33 Preach unto them
repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves
and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of
the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
34 Teach them to never
be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find
rest to their souls.
35 O, remember, my
son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the
commandments of God. (Alma 37:33-44)
Alma continues speaking to Helaman.
He is to preach repentance to the people. Christ gave the Twelve
this charge on their first mission.
“And they went out, and preached that men should repent” (Mark
6:12).
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations” (Luke 24:47).
“Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing
save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people” (Mosiah
18:20).
They are to be humble and meek as well as lowly in heart. “The
meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way” (Psalm 25:9).
“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:11).
“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is
not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek [GR gentle, mild, forgiving] and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4).
“[H]umble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy
name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that
which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek,
submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering” (Alma 13:28).
Teach them to withstand the devil’s temptation through their
faith in Christ. “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might
keep thy word” (Psalm 119:101).
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him” (James 1:12).
“Developing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a
step-by-step, line-upon-line, and precept-upon-precept process. We promote the
process of strengthening our faith when we do what is right—increased faith
always follows as a consequence. If we exercise our faith daily with prayer,
study, and obedience, the Savior helps our unbelief, and our faith becomes a
shield to ‘quench all the fiery darts of the wicked’ (D&C 27:17). Alma
taught that we may ‘withstand every temptation of the devil, with [our] faith
on the Lord Jesus Christ.’”[1]
Teach them to never tire of doing good works. They are to be
meek and lowly in heart so they may find rest for their souls.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek [GR
gentle and humble] and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew
11:28-30).
“The urgings for us not to weary in well-doing contain
prescriptions to avoid such weariness. We are to work steadily, but
realistically, and only expect to reap ‘in due season.’ We are to serve while
being ‘meek and lowly,’ avoiding thereby the wearying burdens of self-pity and
hypocrisy. We are to pray always so that we will not faint, so that our
performance will actually be for the welfare of our souls, which is so much
more than just going through the motions.”[2]
Alma tells Helaman to learn wisdom in his youth.
“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man
of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” (Proverbs 1:5).
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:
teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:9).
“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6).
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and
with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
“For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the
children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a
little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear
unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I
will give more” (2 Nephi 28:30).
In his youth, he is to keep God’s commandments.
[2] “Lest
Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds,” Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1991
General Conference.
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