#38 June 1 – June 7, Alma 5-7

June 6, 2020

#38 June 1 – June 7, Alma 5-7

Crowdsourced Book of Mormon

            Book of Mormon Central has undertaken an interesting and ambitious project to “crowdsource” (obtain information or input into a particular task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet) a worldwide reading of the Book of Mormon. There are 6604 verses in the Book of Mormon. They are looking for 6604 people to each send in a video recording of themself reading a verse of their choosing from the Book of Mormon. I’ve looked at a few of the recordings that have been submitted. Some are quite well done, but most are fairly amateur (like mine). But that’s ok. Some are from notable places like Church historical sites or temples, but most are from people’s homes, gardens, parks, etc. I submitted mine (3 Nephi 11:11) and Lori is working on hers. If you chose to do this, you can either read your selected verse in your video or you can memorize and recite it. I memorized mine so I could look directly into the camera.

            It would be great if all the readers of this blog chose to submit a verse and become part of this project. Here is the link, if you’d like to participate. https://crowdsourcedbookofmormon.org/mormon.php

Alma Chapter 5

Alma will waste and wear out his life

            There are only 3 chapters for this week’s Come, Follow Me reading. But there is plenty of nourishing good material. Chapter 5 is one of the most often quoted and referred to chapters in the Book of Mormon. It is wonderful! But Chapter 7 is actually one of my personal favorite chapters in the whole Book. So I’ve really enjoyed reading for this week.

            Alma has delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy. (4:20) He is still the high priest of the church but is no longer the highest political figure in the land. He will spend the rest of his life visiting the Saints in the various regions around Zarahemla, calling them to repentance, preaching to, baptizing and strengthening them. He is in this calling for life and will waste and wear out [his] [life] (D&C 123:13) in the service of the Lord. That’s what prophets do!

            I don’t know if I’ve told you in a previous blog post of an experience with my grandfather, Elder LeGrand Richards, which relates to church servants who “wear out” their lives in the Lord’s service. If I’ve already written this, forgive me.

            One Sunday evening about 40 years ago, I picked up my grandfather at the Salt Lake airport as he was coming home from a weekend presiding at a stake conference somewhere in the US or Canada. He was in his 90s, had been a general authority for over 40 years, including his years as Presiding bishop. He walked with a cane and my grandmother had passed away a number of years earlier, so he was living with one of his daughters, my aunt. As we drove into town, I asked him, “So, Grandpa, how long are you going to keep doing this, going to conferences and all?” He turned toward me and with a characteristic twinkle in his eye and voice, he said, “Richard, there can only be twelve of us on the earth at one time. No one can take my place while I am alive, so I am going to keep doing this until they bury me.” And he did! Even after a partial amputation of one leg, he was still preaching the gospel. I remember visiting him in his hospital room after the amputation and asking him how he was doing. His reply, “Well, most men die from the head down. At least, I’m dying from the feet up!”

            So that’s what Alma will do, just like Nephi, Jacob, Benjamin, Mosiah and other prophets before him and like Mormon, Moroni and other prophets will do after him. He will “wear out” his life in the service of the Lord, trying to repair the damage of his years as a rebellious youth and trying to strengthen the church. He will begin with the members of his own family and continue all through the land of Zarahemla.

In our day, that’s what Russell, Dallin, Henry, M. Russell, Jeffrey, Dieter, David, Quinton, D. Todd, Neil, Ronald, Gary, Dale, Gerrit, and Ulisses will do. Fifteen apostles! They are in it for life. They, like those before them, will “waste and wear out” their lives in the service of the Lord and His Church. There is only one release for them. It will come at the end of their mortal lives when the Lord calls them home. They deserve our heart-felt prayers and deepest gratitude for the consecration of their lives to the service of the Master. Please excuse my use of their first names, but that’s how Christ’s original apostles were designated, by their first names. And I refer to them by their first names to remind us that, though they are the Lord’s anointed, they are only men, men with wives and families, but men who have been called to do the Lord’s work until they die. And that’s what each of them will do.

By the way, the Book of Mormon gives no record of the death of Alma the Younger. All we know is that, about 73 BC, when Alma had done this he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of.

Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial. (Alma 45:18-19)

Alma preaches in his own home town

            After giving up the judgment seat, Alma begins a series of missionary journeys that will pretty much last the rest of his life. Most missionaries want to go some exotic place far away from home. They want to see the world and probably don’t want to run into their family or friends while serving as a missionary, including those who know them and what they were like before their mission. But Alma begins his mission in his own home town of Zarahemla. These people know him and know who he used to be. There is no hiding place here.

            You’ve got to watch the 10-minute Book of Mormon video of Alma preaching in Zarahemla and in Gideon. It is really good! The actor is a little younger than I picture Alma at this stage of his life, but I really like his smile and gentle manner as he calls the people of Zarahemla to repentance. Even though his message is strong and his words are powerful, they are given gently and with love. No hellfire and damnation preaching here! https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/alma-4-7/2020-03-0400-alma-preaches-the-word-of-god-alma-4-7-1080p

            One of the important things that gospel teachers and missionaries learn early as they teach the gospel is that what they are able to teach is dependent at least as much if not more on the spiritual receptivity of their audience as on the fund of knowledge and spirituality of the teacher or missionary. In this week’s reading, we have an excellent example of this principle. Alma’s message to the people of Zarahemla, who were in an awful dilemma (7:3), is very different than his message to the people of Gideon who were not in a state of so much unbelief as were [their] brethren (7:6) at Zarahemla.

Chapter 5, Alma’s words to the people in Zarahemla, is a powerful wake-up call to those who were seriously sliding spiritually. By contrast, his tender and loving message about the Savior in chapter 7 to the people of Gideon contains some of the most profound insights in all of scripture about the Savior and His atonement. Since most of us have some “Zarahemla” in us as well as, hopefully, some “Gideon”, both messages are good for us in our day.

Alma’s invitation to introspection

            Mormon gives the pulpit to Alma for this chapter. It is written in the first person in the words of Alma speaking to the people of Zarahemla. Obviously, Mormon had some of Alma’s records or journals. He indicates that what we are reading is according to his [Alma’s] own record.

Alma uses a most unusual approach in preaching to these people. Alma chapter 5 is unique in all of the scriptural canon. Alma asks the people of Zarahemla a series of introspective questions, fifty questions to be exact. (Actually, there are 41 question marks in this chapter, more than in any other chapter in all of scripture. But some of the sentences are compound questions, so 50 questions.) They aren’t simple yes or no questions, but questions that require introspective thought and reflective personal examination. Some of the questions don’t apply to us in our context, but many of them do. As you read this chapter, I invite you to “liken the scriptures” (1 Nephi 19:23) to yourself. Put yourself in the crowd in Zarahemla listening to Alma. Maybe they were sitting on the steps outside the temple or had gathered in a market place or in the streets. Put yourself into the picture. Or better yet, put Alma in a stake or general conference speaking today to the members of the Church in your stake or to the whole church and asking us these questions.

            Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson have an especially good broadcast this week about these chapters. They make the point that applying these questions to ourselves is not to make us feel guilty or for us to compare ourselves to others and come up feeling short and unworthy, but to invite us to examine our own lives and see where we might improve. I highly recommend their YouTube lesson or podcast for this week. Here are the links: (YouTube) https://youtu.be/sDv6Gd-qMI0 and (Podcast) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-of-mormon-central/id1067020550?i=1000475750456

            Before we look at some of Alma’s questions, I’d like to mention two other very helpful sources for personal introspection that are specifically directed to us as Latter-day Saints in our generation.

Temple Recommend Interview Questions

The first source for personal introspection is the list of the temple recommend interview questions, which, by the way, have been recently revised. It used to be that, unless you were a priesthood leader, you only heard those questions asked to you every two years, once each from a member of the bishopric and from a member of the stake presidency. You didn’t have them available to you in writing for you to read and ponder. But that has changed. In his closing remarks in the October 2019 General Conference, President Nelson read the newly revised temple recommend questions to all those who were listening. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/57nelson

            They were also printed in the conference edition of the Ensign in November 2019, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2019/11/57nelson and even published in the Newsroom in January 2020 for all to read. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/01/aus-eng-local-pages/local-news-002

            These questions are an excellent yardstick by which we can measure where we stand on the covenant path. In the last general conference, Elder Gary E. Stevenson in his talk A Good Foundation against the Time to Come spoke about the foundations of all temples and especially the Salt Lake Temple, which is being renewed, and compared it to our spiritual foundation.

