Alma 17:1-9

I would like to move away from Alma(2) for a time and study the record of Alma(2) talking about the experiences of the sons of Mosiah(2).

An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.

Comprising chapters 17 to 26 inclusive.

Here we learn that the record Mormon is abridging is a record made by Alma(2). 

Chapter 17

The sons of Mosiah have the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—They go their several ways to declare the word to the Lamanites—Ammon goes to the land of Ishmael and becomes the servant of King Lamoni—Ammon saves the king's flocks and slays his enemies at the waters of Sebus. Verses 1–3, about 77 B.C.; verse 4, about 91–77 B.C.; and verses 5-39, about 91 B.C.

1  AND now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.

2  Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and 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; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

4  And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years [from 91 B.C. to 77 B.C.] among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.

 Alma 17:1-4 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) had left Gideon after preaching there, and to his surprise, he saw his old friends, the sons of Mosiah.  The joy the four men experience had to be something special.  But what was even more joyful was that the sons of Mosiah were “still his brethren in the Lord.”  These five men were still faithful to the Lord all these years later.

Alma(2)’s record tells us they were very faithful.  They fasted and prayed; they had the spirit of revelation and had the power and authority of God.

Their fourteen-year mission had strengthened them.  Their successes had brought many to the Lord. 

Writing about their mission, John Tvetdnes explained its importance.

“The mission of the sons of Mosiah among the Lamanites has generally been seen as one of the greatest missionary efforts in the Book of Mormon. This is undoubtedly true. One cannot diminish the importance of the spiritual conversion of many thousands of Lamanites to the gospel and of the miracles and faith that accompanied that conversion.

“There is, however, another aspect to the mission that is generally overlooked. It is that the Nephite princes were seeking a means whereby their nation could be relieved of the burden of war with their Lamanite neighbors. Mosiah's sons

“… returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them ... that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites — that perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land. (Mosiah 28:1-2.)”  (Emphasis mine)

The Sons of Mosiah: Emissaries of Peace, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

The desire to bring peace between the Nephites and Lamanites was important consideration.  The wars cost much, in money, casualties, time, resources, etc.  Bringing peace would benefit both sides.

John Tvedtnes also wrote of Alma(2)’s joy at seeing his brethren.

“So emotionally charged were Alma's memories of the angel's first visit that he reflected on it when, after a fourteen-year hiatus, he was reunited with the sons of Mosiah, who had been with him during the angel's original visit. These men had just returned safely from a lengthy mission to the land of Nephi, during which time they had succeeded in converting thousands of Lamanites.”  (Emphasis mine)

The Voice of an Angel, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

5  Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.

6  Now these were their journeyings: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;

7  Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.

8  And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

9  And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

Alma 17:5-9 (Emphasis mine)

The record takes us back fourteen years to the departure of the sons of Mosiah and their group.  While they journeyed in the wilderness, they fasted and prayed that they might have success preaching to the Lamanites. 

Richard Rust wrote about the mission of the sons of Mosiah.  As they begin their mission, his words are very appropriate.

“The missionary endeavor of the sons of Mosiah, found in a single chapter in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon (Alma 17 through 20 in the current edition), is one of the most interesting stories in the Book of Mormon. By looking at this narrative as a single story, one discovers that its center is the kingdom of God in contrast with the kingdom of man, the power of God in contrast with that of man … This acceptance of God's power and denial of earthly glory is emphasized in the first paragraph of the 1830 edition. The sons of Mosiah, we are told, ‘taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of God ... having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them’ (cf. Alma 17:3, 6)”

“Leaving behind a presumably comfortable life in Zarahemla, the sons of Mosiah depart into the wilderness to go among ‘a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people’ (Alma 17:14).

Recurrence in Book of Mormon Narratives, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

Tomorrow’s entry will take our devoted group into the lands of the Lamanites.

Review of Alma(2)'s Sermon to the Church in Gideon

After preaching to the church in Zarahemla, Alma(2) left to check on the status of the church in Gideon.  While there, he gave a powerful sermon.

He explains to the church in Gideon he was not able to come sooner because of his responsibilities as the chief judge.  He is there because he resigned the chief judge position.

