Alma 7:1-9

Mormon now ends his abridgement of the record to give us the text of a sermon given by Alma(2).  As I mentioned in a post about Alma 5, Mormon apparently felt that it was more important for us to have the actual text of this sermon rather than an abridgement of the record.  Let’s review this sermon and see why Mormon felt that it was important for us to have the actual text.

The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon, according to his own record.  Comprising chapter 7.

Chapter 7

Christ shall be born of Mary—He shall loose the bands of death and bear the sins of his people—Those who repent, are baptized, and keep the commandments shall have eternal life—Filthiness cannot inherit the kingdom of God—Humility, faith, hope, and charity are required. About 83 B.C.

1  BEHOLD my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment–seat, having had much business that I could not come unto you.

2  And even I could not have come now at this time were it not that the judgment–seat hath been given to another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you.

3  And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire

    that I should

        find that ye had humbled yourselves before God,

        and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace,

    that I should find

        that ye were blameless before him,

    that I should find

        that ye were not in the awful dilemma

        that our brethren were in at Zarahemla.

Alma 7:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

(Verse 3 follows formatting from The Book of Mormon – A Reader’s Edition by Grant Hardy, pgs. 267-268)

Alma(2), having resigned the judgment-seat, is now free to travel around the church and personally see what is happening.  He comes to Gideon in hopes that they are more faithful and righteous than those church members in Zarahemla.

Alma(2) hoped the people had “… continued in the supplicating of his grace …”  What does he mean by this?

John Gee wrote that “[i]n the record of Alma the Younger, Jesus Christ is said to be ‘full of grace, and mercy, and truth’ (Alma 5:48) or ‘full of grace, equity, and truth’ (Alma 9:26; 13:9). Only once does Alma address the question of how people obtain grace. Alma tells the people that they must continue ‘in the supplicating of his grace’ (Alma 7:3), meaning that people had to ask for it.” (Emphasis mine)

4  But blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness.

5  And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow.

6  But behold,

    I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren;

    I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts;

    yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of

                                 the world;

    yea, I trust that you do not worship idols,

        but that ye do worship the true and the living God,

    and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins,

       

    with an everlasting faith, which is to come.

Alma 7:4-6 (Emphasis mine)

(Verse 6 follows formatting from The Book of Mormon – A Reader’s Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 268)

Verses 1-6 compose the introductory part of Alma(2)’s sermon.  He then moves on to his message.

7  For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.

8  Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case.  Now as to this thing I do not know; but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word.

9  But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—

    Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord,

        and walk in his paths, which are straight;

    for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand,

        and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.

Alma 7:7-9 (Emphasis mine)

(Verse 9 follows formatting from The Book of Mormon – A Reader’s Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 268)

Alma(2) begins to talk about the coming of Christ.  This is going to happen in the not so distant future (around 80 years from now).  He will not come to dwell among the Nephites during his ministry.  Nevertheless, he was commanded to cry to the people to prepare for the day when the Son of God will come.

I want to stop here for this post.  Verse 10 needs to be discussed in detail, and I don’t want this post any longer than necessary. 

So, we’ll pick up with verse 10 in the next post.