As I contemplate the next four years of the life of this beautiful, noble, exalted, and awe-inspiring Salt Lake Temple, I envision it more as a time of renewal rather than a time of closure! In a similar way, we might ask ourselves, “How could this extensive renewal of the Salt Lake Temple inspire us to undergo our own spiritual renewal, reconstruction, rebirth, revitalization, or restoration?”

An introspective look may reveal that we too and our families could benefit from our doing some needed maintenance and renovation work, even a seismic upgrade! We might start such a process by asking:

“What does my foundation look like?”

“What comprises the thick-walled, stable, strong cornerstones that are part of my personal foundation, upon which my testimony rests?”

“What are the foundational elements of my spiritual and emotional character that will allow me and my family to remain steadfast and immovable, even to withstand the earthshaking and tumultuous seismic events that will surely take place in our lives?”

He then suggested using the first four questions of the temple recommend interview as a guide to establishing our own foundation.

For me, the principles included in the questions discussed as part of receiving a temple recommend serve as a strong basis for a spiritual foundation—particularly the first four questions. I see them as spiritual cornerstones.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/28stevenson

Christlike Attributes

            A second source of spiritual introspection available to us in our generation, one that is not as widely known to the general membership of the Church, is the list of “Christlike attributes” discussed in Preach My Gospel. Chapter 6 is titled, How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes? Contained in this chapter is a list of nine Christlike virtues which we should strive for as followers of Christ. Here are the nine attributes:

·      Faith

·      Hope

·      Charity and Love

·      Virtue

·      Knowledge

·      Patience

·      Humility

·      Diligence

·      Obedience

These Christlike attributes are gifts from God. They come as you use your agency righteously. Ask your Heavenly Father to bless you with these attributes; you cannot develop them without His help. With a desire to please God, recognize your weaknesses and be willing and anxious to improve.

There is even a self examination “Attribute Activity” at the end of the chapter by which we can measure ourselves against this list of Christlike Attributes and see how we are doing on the covenant path. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-develop-christlike-attributes

Fifty questions of Alma 5

            The questions which Alma posed to the people of Zarahemla as contained in Alma 5, have been divided into groups by Book of Mormon Central, as follows

https://byustudies.byu.edu/charts/5-61-50-questions-alma-5-overview

            Whole books have been written about this chapter and these 50 questions. There is much that I could write here, but it would be better for you to introspectively read these for yourselves and ponder them. Put yourself into the scriptures and let Alma ask these questions of you personally. It is a powerful experience to do so!

            I will focus on the questions contained in just two verses.

Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

            Alma begins by reminding the people of Zarahemla of the experience of his father, Alma, how he and his people were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God. (5:4) Then they were brought into bondage by the Lamanites and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word. (5:5) Many of those he is speaking to are children of those who were delivered. Alma asks them, 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? (5:6) Alma reminds them that he [God] changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God (5:7) and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved. (5:9) Their fathers were converted and endured to the end. A mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved. (5:13)

            Now comes the crucial verse with its three critical questions:

            And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? (5:14)

            I’d like to talk with you personally about these questions. This conversation between us would be much more meaningful if we were having it face-to-face, one-on-one rather than through a blog post or email. You could ask me, “Richard, have you spiritually been born of God? Have you received his image in your countenance?” (You would be a better judge of that than I would be.) “Have you experienced this mighty change in your heart?” I would answer to each question, “Yes, at least, I’m trying. I don’t always do as well as I want to, but I have “no more disposition to do evil” and I’m doing my best to “do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) Then I could ask you the same questions and you could tell me how you are doing. We could talk about where we feel we are doing well and where we struggle. We could encourage each other to do a little better and promise to help each other and hold each other accountable for our desire to improve. It would be a wonderful conversation! I’d love to have such a conversation with each of you personally, even if we had to wear masks! You might consider having such a conversation with someone you trust – a spouse, parent, sibling, child, friend, neighbor, ministering brother or sister, priesthood or sister leader, or with the Lord in prayer.

            I had the opportunity to release many full-time missionaries during a nine-year period of church service. Almost always in that release interview with the missionary and his or her immediate family, I would ask the elder or sister to read this verse (Alma 5:14). I would ask them to explain what they think it means to have “a mighty change of heart.” They could all answer that question. Then I would ask them if they had seen that “mighty change” in some of the people they worked with as a missionary. Again, they could always give me examples of people in their field of labor who had experienced a “mighty change of heart.” Then I would look them directly in the eye and ask, “Elder or Sister, the most important question is, ‘Did it happen to you? Is your heart changed because you served the Lord as a missionary?’” I learned a lot about each missionary by their responses to that question. And I wanted their parents and family members to hear them describe the change that had come to them by serving the Lord full time for 18 or 24 months.

