Alma 34:1-7

Chapter 34

Amulek testifies that the word is in Christ unto salvation—Unless an atonement is made, all mankind must perish—The whole law of Moses points toward the sacrifice of the Son of God—The eternal plan of redemption is based on faith and repentance—Pray for temporal and spiritual blessings—This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God—Work out your salvation with fear before God. About 74 B.C.

1 And now it came to pass that after Alma had spoken these words unto them he sat down upon the ground, and Amulek arose and began to teach them, saying:

2 My brethren, I think that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of God; yea, I know that these things were taught unto you bountifully before your dissension from among us.

3 And as ye have desired of my beloved brother that he should make known unto you what ye should do, because of your afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience—

4 Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness.

5 And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ.

6 And ye also beheld that my brother has proved unto you, in many instances, that the word is in Christ unto salvation.

7 My brother has called upon the words of Zenos, that redemption cometh through the Son of God, and also upon the words of Zenock; and also he has appealed unto Moses, to prove that these things are true. (Alma 34:1-7).

Alma has finished his teachings and sits down. Mormon tells us Amulek begins teaching the poor Zoramites.

He begins by reminding them it was “impossible” they did not know these things, such as the coming of Christ, who is the Son of God. These things had been taught to them before the Zoramite dissented from the Nephites. “And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites” (Alma 16:15).

They had asked Alma what they should do as they had been cast out. “And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do” (Alma 32:5).

Alma had told them to have faith and be patient.

 Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness.

Through their faith, they were told to plant the word in their hearts and experiment with its goodness. “And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” (Alma 33:23).

“A feeling of confidence, trust, and respect is aroused in an individual when he is invited to experiment upon or test the validity of a religious principle. The Book of Mormon tells us that another prophet by the name of Amulek, a friend and comrade of Alma, emulated the example of the latter by exhorting his brethren to “plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness” (Alma 34:4).

“The Book of Mormon doctrine of experimentation or of testing the validity of religious teaching is interestingly applied by the last Nephite prophet, Moroni. Before sealing up the sacred gold plates of which he was the custodian, this great individual urged the future readers of the Book of Mormon to test the validity of its claims with a sincere experiment

“‘And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.’ (Moroni 10:4)

“This great experiment in the spiritual realm is urged upon all mankind without distinction; if honestly and sincerely performed, any person may have the truth manifested concerning the claims of the Nephite scripture by means of the Holy Ghost.”[1]

Alma and Amulek understood the question in their minds is whether or not there will be a Christ.

Many times, Alma had proved “the word is in Christ unto salvation” (Alma 34:6).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).[2]

Alma used Zenos to teach redemption comes through the Son of God. Nephi₃ taught, “And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly; for the which he was slain” (Helaman 8:19).

He also quoted Zenock. Again, Nephi₃ referred to Zenock’s words.  “And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy” (Helaman 8:20).

He also quoted Moses to support the truth of his teachings.

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[1] Some Universals in the Book of Mormon, Sidney B. Sperry, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God.

“And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (JST, John 1:1,14).

Alma 33:12-23

12 And now Alma said unto them: Do ye believe those scriptures which have been written by them of old?

13 Behold, if ye do, ye must believe what Zenos said; for, behold he said: Thou hast turned away thy judgments because of thy Son.

14 Now behold, my brethren, I would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?

15 For it is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things, but Zenock also spake of these things—

16 For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.

17 And now, my brethren, ye see that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God, and because the people would not understand his words they stoned him to death.

18 But behold, this is not all; these are not the only ones who have spoken concerning the Son of God.

19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.

20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.

21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?

22 If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.

23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen. (Alma 33:12-23)

Having quoted Zenos, Alma asks if they believe the scriptures which have been written. We are told they have been written for us. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope”(Romans 15:4).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable [GR beneficial or useful for instruction] for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

“And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).

If they do believe in the scriptures, they must believe Zenos’s words, “Thou hast turned away thy judgments because of thy Son” (Alma 33:13).

If they do believe the scriptures, they must believe in Christ as the Son of God. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

Not only did Zenos write about these things, Zenock also spoke of these things.

He quotes Zenock, “Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son” (Alma 33:16).

