Helaman 1-6

THE IMPORTANCE OF NAMES

This section of scripture is about two great missionaries, the brothers Nephi and Lehi.   Who were they?  Here’s a little descendancy chart.  (See Book of Mormon Index entries for each individual for more information.)

ALMA THE ELDER,

believed the words of Abinadi

and started a church among

the people of King Noah,

ALMA THE YOUNGER,

visited by an angel while attempting

to destroy the church, repented,

and later became a prophet

HELAMAN I,

prophet and captain of the stripling warriors

HELAMAN II,

high priest and chief judge

NEPHI AND LEHI

These brothers obviously had the same names as the first prophets in the Book of Mormon.  Their father had given them these names for a purpose:

“Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words.  Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them,; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works, ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.  Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.” (Helaman 5:6-7)

Think about the importance of names.  Why are you named what you are named?  Why did you choose your children’s names?  Has anyone been named after you?  (That’s a responsibility, isn’t it?)  This passage of scripture convinced me, long before I was married or had children, to name my children for great people in the hopes that those names would have an influence upon them.  I know many, many other people feel the same way.

It would be harder to find someone greater to be named after than Nephi or Lehi, and yet everyone in every LDS Sunday School class everywhere has been named after someone greater.

“O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.” (Helaman 5:9)

Here are the words of King Benjamin he was quoting:

“And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:17)

MISSIONARY STORIES

Nephi and Lehi took strength from and lived up to the names they had, both their given names (Nephi and Lehi) and their real Christian name (Christ), the name they took upon themselves at baptism.  Because of this, they did a great work among two nations.  Here is a brief overview:

• Realizing that the voice of the people was now at the point of choosing evil over good, Nephi got tired of being in government leadership carrying out wicked votes, so he retired and went on a senior mission with his brother as his companion.  His great-grandfather, Alma the Younger, had done almost exactly the same thing.
• They began their mission in the Land of Bountiful, among the Nephites, and continued down to the Land of Zarahemla where the Lamanites now lived.  Not only did they aid in the conversions of 8,000 of the Lamanites, they also, amazingly, succeeded in reactivating the Nephite dissenters among them.
• They then proceeded deeper south, into the original settlements of the Lamanites, the Land of Nephi.  Here their reception was not so great.  They were immediately cast into prison—coincidentally, the very same prison that Ammon was cast into by Limhi—to await their execution.
•  After many days of starvation in prison, in which the brother-companions because very discouraged, 300 Lamanites came to take them to the chopping block, but as the Lamanites approached the cell, a wall of fire encircled Nephi and Lehi to protect them.  This miracle, of course, was very good for the missionaries’ morale—as the scripture says in a very understated way, “It caused their hearts to take courage.”
• They explained to the Lamanites that this was the work of God.  God then punctuated their words with an earthquake and great darkness.  In the darkness a Voice from Heaven told the Lamanites to repent and spare the missionaries.  “It was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but, behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul.”  A second time the voice came, with the earthquake, and a third time.
• The Lamanites were understandably very frightened and confused by this turn of events, however, there was among them a Nephite apostate by the name of Aminadab.  Having known God in the past, he recognized Him again, and explained to the Lamanites that the only way to get rid of the darkness was to pray to the Voice for forgiveness and remember the teachings of the scriptures.  Once they did so, the darkness dispersed, but that was not all:  the circle of fire around Nephi and Lehi expanded to include all of them in it.  More than this physical fire, however, they were blessed with a flame in their hearts, the Holy Spirit of God.
• Now they heard the voice again, and this time it was a “pleasant voice,” still a whisper, which said, “peace, peace be unto you because of your faith [in Christ].”  They looked up toward the voice and beheld angels descending to minister unto them.
• These 300 Lamanites became a great missionary force among their brethren, and the majority of the Lamanites converted to the church.  As they did so, they left behind their hatred and their weapons, and even gave back the Nephite lands they had conquered!  Missionary work had peacefully accomplished what military strategy could not.

Jesus Christ

by my friend Matthew Larson

THE SURE FOUNDATION, THE DIVINE CENTER

Nephi and Lehi were steadfast in good times and in bad because of their focus in life, as their father had taught them:

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds; yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

“Every person builds a house of faith.  We do so knowingly or unknowingly.  And every builder soon learns that a good building with bad foundations is worse than useless; it is dangerous.”  (Robert L. Millet, The Power of the Word, p. 181)

Recently a great Latter-day Saint named Stephen R. Covey died.  Brother Covey is most famous for his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Leadership but he wrote another book (a better one, in my opinion) called The Divine Center.  In this book, Brother Covey wrote of the many different “centers” (or foundations) we may have for our lives, and what the ending result may be for each.  Some people center their lives on their family, he wrote, some on their work, some on their enemies, some on pleasure.  All of these “centers” are fragile foundations.  Christ is the only firm foundation.  He is the only unchangeable.  Even being centered on the church is not good enough.  After all, the Pharisees were centered on the church.

