Alma 26:8-12

8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.

9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.

10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. (Alma 26:8-31)

Ammon continues.

He proclaims the name of God is blessed. His wording is similar to David’s in the Psalms. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen” (Psalm 41:13).

“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things” (Psalm 72:18).

He wants to sing praises to God. Once again, this desire is similar to David.

“My heart is fixed [OR steadfast], O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

“Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

“I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

“For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth” (Psalm 57:7-11).

“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

“Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

“I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

“For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth” (Psalm 108:1-5).

Isaiah wrote…

“Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

“Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee” (Isaiah 12:5-6).

They should give thanks to Him because of His righteous works forever.

Had they not left Zarahemla, their “dearly beloved brethren” would still hate them because they are Nephites. When they left on their mission, they hoped that, “perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them” (Mosiah 28:2).

They would have also remained strangers to God.

At this point, Aaron warned Ammon, “I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting” (Alma 26:10).

The Lord could well have been describing Ammon’s joy when he revealed these words to Joseph Smith.

 “Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me” (D&C 18:14-16).

“Here in mortality, we already know moments when, ‘because of the great goodness of God,’ there is a ‘gushing out of many tears’ (3 Ne. 4:33). Our joy is brim (see Alma 26:11). Yet this is but a foretaste of the ultimate homecoming, when our cups will not only be brim, but will run over without ceasing!”[1]

Ammon acknowledges he is nothing; he is not strong, but weak; he boasts, not of himself, but of God. Alma wrote, “I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy” (Alma 29:9).

Like Paul, he boasts of God. “I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God” (Romans 15:17).

Through His strength, he can do all things. “Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed” (Isaiah 45:24).

“I know both how to be abased [GR humble], and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:12-13).

“And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them” (1 Nephi 17:3).

The work and miracles they do are done through the Lord. “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect” (Psalm 18:32).

“Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him” (1 Nephi 7:12).

They will praise His name forever.

“The truly central hero of the Book of Mormon is Jesus Christ. It is he who gives direction to the other heroes and whose redeeming power is affirmed throughout the book, climaxing at his personal visit. He is the hero whom the others represent … Throughout the book, it is Jesus Christ who lifts, heals, and redeems.”[2]

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[1] “For I Will Lead You Along” Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1988 General Conference.

[2] The Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute website.