Alma 32-35

THE ZORAMITE CRAFT


In order to understand why Alma taught what he did in these chapters, we need to understand the interesting method of worship practiced by the Zoramites.  They had a tower in the church called a Rameumptom, and only one person could climb it at a time.  This was allegedly the only place they could worship.  They said their prayer out loud in front of the congregation, and it was a set prayer.  There apparently was a fee or a status or something to belong to the church, because the poor were excluded.  The Rameumptom itself was a symbol of their entire church society.  What were some of the elements involved in worship via Rameumptom?  Competition, exclusivity, self-elevation, etc.  It was a type of priestcraft.  The method of their so-called worship was just a reflection of their society, not an improvement upon it, as religion should be.

Looking over the prayer uttered upon the Rameumptom (Alma 31:15-18), we learn more.  They believed God was just a spirit, there was no Savior, some (namely, themselves) were elected over others, and no faith was necessary.

As Alma was trying to preach the true gospel to these self-centered people, some of the poor came to him and asked how they were supposed to worship without access to the Rameumptom.  Alma could see that they were experiencing great trials which had humbled them.  He said something which must have really struck them as odd:  "I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye." (Alma 32:8)  Why would it be a blessing to be "lowly in heart?"  Well, isn't that the same as saying "poor in spirit?"  This is the first step in the very important process of coming to Christ.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."  (3 Nephi 12:3) 

Poor in Spirit    +   Come unto Christ     =    Kingdom of Heaven

They had the first part of the formula!  The greatest missionary in the world cannot convince anyone of the truth if that person lacks this vital component.  Alma said to the poor Zoramites, "It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues that ye may be humble that ye may learn wisdom."  Neither of these (humility or wisdom) was possible to achieve at the Zoramite church, because it functioned under priestcraft.

ALMA TAUGHT FAITH FIRST

Alma then began to teach them this most important concept that was lacking from what the Zoramites taught:  The need to come to Christ.  But in order to teach them about Christ, he had to teach them that they could believe in something they couldn't see.  In other words, he had to teach them about faith.  He began by first telling them what faith isn't (Alma 32:17-18,21)--it isn't knowledge.  So if faith is not absolute knowledge about something, if faith means you don't see the Atonement yourself, how does faith help you know something is true?

Alma taught the people that they could find out truth by experimenting.  The analogy he used was a seed.  But let's be careful to establish what the seed is.  The seed is not faith.  The seed is the Word.  And what is the Word?  The doctrine of Christ and his Atonement--the "word" or communicative connection, defense, and reconciliation between us and God the Father. So here is the experiment:

THE EXPERIMENT, PART ONE

(Alma 32:28-36)

IF...

1. ye give place (let the desire work in your heart)
2. it be a true seed
3. ye do not cast it out

THEN...

     it will swell in you

So, by virtue of empiricism (personal experience), pragmatism (producing the desired result--see verse 31), and revelation (see last week's lesson for an explanation of epistemology, or of ways of knowing things):

THE CONCLUSION IS...

     "It must needs be that this is a good seed."

BECAUSE...

1. It enlarges the soul
2. It enlightens understanding
3. It becomes delicious (or causes you to crave more of it) 

As Alma explained (Alma 32:35-36 beginning with "is your knowledge perfect?"), this experiment does not give you a perfect knowledge of everything, but it establishes just one thing.  All through this section, look for the word "know."  It appears six times, emphasizing the point that you gained a concrete knowledge of one truth.  That truth is:  "The seed is good."  In other words, "The Atonement (the Word) is real--Christ is real."  That is the first part of the experiment.

THE EXPERIMENT, PART TWO

(Alma 32:37-43)

Now you have a sprouted seed.  The next part of the experiment is:

IF...
 
      you nourish it with great care

THEN...

1. It will get root
2. It will grow up
3. It will bring forth fruit

If you don't do this, the seed will not grow and produce the fruit, but will wither and die away, not because there is anything wrong with the seed.  The goodness of the seed has already been established in the first part of the experiment.

 My then 4-year-old son planted this bean seed

in preschool, nourished it, and was not at all surprised--

despite what the rest of us had predicted--

when a blossom and then an actual bean

appeared on it, 

in the screened-in kitchen window sill!

Now, an important question is, What does nourishing consist of?  There are three things involved in nourishing.  They are so important that they are mentioned three times in the next few verses:

1. Faith (expecting success)
2. Diligence
3. Patience 

"And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst" (Alma 32:42).