“Many LDS marriages are in real jeopardy even though both parties are very active in the Church in the narrow sense…In these marriages husband and wife have even learned to use Church words and theological concepts to accuse and belittle and criticize and judge each other.”  (Covey, p. 53)

I imagine I was not the only young LDS mother who was guilty, Sunday after Sunday, of losing the Spirit while getting the family to church.  Sunday morning was stressful with a whole bunch of little kids trying, or trying not, to get dressed in their best clothes.  But this quote from Brother Covey is true of both the daily and the epic life stresses:

“The most powerful form of example from which children learn takes place in watching parents under conditions of stress and pressure.”  (Covey, p. 105)

Stressful situations show us our foundations, and their cracks.  Paying attention to what "stresses us out" and to what we are afraid of can reveal how we have become off "center."  Then we can decide how to counter those stresses with the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For example, once I learned that whether we were on time, or whether the baby was wearing shoes, or whether the little white shirts were neatly ironed were just bonuses and not essentials, I could focus on whether each of the children felt loved, noticed, and respected, so that they could be receptive to the Spirit present at church.

So, if we are centered on Christ, will we feel happy and peaceful all the time?  No, but we can dare to be temporarily “unhappy”, to make it through less-than-ideal situations, to do things that are far out of our present comfort zone in order to follow Christ.  More words from Brother Covey:

“Interestingly, a person can allow himself to be vulnerable on the surface of his life if he still retains a deep God/Christ-centered invulnerability.  Then he can afford to be gentle and soft, to give and take, to give love without demanding anything in return—and that of course leaves him open to rebuffs and disappointments on occasion.  But when a person is deeply vulnerable, centered on something other than God and therefore not securely rooted, he can’t afford to be vulnerable on the surface, or he risks being simply wiped out.”  (Covey, p. 98)

Surely Nephi and Lehi were centered on Christ, and yet they had discouragements and trials.  Nephi was “weary” of being the chief judge because of the wickedness of the people.  When in prison, both brothers were discouraged and dejected.  They were just a few minutes away from their unjust deaths before the miracle came that caused them to “take courage.”  But it did come.  And their faith had held out long enough.

The devil, and the fallen nature of this earth life, will beat and batter us, send storms upon us, and wear us down.  But they will never have the power to drag us down to “endless wo” if our foundation is in Christ. We cannot fail, despite whatever frustrating, discouraging, heartbreaking things happen in our lives if we live up to our names as children of Christ.

HOW TO BUILD A SURE FOUNDATION

The following suggestions come from Robert L. Millett, The Power of the Word:

1. Treasure up his word.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie warned that “they will be denied the sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the price of studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures.”  (Doctrines of the Restoration, p. 238).  There is no denying the importance of scripture study.
2. Teach his doctrine.  “Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you” (D&C 88:78)  The blessing of grace is given to the teacher.  We each have the opportunity to teach the gospel, not only in our callings, but to our family and friends, and to those we home and visit teach.  We can also take advantage of fast and testimony meetings and learn that we strengthen our own testimonies when we bear them.
3. Sustain his servants.  It is not possible to stay close to the Lord while criticizing Church leaders.  The Savior said that he who receives the Church leaders, receives Him.
4. Trust in the Lord.  “There is power in Christ, power not only to create the worlds and divide the seas, but also to still the storms of the human heart, to heal the pain of scarred and beaten souls.”  (Millet, p. 183)

If we build upon the sure foundation of Christ, we can be as Nephi and Lehi and their Lamanite converts, surrounded and protected by fire—the fire of the Holy Spirit—and we can also be blessed by that Voice of peace:

“And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.  And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying; Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.” (Helaman 5:45-47)

Alma 53-63

(For an alternate lesson plan, follow this link.)

A BASIC THEME:  FREEDOM AND COVENANTS

In the war chapters of Alma (43-62), the word "liberty" is used 33 times, and the word "freedom" is used 26 times--two similar terms, for a total of 59 times.  The word "covenant" is used 26 times, and the word "oath" is used 12 times--two similar terms, for a total of 38 times.  As we read through these war stories, we can find a couple of themes among all these repetitive words, and the first one is:

Freedom is vital.

This applies to the entire plan of salvation, to societies here on earth, and to individuals.  Freedom is the very essence of the plan of salvation.  Without it there would be no progress.  Without it there would be no point.  It is important enough to go to war over.  Jesus Christ led us in a war in heaven and the cause was liberty over slavery.  Most wars here on earth are fought over the same thing.  Over and over in the Book of Mormon account, we can see that the Nephites "did think more upon...liberty...than they did upon their lives (Alma 56:47).