He came hoping the church would be strong in Gideon, unlike Zarahemla, which had many problems.  He expresses his joy that they are a righteous people. 

Alma(2) changes subjects by talking about the coming of the Savior.  He said that the time is soon coming when the Redeemer will come among his people.

He tells them he will not come among the Nephites at this time. He teaches that Christ will be born in the old world, the land from which they came. 

He would be born of a virgin, named Mary.  He would suffer both hardship and temptations.  He would die, and through His death, He would defeat death.  Through his death, we will be able to obtain forgiveness of our sins.

He tells the people they must repent, be baptized, and born again, if they hope to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Through repentance and baptism they will cleans their sin.  The result will be that they will have eternal life.

During this sermon, Alma(2) frequently testifies as to the truthfulness of his words.  He had received these words from the Holy Spirit.  He bears testimony based on his experiences and knowledge.

He testifies that the Lord cannot walk in crooked paths.  The paths of the Lord are straight.  He does not dwell in unholy temples.  No unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God.  All must remove their filthiness or remain forever in their filthiness.

He tells the people to be humble, submissive, gentle, willing to help those in need, be patient and long-suffering, temperate in all things, diligent in keeping the commandments of God.  They are to have faith, hope, and charity, and constantly have good works.

He leaves them with the peace of God according to their faiths and good works, now and forever.

Alma(2) ends his visit and leaves to preaching in Melek.

In the October 1998 General Conference, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin emphasized the importance of faith, hope, and charity.

“These divine attributes should become fixed in our hearts and minds to guide us in all of our actions … Charity can be the outward expression of faith and hope. If sought and obtained, these three foundation elements of celestial character will abide with us in this life and beyond the veil into the next life. Remember that the ‘same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that [you] go out of this life … will have power to possess your body in [the] eternal world.’ (Alma 34:34)  We should not wait a single day to intensify our personal efforts to strengthen these virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy attributes.

“When we keep the Lord’s commandments, faith, hope, and charity abide with us ...  we prepare ourselves to stand with confidence before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, ‘without blemish and without spot.’ (1 Peter 1:19)

“… I see that developing faith, hope, and charity within ourselves is a step-by-step process. Faith begets hope, and together they foster charity … These three virtues may be sequential initially, but once obtained, they become interdependent. Each one is incomplete without the others. They support and reinforce each other …

“These are the virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy characteristics we seek …”

In the April 2002 General Conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard discussed the peace of God.

“At one time or another I believe everyone yearns for the ‘peace of God, which passeth all understanding’ (Philip. 4:7). That peace for our troubled hearts only comes to us as we follow the Light of Christ …  it leads us to repent of sins and seek forgiveness … In every home, neighborhood, and community, we ought to strive for peace and never be party to stirring up contention or division.

“Throughout scriptural history, the Lord has promised peace to His followers … Just hours before He was to begin that glorious yet awful process of the Atonement, the Lord Jesus Christ made this significant promise to His Apostles: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you’  (John 14:27).

“Was He promising His beloved associates the kind of peace the world recognizes—safety, security, with the absence of contention or tribulation? Certainly the historical record would suggest otherwise. Those original Apostles knew much of trial and persecution throughout the remainder of their lives, which is probably why the Lord added this insight to His promise: ‘Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ (John 14:27) …

“Peace—real peace, whole-souled to the very core of your being—comes only in and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When that precious truth is discovered and gospel principles are understood and applied, great peace can distill in the hearts and souls of our Heavenly Father’s children. …”

These are powerful words.  The promises and teachings of Alma(2) are every bit applicable to us today as they were to the people of Gideon.  He tells of things we must do; he tells us of ways we must live; all he teaches us he does under the commandment of God. 

He bears testimony as to the truthfulness of his words.  If we “listen with our spiritual ears,” we will also learn the truthfulness of Alma(2)’s words.

Alma 7:14-27

14  Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

15  Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

16  And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

Alma 7:14-16 (Emphasis mine)

After prophesying about Christ’s life, he reminds them they must be born again to inherit the kingdom of heaven.  The keys acts that must be performed are repentance and baptism.