So what is the fruit?  The best commentary on scripture is always other scripture. Is there another analogy in scripture with these same symbols, a fruit that is sweeter and whiter than any other?  This one is a perfect match with Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 8:10-11, 11:21-22).

Gospel Principle            Lehi's Vision                Alma's Analogy
WORD                         Rod of Iron                 Seed
LOVE OF GOD           Fruit                            Fruit
EFFORT                       Holding the Rod         Nourishing the Seed
FAILED FAITH           Letting Go                   Barren Soil

So the second part of the experiment establishes that the seed (the Gospel of the Atonement), if nourished in us, will bring us the Love of God, and Eternal Life.

ALMA'S EXPLANATION

(Alma 33)  Alma taught the people of Zoram that the simplest step, the beginning step, in nourishing the seed is prayer.  Prayer requires

1. Faith
2. Diligence
3. Patience

Since these people had only heard the Rameumptom prayer, Alma gave them an example of a personal prayer, offered by the prophet Zenos, from their scriptures.  Zenos prayed about the practicalities of his own life:
     Verse 4--His fears
     Verse 5--His work
     Verse 6--His family
     Verse 7--Himself
     Verse 9--His "ward" or "branch"
     Verse 10--His enemies

Six times in his prayer Zenos thanked God for being merciful to him.  Nine times he recognized that God heard him.  The Zoramites also taught that God heard them and that God was merciful to them (only them).  But what was different here was the addition of the reason that God was merciful.  It is found in verse 11: "Because of thy Son!"  In verse 16, another prophet, Zenock also stated that mercy from God comes "because of thy Son."

So it's an interesting circular concept:  Prayer is the most elementary way to nourish the seed or bring the Atonement into effect in our lives.  And, on the other end, the Atonement is what makes prayer effective. Our words in prayer bring the effects of The Word upon us. The two are inextricably connected.

Alma told the people just what the Atonement was and what it would do.  "Christ will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works" (Alma 33:22) .

And in closing, Alma did what all apostles do at the ends of their talks:  He encouraged the listeners by telling them that they could really do what he just taught them, and that it would be a great blessing to them. 

" And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith.  And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life.  And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son.  And even all this can ye do if ye will.  Amen" (Alma 33:23).

AMULEK ESTABLISHED ALMA'S WORD

Amulek, the missionary companion, the second witness, stepped in to add his testimony to Alma's, Zenos's, Zenock's and Moses's (Alma 34:7) that the Atonement is real and can save us.  He established Alma's word.

Alma already explained what the Atonement is; now Amulek explained why it is needed.

(Alma 34:9)  He expounded upon Alma's words.  This is what a second witness does.

Then Amulek shared his own testimony about prayer and how personal it should be (verses 17-27).  And one more thing that the Zoramites taught incorrectly:  Prayer by itself is not true religion  What is true religion? Our good works prompted by prayer. (See James 1:27.)

"And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith" (Alma 34:28).

THE ATONEMENT BLESSES US NOW

In verse 31, we find an interesting truth. "Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you" (Alma 34:31).

 Notice the word "immediately."  What does it mean that "immediately" the great plan of salvation will be brought about in us?  Certainly it doesn't mean that as soon as we repent, we will die and be brought before the judgment bar!  And it probably doesn't mean that as soon as we repent, we will have our calling and election made sure and be guaranteed Eternal Life.

Part of the purpose of Christ's Atonement was to make him able to succor his people "according to the flesh" (Alma 7:12). In both the vision of the Tree of Life, and in the Analogy of the Word as a Seed, we are told that we can reach the fruit of the tree in this life.  The fruit is the Love of God manifest through the Atonement.  "And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son"  (Alma 33:23).  The Atonement, then, is not just for Judgment Day, but for every day.  As Zenos said in his prayer, the mercies of God help him, through the Atonement, in every aspect of his life.

The Atonement also has the power to change us, bit by bit, day by day, to become the Children of Christ. 
(One of my awesome readers "The Brown Family" posted the following bit in the comments.  For convenience, I have cut and pasted the information here.  Thanks, Browns!!!)  "The Chinese characters for repentance are hui gai 悔改. The first character, hui means 'regret, repent or feel sorrow for.' The second character, gai means 'to change, alter or transform.' The first character, hui is made up of two simpler characters: xin and mei 心 and 每. Xin is 'heart' and mei is 'every,' commonly used in 'every day'. So the meaning of the characters for repentance can be: 'with your heart, every day, change.'"