Fighting alone will not bring freedom, however.  Freedom is bought with righteous living, with the keeping of covenants.  This is what confuses a lot of people in our day.  The more we discipline ourselves to keep the commandments, which some see as restrictive, the more free we will be.  The more we give in to passions or foolishness, the more restricted our lives actually become.  So the second principle we see is:

Keeping covenants brings freedom.

One of the finest examples of covenant keepers of all time is found in the people of Ammon.  15-20 years before the conflict we read about in this week’s assignment, a group of Lamanites joined the church due to the missionary efforts of Ammon and his brethren.  They included the high king of all the Lamanites and two of his sons who were lesser kings.  At the time of their conversion, the king led them all to make an oath that they would never fight again, even in self-defense.  The reason for this oath was that they had been such a blood-thirsty people, the king did not think they could be forgiven of any more killing, even for a righteous cause.  (See Alma 24:16-18.)

They kept their oath.  Twice the other Lamanites came upon them and slaughtered them, and they offered no resistence.  Once, their massacre resulted in the conversion of many of their persecutors, but after the second time, the Lord told Ammon to remove them from the land of the Lamanites, and take them to dwell with the Nephites where they could be protected without having to fight themselves.  This they did.

Wars continued.  These people of Ammon (also known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies) sent their support to the Nephite armies in the way of food and provisions, but they kept their oath to never fight again themselves.  After 15-20 years of this, however, they began to wonder whether keeping their oath was a good idea.  (Alma 53:13)  When they had been Lamanites, they were always moved to fight by anger and hatred for the Nephites.  Now they were “moved with compassion” to take up arms in defense of the Nephites—opposite reasons for engaging in war.  Helaman and his brethren (in present-day terms, the General Authorities) convinced them that the keeping of their covenant was vital (Alma 53:14).

In the midst of this difficulty, someone thought of something:  The young men of Ammon had been babies when the oath was taken, and therefore had not participated.  They would now be in their teens or 20s, an age at which they could take up arms.

These young men entered into a covenant in their new role as soldiers.  (Alma 53:17)  This was the exact opposite covenant their parents had entered into!  Their parents’ oath was to give up their lives rather than to ever fight again.  The young men’s covenant was to fight “in all cases” for liberty, even unto death.  Both covenants were righteous covenants and were motivated by pure love.

Who did this battalion of new solders ask to be their commander?  Helaman!  Not a trained army officer, but a prophet of the church.  (See entry on Helaman in the Book of Mormon Index.)  He was only in his 30s by now.  There is no indication that he had previously been a leader in the armed forces, but their trust was in the Lord, not in the arm of flesh.  Helaman, therefore, left his ministry and became a military leader.

Stripling Warriors today, from lds.org

THE FAITH OF THE STRIPLING WARRIORS

These young men, “the stripling warriors” or the “sons of Helaman,” are most well-known for their faith that they would be spared, despite their youth and inexperience.  They may never have remembered seeing their fathers go off to war, or practice any fighting techniques.  The only training they would have had would have been what Helaman gave them.  (Alma 56:45-48)  Even though they valued liberty over life and were not afraid to die, they did not doubt they would be delivered.  Why?  Because their mothers had taught them so.

Now I have a question for you:  Why on earth would their mothers teach them this?  Many, many of the Nephite soldiers who were valiant and righteous men died in battle.  Look just a few verses previous and read that a “vast number” of Nephite men had been slain.  Were these warriors less righteous; were they lacking in faith?  It doesn’t sound like they were.  (Alma 56:11; 60:12-13)  Teancum, for example, was a righteous soldier who was killed after he single-handedly assassinated the Lamanite king, Ammoron, in an effort to end the war (which actually was the beginning of the end of the war.  Teancum had faith in God and lost his life in a righteous cause.  In fact, never in the entire Book of Mormon is there another army recorded that did not lose men to death, whether for a righteous or an evil cause.  If these people of Ammon had access to the records of the Nephites up to that time (which they did—Helaman kept the records), they would never have seen a scriptural precedent for a righteous army being totally spared of death.  So why did their mothers impress this promise upon them?

I think the answer can be found in Alma 27.  After the second massacre upon the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, when Ammon asked the Lord whether he should take them to live with the Nephites, the Lord gave them a promise (Alma 27:12) that he would preserve that generation.  The stripling warriors were that generation.  Now, after 15-20 years of actively living the gospel, their mothers knew the Lord.  They knew he was a God of Truth.  They knew he kept his promises.

Why the Lord gave them this promise while letting others perish is one of those questions we can’t answer.  Perhaps He felt the people of Ammon had sacrificed enough with the loss of so many of their loved ones in the massacres.  Perhaps He knew they would rather fight themselves than send their children off to war, and this promise gave them great comfort in that situation.