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water” (2 Peter 3:3-5).[1]

“To forgive yourself and others, you must trust the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The prophet Zenock prayed, ‘Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.’ Our Father in Heaven is saddened when we limit the power of His Son’s atoning sacrifice. As you exercise faith in Jesus Christ, you can have your guilt ‘swept away.’ If guilt remains after sincere repentance, believe your priesthood leaders when they declare you to be worthy.”[2]

Zenock was a second prophet testifying about the Son of God. For that, he was stoned to death.

But, Zenos and Zenock are not the only prophets who testified of Christ.

Moses also testified of Christ.

“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken…

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18).

He then refers to his raising a type in the wilderness.

“And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea [HEB Reed Sea], to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

“And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

“And the Lord sent fiery [OR poisonous] serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:4-6).

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).

Many refused to look at the serpent. It was too easy. They chose to ignore Moses and died rather than follow the prophet. Those who obeyed Moses looked and lived.

Alma explains, “few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them” (Alma 33:20).

“The sad irony is that, too often, those most in need turn away from their one perfect source of help—our Savior, Jesus Christ. A familiar scriptural account of the brazen serpent teaches us that we have a choice when faced with challenges. After many of the children of Israel were bitten by ‘fiery flying serpents,’ ;a type was raised up … that whosoever would look … might live. [But it was a choice.] And many did look and live … But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished.’

“Like the ancient Israelites, we are also invited and encouraged to look to the Savior and live—for His yoke is easy and His burden is light, even when ours may be heavy.”[3]

If they could look at the raised up serpent and  be healed, what would they do? Would they look or would they refuse to look and die because of the unbelief.

“And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:57-58).

They should cast their eyes and believe in Christ. “Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come” (Alma 25:16).

He will come to redeem his people. He will suffer and die to atone for our sins. “And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory” (Alma 22:14).

“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made” (Alma 34:9).

He will bring to pass the resurrection when He rises from the dead.

“Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

“The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time” (Alma 11:42-43).

We will all stand before him and be judged by our works.

“He will by His power, bring all men to stand before Him; for if He has risen from the dead the bands of the temporal death are broken that the grave has no victory. If then, the grave has no victory, those who keep the sayings of Jesus and obey His teachings have not only a promise of a resurrection from the dead, but an assurance of being admitted into His glorious kingdom; for, He Himself says, ‘Where I am, there shall also my servant be’ (see John 12).”[4]

Alma told them to plant his words in their hearts. It will become a tree leading to everlasting life. “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life” (Alma 32:41).

“Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you” (Alma 32:43).

God will then grant to them their burdens will be light, through the joy of His Son.

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[1] “Knowing this first, that in the last days there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts.

“Denying the Lord Jesus Christ, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things must continue as they are, and have continued as they are from the beginning of the creation.

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that of old the heavens, and the earth standing in the water and out of the water, were created by the word of God ” (JST, 2 Peter 3:3-5).

[2] “The Great and Wonderful Love, ” Elder Anthony D. Perkins, October 2006 General Conference.

[3] Turn to the Lord, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, October 2017 General Conference.

[4] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 62.

Alma 33:1-11

Chapter 33

Zenos taught that men should pray and worship in all places, and that judgments are turned away because of the Son—Zenock taught that mercy is bestowed because of the Son—Moses had lifted up in the wilderness a type of the Son of God. About 74 B.C.

1 Now after Alma had spoken these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.

2 And Alma said unto them: Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you, if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye ought to search the scriptures; if ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do not understand them.

3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?

4 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.

5 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.

6 And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.

7 And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me.

8 Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear them.

9 Yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations.

10 Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son. (Alma 33:1-11)

After Alma had finished, the poor Zoramites wanted to know if they should believe in one God. “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen” (2 Nephi 31:21).

They wanted to know this so they might obtain the fruit about which he had spoken. They wanted to plant the seed in their hearts. They also wanted to begin exercising their faith.

Alma reminded they said they could not worship God because they were not allowed to enter the synagogues. He tells them they are mistaken. They should “search the scriptures; if [they] suppose that they have taught you this, [they] do not understand them” (Alma 33:2).

King Benjamin taught he importance of the scriptures. He said we “are eternally indebted to [our] heavenly Father, to render to him all that [we] have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem” (Mosiah 2:34).

Speaking of the brass plates, Alma told Helaman “it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.

“Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.

“And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands of our stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (Alma 37:8-10).