We need all the time we can get for this process; we shouldn't wait to repent (Alma 34:34-35).  This is what we call "working out your salvation (verse 37):  It requires effort on your part.  There is an effort in holding to the iron rod through mists of darkness and taunting of others.  There is an effort in nourishing a plant from a seed to a full-grown tree (Alma 34:38-39).

You might end with this YouTube reading of Ruth Krauss's charming children's story, The Carrot Seed.

Mosiah 25-28 (+ Alma 36)

Mosiah 25-28, Alma 36

This block of scripture includes four powerful prayers involving two men, Alma the Elder and Alma the Younger.

FIRST PRAYER

The father Alma was a mighty man.  He was the priest who listened to Abinadi, taught the gospel and organized the Church among hundreds of followers in the Land of Nephi, went through exile and bondage for his testimony, returned to the Land of Zarahemla and organized the Church there under the instruction of King Mosiah, and was appointed by King Mosiah (who had formerly been both king and church leader) to the position of president of the Church, in a separation of church and state.  He was Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Thomas S. Monson all rolled into one.

In this new capacity as Church president, he had a serious problem.  Many people were going apostate, and it was now his job to deal with them.  He had no previous experience with this kind of challenge and it troubled him great.  So he took his desire to the Lord in prayer.  (Mosiah 26:13-14.  Pay special attention to the word after.)  Even the president of the Church was required to “pour out his whole soul” to receive the answer to his prayer.

The answer he received was fabulous.  It surely brought great peace and joy to his soul, in addition to answering very specifically the question that he had.  It is recorded in verses 15-32.  (Mosiah 26:15-18)  Alma was told, in no uncertain terms, that he was right with God.  He was also told what to do about dissenters (Mosiah 26:29-32).  Alma’s action following this prayer is in verses 33-34.

Have you ever had a difficult question like this, and only God knew the answer?

SECOND PRAYER

Another serious problem came up that was distressing to Alma the father.  (Mosiah 27:8)  Alma’s son was not only rebelling from the Church on his own, he was leading many others astray as well.  So Alma had a great worry both as a parent and as the leader of the Church.  Alma undoubtedly had tried everything he could with his son over many years, and had prayed for him many times.  The need had become huge.  Finally this second prayer of Alma’s was answered.  (Mosiah 27:11,14,19,20)

Have you ever faced a situation like this which seemed beyond hope of repair?

THIRD PRAYER

Alma called the people together for a specific reason.  (Mosiah 27:21)  Not so they could see the judgments of God upon his wicked son, but so they could witness the mercies of God upon his wicked son.  He felt sure that this experience was going to be for his son’s benefit.  But Alma did not just sit and wait; this was not the end of the need for prayer.  Now the people combined their prayers with Alma’s, asking for three things (Mosiah 27:22):  1) that Alma might be able to speak, 2) that his paralysis might be lifted, and 3) that the eyes of the people might be opened to see God in this experience. 

The prayer was answered mightily.  (Mosiah 27:23-24)  Many people gained testimonies of the power of God, or had their testimonies strengthened, through the younger Alma’s experience at that time and afterwards, since he immediately became a mighty missionary for the truth and spent the rest of his life in that pursuit.

Alma the Younger later told the people about the fourth prayer—his own prayer that led to his conversion.

Have you ever seen the works of God in answer to the combined prayers of a family, a ward, or another group of believers?

FOURTH PRAYER

This conversion story was recorded by Alma in chiastic form, a type of poetry common in the Old Testament and designed to teach a truth.  In chiasm, each phrase leads to a central point, and then the phrases are reversed.  For example, the first point and the last point both have to do with words.  The 2nd point and the 2nd-to-last point are exactly the same.  The points can also be opposites, such as in number 22 below.  We read this beautiful Hebrew poem in Alma 36. Here is the layout of the chiasm as given in The God-Inspired Language of the Book of Mormon, by Wade Brown:

1-Give ear to my words (v.1)

 2- Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God

       ye shall prosper in the land

  3-Ye should do as I have done (v.2)

