24 For the hearts of
many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered
no more among the people of God. And
also many withdrew themselves from among them.
25 Now this was a
great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were
steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with
patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.
26 And when the
priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people
also left their labors to hear the word of God.
And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all
returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming
himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer,
neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all
equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.
27 And they did impart
of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and
the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly
apparel, yet they were neat and comely.
28 And thus they did
establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual
peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.
29 And now, because of
the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having
abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks
and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of
gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and
fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
30 And thus, in their
prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that
were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been
nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were
liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female,
whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to
those who stood in need.
31 And thus they did
prosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their
church.
32 For those who did
not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry
or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly
apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying,
thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of
wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did
transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible.
33 And it came to pass
that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to
that which he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any wickedness
if it were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people of Nephi
until the fifth year of the reign of the judges.
Alma 1:24-33
Even though Nehor had been executed, there was still
apostasy occurring. Those that refused
to repent of their sins had their names blotted out. This is similar to the command the Lord gave
Moses – “And the LORD said unto Moses,
Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Exodus
32:33). The Lord told Alma1, “Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will
not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this
shall be observed from this time forward … And those that would not confess
their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the
people of the church, and their names were blotted out” (Mosiah 26:32, 36).
Alma2 would deal with this in the same manner as
his father. “And it also came to pass that whosoever did belong to the church that
did not repent of their wickedness and humble themselves before God—I mean
those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts—the same were rejected,
and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among
those of the righteous” (Alma 6:3).
Almost certainly as a result of
this verdict and execution, the rift between the people of Christ and members
of other groups within the community deepened in the second year of the reign
of judges. Recalcitrant and bellicose members of the church were excommunicated
(Alma 1:24), undoubtedly becoming bitter enemies to Alma and the church.[1]
Those in the Church suffered trials, yet they remained
faithful to the church. They kept the
commandments and were patient in their sufferings.
The priests left their jobs to preach the word of God. Remember, the priests were commanded to
provide for themselves. “And he also commanded them that the priests
whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support … And
the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their
labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the
Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and
authority from God” (Mosiah 18:24, 26).
People left their jobs to listen to the word of God. After the preaching ended, the priests and
people returned to their jobs. Equality
was taught in the church. The preacher
was no better than a member of their congregation; a teacher was not better
than the student. They were all equals.
Each man worked. What
was expected was that each person worked “to
his strength.” This principle was
taught by King Benjamin. “And see that all these things are done in
wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he
has strength. And again, it is expedient
that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all
things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).
There were still problems, nonetheless.
Everybody was crazy about the
charismatic Alma. But now he had been thoroughly converted, and he was in
charge not only of the church, but he was the chief judge in a sacral society.
He was head of the church and the state. Anybody writing this would say,
"We are in for a golden age—at last a new age dawns with Alma." And
what happens? Before the year is out, the whole thing starts coming apart.
Well, well! In Alma 1:26 is what he escaped to. The general
corruption—or collapse was what it amounted to—is in Alma 1:16–20.[2]
Members of the church were expected to give of their
substance to the poor. This was one of
King Benjamin’s major messages in his great sermon – “And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto
you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to
day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of
your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding
the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their
relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26).
The Savior commanded us to provide for the poor. Talking to the young ruler, after he had told
the Savior all he had done, He told him – “Now
when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing:
sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Sadly, the ruler left without becoming a
disciple of Christ.
The Lord, revealing principles of consecration to Joseph
Smith told him – “And behold, thou wilt
remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that
which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be
broken. And inasmuch as ye impart of
your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me; and they shall be laid
before the bishop of my church and his counselors, two of the elders, or high
priests, such as he shall appoint or has appointed and set apart for that
purpose” (D&C 42:30-31).
Elder Russell M. Nelson reminded us we still have that
duty. “Every person so baptized who
receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, which seals the ordinance, is under
solemn covenant with the Lord to obey his commandments. Caring for the
poor is one of those commandments.[3]”
(emphasis in original)
After King Benjamin’s sermon, we don’t hear anything about
what he told the people they must do. There
is no mention of his son, Mosiah, implementing his teachings.[4] Alma2, on the other hand, “implemented
many of the religious and social policies articulated by Benjamin.”[5]
The members of the church did not wear costly apparel. Once again, we see costly apparel
representing apostasy from the gospel.
It is not unusual for those who wear the best clothes to think they are
better than others. By not wearing
expensive clothes, they were holding to the teaching all members of the church
should be equal. It was effective,
because there was peace in the church.
[1] The
Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon – The Trial of Nehor, Maxwell Institute,
accessed January 12, 2015.
[2] Teachings
of the Book of Mormon – Semester 2, Lecture 43 – Alma 1–2 – Escapes, Maxwell
Institute, accessed January 12, 2015.
[3] In
the Lord’s Own Way, Russell M. Nelson, April 1986 Conference).
[4] That
is not to say he didn’t implement his father’s teachings. For whatever reason, whomever compiled the book
of Mosiah left it out.
[5] King
Benjamin's Speech – Benjamin, the Man: His Place in Nephite History, John
W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 12, 2015.
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