Book of Mormon 2020 - Alma 8-12

For my 2016 post on Alma 8 to 12, please see: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-of-mormon-23-more-than-one-witness.html

These scriptures start with an account of Alma going to Melek to teach. He had great success. “And they were baptized throughout all the land” (Alma 8:5). He then went on to Ammonihah but did not meet with the same success. The people had “hardened their hearts” (Alma 8: 11) and rejected his authority over them. They “withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city” (Alma 8:13). 

Alma was met by an angel and told to return to Ammonihah. This was the same angel who had appeared to Alma for his conversion. The angel said something which initially sounded odd to me, given the circumstances Alma faced in his first visit to Ammonihah. He said, “lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God” (Alma 8:15). Alma must have been frustrated by his attempt to teach the people of Ammonihah and he must have felt deflated at his lack of success. This has happened to many missionaries. I know how difficult it is serving in parts of Australia and how missionaries have come off the mission field having had no baptisms at all. This is when we need to think of the angel’s words to Alma. The great cause to rejoice is because they have served honourably and done their very best every day. The following short video from Knowhy (Book of Mormon Central) explains why the angel sent Alma back to Ammonihah.

President Dallin H. Oaks gave two remarkable talks, one a devotional at BYU in 2002 and one at the October 2003 General Conference, on Timing. He mentioned how it was better not to plan every event in your life, but to always be ready to accept the Lord’s planning and the Lord’s timetable and acknowledge that the agency of others will inevitably affect you. “Anchor your life to eternal principles, and act upon those principles whatever the circumstances and whatever the actions of others. Then you can await the Lord’s timing and be sure of the outcome in eternity” (President Dallin H. Oaks, 2002). 

I was an eager missionary when I was in the youth and young adult programmes. However, I am not such a good missionary now. In fact, I am rather anti-social. I like to surround myself with family, but I don’t spend time with friends in social events. I found some counsel from President Ezra Taft Benson (‘Ensign’, September, 1990), that will help me improve my missionary skills. He suggested four things: strive to obtain the Spirit; acquire humility; love people; and work diligently. The first one is not too demanding. I love talking to the Lord in prayer. Now, I need to ask Him to guide me to those who may want to hear the truth. The second is easy enough. I am not a proud person and I know I am dependent on the Lord in all things. I love people. I choose to help people when I can, and I find it easy to give love and to care. I am not too good at working diligently. When I must work at my job or work at my studies, yes, I work very, very hard. But I do not work at being a missionary. I will answer questions and speak about the church when I am asked to do so, but I do not seek out people to teach. This is the area where I am weak.

In the Book of Mormon we are reminded frequently to remember the things the Lord has done for us and our ancestors and to never forget Him. Chapter 9 provides an example of this focus. In verse 8 we read, “how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God.” In verse 9, “Do ye not remember that our father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness?” In verse 10 we read, “And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers?” In verse 13 there is a question, “do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi?” and in verse 14 we read, “I would that ye should remember.” The importance of remembering and not forgetting is contained in the Sacrament prayers that we hear regularly. It is remembering that brings us closer to the Spirit.

When Alma taught for the second time in Ammonihah he had a missionary companion, Amulek. Amulek had been “living beneath his spiritual privileges” (Brother John Bytheway) but he was well-known and well-respected in Ammonihah. Amulek spoke of his own ‘hardness of heart’ and his ‘rebellion against God’, until the angel appeared to him. He stated, “for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know” (Alma 10:6). Isn’t this interesting? He decided to turn his back on the things of God. It does not say ‘he could not hear’ or ‘he could not know’. He would not because that was his choice. This verse made me think of the hymn ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be

Let that goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above

In Alma 10:12 it states, “And now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.” This gives us a reason why missionaries are sent out two-by-two. There is greater power and persuasion when two voices testify of truth rather than a single voice.

Amulek & Alma

In a talk called ‘Ask of God’, Brother John Bytheway defined three types of questions: Gotcha, Google, and Golden. Gotcha questions are not designed to discover information but they are designed to entrap the person being questioned. Google questions need answers quickly and golden questions are asked in faith and need to be understood by the Spirit. In verses 13 and 14, Alma and Amulek are faced with lawyers who asked gotcha questions: “that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them”.

