When we reach Alma 30, we're in the 16th year of the reign of the judges. That means 16 years since King Mosiah passed away at the age of 82, and 16 years since he made sure to establish a system of judges to protect the people from unrighteous rulers, since he knew that his four righteous sons had chosen to travel to preach the gospel of God rather than become the next king. It astounds me how much happens over those sixteen years.
Many tried to take over as unrighteous rulers, so King Mosiah was very wise, and led by the Lord. Nehor introduced priestcraft, Amlici led people away that became the hard-hearted Amlicites, and thousands upon thousands died by the sword, both the righteous who became martyrs, and those who chose to follow the devil. Yet, during all those times of darkness and trial, we can see the hand of God in all things. There were prophets and men of God to stand as his witnessses and to give people a choice, and the faith of the righteous was a powerful thing, as people were given the choice, in Zarahemla, in Alma 30:8, to "choose ye this day, whom ye will serve." The Lord was constantly giving people the opportunity to hear the Word of God and to choose to serve him, through Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, the converted Zeezrom, the converted Amulek, the converted hand-maiden to King Lamoni's wife, the righteous judges that upheld peace in the land.
In Alma 30, Korihor made several attempts to lead people away. Korihor's attempts to cast doubt for the followers of God are powerful because they are some of the same prevalent messages we hear today. He asks, "How do ye know of their surety?" in Alma 30:15. I love Alma's response in Alma 30: 44, "... Thou has had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethern, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; ye, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
With these words, Korihor first went to Zarahemla where he was successful in creating some doubt. Then, he went to Jershon, where these men and women had refused to lift up arms to protect themselves and many had died as martyrs. Their faith had been recently tested and was strong. In fact, it says in Alma 27:27 that they were "distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also toward men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end." The people of Ammon, or the Anti-Lehi-Nephites, or the former Lamanites, could not be deceived by Korihor.
Korihor also tried to deliver his anti-Christ message to the people of Gideon but Alma had visited them in Alma 6 and preached to them to remind them to remember their God. He said to them in Alma 7:17, "... Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy." He saw they were receptive to the Spirit and gave them more tools to stay strong, to be humble and not tempted, and that the Lord would bless them.
It was some of the original Nephites in the land of Zarahemla that fell victim to Korihor's words. I want to point this out because some people perceive that our labels and titles, or our past or our heritage, denote who is righteous or good. Remember, in 1 Samuel 16:7 in the Bible it says, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." The people of Ammon, also known as the Anti-Lehi-Nephites had been Lamanites and probably most of them had sinned against God but once they converted to God, they changed, and it says in Alma 27:30, "they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord." That is, because as we know, the Lord looked at their hearts and found it pleasing. What their ancestors had done before them, or their label as Lamanites, didn't rule what they did with their hearts.
When in doubt about what is good and righteous and what is disguised as good, Alma's advice in Alma 7:23-25 comes to mind:
In a message from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on June 9, 2020, he says, "Somehow, these challenging times helped us to be more open about the feelings of our soul. We realized even more clearly how special it is not to hide or mask the feelings of our hearts from those we love most. ... I can sense the sorrow and burden so many of you have to live with. And I can also feel your joy and enthusiasm as you focus on the many good things you can do in life. It is amazing to see how you help and uplift each other by word and deed." The Lord looks upon our hearts, and how our words and deeds suit the desires of our hearts - to serve God or Mammon.
(See Matthew 6:24).
In Alma 31:21, Alma was dismayed to see that the Zoramites in the land of Antionum had built a tower called Rameumptom, where they repeated the same memorized saying to God one at a time (that they were the elected, and there was no Christ), then "returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner." (Alma 31:21-23). Alma felt, "exceedingly sorrowful," begging the Lord and saying "their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethern." Again, the hand of God in all things - he blessed Alma for this great faith and sincerity with an overwhelming feeling of the Spirit of God and "gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith." (Alma 31:38). We'll see in Alma 32 when I blog next, on how the Lord sought to bless all of his children through faithful leaders like Alma.
