mormon Study Guide, “In order to come unto Christ and be perfected in him, each person needs to receive a testimony of the Lord’s words. Some individuals falter because they fail to open the books, others because they read casually. As one would expect, there is a difference between diligent searching or ‘pondering over the scriptures’ and casual reading…

“There are certain blessings obtained when one searches the scriptures. As a person studies the words of the Lord and obeys them, he or she draws closer to the Savior and obtains a greater desire to live a righteous life. The power to resist temptation increases, and spiritual weaknesses are overcome. Spiritual wounds are healed” (Bateman, “Coming unto Christ,” 27).

Alma 17:11 “….and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.”

What does the illustration of being an instrument make you think of? What is important for a musical instrument to play beautifully? For a tool to work properly? How does that relate to being an instrument for the Lord?

Alma 17:15, “Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.”

Alma 19:36, “And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.”

Notice the common thread, anybody who repents can be forgiven.

Alma 17:25 Lamoni wanted Ammon to marry one of his daughters? That was fast wasn’t it? But remember Ammon was a prince.

Alma 18:23 “And the king answered him, and said: yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.”

Wait what? Ammon used guile?

From the Book of Mormon Study Guide, “Although the word guile is frequently used to mean ‘deceitful cunning’ or ‘treachery,’ it can also denote the use of strategy. It is evidently used in the latter sense in Alma 18:23; in other words, Ammon planned or used strategy in arranging the questions he asked king Lamoni” (Ludlow, Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 207)

On Alma 23:3, “The sons of these people of Ammon were the army of Helaman, who helped fight the nonconverted Lamanites (see Alma 56:3-6). So the strength of the army of Helaman really began with their parents, who were the people of Ammon” (Matsumori, “A lesson from the Book of Mormon, “76).

I hadn’t realized this until someone pointed it out a few months ago.

Alma 23:7 “… they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.”

“To set aside cherished ‘weapons of rebellion’ such as selfishness, pride, and disobedience requires more than merely believing and knowing. Conviction, humility, repentance, and submissiveness precede the abandonment of our weapons of rebellion. Do you and I still possess weapons of rebellion that keep us from becoming converted unto the Lord? If so, then we need to repent now” (Bednar, “Converted unto the Lord,” 108-109)

Alma 26:32 “…and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.”

Elder Renlund said, “Covenants anchor us to the Savior and propel us along the path that leads to our heavenly home. The power of covenants helps us maintain the mighty change of heart, deepen our conversion to the Lord, and receive Christ’s image more fully in our countenance. But a half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything. We may be tempted to equivocate, throw our old ways in calm water, or bury our weapons of rebellion with the handles sticking out. But an ambivalent commitment to our covenants will not open the door to the sanctifying power of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.”

When we are trying to quit a habit it is important to remove the temptations so that it is difficult to pick it up again. What weapons do you need to bury deep? What do you need to remove from your life? Your phone? Your room? Or your heart?

On Alma 23:17 and the name “Anti-Nehpi-Lehies”

“Book of Moron scholars suggested a variety of definitions for Anti-Nephi-Lehies. George Reynolds and Janne Sjodahl suggest that the word anti means a ‘mountain’ or ‘hill’ and conclude that the name ‘anti-Nephi-Lehies may mean that they were located in a hilly or mountainous country’—the land of Nephi and Lehi. Hugh Nibley suggests ‘a Semitic and common Indo-European root corresponding to anti that means “in the face of” or “facing,” as of one facing a mirror, and by extension either “one who opposes” or “one who imitates.’” Stephen Ricks suggest, ‘The name “Anti” of Anti-Nephi-Lehies may be a reflex of the Egyptian nty “he of, the one of.” Thus, rather than having the sense “against,” it has the meaning “the one of Nephi and Lehi”’”

Another theory I heard was the “Anti” refers to Nephi only, as in, not from Nephi, because they were not direct descendants of Nephi, but from Lehi.

On Alma 24:12-13, “Although today we speak of ‘stainless steel,’ in Joseph Smith’s day, metals were not generally thought of becoming stained, Staining was a term that generally applied to wood, cloth, or other substances subject to discoloration… If the Nephite swords were the Mesoamerican macuahuitl with a wooden shaft, blood would naturally stain and discolor the wood when an enemy was wounded… Thus the metaphor of the great mercy of God in removing bloodstains from the swords becomes much more powerful and understandable if it refers to wood stained with blood, which only a miracle would remove, rather than if it refers to metal stained with blood, which a piece of cloth would clean” (Hamblin and Merrill, “Swords, in the Book of Mormon.” 342).

