9 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.
10 And behold, when I
see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then
is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me,
yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful
arm which he extended towards me.
11 Yea, and I also
remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did
deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the
Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did
deliver them out of bondage.
12 Yea, I have always
remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them
out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage.
13 Yea, and that same
God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me
by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much
success, in the which my joy is full.
14 But I 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.
15 Behold, they have
labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be
their reward!
16 Now, when I think
of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the
separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.
17 And now may God
grant unto these, my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God;
yea, and also all those who are the fruit of their labors that they may go no
more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may
be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen. (Alma 29:9-17)
Alma continues.
Alma glories in the things which the Lord commanded him.
Like Ammon, he does not glory in himself, but he glories in what the Lord
commanded him to do. “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 26:12).
He is, perhaps, and instrument in the hands of the Lord to
bring souls to repentance. This what is responsible for his joy.
“Joy cometh in the morning to those who have earned the
night’s rest of a laborer. One of life’s sweetest returns is the privilege of
rendering significant service of worth to others. To be able to do for fellow
human beings something they could not do for themselves brings matchless
satisfaction. Years of preparation are worth it. And joy is derived in Church
service. Alma so expressed this thought: ‘That perhaps I may be an instrument
in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance … is my joy’ (Alma 29:9).”[1]
When he sees those who have truly repented and come to the
Lord, his soul is filled with joy. He remembers what the Lord did for him. “And
again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people,
and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed
with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge
of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the
power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered
according to their faith” (Mosiah 27:14).
He remembers the merciful arm which he extended towards him.
He remembers the captivity of his fathers. He knows the Lord
delivered them from bondage and established His church. “I would that ye should
do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were
in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their
afflictions” (Alma 36:2).
He remembers the captivity of his fathers and how the Lord
delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians. “For I brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent
before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4).
He also remembered how his father and his people were freed
from Lamanite bondage.
“And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by
the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in
captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of
his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish
the church of God throughout this land also.
“And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that
belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the
captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in
remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye
sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from
hell” (Alma 5:5-6).
God had given him his holy calling to preach the word of God
to his people and he found much success. This is why his joy is full. “I, Alma,
having been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church
of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I
say unto you that he began to establish a church in the land which was in the
borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the land of Mormon; yea, and
he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon” (Alma 5:3).
His joy is even more full because of the success of the sons
of Mosiah and their brethren while on their mission to the Lamanites. They have
brought forth much fruit and will receive a great reward.
Alma prays God will grant to his brethren they might sit in
the kingdom of God and those who are the fruit of the labors may praise God
forever. “[M]ay God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I
have spoken” (Alma 29:17).
“One can have the perspective of Alma: He always remembers
the captivity and deliverance of his fathers, he rejoices in the present
repentance of many of his brethren, and he looks forward to bringing some soul
to repentance, with the hope that his redeemed brethren will enter the timeless
state of the heavenly kingdom of God to ‘go no more out’ (Alma 29:17: cf.
1-17).”[2]
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