Helaman also promised them that the Lord would strengthen them because they kept their covenants.  (Alma 56:8)  Being completely unseasoned, and properly under-trained warriors, they would need this help.

THE LORD FULFILLED HIS PROMISES

The Army of Helaman fought in three recorded battles to retake Nephite cities from the Lamanites, and participated in another conflict without fighting.  In each case they were successful because they and their parents kept their (opposite) covenants and followed the commandments.

Pre-Battle

Before the Army of Helaman was formally given a commission, two opposite areas of the Nephite country were under attack, one near Bountiful and one near Zarahemla.  Moroni and Lehi were leading the defense on the Bountiful end.  Antipus was leading the defense on the Zarahemla end.  Antipus needed help the most, so that’s where the Army of Helaman headed.  The Lamanites had taken four cities there, and Antipus had only 6,000 soldiers with which to defend a fifth city, the city of Judea.  The Lamanites were about to come against the city until they saw the 2,000 warriors coming to join Antipus; then they chickened out.  And here is the first time we see the promise of preservation realized.  (Alma 56:19)

Battle of Antiparah

The next year, in the 27^th year of the judges, they engaged in their first battle.  This is the battle we are most familiar with.  2,000 more Nephite soldiers had enlisted, giving Antipus a total number of 10,000.  The Lamanites had taken the city of Antiparah, as noted above.  The Nephites had made their cities into such excellent fortresses that they were very easy to defend, but it made it almost impossible to take one back after the Lamanites had conquered it.  So Antipus decided the only thing to do would be to draw the Lamanite army out of the city where they could fight them on even terms.  To do this, he set up Helaman and the 2,000 warriors as bait.  They were to march past the city, near enough for spies to detect, looking like easy prey.  The Lamanite army would then come out and attack them, but Antipus and the remaining 8,000 would catch them from behind and engage them in battle.

The plan worked except for one thing:  The Lamanites were a lot faster marchers than the Nephites expected.  The Army of Helaman had to really clip along to stay out of their reach, and the Army of Antipus couldn’t catch up from behind for two days.  Then, suddenly, Helaman realized that the Lamanites were no longer on his tail, and he had no spies back there to tell him what had happened.  He didn’t know whether the Lamanites were waiting to ambush them, or whether Antipus had caught up.  But he and his young men decided to go back and fight.  When they got there, Antipus had been killed, as well as most of the other leaders, and the soldiers were in confusion and fear.  The presence of the 2,000 with their leader Helaman buoyed them up, and they all took courage and won the fight.  In the end, the remaining Lamanites in Antiparah were frightened and deserted the city.  The objective was won, and the promises of the Lord were fulfilled.  (Alma 56:56 to “strength of God”)

The Battle of Cumeni

Their next recorded battle was a year or two later.  They were deployed to recover the city of Cumeni.  Once again, straightforward hand-to-hand combat was useless because of the fortifications of the city.  Antipus was gone and Helaman was now in charge of the whole group.  This time they placed the city under siege, and when the Lamanite supply train came, they attacked it.  They sent the prisoners from the supply train off to Zarahemla under guard.  Within a few days, the army within the city of Cumeni surrendered.  Now the Nephites had a huge number of prisoners which were very difficult to control with the forces they had.  So they sent them with a large guard off to Zarahemla as well.  The very next day, a fresh army of Lamanite soldiers arrived at Cumeni.  The number of Nephites left behind to guard the city were too few to manage the battle.  They sent a messenger to tell the guards of the prison train that they were under attack.  Unfortunately, the prisoners heard, took heart, and revolted.  Because they had no weapons, most of them were killed by the guards, but a few escaped.  The guards then returned to help Helaman with the battle.  They won, but it was a very sore battle in which 1,000 Nephite soldiers were killed.  Not one youth of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies died, but every single one was wounded.  (Alma 57:26).  Once again, why were they preserved?  (Alma 57:21)  It wasn’t just that they obeyed their military leader, Helaman; it was that they obeyed their prophet Helaman.

The Battle of Manti

Later in the year, they prepared to retake the city of Manti.  Due to the fall of the government, of which they were unaware, they had received no provisions or reinforcements for quite some time.  They were malnourished and small in numbers.  They had to come up with a very clever plan to be successful this time.

Like the other Nephite border cities, the city of Manti was mightily fortified.  After praying for God’s help to strengthen and deliver them once again (Alma 58:10), their whole (small) and receiving his renewed promise that he would (Alma 58:11), they came up with a plan.  They brought their whole (small) army near the city and camped, making it appear that they planned to put the city under siege, like they had done at Cumeni.  The Lamanites saw how small their numbers were and decided to attack them, rather than risk an ambush on their supply trains.  When the Nephite spies saw that the Lamanites were preparing to come out, Helaman split the small army into three tiny squadrons.  Two of the squadrons hid, leaving the stripling warriors as the decoy again.  As the Lamanites came out to battle them, the Army of Helaman began to retreat.  The Lamanites pursued.  The hidden squadrons cut off the Lamanite spies so they couldn’t return to warn the city, and then they attacked and conquered the city easily because very few had been left to guard it.