Alma 25:2

Some of the Lamanites, mad about their brethren converting, attacked them. When they didn’t attack back they “were more angry because they had slain their brethren” and went and attacked the Nephites. Which city did they choose? Ammonihah, the one prophesied to be destroyed after rejecting Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom.

Alma 28:8 “… and their incomprehensible joy”

Did you know the word “joy” appears 24 times in Alma 23-29?

“Elder Hafen relates this to what he calls ‘Lehi’s paradox: “He shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.’” Elder Hafen further explains: ‘There is a link between sorrow, toil, affliction, and ‘incomprehensible joy.’ Otherwise, there may only be innocence—‘having no joy, for they knew no misery’ (2Nephi 2:23)” (Hafen, broken Heart, 70).

“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy” (President Russell M. Nelson “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign  or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 820


Resources that may have been used:
Thomas R. Valletta's The Book of Mormon Study Guide Revised Edition 2019

Podcasts: 
Don't Miss This - Emily Freeman and David Butler
The Scripture Study Project - Zach and Krista 
Talking Scripture - Mike Day and Bryce Dunford
Come Follow Me Weekly - Heather Weber
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The Savior Said - Lexie Austin
Meridian Magazine--Come Follow Me - Maurine and Scot Proctor
Deep Dive - Barry Hillam

Alma 8-16

Alma 8:18 says that Alma “returned speedily” when the Lord commanded him to return to Ammonihah, the place he had just come from where they had, “reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city.” Not a place I would want to go back to let alone “speedily.”

Elder Henry B Eyring said “however much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure….

“We must decide to obey and then do it. We build the faith to pass the tests of obedience over time and through our daily choices. We can decide now to do quickly whatever God asks of us. And we can decide to be steady in the small tests of obedience which build the faith to carry us through the great tests, which will surely come.”

I love the examples of God’s mercy in the Scriptures such as with Zeezrom. No matter what we have done there is an example of someone who has repented of a similar sin and been forgiven. This gives us hope for ourselves, and patterns to follow in our own repentant journey.

Alma 12:32 “Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption.”

God gave them the why before the how. Do you have your why? Is it strong enough to withhold the temptations of the world? The feeling in my why gets stronger the more time I spend with the Scriptures.

Alma 14 contains a horrific story, it’s hard to even read, but it’s inclusion in our record is beautiful. We all see and hear horrible things that happen in life. It’s easy to wonder, and many do, how a loving God could allow such things. Along with the horrible story we have Alma’s response, “But Alma said unto him: The spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth my hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.” (Alma 14:11) 

Alma knew it was but a fraction of a moment that would be well worth the Eternal Life to come. God will more than compensate for all our pain and suffering but He must allow people to make their own choices, to prove whom they will follow and how far they will go.

President Spencer W. Kimball speaks of pain and sorrow in this life in his book Faith precedes the Miracle, 97-100. It’s a long quote but I just couldn’t pair it down any more, it’s too important for us to understand amid all the turmoil in our world.

“If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.

“Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?

“If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.

“If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil—all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls.

“Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood.

‘For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things … righteousness … wickedness … holiness … misery … good … bad. …’ (2 Nephi 2:11.)

“Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. …

I love the verse of ‘How Firm a Foundation’—

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

[See Hymns, no. 5]

“And Elder James E. Talmage wrote: ‘No pang that is suffered by man or woman upon the earth will be without its compensating effect … if it be met with patience.’

“The power of the priesthood is limitless but God has wisely placed upon each of us certain limitations. I may develop priesthood power as I perfect my life, yet I am grateful that even through the priesthood I cannot heal all the sick. I might heal people who should die. I might relieve people of suffering who should suffer. I fear I would frustrate the purposes of God….

“With such uncontrolled power, I surely would have felt to protect Christ from the agony in Gethsemane.... I might have saved him from suffering and death, and lost to the world his atoning sacrifice.

“I would not dare to take the responsibility of bringing back to life my loved ones. Christ himself acknowledged the difference between his will and the Father’s when he prayed that the cup of suffering be taken from him; yet he added, ‘Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.’ [Luke 22:42.]^”

Alma 16:16 “And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming”

Does this make you think of any counsel we have received in our day? To immerse ourselves in the scriptures daily and study the conference talks throughout the 6 months but most especially just before conference, putting ourselves in situations for the Lord to pour out His spirit on us, to prepare our hearts and our minds for His word for us. It may be that we are also preparing our hearts and minds for the return of the saviour. We are surely preparing our hearts and minds for our return to Him.

