Alma 8-9

Alma 8

Alma continues his tour of preaching and re-building the church, and he finds good success in the city of Melek but encounters great opposition in the city of Ammonihah. The people taunt him and even spit on him, saying he has no power over them because he isn’t the Chief Judge anymore and they don’t belong to his church. Wow!

Before long he is cast out of the city, and begins heading toward another city feeling very sad and distressed over the wicked condition of the people. Now can I pause here for a second to say that I actually find it comforting to know that even great prophets struggled with trying to do good and encouraging people to be better. Doing the Lord’s work is hard for anyone, and just because you are not having success in your efforts doesn’t mean that you are inadequate. People have freedom of choice and reject even the counsel of the prophets sometimes.

But suddenly an angel appears to Alma along the road and delivers this comforting message:

15 Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.

The same angel who originally shocked Alma into repentance in his youth (remember Mosiah 27?) tells him now that he has reason to rejoice, even if all the people of Ammonihah are choosing to reject the Lord, because he himself has chosen to be faithful—and that is the one person he has control over. I think that is such an important  and comforting message.

The angel tells Alma to return to Ammonihah and deliver an ultimatum—they must repent or they will be destroyed! Alma, with great strength of character, turns himself right around and “returns speedily” to the land he was just kicked out of, but he enters through the back entrance this time.

There he approaches a stranger and asks him for something to eat, and the man responds, “I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house (v 20).”

Alma and Amulek end up becoming a mighty duo and they will preach together to the hard-hearted people of Ammonihah over the next 6 or 7 chapters. Powerful doctrines coming up!

Alma 9

Alma begins to deliver the message of warning that the city of Ammonihah will be destroyed if they don’t repent. 

He tells the Nephites that the Lord will be more merciful to the wicked Lamanites than to the Nephites-gone-wicked because the Nephites know better:

15 Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them [the Lamanites] in the day of judgment than for you [the Nephites], if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.

 16 For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land.

 17 And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.

 23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.

I believe God is very fair regarding what or how much he requires from each individual person based on their knowledge, experience, understanding, and level of accountability. He will judge each person individually by what they did with their abilities and understanding. This reminds me of a great scripture in the Doctrine & Covenants, which is another book of scripture the LDS church uses (and this passage is similar to Luke 12:47-48):

For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation. D&C 82:3

After delivering the message that the people will be destroyed if they don’t repent, Alma segues into the most important topic: the coming of a Savior.

 26 And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.

 27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.