Earlier, I wrote about Mosiah 9-22. Mormon referred to this as the record of Zeniff. Once I reached chapter 22, I moved on to other parts of the Book of Mormon. I decided it was time to return and continue studying Mosiah beginning with chapter 23.
An account of Alma and the people of the Lord, who were driven into the wilderness by the people of King Noah.
Comprising chapters 23 and 24.
Chapter 23
Alma refuses to be king—He serves as high priest—The Lord chastens his people, and the Lamanites conquer the land of Helam—Amulon, leader of King Noah's wicked priests, rules subject to the Lamanite monarch. About 145–121 B.C.
1 NOW Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah. 2 And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them. 3 And they fled eight days' journey into the wilderness. 4 And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water. 5 And they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings; yea, they were industrious, and did labor exceedingly.
Mosiah 23:1-5 (Emphasis mine)
Alma(1) and his people were warned by the Lord that the armies of King Noah were planning to attach Alma(1) and his people. They responded by getting their things together and departing into the wilderness before the armies could overtake them.
This was not the first time that Alma(1) was warned about the imminent arrival of Noah’s armies. When he was at the waters of Mormon, he received a warning from the Lord to depart. They were “…apprised of the coming of the king's army; therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness. And they were in number about four hundred and fifty souls.” (Mosiah 18:34-35)
They fled for eight days and came to a wonderful place. It was beautiful and pleasant and had pure water. They settled her and began building a new settlement.
In the Book of Mormon, being warned of the Lord to depart is a common occurrence. Bruce Boehm explains:
“Many of the exoduses in the Book of Mormon tend to follow a basic pattern with the Lord initially warning a righteous leader to depart from the land. We see the Lord also warning Mosiah and Alma1 to flee with their followers into the wilderness. In fact, the first verse of many of the exodus narratives begins with the Lord warning his servant: the Lord "did warn" Nephi to depart from his brethren (2 Nephi 5:5); King Mosiah, "being warned of the Lord" (Omni 1:12); "Alma, having been warned of the Lord" (Mosiah 23:1). After this initial warning, the basic pattern of exodus continues: the more righteous portion of the people flee into the wilderness to a promised land, those who remain suffer physical or spiritual destruction, the Lord's people wander in the wilderness for some time before reaching the promised land, they prosper, and the pattern begins anew.” [1] (Emphasis mine)
6 And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people. 7 But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king. 8 Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king. 9 But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance;
Mosiah 23:6-9 (Emphasis mine)
Once settled, the people wanted Alma(1) to be their king. But, he knew better. He was concerned with the idea of a king. He chose not to accept the kingship for a number of reasons.
First, no one person should be revered more than another should. Under King Mosiah, there were some strict laws. “And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men … that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself.” (Mosiah 27:3-4).
If it were possible to have a just king, it would be acceptable to have a king. But Alma(1) knew from experience what could happen. King Mosiah also understood this. He told his people “… if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the claws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments … if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you … behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!” (Mosiah 29:13, 17).
Alma(1) also knew from experience what could happen with a king. He had been a priest in King Noah’s court. He saw firsthand a wicked king. He had power and authority and he used it unrighteously. His action caused him “sore repentance.” I have to wonder if he trusted himself. He knew what happened when he had the authority and power. Did he fear he would turn away from the Lord? I believe it was a possibility.
Daniel Peterson observed:
“Alma, in fact, claimed to have authority from God (Mosiah 18:13), a claim that the later editor implicitly acknowledges as valid (Mosiah 18:18; Alma 5:3). Furthermore, in the power vacuum left by the absence of King Noah, the people implored Alma to assume the royal title and prerogatives (Mosiah 23:6). He turned down the title but, of necessity, did carry out some kingly duties. It was Alma who ordained priests and teachers for his outcast people, among whom he was in fact the sole human source of authority (Mosiah 18:18; 23:17). Indeed, Mosiah 18:18 informs us that Alma ordained ‘one priest to every fifty’ of his followers …
“Alma begins his denunciation of kingship by referring to the equality of all flesh but soon alludes to his basic reason for opposing monarchy, which is that the king might well prove to be unrighteous—like his old boss, Noah. (Of course, a truly righteous king would not esteem himself to be better than others and would not allow others to think so of him; see Mosiah 2:10—19, 26.) Later, in Zarahemla, Alma emphasized equality within the church, insisting that priests and teachers should labor for their own support rather than relying upon the surplus of others (Mosiah 27:4—5).” [2] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Wanderers in the Promised Land: A Study of the Exodus Motif in the Book of Mormon and Holy Bible, Bruce J. Boehm, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 13, 2012.
[2] Authority in the Book of Mosiah, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 13, 2012.
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