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.