The 2,000 warriors traveled for days, with the Lamanites right on their tails.  Suddenly, the Lamanites realized that they were heading toward the big Nephite city of Zarahemla and decided they had better back off.  They camped for the night, intending to turn back to Manti the next day.  But Helaman commanded his soldiers to march all night, going around the Lamanite camp, so that they reached the city of Manti first.  When the Lamanites arrived and realized that the city was full of Nephite warriors now, they fled into the wilderness.  With very little bloodshed, the city of Manti was regained.  (Alma 58:39)

APPLICATION

We also will be strengthened and preserved as we follow the example of the people of Ammon and their sons, the 2,060 stripling warriors (60 more enlisted during the war).  (Alma 58:40)

·         LIBERTY:  They stood fast in liberty.  We can do this in the defense of our countries at war time.  We can also defend our religious rights from attacks of those who would remove them.  And we can resist giving away our personal agency to any sin or addiction on a daily personal basis.

·         MEMORY:  They remembered God, day to day.  They remembered what he had done for them in the past, and they remembered his promises for the future.  We can do the same through our church worship (specifically the sacrament and the temple), our daily prayers and scripture study, our patriarchal blessings and other blessings.

·         OBEDIENCE: They kept the commandments.  We have all covenanted to do the same and the keeping of our covenants will strengthen and preserve us as it did them.  Like the stripling warriors, we need to obey every word of the prophet with exactness.

·         FAITH IN CHRIST:  They had “faith in the prophecies of that which is to come.”

As the children’s song says, we must follow the example of the Army of Helaman with courage and conviction that the Lord will preserve us in our daily battles for freedom.

Here are a few links to "We'll Bring the World His Truth" (AKA "The Army of Helaman") Primary song on YouTube.

Brett Raymond's high energy version from his "Primarily For Grown-Ups" album  (This is probably also available on I-Tunes, if you want to buy it.)

Inside Out's mellow a capella version.

Real missionaries in Mozambique.

Four adorable little brothers singing unaccompanied in harmony.

Afterglow's version.

A slightly goofball but pleasant ukelele version.

 

Alma 43-52

Alma 43-52

Why do you think Mormon included so much information about war in the Book of Mormon?  One answer would be to teach us how to remain Christ-like in times of conflict.

BACKGROUND ON MORONI

• Moroni was 25 years old when appointed captain (we would say "general") of the combined Nephite armies (Alma 43:17).
• The Nephites had half as many soldiers as the Lamanites did at the battle with Zarahemna (Alma 43:51).
• Moroni used innovative preparation ideas, particularly the use of armor (Alma 43:19-21) and the fortifying of cities (Alma 49-50).  The word "prepared" is emphasized over and over in chapters 49 and 50.  (You might suggest class members underline it each time it appears.)
• Moroni used clever strategem rather than full-front attack (Alma 43:30-33).
• Moroni had complete integrity and mighty faith (Alma 48:11-13).  Wouldn't you like this said at your funeral or engraved on your tombstone:  "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto (your name here), behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."  (Alma 48:17).  It's definitely something to aspire to.  (It might be fun to make a little placard for each class member with this saying to encourage them to emulate Moroni throughout their lives.)

VIDEO SEGMENT "FIRM IN THE FAITH OF CHRIST" (15 minutes long)

This is from the Church's Gospel Doctrine Book of Mormon video and is a really great little movie, especially for youth Sunday School classes.  It is also available at lds.org (although I myself cannot get it to upload from there) and you can also access it from YouTube. 

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES FOR CONFLICT LEARNED FROM MORONI
(Your class members may come up with others as well.  Go ahead and list them all on the board.)