            So, in all humility, I ask you, each of you reading this now, “Have you spiritually been born of God?” “Have you received his image in your countenance?” “Have you experienced this mighty change in your heart?” I’m not your priesthood leader, but I am your brother and friend. For some of you, I’m your father, grandfather or we are related in some other way. If any of you want to respond to me personally by email and share your feelings about those questions and your life, I’d be honored to hear from you. No pressure to do so. But, please, create a setting in which to ask yourself those questions and in which you will be accountable to someone for your answers.

His image in your countenance

            What does it mean to “have His image in your countenance”? I don’t think it means that we will look just like Jesus. I believe it means that we will have His love, His kindness, His goodness and purity, His pure light reflected in the way we look, the way we speak and listen, and the way we carry ourselves. I’m not sure I can describe it better than that. But I know it when I see it. I’m sure you’ve seen it is some good people in your life. If you are like me, you seek for their companionship; you enjoy being with them; you are blessed and uplifted by their goodness.

            Often the most emotional moment of that release interview with a returning missionary is when, after extending their release, I tell them that they can take their missionary badge off when they are ready, in private if they prefer, but sometime before the day is over. Then I tell them that they don’t need the badge anymore. To the spiritually insensitive, they needed to wear the badge with the name “Jesus Christ” prominently displayed on it so that they would recognize who the missionary represented. (The name in the middle is more important than the name on the top of the badge!) But now they don’t need the badge. They have His image in their countenance. Their family can see it; I can see it and anyone who is spiritually in tune will be able to see it.

A mighty change of heart

            Alma, as I have said before, is the “poster child” of the spiritual rebirth. His life and his experiences are so illustrative of one who definitely has had a mighty change of heart. We’ll talk about that again when we get to Alma chapters 36 and 38, when Alma recounts his conversion experience to his sons Helaman and Shiblon. We also learned about the “mighty change of heart” from the people of King Benjamin who, in response to his inspired sermon, witnessed that we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. (Mosiah 5:2) Some of those people who were there that day, now grandparents, may be among those to whom Alma is speaking. They will know what the “mighty change” feels like.

            There is a battle going on for the hearts of the children of God. The battle began in the pre-existent world and it continues today. Each of us must choose whom we will follow and to whom our heart belongs. We evidence our choice by every moral/ethical/spiritual decision we make. Our lives are the sum of all of our decisions and choices. We are becoming what we truly want to be and choose to be. If our greatest desire is to be like the Savior, our great Exemplar and Redeemer, then our choices, guided by the Holy Spirit, will help us become a little more like Him every day. It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or that we won’t have to repent daily, but gradually, little by little, as we humbly walk the covenant path, we can become more holy, more pure, more Savior like Thee. (Hymns No. 131)

           

            A good friend, Robin Johnson, a spiritually sensitive dear sister has written a very thoughtful essay recently published in LDS Living titled “What was the greatest battle fought in the Book of Mormon?” In her essay, Robin writes,

            The greatest battlefield of the Book of Mormon was the heart!

If Satan could win the hearts of men, destruction was sure to follow. If they disconnected from their hearts, they disconnected from God. Without God’s influence, the natural man prevailed, susceptible to all manner of temptation and wickedness.

In our day, the battle looks a little different. For the most part, many of us will never step onto an actual battlefield as the Nephites and Lamanites once did. Some of us are not even aware that a battle for our hearts is taking place. But the battle is still raging, and Satan’s game plan has never changed.

She then goes on to write about how “heart-based gospel living” can help us in this battle for our hearts. Robin concludes,

The battles of today that are damaging the heart may not be avoidable. In our lives we will experience trials and traumas. However, we cannot afford to let those life situations determine the state of our heart. Take courage in knowing we can heal, protect, and nurture our hearts. By relying on the Savior and following the steps outlined in the scriptures, we can become the pure in heart God invites us to be.

https://www.ldsliving.com/What-Was-The-Greatest-Battle-Fought-in-the-Book-of-Mormon/s/92933

Can you feel so now?

