Once again, we have a case of be careful for what you wish.
43 And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast 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.
45 And yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses? And he said: Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign.
46 And now it came to pass that Alma said unto him: Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart, yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed.
47 But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.
48 Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.
Alma 30:43-48 (Emphasis mine)
Korihor demands a sign. If he receives a sign then, and only then, will he believe. This is the standard cry of the wicked. Show me a sign. If I don’t get a sign, I won’t believe.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
John 6:30-33 (Emphasis mine)
Hugh Nibley writes:
“Why are people so obsessed with rage, for example, against Joseph Smith, as if he had personally insulted them and ruined their lives? They have never seen him, but they really take on. Korihor says, then ‘show me a sign.’ That's the usual thing.” [1] (Emphasis mine)
Alma(2) reminds Korihor that he has had enough signs. Here are the signs: testimony of all the brethren, the testimony of the prophets, the Earth and all things on it, the planets moving in their regular form. All these things testify there is a God. Yet, you go about leading people away, denying there is a God. Korihor continued to deny the existence of God.
Richard Rust shared an experience where he experience the testimony by looking at the “Earth and all things on it.”
“One evening I was admiring the beautiful sunset-touched clouds in the sky, when in a way I had not emotionally realized before, I saw the hand of God in this glorious scene before me. Intellectually, I had known since I was a child that Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ created the world, and I was well familiar with Alma's affirmation to Korihor that ‘all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it’ (Alma 30:44), but at that moment there was something more. An inner voice spoke to my soul, confirming that the Creator acknowledged his artistry.” [2] (Emphasis mine)
We see Alma(2)’s true humility as a contrast to Korihor’s arrogance. He responds the he is grieved because of his unbelief and unwillingness to ignore the spirit of truth. Even after all the damage and harm to the souls of the people Korihor had done, Alma(2) was still concerned about the welfare of his soul. He did all he could to soften Korihor’s heart, to no avail. Alma(2) could do no more.
He told Korihor that, if he continued to demand a sign, that is would be better for his soul to be lost than to bring many to eternal destruction through his lying and flattering words. He pronounced the sign. Korihor would be struck dumb and never be able to deceive the people any more. This was his last chance. If he didn’t take it, he would get the sign for which he asked, one that would ensure the destruction of his soul.
He backpedals a little. Well, I don’t deny the existence of God, but I don’t believe in Him. He once again told Alma(2) that there was no way he could know there is a God. He demands a sign one last time.
Remember, he had every chance offered him to repent, to renounce his words, and to accept the existence of God. He refused to take it.
Noel Reynolds observes:
“We can get further illumination on the subject of repentance by examining the Book of Mormon treatment of the opposed concepts—hardness of heart, blindness of mind, and stiffness of neck. These phrases all betoken the opposite of ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit,’ which is the hallmark of a repentant person. While we must humble ourselves before God and confess our sins to repent effectively, most men will avoid this turning away from the sins they enjoy. So it is that the Book of Mormon prophets see two choices open to those who have been called to repentance. If they will not repent, they choose to ‘reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds’ (Alma 13:4), and, like Korihor, they ‘resist the spirit of the truth’ (Alma 30:46).” [3] (Emphasis mine)
49 Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.
50 Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.
Alma 30:49-50 (Emphasis mine)
Korihor received his sign and lost his soul.
Hugh Nibley comments:
“And Korihor was struck dumb. Was it a stroke? Was he so wrought up? Would that be the effect of this sort of thing if he had actually been putting it on? He got himself in so deep that he had to put on this big show. We find out he really was scared here, and this was all it took to push him over. He was struck dumb, and deaf also because Alma had to write for him.” [4] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Lecture 54: Alma 30-31, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 19, 2011.
[2] Questions Answered: My Study and Teaching of American Literature and the Book of Mormon, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 19, 2011.
[3] The True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 19, 2011.
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