• There must be a righteous purpose.  "Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.  And they were doing that which they felt was the duty with they owerd to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies." (Alma 43:45-47)  When was the first time in the Book of Mormon that the Nephites initiated a battle not in self-defense?  It is in Mormon chapter 4, at the end of the record and signals the Nephites' fast descent into decadence.  "And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them."  (Mormon 4:4)
• We must not hate our enemies. "Now they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all--they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God." (Alma 48:23)
• We must trust righteous leaders.  "...Moroni...knowing of the prophecies of Alma [the High Priest] sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites." (Alma 43:23)
• We must trust the Lord.  "And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them.  And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts--yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.  And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.  And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and the fled even to the waters of Sidon." (Alma 43:48-50)

THE SECOND BATTLE: MORONI VS. AMALICKIAH

•  Moroni gained his position of authority by appointment (Alma 43:17).  Amalickiah gained his by deceit (Book of Mormon Index, p. 9-10 gives a quick overview; it's a fascinating story).
• Moroni allowed prisoners of war to defect to his side if they made an oath in defense of freedom.  Forgiveness was always a possibility, and oaths in the Book of Mormon were serious.  But if they refused, they were put to death. (Alma 46:35).  Later, when a group of Nephites refused to defend liberty, Moroni obtained the legal right to exercise capital punishment upon them (Alma 51:15-20).  Amalickiah coerced the Lamanites who did not want to fight to join the battle by trickery (Alma 47:3)  (Although I'm not treating it specifically here, the manner in which Amalickiah achieved this is a great parable for how Satan tricks us to come over to his side, and could make a great lesson all by itself.  See chapter 47.)
• Moroni rallied his troops with the noble Title of Liberty (Alma 46:12-13). Amalickiah published hateful propaganda.  "And now it came to pass that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites." (Alma 48:1)
• Moroni's purpose was the defense of liberty (Alma 46:12).  Amalickiah's was power and bondage of others upon which to glut himself (Alma 48:4).
• Moroni lived by the principles of faith and service.  "Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.  Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites..." (Alma 48:7-8).  Amalickiah's principles were deceit and selfishness.  "...He did care not for the blood of his people..." and did not even lead them into battle, but stayed home in comfort (Alma 49:10-11).
• Moroni prepared his army (Alma 48:4-10)
• Moroni and his people thanked God for delivering them (Alma 49:28).  Amalickiah cursed God and vowed revenge because he didn't win (Alma 49:27).

PRESENT-DAY APPLICATIONS:  SEEKING THE LORD AS NATIONS

• Relying on the Lord.  "When threatened, we become anti-enemy instead of pro-kingdom of God...We forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us...or he will fight our battles for us." (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, June 1976, p. 6)
• The real enemy.  "No matter how wicked and ferocious and depraved the Lamanites might be,...they were not the Nephite problem.  They were merely kept there to remind the Nephites of their real problem, which was to walk uprightly before the Lord."  (Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 376)
• Draft-evaders.  Moroni had no tolerance of them.  He exercised capital punishment on those who refused to fight, except the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who had made a religious covenant not to take up arms. "Someone asked me once how I felt about amnesty for the draft card burner and the deserter.  I told him I thought every one of them should be taken before General Moroni to be judged."  (Vaughan J. Featherstone, October 1975 General Conference)  Eight of our Apostles today served in the military at wartime.  Only seven served missions as young men, thanks to being young men during times of peace for their country.  (See a listing at a a previous post.)
• "In God We Must Trust."  In the United States, President Abraham Lincoln had the foresight to put the words "In God We Trust" on the very thing that could so easily become our idol: our coinage.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower made it the official national motto in 1956 (which had previously been e pluribis unum or "out of many, one"--also a lovely motto which is still found on the Great Seal of the United States) and added it to the paper currency. It appears over the entrance to the Senate chamber and above the Speaker's dais in the House of Representatives. (Associated Press article, published the Herald Journal, July 25, 2000).  The House reaffirmed this motto in a 396 to 9 vote in November of 2011 (Daily News, November 3, 2011).  The origin of the motto is thought to be the lyrics of what is now the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," written for the War of 1812, which contains the words "Then conquer we must when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: In God is our Trust."  For those who worry about the motto being removed from our currency, it is required by law to be on all coins that have previously had it printed on them. (See Wikipedia article "In God We Trust".)  In fact, yes, even the new dollar coin contains the motto, even though it was not legally required; it's just along the edge instead of on the front. (See Snopes.com.) Many other countries have similar mottos--you should check to see if yours does.  Wikipedia has an entry listing dozens of countries' mottos (which seriously distracted me for an hour).  Here are a few of my favorites: 
• Denmark: "God's Help, The People's Love, Denmark's Strength." 
• Nicaragua: "In God We Trust"
• American Samoa: "Let God be First."  
• Grenada: "Ever Conscious of God, We Aspire and Advance as One People"
• Morocco:  "God, The Country, The King"  The motto of the royalty of Morocco is: "If You Glorify God, He will Glorify You"
• Tonga:  "God and Tonga are My Inheritance"
• Dominican Republic:  "God, Country, Liberty"
• Equador:  "God, Country, Liberty"
• Tuvalu (South Pacific Island):  "Tuvalu for the Almighty"
• Vanuatu (South Pacific island):  "Let Us Stand Firm in God"
• Tokelau (atolls of New Zealand):  "Tokelau for the Almighty"
• Saudi Arabia's is the Muslim creed:  "There is No God But Allah, and Mohammed is His Prophet"  (Allah is the same Heavenly Father we worship.  See a previous post.)
• Tristan da Cundha (South Atlantic Island):  "Our Faith is Our Strength"

 THE IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM

Freedom is worth fighting for.  Jesus Christ fought a war in heaven and the cause was freedom vs. slavery.  But it is the only cause worth fighting for.  As Mormon wrote, "Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were aginst an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.  And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; and also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it..."  (Alma 48:14-16).  We do not have to live in the Americas to qualify for this blessing of protection, because every land wherein the Saints of God live, gather, and worship Him is a Promised Land.