I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the Bible and how the examples of the people that were willing to repent and change, and the leaders who loved so deeply fought, and sacrificed and worked alongside their people (Alma 30:33-35), helps strengthen and guide me.
Many tried to take over as unrighteous rulers, so King Mosiah was very wise, and led by the Lord. Nehor introduced priestcraft, Amlici led people away that became the hard-hearted Amlicites, and thousands upon thousands died by the sword, both the righteous who became martyrs, and those who chose to follow the devil. Yet, during all those times of darkness and trial, we can see the hand of God in all things. There were prophets and men of God to stand as his witnessses and to give people a choice, and the faith of the righteous was a powerful thing, as people were given the choice, in Zarahemla, in Alma 30:8, to "choose ye this day, whom ye will serve." The Lord was constantly giving people the opportunity to hear the Word of God and to choose to serve him, through Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, the converted Zeezrom, the converted Amulek, the converted hand-maiden to King Lamoni's wife, the righteous judges that upheld peace in the land.
In Alma 30, Korihor made several attempts to lead people away. Korihor's attempts to cast doubt for the followers of God are powerful because they are some of the same prevalent messages we hear today. He asks, "How do ye know of their surety?" in Alma 30:15. I love Alma's response in Alma 30: 44, "... Thou has had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethern, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; ye, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
With these words, Korihor first went to Zarahemla where he was successful in creating some doubt. Then, he went to Jershon, where these men and women had refused to lift up arms to protect themselves and many had died as martyrs. Their faith had been recently tested and was strong. In fact, it says in Alma 27:27 that they were "distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also toward men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end." The people of Ammon, or the Anti-Lehi-Nephites, or the former Lamanites, could not be deceived by Korihor.
Korihor also tried to deliver his anti-Christ message to the people of Gideon but Alma had visited them in Alma 6 and preached to them to remind them to remember their God. He said to them in Alma 7:17, "... Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy." He saw they were receptive to the Spirit and gave them more tools to stay strong, to be humble and not tempted, and that the Lord would bless them.
It was some of the original Nephites in the land of Zarahemla that fell victim to Korihor's words. I want to point this out because some people perceive that our labels and titles, or our past or our heritage, denote who is righteous or good. Remember, in 1 Samuel 16:7 in the Bible it says, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." The people of Ammon, also known as the Anti-Lehi-Nephites had been Lamanites and probably most of them had sinned against God but once they converted to God, they changed, and it says in Alma 27:30, "they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord." That is, because as we know, the Lord looked at their hearts and found it pleasing. What their ancestors had done before them, or their label as Lamanites, didn't rule what they did with their hearts.
When in doubt about what is good and righteous and what is disguised as good, Alma's advice in Alma 7:23-25 comes to mind:
In a message from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on June 9, 2020, he says, "Somehow, these challenging times helped us to be more open about the feelings of our soul. We realized even more clearly how special it is not to hide or mask the feelings of our hearts from those we love most. ... I can sense the sorrow and burden so many of you have to live with. And I can also feel your joy and enthusiasm as you focus on the many good things you can do in life. It is amazing to see how you help and uplift each other by word and deed." The Lord looks upon our hearts, and how our words and deeds suit the desires of our hearts - to serve God or Mammon.
(See Matthew 6:24).
In Alma 31:21, Alma was dismayed to see that the Zoramites in the land of Antionum had built a tower called Rameumptom, where they repeated the same memorized saying to God one at a time (that they were the elected, and there was no Christ), then "returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner." (Alma 31:21-23). Alma felt, "exceedingly sorrowful," begging the Lord and saying "their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethern." Again, the hand of God in all things - he blessed Alma for this great faith and sincerity with an overwhelming feeling of the Spirit of God and "gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith." (Alma 31:38). We'll see in Alma 32 when I blog next, on how the Lord sought to bless all of his children through faithful leaders like Alma.
I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the Bible and how the examples of the people that were willing to repent and change, and the leaders who loved so deeply fought, and sacrificed and worked alongside their people (Alma 30:33-35), helps strengthen and guide me.
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