I found it fascinating to read about the monetary system in Alma 11. The first 22 verses provide a description of this system in detail. 

The following Knowhy videos (Book of Mormon Central) provide information on the Nephite monetary system and the reason it is described in detail. 

The information about the monetary system makes it clear how valuable the bribe was that was offered to Amulek by Zeezrom to “deny the existence of a Supreme Being” (Alma 11:22). Amulek’s reaction was delightful. His response to Zeezrom reads, “O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me?” (Alma 11:23). As Zeezrom was motivated by money, he thought Amulek would be tempted by the large bribe he offered. Amulek was motivated by his righteousness. This is well described in the quote below from Anaïs Nin, quoted by Stephen Covey.

Zeezrom’s questions start as gotcha questions but end up as golden questions. His questions lead to a discussion of the Plan of Redemption (the Plan of Salvation/Plan of Happiness/Plan of Mercy).

Two beautiful verses in Alma 11:43-44 talk about the resurrection, “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 there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but everything shall be restored to its perfect frame”. This scripture is so special to me. I think of my dear little mum who has trouble standing and walking from one room to another and how she was once one of the best Ballroom and Latin American dance teachers in the world. I also think of my dear friend Thys who lost his legs in an automobile accident when he was in the South African Defence Force. I would love to see him walk to meet me after the resurrection.

The discussion of the Plan of Redemption in Alma 12 covers the resurrection and judgement. There is also a detailed explanation of the “Fall” and why it was so necessary. One of my favourite verses is Alma 12: 24, which states, “Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.” We learn so much from this scripture. God gave the commandments after providing details of the plan. This makes perfect sense. Learning about the Plan of Redemption would have given the commandments a purpose. The rules would have made sense because they were presented after the plan. This scripture also provides us with the assurance that God will provide perfect justice in His supreme goodness.

Amulek was a powerful missionary and a great support for Alma in his teaching in Ammonihah. Before the appearance of the angel, we know he was living beneath his spiritual privileges. I am sure there are many of us who do the same. We have a Plan of Redemption, a Plan of Happiness. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke about our potential and our privileges in the following YouTube video. He mentioned that “We can partake of an abundant feast of spiritual opportunity and universal blessings.” I pray we will all remember this and take advantage of the blessings that the Lord has prepared for those who make the most of every gospel opportunity.

Book of Mormon 2020 - Alma 5-7

I first wrote about these scriptures in a post in July 2016. This post centred on many of the questions from Alma 5. I asked and answered the questions. Reading my answers now is very familiar. I understand what I wrote then and how similar I feel now. This post can be found at: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-of-mormon-22-have-ye-received-his.html

The scriptures from Alma 5 to Alma 7 contain the preaching of Alma to the people in Zarahemla and Gideon. He confronts the people in Zarahemla and asks them questions. Brother John Bytheway, in his weekly podcast (ourturtlehouse.com), refers to Alma 5 as a “perfect checklist” to measure our personal worthiness. In Alma 5:14 it reads, “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?” He challenged members who had been baptised (an event) if they had, indeed, been ‘born again’ (a process). I understand this in my own life. My mother was the first member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kitwe, Zambia. She was a true pioneer. The earliest meetings held on a Sunday were with my mother and the missionaries. Later, a friend of hers joined as well. By the time I was two years old, there were twenty-to thirty members meeting in an upstairs office in Kitwe. I cannot remember a time, from these earliest memories to now (61 years later), when I have not had my own testimony. I felt the gift of the Spirit when it was given to me following baptism. I have used prayer, fasting, and relied on the Spirit to guide me, throughout my life. I have grown in my testimony but never been without one. I want to get to the point where I have no desire to sin, but I am not there yet. For me, the change of heart is indeed a slow process. But, I know the Lord loves me. I know my prayers are heard and answered. I know I can always rely on the Spirit. I am grateful for the Atonement that gives me hope. I love the quote below from Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I feel that my testimony is my personal miracle. I feel that the love of the Lord is more than I deserve but I accept it with deep gratitude.