Alma 39-42

ALMA'S COUNSEL TO CORIANTON (CHAPTERS 39-42)

This lesson consists of the instruction Alma gave to his son Corianton.  Corianton was supposed to be serving a mission, and instead wandered off into dark paths.  Alma provided us with an excellent example in helping the "willfull and wayward" in his treatment of Corianton.  He pointed out the gravity of Corianton's sin and how he needed to change, and then he taught the truths that Corianton needed to better understand in order to make that change. Corianton's behavior needed changing in the worst way. His father taught him in a unique and highly effective way.

First, Alma pointed out what the wrong behavior was (sexual sin; see verses 3-11) and what caused it or led up to it  (not following the example of his older brother/senior companion [verse 1], and boasting in his own strength [verse 2].)  Considering that viewing pornography is a type of sexual sin, and this is serious problem for us today, along with the actual acts of fornication and adultery so common in our society, this chapter is perfectly relevant to us and should be carefully studied.  Disregarding the counsel or example of an older Brother (or of The Brethren) because we think it doesn't apply to us, leads to danger.  "Boasting in our own strength" or thinking that we are immune to the problems pornography or flirtatiousness would present if we engaged in them, leads to becoming ensnared in the grasp of evil.

Next Alma spelled out how the behavior needed to change.  Corianton needed to turn to the Lord with his whole being--no "double life" allowed--and confess his errors.

"And now the Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me:  Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the hearts of many people to destruction; therefore I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your iniquities; that ye turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly; but rather [remember the importance of the word rather to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies in lesson 26?]  return unto them, and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done." (Alma 39:13)

What a difference there was between Alma's treatment of a child's misbehavior and the Old Testament prophet Eli's!  (See Bible Dictionary, p. 663) And what a better result Alma achieved than the misery and destruction that fell upon Eli's family and people!

After clearly spelling out Corianton's errors and their gravity, Alma gave Corianton hope, as he himself had received from the words of his own father:

"And now, my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ.  Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare the glad tidings of salvation unto his people.

"And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming..."  (Alma 39:15-16) 

Here is where Alma's great insight as a spiritually in tune parent came into play.  He was inspired to understand that Corianton's testimony was weak on the subject of salvation, and that was the root of the problem.  President Boyd K. Packer has said, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.  The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior."  (October 1986 General Conference)  Alma re-taught Corianton the doctrines he had not internalized (which we will study next week), counseled him strongly to repent (Alma 42:29-30), and then he gave Corianton a better purpose in life to replace the sinful one.  (Remember the tennis ball in the pickle jar from a previous lesson?

"And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people.  And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them.  And may God grant unto you even according to my words.  Amen."  (Alma 42:31)

What a great example for all of us in our roles as adults leading children!  When children make errors, it is because they somehow did not learn something, even if we were teaching it.  So rather than just criticizing, we can teach it again.  And if it doesn't "take," we teach it again.  And if they slip, we teach it again.  And sometimes, as in the case of Corianton, our love for them combines with our teaching and with the influence of the Holy Ghost to touch their hearts and help them to change.

Savannah and Gary jamming in 1998

(I'm super happy to note that multiple sets of scriptures 

are in clear view--proof we actually read the scriptures as a family,

even if we didn't always put them away.)

HOW ALMA TAUGHT CORIANTON



Look at the first verse of each of these three chapters.  What do you find in common?  They each begin with "I perceive."  How did Alma perceive Corianton's concerns?  Through the Spirit, the only safe way to teach.

The three questions Alma perceived that Corianton had:

1. Resurrection (chapter 40)
2. Restoration (chapter 41)
3. Justice (chapter 42)

RESURRECTION (Chapter 40)

• Resurrection is not immediate after death (verse 6).
• During the interim period, the righteous go to a state of happiness, the wicked to "outer darkness" (verses 12-13)  (This is not THE outer darkness where the sons of perdition will go permanently.  It is Alma's term for the temporary spirit prison.)
• When resurrection happens, the body and soul will be reunited in perfection (verse 23)
• Then there will be a final judgment after which the righteous will inherit the kingdom of God (verse 25) and the wicked will be cast out (verse 26)

 Alma mentioned that there were several things he did not know about death and resurrection (verses 2-5, 8, 19-21).  What can we learn from the fact that Alma testified of the doctrine of resurrection even though he did not know all the details about it?  (We can receive a workable testimony about a concept with only a partial knowledge.  We can also bear testimony [teach] with only a partial knowledge.  It's okay to say "I don't know.")