Mosiah 25 – Alma 7

“Remember”

One theme throughout the Book of Mormon is that we must remember. Remember what the Lord has done for you, for you personally and for His people. Remember that Christ paid for your sins, died and was resurrected so that we may be also. Remember that while there will be hard times He will ALWAYS be there for you to strengthen you, to guide you, to deliver you as He has in the past and we have many stories of that in the scriptures. When the light turns on every time you flip the switch enough times you come to believe that it will continue to do so. Light bulbs burnout, God does not. The more times we see and remember His goodness the more sure we can be it will continue.

Mosiah 27:28-29

“28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

“29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.”

God will forgive. It can be easy to think we can sin now and repent later because God is so merciful, and He is. The world tells us this is not only true but preferred. Reading these verses, does it sound easier to repent? “nigh unto death” “gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity” “darkest abyss” “eternal torment” These words do not describe experiences I would willingly want to put myself through for a bit of what the world sees as “fun”.

Now we move from Mosiah to Alma. Have we talked about what was on the plates and what was added later and how we know which is which? They made it really easy. Italics is added, that’s it. At least when it comes to book and chapter headings and summaries. The summaries at the beginning of chapter in italics are added to aid us in our study, the intros at the beginning of the book of Alma and before some of the chapters that are NOT in italics were translated from the plates.

Definitions

Ignominious (from Alma 1:15): Very shameful; reproachful; dishonorable; infamous.

Wonderful contention (from Alma 2:5): According to Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary, another word for “wonderful” is “astonishing.” That makes more sense. We know the meaning of words can change over time. It doesn’t seem like it has been long enough to change that much but some words have and referencing a dictionary from the time of translation can improve our understanding when words don’t seem to fit. Thankfully my Book of Mormon study guide has done that for me.

Comments from the Book of Mormon Study Guide 

On Alma 1:23-33

“How can we be strong even when others harden their hearts and withdraw from the Church? Unlike some Nephites who ‘withdrew themselves’ from the Church, others did ‘stand fast.” “How do you remain ‘steadfast and immovable’ during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.

“’When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view’ (Neil L. Andersen, “Trial of Your Faith,” 40)”

I thought that was fitting for Oklahoma, an analogy we can relate to right? It’s so important to remember, it’s okay to be unsure, it’s okay to have questions, it’s okay not to have all the answers, it wouldn’t be faith if we did. When you do, don’t abandon what you know. The confirmations you’ve felt in your heart of things that are true. How you feel when you pray, read and study the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Let that carry you through.

In Alma 3 we learn that the Amlicites began to mark themselves to distinguish themselves from the Nephites. We all mark ourselves in some way. The way we dress, act and talk all shows others what we stand for. How do you mark yourselves? As a believer and follower of Christ or the world?

Alma 3:19 Is an important scripture to know.

“19 Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation.”

What is this curse? Separation from God. No one else can cause us to be separated from God, not our friends, not our ancestors, only by our own actions. Along the same lines, Alma 3:26

“…that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad on.”

We may see negative consequences in our life that come from the actions of others, in this life. All eternal consequences are based on our choices and ours alone.

And this comment on Alma 4:15 “….nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him”

“We live in troubled times—very troubled times. We hope, we pray, for better days. But that is not to be. The prophecies tell us that. We will not as a people, as families, or as individuals be exempt from the trials to come. No one will be spared the trials common to home and family, work, disappointment, grief, health, aging, ultimately death…”

That sounds pretty scary. Here’s the good part though.

“We need not live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do’ (Boyd K. Packer, “Cloven Tongues of Fire,” 8)”

Alma 5:7, 12, 13

“7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God.”

“12 And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart.”

“13 And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts,”

Notice a theme?

“Webster says… that conversion is ‘a spiritual and moral change attending a change of belief with conviction’. As used in the scriptures, converted generally implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his teachings, but also a motivating faith in him and in his gospel, a faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one’s understanding of life’s meaning and in one’s allegiance to God—in interest, in thought, and in conduct. While conversion may be accomplished in stages, one is not really converted in the full sense of the term unless and until he is at heart a new person” (Marion G. Romney, “According to the Covenants,” 71)

Alma 5 is full of questions. It’s sort of a self-evaluation. Someone put in a nice list if you want to look at just the questions and see where you are at with them.

http://toadland.net/read/alma5_50questions.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2lYuhLPGBVdGuJPM8bm3bLE52P0FZVuoWMT0Hq24NPpZl6qjw5mnlML9k

A few that stood out to me.

