Alma 17:1-5

An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.

Comprising chapters 17 through 27.

Chapter 17

The sons of Mosiah have the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—They go their several ways to declare the word to the Lamanites—Ammon goes to the land of Ishmael and becomes the servant of King Lamoni—Ammon saves the king’s flocks and slays his enemies at the water of Sebus. Verses 1–3, about 77B.C.; verse4, about 91–77B.C.; and verses  5–39, about 91B.C.

1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.

2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.

5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit. (Alma 17:1-5)

Mormon now turns to the mission of the sons of Mosiah (“And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni…” (Mosiah 27:34)).

Alma was going to Manti (“And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And Alma returned and said unto them: Behold, the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti. And behold there shall ye meet them, on the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren who have been taken captive by the Lamanites” (Alma 16:6)). He was surprised when he met the sons of Mosiah as they were heading towards Zarahemla.

“Before going sequentially through the story of the sons of Mosiah, for example, the narrator gives us Alma’s report that they are alive and well, that they had ‘much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth,’ and that they had suffered much in both body and mind (Alma 17:1–5). Soon after this report we are told that at the beginning of their dangerous missionary venture, the sons of Mosiah learned through the Spirit that they should be patient in afflictions and would be instruments in the Lord’s hands for the salvation of many souls (Alma 17:11). Thus the essential events are known ahead of time—both by the narrator’s foretelling and by prophecy.”[1]

Seeing them, “Alma did rejoice exceedingly” (Alma 17:2). What added to his joy was the sons of Mosiah were still faithful to the Lord, serving Him as best they could. They had a strong knowledge of gospel truth, having diligently searched the scriptures.

The sons of Mosiah frequently fasted and prayed. “Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth” (D&C 88:76).

We read the effect of fasting and prayer on the Nephites when Nephi₂ served as the chief judge. “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:35).

Through their fasting and prayer, they had the spirit of prophecy and revelation. When they taught the people, they did so with power and authority from God.

“We need to become like the sons of Mosiah, who “waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth.” We can become men and women “of a sound understanding.” This can be accomplished only by our ‘search[ing] the scriptures diligently, that [we] might know the word of God.’ In searching the scriptures and the words of past and current apostles and prophets, we should focus on studying, living, and loving the doctrine of Christ. In addition to developing the habit of personal scripture reading, we need to be like the sons of Mosiah and give ourselves ‘to much prayer, and fasting.’ It seems that these things which are not easily measured are of great importance. Stay focused on these simple things, and avoid becoming distracted.”[2]

Fourteen years had passes since they had seen each other. The sons of Mosiah had been preaching the gospel to the Lamanites. They had success in bringing many to the true knowledge of the gospel of Christ. Alma would describe their success. “But I [Alma] do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi” (Alma 29:14).

They had confessed their sins before God. Alma₁ received a charge from King Mosiah. “Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also…

And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church” (Mosiah 26:35).

Mormon last observation before writing about their missionary efforts tells us “they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit” (Alma 17:5).

“How, then, shall we respond to undeserved adversity in our own lives? How may our responses to affliction and suffering draw us closer to the Savior, to our Heavenly Father, and to the realization of our own celestial potential? May I suggest some examples and role models found in the scriptures.

The sons of Mosiah, in the course of their missionary labors, ‘had many afflictions … both in body and in mind … and also much labor in the spirit.’ (Alma 17:5.) Partly because of such experiences, they became ‘strong in the knowledge of the truth; … men of a sound understanding … [who] searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. …’”[3]

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[1] Feasting on the Word, “Great Things the Lord Hath Done” – Epic Elements, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Stay in the Boat and Hold On! President M. Russell Ballard, October 2014 General Conference.

[3] Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality, Elder Ronald E. Poelman, April 1989 General Conference.