            After asking the people of Zarahemla several more penetrating questions, Alma then asks them,

            And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? (5:26)

            In our personal one-on-one conversation, I hope that you would ask me, “Rich, I can tell how you have felt in the past. It sounds like you’ve had some wonderful spiritual experiences and have felt of the love of the Lord in your life in many different ways. But all of those were in the past. Do you feel so now? Is His love real in your life now? Is He a real part of your life today and everyday? Or are you just coasting along on the memories of better times in the past?” I’m happy to say that I would be able to answer you, “Yes, I do feel so now, many times even more strongly than ever before. With age and experience come a settling, a sense of gratitude and a recognition of the hand of the Lord in our lives. Not only has He been there for me at every turn through my life, but He is still with me today. I’m not as good as I want to be. I try to live every day without regret and never successfully do it, but I’m trying and with His help I am making progress. I love Him more than ever and my gratitude for His infinite atonement is greater than it has ever been. So, yes, I can still ‘sing the song of redeeming love’ (even though I don’t sing well at all).”

            In your heart-sharing interview with someone close, help them understand how you feel now, what in your life today lets you know of His love for you and allows you to feel in your current life situation that He loves you, cherishes you, is pleased with you and is always with you through His Spirit.

            In those missionary release interviews I referred to above, I would then ask the elder or sister to read this verse (Alma 5:26). I would then say to them, “You know how you feel today, the last day of your mission. Your testimony is firm and your love for the Lord is real. The question is, will you feel that way a month, a year, ten years from now? My promise to you is that you can feel that way everyday of your life as you do the things that bring the Spirit into your life.”

And that is my witness to each of you as you read these words. You can answer Alma’s question, “Yes! I feel so now! I know my Father loves me, that I am His precious daughter or son. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, Redeemer and Friend. I’m grateful for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying and each day is a little better than the last. I, too, can ‘sing the song of redeeming love!’”

If you were called to die at this time . . .

            Alma continues to ask penetrating questions. He prefaces a series of questions with this hypothetical, Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time (5:27) . . . He then goes on to list some of the questions we might ask ourselves. He asks the people if they have been sufficiently humble (5:27). What an interesting question! He didn’t ask them if they had been “perfectly humble” but instead “sufficiently humble.” Alma, a repentant sinner himself, knows that we aren’t perfect but that, if we try and rely on the strong arm of the Lord, our efforts will be “sufficient.”

How does Alma know these things are true?

            After asking several more questions and “bearing down in pure testimony” (4:19), Alma tells the people of Zarahemla how he knows these things are true. They might be saying to themselves, “It’s easy for him to know; he’s seen an angel. If I saw an angel, I’d know too!” Alma may have been stopped in his tracks by the angel, but that is not how he was converted.

Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. (5:45-46).

Alma was not converted by his experience with the angel, as powerful as that was. Others, such as Laman and Lemuel, have seen angels and were not been converted. Conversion comes through the “Holy Spirit of God”, the Holy Ghost, who comes to those who sincerely ask and witnesses to them. Fasting and prayer are required, not just once, but “many days.”

The formula that worked for Alma will work for us. If we are “sufficiently humble”, study the word of God in the scriptures and the words of the living prophets, fast and pray, we too will come to know. The Holy Ghost will bear witness to us of the truth of the things of eternity and we, like Alma, will be able to say “I do know!”

In that spirit, I want each of you to know that I, like Alma and many of you, do know that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God translated by the “gift and power of God” by His prophet, Joseph Smith. I do know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the modern-day repository of the truths, authority, keys, ordinances and covenants that are necessary for us to return to our heavenly home. I do know that we have a loving Father in Heaven and that we are children of Heavenly Parents. I do know that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of the Father, the Savior of the world and my personal Redeemer and Lord. I do know that the Father and the Son appeared to the young lad, Joseph Smith, 200 years ago and that They continue to direct the affairs of this, Their church, through modern prophets and apostles. I, too, have fasted, prayed, studied and received the witness of the Spirit many times. I’m grateful to be able to say that “I do know”!

Changes in Zarahemla

            Alma concludes his address to the people of Zarahemla by command[ing] you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you. I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church. (5:61-62) But he doesn’t “command” those who are not members of the church. Instead he “invites” them to Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life. (5:62)

            He organizes the church in Zarahemla and leaves it to other leaders to lead and encourage the people. Later he will say to the people in Gideon, blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they [the people in Zarahemla] are established again in the way of his righteousness. (7:4). His preaching made a difference!