Alma 5:30 “And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?”

How do we treat others? From the popular kids to those seen by some as losers to the homeless?

Elder Quentin L. Cook said: “We are all equal before God. His doctrine is clear. In the Book of Mormon, we read, ‘All are alike unto God,’ including ‘black and white, bond and free, male and female’ (2 Nephi 26:33). Accordingly, all are invited to come to the Lord” (“The Eternal Everyday,” 51)

ALL!

Do you ever wish you could see an angel? Remember with greater knowledge come greater responsibility and not necessarily conversion. Laman and Lemuel saw angels and yet were never converted. Alma saw and angel but does not attribute his conversion to the angel alone.

Alma 5:46 “Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself.”

The angel may have been a wake up call but was not enough for conversion.

Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Christ has himself declared that the manifestations we might have of the Spirit of Christ, or from a visitation of an angel, a tangible resurrected being, would not leave the impression and would not convince us and place within us that something which we cannot get away from which we receive through a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. Personal visitations might become dim as time goes on, but this guidance of the Holy Ghost is renewed and continued, day after day, year after year, if we live to be worthy of it.”

Alma 7:10 “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers…”

Wait a minute…. Jerusalem? Wasn’t Christ born in Bethlehem?

Take a breath, both are correct. It doesn’t say Christ was born IN Jerusalem. This would be like if you asked where I’m from I’d tell you Portland, OR or the Portland area. I actually lived 45 minutes from Portland but if I told you I’m from Vernonia would you have any idea where in Oregon that was? But many people have some idea where Portland is. Bethlehem was a small town 5-6 miles from Jerusalem, a lot closer than I ever lived to Portland, and they were a lot further away from either than we are from Oregon.

Alma 7:11-12

“11… he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."

"12… and he will wake upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

We all know Christ died and was resurrected so that we can be too and that he suffered for our sins so that we can return to God if we repent and strive to follow Him. Sometimes we miss that he also felt all our pains and sorrows, not like someone who went through something similar but exactly as you feel them. Not so that he can say, I know how you feel it’s not so bad, buck up buttercup. So that he could “succor his people”. What does Succor mean? “Succor is used often in the scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means literally ‘to run to.’ What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent effort in our behalf. Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is unfailingly running to help us?” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Come unto Me,” 22)

Mosiah 7-17

As I thought about how to share my thoughts with you I kept coming back to a blog with a short text from it so you can choose how much you want. Read just the text, read a portion of the blog or all of it, it’s your choice. I hope you are finding time to study on your own and with your family. There is such peace in the scriptures, in the spirit that accompanies them and the words themselves, the stories of the past where there was trouble and the Lord was there for His people.

I already had a blog set up that I’ve never really used so I’m going to just use this space as hopefully this is a temporary thing. As always, please share your thoughts here or in our group text, we really do love to hear from you.

Last week and this week are the story of Zeniff’s people. This is where I start to get my stories mixed up. Anybody with me? Here we have King Noah and Abinadi and Alma, but wait, I thought Alma was with Mosiah wasn’t he? Yep, you are right, but how does he get there? Mosiah contains the records of 2 other people (all Nephites but in different areas) that were all happening at the same time. There are a lot of timelines and maps available but in my short search I didn’t find the setup I really wanted. So, I created my own. Sometimes there is so much great doctrine mixed in to the stories we lose track of the story by the time we get back to it and sometimes as we study doctrine found in the Book of Mormon we jump around in the stories and that can make it a little confusing, so hopefully this clarifies things. Once you have the story straight you can get lost in the wonderful doctrine and know where you are in the story.

Now on to the doctrine!

One thing to think about as you read the story of Noah and Abinadi, who are the Noah’s and Abinadi’s in your life? Who is influencing you to do wickedly and who is encouraging repentance and righteousness? And who are you going to listen to?

