Alma 38:1-5

The commandments of Alma to his son Shiblon.

Chapter 38

Shiblon was persecuted for righteousness' sake—Salvation is in Christ, who is the life and the light of the world—Bridle all your passions. About 74 B.C.

Having finished his words to Helaman, Alma now speaks to Shiblon.

It is apparent Shiblon has been faithful in his service to the Lord. The tone of his words are different than those he used when speaking to Helaman. 

He reminds him of the Lord’s basic promise – keep the Lord’s commandments and you will prosper in the land of promise.[1] If they fail to keep the commandments, they will be cut off from the presence of the Lord. 

“But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands.  And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ.  And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith” (Alma 44:3).

“And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord” (1 Nephi 2:21).

“Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence” (2 Nephi 5:20).

“Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord.  Now we see that the word of the Lord has been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land” (Alma 9:14).

Alma praises his steadiness and faithfulness.  As a young man, he looked to the Lord, band he hopes he will continue and endure to the end.

Enduring to the end is an essential part of being a disciple of Christ.

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake [GR because of my name]: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22).

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“Behold, I am the law, and the light.  Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life” (3 Nephi 15:9)

“And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:6).

“And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved” (2 Nephi 31:16).

“And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved. And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty” (Alma 32:13-15).

“And we know that all men must repent and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and worship the Father in his name, and endure in faith on his name to the end, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God” (D&C 20:29).

“And again, I would that ye should learn that he only is saved who endureth unto the end” (D&C 53:7).

Shiblon is praised “because of the faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.”  (Alma 38:3).  Remember, the mission to the Zoramites was challenging due to their strange beliefs.

In spite of being held in bondage and stoned, Shiblon remained faithful and continued to fulfil his mission responsibilities. “Despite the Zoramites’ hatred toward them, demonstrated to its fullest extent in the binding and stoning of Shiblon (see Alma 38:4), they preached.”^[2]

“And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them” (Alma 34:40).

He told Shiblon to remember, as much as he trusts the Lord, He will deliver him from trials, afflictions, and troubles. 

“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me”

(Psalms 50:15).

“And all that call upon the name of the Lord, and keep his commandments, shall be saved” (D&C 100:17).

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved [HEB tested] thee at the waters of Meribah” (Psalms 81:7).

“And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name” (Alma 9:17).

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[1] The words of General Moroni. “Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves; yea, were it not for these king–men, who caused so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at the time we were contending among ourselves, if we had united our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desire of power and authority which those king–men had over us; had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word” (Alma 60:16).

[2] The Zoramite Separation: A Sociological Perspective, Sherrie Mills Johnson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 83.