“According to the Book of Mormon narrative, Nephites and subsequently the people of Zarahemla, at least by the time of Alma the Younger, were relatively literate and had access to Hebrew scriptures. The scriptures appear to have been widely available because the audiences addressed by Nephite prophets were chided for not studying them (see Jacob 7:10–11; Mosiah 13:11). These inspired writings were sufficiently accessible, even to the common people, that Alma told the poor among the Zoramites to search the scriptures (see Alma 33:2). An underlying assumption of the prophets was that the dissidents (except Korihor) believed the scriptures. Thus the prophets used the scriptures in their teachings about the coming of a Messiah.”[1]

He reminded them the words of Zenos and what he said about prayer or worship.

God heard his prayer even when he was in the wilderness. He was merciful when he prayed about his enemies and He “didst turn them” to him.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

The Lord was merciful to him. He prayed in his field and the Lord heard his prayer.

Amulek would also emphasize they did not need to be in a synagogue to pray.

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

“Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening” (Alma 34:20-21).

The Lord heard Zenos’s prayer when he prayed in his house. He heard him when he prayed in his closet.

“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 6:6).

“[Y]e must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness” (Alma 34:26).

He is merciful to us, His children. When we pray, He will hear our prayers. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).[2]

God has bene merciful to him. The Lord had “heard [his] cries in the midst of they congregations” (Alma 33:9).

His prayers were heard when he was cast out and despised by his enemies. The Zoramite poor had complained “they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do” (Alma 32:5).

The Lord visited his enemies with destruction. “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly” (Psalm 3:7).

“He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me” (Psalm 18:17).

Because his sincerity and afflictions, the Lord had been merciful to him because of His Son. He will cry to Him in all his afflictions. “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me” (Psalm 119:50).

“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep” (2 Nephi 4:20).

When Amulon had placed Alma₁ and his people in slavery, the Lord told him, “I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders … and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24:14).

This will be done because of Christ’s atonement.

  

A member of the church, Andrew Dadson, lived in Ghana. He shares his experience when his government placed a “freeze” on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I left school with the intention of attending worship services at a nearby Latter-day Saint meetinghouse. But instead of ushers in clean white shirts to welcome me, I saw policemen stationed there to inform members of a ‘freeze’ the government of Ghana had imposed on our church services. This stunned me. Apparently, announcements of the action had been made over radio and television, but since I did not have regular access to these media at boarding school, I had not been notified. The government had mistakenly identified the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an intelligence group that was a threat to the stability of the country … [T]he sanction, which blatantly violated our constitutional rights, was to last for a year and a half…

“During that time, I devoured the Book of Mormon as never before. As often as I could, I went home and read from the Book of Mormon with my family and partook of the sacrament in the comfort and safety of our home. We identified with the poorer class of the Zoramites who had been cast out of their synagogues ‘because of [their] exceeding poverty; and [they had] no place to worship [their] God’ (Alma 32:5). We were comforted by the Spirit of the Lord and knew that, though we were cast out and despised by our enemies, the Lord heard our sincere cries in our afflictions (see Alma 33:10–11).”[3]

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[1] Painting Out the Messiah: The Theologies of Dissidents, John L. Clark, Maxwell Institute.

[2] “Say unto them, Ask of God; ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (JST Matthew 7:12).

[3] With Real Intent: A Priceless Gem, Andrew E. Dadson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/1 (2003): 102.

Alma 32:31-43

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you. (Alma 32:31-43)

Alma continues to explain the seed.

If a seed grows, it is a good seed. He asks if they are sure it is a good seed. It is, “for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness” (Alma 32:31). If the seed grows, it is good; if it doesn’t grow, it is to be cast away.

They have tried his experiment. They planted the seed. It sprouted and begin to grow. This is how they know the seed is good.

As the seed grow, is their knowledge perfect? “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

“The fear of the Lord [OR reverence of the LORD] is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

If the seed grows, their knowledge becomes perfect in which they had faith. Faith becomes dormant, and it sprouts and they become enlightened and their mind begins to expand.

The brother of Jared is an example of this. “And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting” (Ether 3:19).