Another thing that I hadn’t realized is, this people hadn’t been wicked for generations as we might assume from how wicked they sound at the time of Noah, they were a righteous people not long ago. Zeniff, King Noah’s father, was a righteous king. When King Noah took over and replaced the righteous priests with his buddies that were, “lifted up in the pride of their hearts.” (Mosiah 11:5) and “did speak flattering things unto them.” (Mosiah 11:7) the people listened to them and “became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests” (Mosiah 11:7) 

How much those around us can change us and how important is it to surround ourselves with people who respect our values and choices rather than ridicule our beliefs and try to push us to disobey the Lord. Are there those in your life that “speak flattering things” to try and get you to disobey? “It doesn’t really matter what you do,” “Your parents just want to control you,” “It’s more fun to….” Have you heard any of these? Have you listened? Sometimes we do listen, we think it does sound fun. Like Alma we can always choose to listen again to the Abinadi’s in our life. The last chapter in this study section we learn, “But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the King that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart.”

Another part of this story that I love to pull examples from for my life is when Limhi’s people try to find Zarahemla again. They came from Zarahemla 2 generations ago, but it must have been very hard to travel this area because people were always getting lost and finding other lands. So King Limhi sends 43 people out to find Zarahemla that they, “might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage.” They wander in the wilderness for many days and hard as they might try they never find it. Instead they find a land, “covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel.” There they also found a record of those people and brought it back with them. We learn later this was the land of the Jaredites and their record is included in the Book of Mormon as the Book of Ether, named for the last Jaredite prophet, abridged by Moroni.

In The Book of Mormon Study Guide general editor Thomas R. Valletta it says of this story, “It is quite probable that those forty-three men returned to King Limhi thinking they had failed because they had not accomplished their intended mission, which was finding Zarahemla. It is also quite possible, however, that the Lord had a very different mission in mind, finding the Jaredite record, and in that they were very successful. Have there been times in your life when, despite your best efforts, everything seemed to go wrong? Is it possible that the Lord had a different direction in mind for you, or other lessons He wanted you to learn, that would bless your life or the lives of others more than what you had in mind would do?” (344)

To that I would like to add. Their goal was not lost in the Lord. He knew Ammon was coming.

Now my favorite point of the gospel, the changing of hearts!

Mosiah 13:11 “And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts;”

Mosiah 13:27 “And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.”

Mosiah 13:28 “And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.”

Mosiah 13:32 “And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were through the redemption of God.”

“The ordinances and performances were teaching instruments of the law” and “It was to help them to get a handle on their lives so they could begin to focus on the basic fundamentals that would lead them to Christ.” (Brandt, “The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ,” 136).

Are the commandments “written in your hearts?” Are you following the law but not understanding the purpose of the law? Are you allowing your actions in following the law to change your heart? Is your focus on the things that will lead you to Christ?

One more quick point, because this confused me.

Mosiah 15 Those first few verses sound a lot like the trinity don’t they? But we know Heavenly Father and Jesus are separate, so what’s this talking about?

My Book of Mormon Study Guide says, “Which member of the Godhead was Abinadi referencing? (15:1) Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament and was known as Jehovah. When Abinadi taught that ‘God himself shall come down among the children of men,’ he was referring to Jehovah and His mortal ministry (see 1 Nephi 11:16-33, 19:10).

“What does it mean that the Savior subjected the flesh to the will of the Father? (15:2) This phrase means that ‘the will of the Son was swallowed up in the will of the Father. That is, the flesh became subject to the Spirit, the mortal subject to the immortal. ‘I seek not mine own will,’ Jesus explained, ‘but the will of the Father which hath sent me’ (John 5:30). Further, ‘I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me’ (John 6:38)…. Jesus did what Elohim would have him to do: he carried out to the full extent the terms and conditions of the plan of the Father’ (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary, 2:229-30)” (370)

That clears things up, no wonder people are so confused. I’m so grateful for the restored gospel and a living prophet along with the spirit so we do not have to rely on our own understanding.

Cheap easy shades for kids glasses

I had a crazy moment of inspiration sitting in the optometrist waiting room the other day. I had been thinking about how to make toddler size clip on sunglasses for a few days. A young boy walked out with the cheep shades they give you when they dilate your eyes and I had an idea. Originally it was to add those little hair elastics to the sides and slip the sides of the frames into them. I thought I would need to cut the shade down to the size of the glasses. The wonderful optician gave me a few to play with. When I got home I realized the paper earpieces just slid out and there was the perfect slot for the sides of the frames. It might be hard to get some frames in them but for Samantha's it was perfect. The size of the sades she gave us are a really good size for her too. The one problem left, they wouldn't stay in place, so I took a bobby pin and slid it over the nose pieces in the middle. The bobby pin was a little long so I cut it and put a dab of hot glue on the ends to cover the points. I put the bumpy side on the inside to accommodate the bar from the glasses. She leaves them on better than the sunglasses we bought with the strap.