Mission to Gideon

            Having done all he could for the people of Zarahemla, Alma went over upon the east of the river Sidon, into the valley of Gideon, there having been a city built, which was called the city of Gideon, which was in the valley that was called Gideon, being called after the man who was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword. (6:7)

            Do you need to refresh your understanding of the geography of the land of Zarahemla? I find it helpful to refer from time to time to the “relational map” of Book of Mormon geography produced by BYU. Here is the link: https://bom.byu.edu/download-bom-maps-in-hd/

            Remember that Zarahemla is on the west bank of the River Sidon, a large river running northward and eastward from the highlands of the Land of Nephi in the south to the Sea East, running past the city of Zarahemla. Alma goes eastward across the River Sidon to the land and city of Gideon to preach to the people there.

            After some brief explanatory material in chapter 6, Mormon again gives Alma the microphone and allows him to speak in the first person in chapter 7. Doing so makes these words even more powerful to read and contemplate.

            This is the first time Alma has visited the city of Gideon since becoming the High Priest. He was so busy in the judgment seat that he never made the trip before. He doesn’t know what to expect, but was delighted to learn that they are a righteous people.

Behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come. (7:6)

One thing is more important than they all

Because of their faithfulness, Alma is able to open his heart to them and share wonderful truths about the Savior. He introduces his teachings about the Savior by saying, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all … (7:7) To teach about Christ and His coming is the most important thing he can teach them.

In commenting on this verse, Brothers Millet and McConkie write in their excellent Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon:

Joseph Smith taught that “the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings, p. 121). All doctrines and principles and practices have meaning—are of efficacy, virtue, or force—only to the degree that they are rooted in and anchored to the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the words of Elder Boyd K. Packer: “Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is . . . a Mediator. … Through Him mercy can be fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice. This truth is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them.” (CR, April 1977, p. 80.)

Alma then proceeds to share some of the most sublime teachings about the Savior found anywhere in holy writ.

He shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem

He affirms that, He shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God. (5:10)

King Benjamin learned from the angel that the name of the mother of the Son of God will be Mary (Mosiah 3:8). Alma is a second witness to that truth. Benjamin taught it to the people of Zarahemla. Alma now teaches it nearly two generations later to the people of Gideon.

This verse may cause at least two questions in the mind of careful readers.

Some have been critical of the Book of Mormon because Alma says Christ will be born “at Jerusalem”. Everyone knows, they contend, that Christ was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. Therefore, the Book of Mormon must not be true. There are at least two explanations for this contention. The simplest is that, speaking to a people who have little understanding of the geography of the Holy Land because they live thousands of miles away from there, Alma may have referred to Jerusalem, a city of which they certainly have heard, rather than the much smaller Bethlehem. When Lori and I were missionaries in England and Wales, in response to people’s question to know where we were from, we would usually answer “Salt Lake City”, a place most people in those countries thousands of miles from our home will likely have heard of. If we’d said we were from “Holladay”, it would have meant nothing to them (except for the few who had visited the Salt Lake area and knew where Holladay is, about 10 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.)

But a better explanation is given in Book of Mormon Central. Bethlehem is actually part of the “land of Jerusalem.” If you want to know more, here is the link: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/195

            This verse also says that the “virgin” will “conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost and bring forth a son”. Let there be no mistake, the Holy Ghost is not the Father of Jesus Christ. Turning again to the Commentary by Millet and McConkie, we read this very instructive comment:

            Jesus was the son of Mary, a mortal woman. And he was the son of Elohim, the Eternal Father. He was not the son of the Holy Ghost, as some have supposed from the New Testament account (Matthew 1:18). “If [the New Testament passage] is interpreted to mean that the Holy Ghost is the Father of our Lord,” Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written, “we can only say the record has come down to us in a corrupted form, for the Holy Spirit and the Father are two separate personages. But providentially there are parallel passages that clarify and expand upon the paternity of Him whom Mary bore.” These passages are, of course, in the Book of Mormon, particularly here in Alma 7. Continuing, Elder McConkie stated: “Jesus, thus, is the Son of God, not of the Holy Ghost, and properly speaking Mary was with child ‘by the power of the Holy Ghost,’ rather than ‘of the Holy Ghost,’ and she was, of course, ‘overshadowed’ by the Holy Spirit, in a way incomprehensible to us, when the miraculous conception took place.” (Promised Messiah, pp. 463–64; see also Mortal Messiah 1:314–15.)