“We have come a long distance in our understanding of faith. We have come from faith not being a perfect knowledge to a knowledge which is perfect … [T]his entire process whereby we begin to experience the fruits of truth and to know one thing and then another is faith. Understood as this process, faith leads us to a knowledge as sure and as perfect as any we could ever want. Faith could not become knowledge unless it already was knowledge. In a very real sense faith is knowledge—not the knowledge whose claim to perfection is in sensory experience or in rational argument, but the knowledge whose claim to perfection is in discernible and undeniable experience.”[1]

This is real because what ever is light is good. It is evident. Ye know it is good. After they have “tasted” this light, do they have perfect knowledge?

No, and they should not lay aside their faith. They have only exercised it to plant the seed to try the experiment and determine the seed is good.

As the tree grows, they are to nourish it with great care. It will take root, grown and bring forth fruit.

If they neglect the tree and provide no nourishment it will not take root. It will be scorched by the sun and withers and dies.

“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5).

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light” (John 3:20).

“And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:65-66).[2]

“And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost…

“And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:23, 28).

Should it die, it was not because the seed wasn’t good; nor was it because the fruit was not desirable. It was not because the ground was barren.

“Some [seeds] fell upon stony [IE rocky land over which a thin layer of soil is spread] places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

“And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away” (Matthew 13:5-6).

It was because they failed to nourish the tree. There would be no fruit to harvest. They can never harvest the fruit of the tree of life.

However, should they nourish the tree, it will grow through their faith and diligence. When the fruit takes root, it will be a tree springing unto everlasting life. “But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life” (D&C 63:23).

“Partaking of the fruit is described by Alma as tasting light (Alma 32:35). Tasting the light is not sufficient, though. Alma teaches that this tree of life, or tree of light, must be nourished until it becomes ‘a tree springing up unto everlasting life’ (Alma 32:41).”[3]

Through their diligence and faith, along with patience, the word is nourished and takes root.

“Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently” (Psalm 119:4).

“Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also” (2 Corinthians 8:7).

They will then pick the fruit and feat upon “feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst” (Alma 32:42).

“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

“Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth”[4] (Colossians 1:5-6).

“Because the Zoramites had once known the doctrines of the gospel, Alma did not begin by teaching them basic principles, but instead encouraged them to put what they knew into practice—to act upon the “seed,” or word of God, that they already possessed (see Alma 32). In developing his metaphor of the seed, Alma placed great emphasis on patience and diligence (see Alma 32:41–43), virtues they apparently had neglected before their dissent, resulting in failure to nurture the word. Accordingly, Alma promised that if this time they would nurture the word in patience and diligence, they would “hunger not, neither . . . thirst” (Alma 32:42). In other words, they would no longer feel the discontent that had driven them from their mother culture and the teachings of the gospel.”[5]

“Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you” (Alma 32:43).

“In developing his metaphor of the seed, Alma placed great emphasis on patience and diligence (see Alma 32:41–43), virtues they apparently had neglected before their dissent, resulting in failure to nurture the word. Accordingly, Alma promised that if this time they would nurture the word in patience and diligence, they would ‘hunger not, neither . . . thirst’ (Alma 32:42). In other words, they would no longer feel the discontent that had driven them from their mother culture and the teachings of the gospel.”[6]

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[1] Faith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth, Richard N. Williams, FARMS Review 20/1 (2008): 107.

[2] “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except he doth the will of my Father who hath sent me” (JST John 6:65).

[3] Light: A Masterful Symbol, Richard Dilworth Rust, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20/1 (2011): 60.

[4] “Which is come unto you, as it is in all generations of the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (JST Colossians 1:6).

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

[6] Ibid.,  83.

Alma 32:24-30

24 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out—now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true—

25 For I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; for I verily believe that there are some among you who would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.

26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. (Alma 32:24-30)

The poor asked Alma what they should do since they had been cast out of their synagogues. Alma tells they he does not intend to judge them “only according to that which is true” (Alma 32:24).

He explained, while many humbled themselves because they were forced to be humble, there are those who would be humble regardless of their circumstances.

He reminds them faith is not a perfect knowledge. This applies to his words. They cannot know the truthfulness of his words “any more then faith is a prefect knowledge” (Alma 32:26).

He told them to “experiment upon my words and exercise a particle of faith” (Alma 32:27). If they have a desire to believe, they should let it work with them until they can begin to believe in his words. Solomon wrote, “receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity” (Proverbs 1:3).