Baptism is important because it is a witness to ourselves, the world, and God of our commitment to Christ.  It means we are willing to repent and promise to keep his commandments.

Noel Reynolds writes about the importance of this act.

“Not only must the repentant sinner cease sinning, he must make a positive commitment to the Savior to keep his commandments, to walk the straight and narrow path, as he comes unto Christ. This covenant to remember Christ always, to take the name of Christ upon himself, and to keep all of Christ's commandments, is part of this process of turning and coming-and therefore a crucial element of repentance. This is the covenant that is witnessed to God and all the world by the convert through the baptism of water. Alma articulates this plainly to the Nephites in Gideon when he invites them to ‘lay aside every sin" and "show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism’ (Alma 7:15; cf. 2 Nephi 31:7, 13—14).” (Emphasis mine)

The True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 29, 2011.

Hugh Nibley writes:

“This is the object; this is what we're after. We're going to find out that everybody's going to have eternal life anyway. They cannot die, we learn later on. The resurrection has been taken care of. So why are we so worried about eternal life? Well, if it's going to be eternal, the quality's going to be rather important, isn't it? Where you spend it and how you spend it has a great deal to say if it's going to be eternal. The [point] is not to go on living in the sewer. That's the difference. ‘And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things?’ he asks you. As I said before, there's never been any dispute about the atonement. It's a very interesting thing; even among the doctors of the church, that word has never been debated. ‘Do you believe these things?’ I know them by the spirit, he says.” (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 47: Alma 5-10, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 29, 2011.

17  And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things?  Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me.  And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.

18  For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.

19  For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness;

       I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God;

           yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.

20  I perceive that it has been made known unto you,

        by the testimony of his word,

    that he cannot walk in crooked paths;

           neither doth he vary from that which he hath said;

           neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left,

           or from that which is right to that which is wrong;

      therefore, his course is one eternal round.

21  And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.

Alma 7:17-21 (Emphasis mine)

(Formatting in verses 19-20 found in The Book of Mormon – A Reader’s Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 270.)

Alma(2) is pleased with the people.  The Spirit testified to him that the people of Gideon believe in his words and have been living the gospel.  They are on the strait and narrow path that leads to heaven. 

He then reminds them that no unclean things can be received into the kingdom of God.  All who are filthy shall remain in their filthiness forever.

16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (Emphasis mine)

19  What?  know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (Emphasis mine)

22  And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.

23  And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

24  And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.

Alma 7:22–24 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) is beginning the end part of his sermon.  He explains to them that his words are so they may someday walk blameless for God. 

He gave the people of list of traits they should show.

• Humility
• Be submissive and gentle
• Easy to be entreated (willing to do things when asked)
• Be full of patience and long-suffering
• Be temperate (moderate) in all things
• Be diligent in keeping the commands at all times
• Ask for what things you need (both spiritual and temporal)
• Return thanks to God for what we receive
• Have faith, hope, and charity

This is quite a list.  If we are striving to live the way we should, these are things we all should be doing in our lives.

12  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

Proverbs 18:12 (Emphasis mine)

25  And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.

26  And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word.

27  And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever.  And thus I have spoken.  Amen.

Alma 7:25–27 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) closes with a blessing on the people. 

14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

2 Peter 3:14 (Emphasis mine)

8  I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Psalms 85:8 (Emphasis mine)

1  MY son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Proverbs 3:1-2 (Emphasis mine)

27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27 (Emphasis mine)

33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 (Emphasis mine)

The sermon and blessings left my Alma(2) are all the more powerful because of his background.  M. Catherine Thomas writes:

“Perhaps among all the important things that one could learn from Alma, the account of his life gives us hope that there is a mighty power that can take a lost and fallen person and work a miraculous transformation. As one who has been redeemed, Alma can teach about the process of redemption and strengthen our faith that if we learn to work the principles that he did, we too can be born again and experience the joy promised in the scriptures, no matter who or what we have been.”

Alma the Younger, Part 2, M. Catherine Thomas, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 29, 2011.