Alma 34:15-27

15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.

21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.

22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. (Alma 34:15-27)

Amulek continues teaching the poor Zoramites about the atonement.

Christ will bring salvation to those who believe in Him. “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people” (Psalm 3:8).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1).

“The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14).

This is the intent of the atonement to bring about mercy which can overpower justice.

“Upon hearing the words of Christ, we exercise faith by choosing to follow the teachings and example of the Savior. To do this, Nephi taught that we must rely ‘wholly upon the merits of [Christ,] who is mighty to save’ (2 Nephi 31:19). Because Jesus was a God in the premortal existence, lived a sinless life, and during His Atonement satisfied all the demands of justice for you and me, He has the power and keys to bring about the resurrection of all men, and He made it possible for mercy to overpower justice upon conditions of repentance. Once we understand that we can obtain mercy through Christ’s merits, we are able to ‘have faith unto repentance’ (Alma 34:15). To rely wholly upon Christ’s merits then is to trust that He did what was necessary to save us and then to act upon our belief.”[1]

Mercy can satisfy the demands of justice. Those who lack faith will face the demands of justice. Those who have faith and repent will be saved through the plan of redemption.

“And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also” (Alma 42:15).

“[M]ercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.

“For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

“What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit” (Alma 42:23-25).

“What makes people repent? As near as I have been able to determine, once a person has sufficient faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he believes Christ has paid for his sins, then he will repent. And it seems that very few, if any, will repent until they believe this truth. Therefore, it is vital to teach the truth about Jesus Christ as the literal son of God and our Lord and Savior and Redeemer in order to bring souls to repentance. Faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance is the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”[2]

To begin to exercise faith, we must call upon God and exercise faith we will receive forgiveness for our sins through His mercy.

“But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost [GR perfectly] that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25).

Earlier, the poor asked where and how they could pray if they could not pray in the synagogue. Amulek tells them placed where they could cry to they Lord.

·        Pray when they are in the field over all their flocks.

“For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.

“Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.” (Alma 33:4-5).

·        Pray in their houses over all their household, morning, mid-day, and evening.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

“Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:1-3).

“Prayer is one of the greatest blessings we have while here on earth. Through prayer we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and seek His guidance daily. Jesus taught, ‘Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name’ (3 Ne. 18:19). We should pray each day that we will have the power to resist temptation. Amulek teaches us that we should pray ‘morning, mid-day, and evening’ and that our hearts should ‘be full, drawn out in prayer unto [God] continually’  (Alma 34:21, 27). Our daily prayers influence our thoughts, our words, and our actions. In order to retain a remission of our sins, it is essential that we ask our Heavenly Father each day for strength to stay in the straight and narrow way.”[3]

He continues, telling them to ask the Lord for His help in dealing with other things in their lives.

·        Pray to the Lord against the power of their enemies.

·        Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him…

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (3 Nephi 18:15, 18).

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

“For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright [OR the upright shall behold His face]” (Psalm 11:7).

“His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever” (Psalm 111:3).

“I told you last Sabbath, and I can tell you again today … that the enemy of all righteousness Acts 13:10 Alma 34:23 never was more formidably arrayed against the Saints than at this very present time. There never was a greater hatred against pure, undefiled, practical religion; and it seems as though every person was our enemy. But if your eyes were opened, as were those of Elijah's servant, you would see more that are for us than all that are against us.”[4]

·        Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

“The people who found themselves doomed to lower-class status in the new land were laborers. Amulek’s counsel to them to pray over their crops and flocks (see Alma 34:24–25) indicates they were farmers and shepherds—possibly the ones who grew the foodstuffs and provided meat for the wealthy. They built the synagogues used by the elite (see Alma 32:5), and they probably labored for the wealthy in other ways as well.”[5]

·        [Y]e must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:5-6).

“I am grateful to Mormon for also including Amulek’s words about prayer to these poor Zoramites who had been forbidden to worship in churches they helped build, and therefore apparently assumed they could no longer approach God. In what can only be described as poetry (at least by me), Amulek enjoins the outcast Zoramites to pray to the Lord wherever they are, whenever they can, over all aspects of their lives. And if they can’t speak their prayers aloud, they should speak them silently … [R]emember that verse after verse begins with ‘Cry unto him’ … In closing this portion of his counsel, Amulek eloquently insists that mortals must also utter private prayers in sequestered places and in their hearts for themselves and others … A sidenote here: I think the word wilderness in this passage can refer to a barren spiritual place or condition as well as to a remote location.”[6]

·        Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

“But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9).

“Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings” (D&C 108:7).

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[1] The Doctrine of Christ, Elder Brian K. Ashton, October 2016 General Conference.

[2] The Resurrection, Elder Hartman Rector, Jr., October 1990 General Conference.

[3] Retaining a Remission of Sin, Elder Keith Crockett, October 2000General Conference.

[4] Practical Religion—Simplicity—Temporal Salvation—Advantages of Utah As a Settlement for the Saints—False Reports, Etc, President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 4:36, June 7, 1857.

[5] The Zoramite Separation: A Sociological Perspective, Sherrie Mills Johnson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 82-83.

[6] The Book of Mormon: Passport to Discipleship, Marilyn Arnold, Mormon Studies Review 23/1 (2011): 11-12.