Book of Mormon 29 - “Give Ear to My Words”

In the past, we have read a lot about Alma the Younger, the rebel, his spectacular conversion, and his dedicated efforts as a missionary and leader. Now we read about Alma, the father. Alma 36 and 37 contains Alma’s counsel to his son Helaman. Alma 38 addresses Alma’s middle son, Shiblon. And Alma 39, together with some chapters from Lesson 30, covers Alma’s counsel to his son Corianton.


What would I say to my children if I knew my time on this earth was coming to an end? I have thought so much about this question. My children know how much I love them. I have told them this every day of their lives. But, what they do not realise is how important the gospel is to their happiness and future. I have been less than satisfactory as a mother and I have not taught them everything they need to stay strong in the gospel. I have tried to be a good example but I have not always succeeded. There are many decisions I made, that I now regret. The only one of my offspring, who is strong in the gospel and married in the temple, has huge issues in her family life that cause her a lot of pain and anguish. It is hard to persuade my other children that the gospel is the source of true happiness, when they have seen so much of their sister’s pain! But yes, the most important message I could leave with them is that the gospel is true, Jesus Christ is our Saviour, our Redeemer, and the Atonement is for all of us. There is always hope.

Alma’s words to Helaman contain some gems of gospel wisdom. He mentions the fact that people will prosper if they keep the commandments. In Alma 36:3, Alma appeals to his son, “I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our children could read the mistakes people make in the scriptures and learn from them? Or, even if they could hear about the mistakes members of their own family have made, and avoid those same mistakes? In the same verse, Alma states, “…whoesoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions.” Isn’t this a beautiful scripture? It is much harder to endure trials, without trust in God.

In Alma 36:4, Alma states, “I know of myself – not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind but of God.” I understand this scripture. It reminds me of a statement made by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 324). As a young adult I learned about my Saviour through attending Seminary and Sunday School. I did not learn about Him by going clubbing. I felt closer to my Saviour when I was gazing at an amazing sunset, and not when I was sitting on a crowded train at rush hour. I enjoy being in the temple because I gain insights into gospel principles and I know my prayers are heard and answered.

Alma spoke further about the importance of keeping sacred records and the importance of missionary work, the power of the Atonement, and the importance of teaching the people correct principles. One of my favourite Seminary scriptures is included in the words of Alma to his son, Helaman. This is Alma 37:37, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”

Alma provides words of encouragement to his son, Shiblon, in Alma 38. Alma reminds Shiblon of important character traits: (vs. 10) being diligent and temperate; (vs. 11) being humble; (vs. 12) being bold, but not overbearing; (vs. 12) having self-control and self-discipline; and, in the same verse, refraining from idleness.

Wilcox (Book of Mormon Gospel Study Companion, 2007, Disc 2) contains a very special analysis of Alma’s counsel to Helaman and Shiblon. He suggested that when we become parents, the Lord examines our actions under a magnifying glass, with the scriptures being the handbooks of life. He listed five ways we can become better parents by understanding Alma’s counsel.

1. In Alma 35:16, we learn that Alma spoke to each of his sons separately. Treating each child as an individual and spending one-on-one time with each child is invaluable.

2. Alma testified to his son about the things he knew, using testimony words, e.g. Alma 36:1, “I swear unto you”; Alma 36:3, “I do know”; and Alma 36:4, ”I know of myself”. A child needs to hear the testimony of his/her parent(s) often.

3. Alma used “parent” words and taught by example, i.e. follows the parent words with “as I”, e.g. Alma 36:2, – “I would that ye should…” followed by, “do as I have done”; Alma 36:29-30 – “You ought…” followed by, “as I have done” and “as I do know”.
4. Alma taught about the scriptures and compared the scriptures to a Liahona, a guide through the wilderness of the world. He listed seven things the scriptures can do for us in Alma 37:8-9: enlarge the memory, convince many of the error of their ways, bring people to a knowledge of God, bring salvation to their souls, convince people of incorrect traditions, bring people to repentance, and cause them to rejoice in Christ.

5. In Alma 38:1-3, Alma validated and praised Shiblon. Praising and validating positive experiences encourages positive behaviour. Always let a child know the things that bring joy and happiness into the lives of family members.

Alma 39 is the start of Alma speaking to his son, Corianton. Alma’s words to Corianton are very different to the words delivered to his brothers. Corianton had deviated from his mission and had been guilty of sexual sin with a harlot. The cause of his fall was threefold: he was proud, failed to be diligent, and mixed with the wrong people. My favourite part of this chapter was that Alma never gave up on his son. Orson F. Whitney (General Conference, April 1929), cited by Elder David L. Bednar (Faithful parents and wayward children: sustaining hope while overcoming misunderstanding, March 2014), stated, “You parents of the willful and the wayward: Don’t give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours – long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fullness of knowledge brings the fullness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds comprehend.” I find this quote so comforting!

Once again I would like to refer to Wilcox (Book of Mormon Gospel Study Companion, 2007, Disc 2) who outlined the four steps Alma took to reprove his son, Corianton:

1. He told Corianton where he went wrong. He presented five gates that led to his son’s immorality: Gate 1 (Alma 39:2) – not giving heed; Gate 2 (also Alma 39:2) – boasting in his own strength; Gate 3 (Alma 39:3) – forsaking the right; Gate 4 (also Alma 39:3) - heading towards temptation, to the “land of Siron”; and Gate 5 (Alma 39:4) trying to excuse his behaviour.

2. He laid out the short- and long-term consequences of his son’s behaviour (Alma 39:7-11).

3. Alma outlined how to prevent these things from happening in the future. He fortified his son with guidelines to follow, including repent and forsake the sin (Alma 39:9); cross or control yourself in these things (also Alma 39:9); and, listen to your older brothers (Alma 39:10).

4. Alma ended in hope. His commentary turned towards Christ. Alma 39:15, “…he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people”. He laid down hope, forgiveness, and acceptance.