In Alma 5: 26 we read, “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?” Isn’t this a delightful question? I remember my baptism. I remember wanting to burst with excitement and pure happiness. I wanted to tell the world that I had just been baptised. I wanted to “sing the song of redeeming love”. I still feel like that. After I was baptised, I used to love sitting down at the piano and playing hymns. My mother would sing the soprano part of a hymn, I would sing the second soprano, and my sister would sing the alto line. We used to sing ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’ and ‘More Holiness Give Me’. The joy of singing was supreme. When I was at high school, I used to play music to cheer myself up and to lift my spirits. I started collecting some wonderful church music. I now have a large collection of music that always enriches my soul. Who can listen to ‘If You Could Hie to Kolob’ without flying with the angels to great heights? The following simple hymn, sung by adults and children, is another such track, ‘Come, Follow Me’.

I found myself reading Alma 6 with tears in my eyes. In Alma 6:6 we are told, “the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft”. The Covid 19 pandemic has prevented meetings in chapels for a couple of months. In our home we do not have active Priesthood holders. I have also had to be extremely careful as I help my 96-year-old mum who is in a very frail state of health. I am not a very sociable person, so I tend not to go to social events at the chapel, but I have really missed Sunday meetings and partaking of the Sacrament every week. This week we could attend a Sacrament meeting (by invitation) but I am still hesitating because of my mum’s health.

Brother John Bytheway made an interesting statement comparing Alma’s comments to the people in Zarahemla (Alma 5) and the people in Gideon (Alma 7). He pointed out how Alma relied on the Spirit to know how to speak to each group and what had to be said. He stated that when you are guided by the Spirit you prepare yourself to speak but you do not prepare your speech. The two groups were different and needed different approaches and different counsel. The same thing was clear when President Nelson toured NZ, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. I listened to his speeches in the different areas. Each was unique and addressed the issues of the people in each area. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are listening to the counsel the Lord wants us to hear?

President Nelson & Elder Gong on the Pacific Tour

As I mentioned in my post four years ago, one of the most moving and personally poignant scriptures to me is Alma 7: 11-12. This reads, “And he shall go 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 death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind 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 succour his people according to their infirmities.”

Gethsemane

We know that the Atonement allowed our Saviour to suffer our sins and balance the scales of justice so that we could repent. But the Atonement achieved so much more! Bruce Hafen, has written a book called ‘The Broken Heart’, and an article called, ‘The Atonement is not just for sinners’. The quote below says a lot of what is in his book and article. Christ endured the pain of our sins, our afflictions, our temptations, and our infirmities. He understands us perfectly.

In ‘Come Follow Me’ we were encouraged to follow a set of scriptures that showed how Christ suffered and how this enables Him to succour us. This is summarised in the tables below.

There are three quotes from President Dallin H. Oaks that touch my heart. The first mentions that Christ “succours or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities”. I see this daily with my dear, little mum. I see her suffer day after day, but she has such inner strength and such love for the Lord and the gospel.

The next two quotes are short but deeply moving. I know the Lord understands me. He knows my anguish. He knows my heart, my desires, my troubles, and my imperfections. I can turn to Him through all my trials. He can and He will ‘lift me’. I am so grateful for the Atonement. Alma 7 has given me a deep insight into the power of the Atonement and the extent of the Saviour’s love and sacrifice for me.

The realisation of how important I am as a cherished child of my Father in Heaven and how much my elder brother and Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificed for me, has led me to think about the current riots and marches in America and around the globe regarding the murder of George Floyd. This has brought attention to the ‘Black Lives Matter’/’All Lives Matter’ cries being heard in so many countries. Yes, all lives matter. Black lives should not be in danger because of skin colour. Every person is a beloved daughter or son of heavenly parents. Every person has been given the gift of the Atonement. We need love, charity, kindness, and unity, not division, hatred, and cruelty. I found a delightful little church video that moved me deeply. It is called, ‘To Love Them All’ and is narrated by Patrick Kearon (see below).