Alma compares the word of God to a seed. He tells them:

·        If it is a good seed, and they do not resist the Lord’s Spirit, it will grow within their hearts.

·        Feeling this “growth,” they will know it is a good seed.

·        The seed will grow in their soul.

o   “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

·        It will enlighten their understanding.

o   “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21).

o   “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever” (Psalm 111:10).

o   The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

o   “So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2).

o   Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

·        It will begin “to be delicious to [them]” (Alma 32:28).

“Alma is comparing a seed to the word, not faith. This word, like a seed, must be planted, but it must be planted in our hearts…

“[T]he image of a seed being planted in our hearts requires that we abandon, right from the start, any conception of our ‘selves’ as self-sufficient, whole, or independent. The image moves us to consider ourselves as bearing, from the inside out, something more than and other than ourselves. In our beating hearts, at that most intimate center of who we are, we must give place for a word whose promise is that the necessity of our insufficiency can bear the fruit of mercy and love.

“Further, we do not plant this seed. The seed is planted (note the passive construction) and it swells and grows without our intervention or control. Our task is to simply ‘give place’ to something other than ourselves. We must overcome the temptation to reclaim our lives as our own by resisting the word or casting it out.

“[H]aving had a seed planted in our hearts, this seed will begin to swell and grow inside of us, filling us with a life and light that is not our own … The result, Alma says, will be the enlargement of our souls…

“[O]ur understanding will be enlightened and we will see that our humility is not a curse to be endured but the mark of our interconnectedness with God and our openness to the world. Here, suddenly, what we feared as most distasteful—the necessity of humility, the abandonment of our ‘autonomy’—will begin to be delicious to us.”[1]

This would increase their faith, but it has not grown to be perfect knowledge.

The seed swells, sprouts, and begins to grow. This means the seed is good. Alma asks, “will not this strengthen your faith?” (Alma 32:30). It will because it is a good seed which is growing.

“Twice in [Alma 32:30] Alma stresses the importance of our saying. When the seed begins to swell and grow, ‘then you must needs say that the seed is good.’ Without this saying, faith cannot add to necessity the supplement of possibility. We must give birth to the word that is swelling in us by giving voice to the promise that it contains. Will not this saying strengthen your faith, Alma asks? Yea, he answers, it will strengthen your faith ‘for ye will say I know that this is a good seed.’ Why is our faith strengthened? Because we gave voice to the word within us.”[2]

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[1] Romans 1, Maxwell Institute website, emphasis in original.

[2] You Must Needs Say that the Word is Good, Adam S. Miller, Maxwell Institute website.

Alma 32:17-23

17 Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.

18 Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.

19 And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?

20 Now of this thing ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work.

21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. (Alma 32:17-23)

He explain many ask for a sign. If they receive a sign they will know and believe. But, he asks, is receiving a sign faith? No, because he knows and “hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it” (Alma 32:18).

“For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith…

“And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God” (Ether 12:12, 18).

The who knows the will of God, and doesn’t do it, is cursed. “Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I curse, that have professed my name, with the heaviest of all cursings” (D&C 41:1).

He is worse off than those who only believe but fall into sin.

It is at this point in his sermon, he gives us the definition of faith. “[F]aith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).

When Thomas said he would not believe Christ had been resurrected until he saw “in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side” (John 20:25), The Savior told him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

“And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).

“[Alma] has his feet on the ground—when a person has faith he hopes for things which are not seen, which are true. This is clearer and in many respects a more satisfactory statement about faith than the one in Hebrews: ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) Alma takes faith out of the realm of mere credulity—i.e., readiness to believe on slight evidence. A note in his statement rings true to the critical mind. Too many persons in every generation, including our own, hope for things—fantastic things—in the name of faith and religion, but give little thought as to whether or not they are based on truth.”[1]

We are to remember God is merciful to all who believe. “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children” (Psalm 103:17).

“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful” (Psalm 116:5).

He desires we believe on His word.

He reveals His words by angels to both men and women.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

“And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29).

He also has given words to children which confound the wise and learned.

“And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter…

“Behold, it came to pass on the morrow that the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them” (3 Nephi 26:14,16).

“To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord’s errand in the day when the weak shall confound the wise, and the little one become a strong nation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to flight” (D&C 133:58).

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[1] Some Universals in the Book of Mormon, Sidney B. Sperry, Maxwell Institute website.