   4-remembering

    5-the captivity of our fathers

     6-for they were in bondage

      7-none could deliver them

       8-except it was the God of Abr., Isaac & Jacob

        9-and he surely did deliver them

         10-my son (v.3)

          11-I do know

           12-whosever shall put their trust in God

            13-shall be supported in their trials

             14-I know of myself…not of the carnal mind,

                   but of God (v.4)

              15-if I had not been born of God, I could not have

                   known (v.5)

               16-God has made these things known unto me

                17-I went about seeking to destroy the Church

                     (v.6)

                 18-I arose and stood up (v.8)

                  19-neither had I the use of my limbs (v.10)

                   20-the angel spake unto me (v.11)

                    21-tormented with the pains of hell (v.13)

                     22-the pains of a damned soul (v.16)

                      23-as I was thus racked with torment (v.17)

                       24-harrowed up by the memory of my sins

                        25-I remembered

                         26-Oh Jesus, thou Son of God,

                          have mercy on me! (v.18)

                        25-I could remember (v.19)

                       24-I was harrowed up by the memory of my

                             sins no more

                      23-oh what joy, what marvelous light I beheld

                           (v.20)

                     22-joy as exceeding as was my pain

                    21-so bitter as were my pains (v.21)

                   20-numberless concourses of angels (v.22)

                  19-my limbs did received their strength again

                       (v.23)

                 18-I stood upon my feet

                17-I have labored without ceasing, that I might

                      bring souls unto repentance (v.24)

               16-because of the word which he has imparted

                     unto me (v.26)

              15-many have been born of God and know of

                    these things

             14-I do know; and the knowledge I have is of God

            13-supported under trials and troubles of every kind

                 (v. 27)

           12-I do put my trust in Him

          11-I know (v.28)

         10-our fathers

        9-he has delivered them out of bondage and

            captivity from time to time

       8-brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem

          (v.29)

      7-he has delivered them

     6-out of bondage

    5-and captivity

   4-I have always retained in remembrance

  3-ye ought to know as I do know (v.30)

 2-inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God

    ye shall prosper in the land

1-according to his word

Hopefully, we have all prayed prayers begging forgiveness, and have been blessed with "joy as exquisite as was our pain."  If not, the time is now.

THE PROCESS OF PRAYER

DESIRE.  (Alma 36:12-16)  His father’s prayers and the prayers of the Church resulted in a visit by an angel which was terrifying enough to show Alma the Younger the awful truth of his current state.  This brought an overwhelming desire into Alma’s heart to escape the agony of sin.

FAITH.  (Alma 36:17-18)  Once again, as in the case of Enos, parental teachings planted seeds of faith which laid dormant for years, but were there when needed.

REMISSION OF SINS/PEACE.  (Alma 36:19)  The cleansing of his sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ made Alma worthy to house the Holy Ghost.  (3 Nephi 12:6) 

JOY/LOVE.  (Alma 36:20-21) The presence of the Holy Ghost always brings joy and love.  (Alma 36:24) Immediately this great love made Alma focus on bringing the joyous news of the gospel to others.

THE ELEMENT OF DESIRE IN PRAYER

Desire is essential in order to pray sincerely and receive an answer to prayer, but the size of the answer generally meets the size of the desire.

Perhaps as a child we want to know if the Church is true, but we’re not really worried about it; we love Primary, we love Family Home Evening, we know the scriptures, we believe our parents and teachers, and so we offer a prayer with only a Dixie cup full of desire. 

It is a sincere prayer, and subject to the promise of the Lord given in Moroni 10:4, but the answer need only be a quiet feeling of peace, a sense that what we are doing is right.  Dixie cup prayers are great as long as we don’t expect the Lord to fill them with Niagara Falls.  Just a cupful of Living Water will do.

At other times when we are meeting terrible challenges, when our hearts are breaking, when our sin seems unbearable, we meet the Lord in prayer having dug a huge pit of desire. 

In this case, the Lord can fill that void with the ocean of his mighty power.  The greatest latter-day example is found in the story of the First Vision. 

For months Joseph Smith had researched church after church, asked questions of ministers, watched different family members join different churches or refuse to join any, discussed religion around the fireplace, and read the Bible.  His desire had grown and grown until finally he read James 1:5 and determined to pray for an answer.  His prayer was not only sincere, but his desire was enormous, and therefore the Lord answered that prayer with a personal appearance, an answer to prayer that changed the world.  (See Joseph Smith—History)