            If this is confusing or troubling to you in any way, let’s discuss this important doctrine. Email or call me or speak with someone you can trust to help you with this sacred truth.

That He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people

            Alma then teaches the people of Gideon a sacred truth about the life and atonement of Jesus Christ which is taught better here than anywhere in the scriptures. We are deeply indebted to him for this insight.

            Not only did Christ take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death (7:12) and take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; (7:13), Christ also went forth suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (7:11-12)

            Christ could have learned by the Spirit what it was like to suffer as a mortal on earth. But instead, He chose to experience personally, intimately, through His mortal life and the suffering of His atonement what life is like for each of us. The Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh … that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (7:13, 12)

            Succor means to help, aid, bring aid to, give help to, give/render assistance to, assist, lend a (helping) hand to, be of service to. To help someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need. Cambridge English Dictionary

            Once more from Millet and McConkie:

            These verses are most important. They point up the vital verity that our Lord’s suffering and atonement were more extensive and expansive than we are wont to suppose. His suffering and pain throughout his life (how he should “go forth”), as well as his supreme agony in Gethsemane—all of this was necessary, not alone to pay the price for sin but also to allow our empathic exemplar to feel with and for his people. His passion helped to perfect his empathy and his ability to succor those of us who so desperately need understanding and affection and divine assistance. Elder Neal A. Maxwell has taught this principle beautifully: “Can we, even in the depths of disease, tell Him anything at all about suffering? In ways we cannot comprehend, our sicknesses and infirmities were borne by Him even before they were borne by us. The very weight of our combined sins caused Him to descend below all. We have never been, nor will we be, in depths such as He has known. Thus His atonement made perfect His empathy and His mercy and His capacity to succor us, for which we can be everlastingly grateful as He tutors us in our trials.” (Even As I Am, p. 116.)

            Somehow, in Gethsemane, time stood still for Christ and He was able to connect with each of us personally and intimately. He was able to experience and overcome for each of us all of the effects of the Fall in our lives so that when we turn to Him for His help, He has “been there, done that” for us and can now do it with us. How it all happened, I don’t know, but “I stand all amazed” as I contemplate His love for each of us.

            Thanks to Alma for this profound insight that makes us love our dear Savior even more deeply and tenderly!

Dad’s scripture

            After further instructing and encouraging the people of Gideon, Alma gives them some remarkably practical and wise advice.

            And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. (7:23)

            While I was on my first mission in England, my father wrote to tell me of an experience he had when he was feeling down and a little distant from the Lord. He prayed for guidance and opened his Book of Mormon to this scripture (Alma 7:23). He said that the scripture spoke to him and gave him guidance for what he should do with his life. I marked this scripture in my missionary copy of the Book of Mormon and labeled it, “Dad’s Scripture.” It became his guide for the rest of his life. He would have been about 60 years old when that happened. By the time he died at age 84, he had come to exemplify the attributes mentioned by Alma in this scripture. I read this scripture and told this story at his funeral in 1991. Now at age 74, I am considerably older than my father was when he first discovered this scripture and don’t have as much time as he had to work on these virtues. I need to get going! This scripture can be my guide for those attributes on which I need to focus for the rest of my life. I’d like to turn out to be half as good a man as my father.

An apostolic blessing

            Alma is filled with the Spirit as he closes his address to the people of Gideon. They are receptive to his message and so the Spirit has given him powerful utterance.

            And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word. (7:26)

            Alma has the joy of knowing that his message has been heard and that the people of Gideon are safely on the covenant path. His joy is great! Filled with the Spirit, he leaves them with an “apostolic blessing”, a blessing from the high priest and senior priesthood officer of the church.

            May the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen. (7:27)

            Did you hear and feel the apostolic blessing given to us by our beloved Prophet at the close of General Conference two months ago? I could not hold back the tears. I will close this entry into my testimony of the Book of Mormon and comments on these three chapters with these words of our dear Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.

            I bless you with peace and increasing faith in the Lord.

I bless you with a desire to repent and become a little more like Him each day.

I bless you to know that the Prophet Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness.

Should there be illness among you or your loved ones, I leave a blessing of healing, consistent with the will of the Lord.

I so bless you, adding once more my expression of love for each of you, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/57nelson

Thanks for reading! Lord bless you all!

Richard