Mosiah 24:8-17

8 And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children.

9 For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king's priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task–masters over them.

10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

17 And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage.

Mosiah 24:8-17

Amulon and his priests have become the teachers of the Lamanites.  In addition, Amulon has also been given responsibility over the people of Alma. 

Amulon remembered Alma and how he was responsible for his losing everything.  He began to persecute Alma and his people.  He didn’t stop there.  He had their children persecute the children of Alma’s people.

Amulon placed many tasks on the people as well as placing taskmasters over them.  

Here we see exactly the type of a person about whom the Lord advised Joseph Smith.  “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion” (D&C 121:39).

Amulon took the opportunity to abuse the people as much as he could.  The tasks became so hard, they people began to pray to the Lord for relief.

Amulon would not allow this.  Using his authority in an unrighteous manner, he ordered the guards to kill anyone who was found praying.  He misjudged the character of the people.  While they stopped vocally praying, they “pour[ed] their hearts to [the Lord].”

The Lord knows our thoughts.  David wrote, “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalms 139:2).  When the Pharisees confronted Christ, accusing Him of using the power of the devil to perform his miracles, they hoped to see him slip up.  Instead, we are told, “And Jesus knew their thoughts” (Matthew 12:25).

The Lord heard their silent prayers.  Scriptures emphasize this.  While Jeremiah was in prison, the Lord told him, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).  As a part of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ told the people, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).

The Lord remembered the covenant the people made with Him at their baptism.

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Mosiah 18:8-10

The Lord then covenanted with “my people and deliver them out of bondage.”

Throughout scripture we can easily recognize many examples of both physical and spiritual redemption. Deliverance from physical bondage occurs repeatedly. The Old Testament tells how the children of Israel were redeemed from bondage in Egypt. In the Book of Mormon we see how numerous peoples were delivered from bondage and captivity. This physical intervention for the preservation of his people demonstrates the Lord's faithfulness to his covenants (Exodus 6:4—8; Mosiah 24:13—16). In addition, physical deliverance functions as a type of spiritual deliverance. It points to something that is just as real but not visible. It is this spiritual redemption from sin and death that the Lord seeks to make available to us through covenants.^[1]

Until they had been delivered, the Lord told them He would “ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even your cannot feel them upon your backs.”  They were told to “stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”

The word of the Lord came to pass and their burdens were “made light.”  They were strengthened so they could bear the burdens.  The Savior called on us to:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek [GR gentle and humble] and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30)

The Lord told Joseph Smith, “And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls” (D&C 54:10).

The day came when the Lord spoke to Alma.  Because of their great faith and patience, the Lord told him they would be freed the next day.  Alma was commanded to go to the people and deliver them out of bondage.

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[1] The Redemption of Abraham, Jennifer Lane, Maxwell Institute, accessed December 2, 2014.