RESTORATION (Chapter 41)

Who judges us at the initial "restoration"?  In other words, who determines whether we go to paradise or spirit prison?

"I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order." (verse 2)

"The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil..." (verse 5)

"...and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.  Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved."  (verse 7-8)

How is it that we are "our own judges?"  We chose whether to do good or evil in this life, and thus we chose who we become and therefore what we will be restored to after death.

(You may want to do this little object lesson:  Have two long dowels.  Tape a label "righteousness" on one end of one stick, and "happiness" on the other end.  Tape a label "sin" on one end of the other stick, and "misery" on the other end of it.  Ask a class member to choose a stick to pick up.  He can only pick up one stick. If he chooses "sin," of course, he will also be picking up "misery."  Tell him you don't want him to be miserable, so ask him to pick up "sin" without "misery," or pick up "sin" and "happiness."  Of course, it is impossible.  When we choose our actions, we also choose their consequences.  It is impossible to separate the two.)

"Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness.  Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."  (verse 10)

Happiness is a very confusing concept to people in the world today.  People pursue happiness in many different ways.  It's hard to tell from the outside whether someone is happy or not.  It is helpful to remember that there are different kinds of happiness.  Pleasure is a temporary happiness; joy is a deeper and lasting happiness.

"Laws do not change.  A law, like truth, 'abideth and hath no end' (D&C 88:66).  A theory is tentative, subject to change, and may or may not be true.  A theory is a means to an end, not the end in itself...Laws governing spiritual things were irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of the earth (D&C 130:20).  Often young people fail to accept moral and spiritual laws because the laws are not measured by methods they have been accustomed to using.  Physical or natural laws are much easier to demonstrate, and can be useful in teaching about spiritual things.  Let me illustrate.  At 32 degrees Fahrenheit, water freezes and changes from a liquid to a solid.  At 212 degrees Fahrenheit it turns into a gas.  Your students know that and there isn't anything they can do about it--they can't change it.  It can be described accurately or inaccurately, in complicated measurements in Fahrenheit or centigrade or anything else, and nothing that is said about it is going to change it because it operates according to law.  It will freeze or evaporate according to the law.  It should not be difficult to understand that there are basic spiritual laws that have always existed, that never change, that beget consequences, and we can't change them.  The wonder is that we can depend on these spiritual laws.  'Wickedness never was happiness,' and anybody that has tried to find out, has found out.  It is a law."  (Boyd K. Packer, CES Symposium, August 10, 1993, quoted in K. Douglas Bassett, Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon, p. 344-345)

So what will Corianton's reward be?  The same as for everyone else:  a restoration.

"Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.  For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all."  (verses 14-15)

JUSTICE AND MERCY (Chapter 42)

(Show the church video, "The Mediator," available at lds.org (where I can't get it to load--but look at the comments below; another reader found a better link) or on YouTube.

"It has been described this way:  'It really isn't fair that one person should suffer for the sins of others.  It isn't fair that some people can commit horrible crimes and then be completely forgiven and cleansed without having to suffer for them.  It isn't fair that those who labor for only an hour will get the same reward as those who labor all day.  (See Matt. 20:16.)  No, the gospel sometimes isn't fair, but that is actually part of the good news.  It isn't fair--it's merciful, and that God it is so, for no human being can stand acquitted before the demands of absolute justice."  (Stephen E. Robinson, quoted in Ensign, June 2000, p. 32)

"And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.  And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption."  (Alma 34:15-16)

"The choice before us is mercy or justice.  Either choice can be accommodated, and either choice is compatible with the nature and plan of God, but, as in the choice between the Lord and Satan, there are no third alternatives.  Again, life has default settings, and they are set for justice.  We can choose the mercy that is offered through the gospel covenant, but if we refuse that mercy, we will receive justice.  (Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ, p. 60)  (This is THE best and simplest book for understanding the Atonement.  Everybody over age 12 really should read this book.) 

"Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.  If he has desired to do evil, and has not repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him, according to the restoration of God."  (Alma 42:27-28)

Only one of these choices will lead us to the Celestial Kingdom.  Exaltation is only available through the mercy of Christ (Alma 38:9).  "I once wondered if those who refuse to repent but who then satisfy the law of justice by paying for their own sins are then worthy to enter the celestial kingdom.  The answer is no.  The entrance requirements for celestial life are simply higher than merely satisfying the law of justice.  For that reason, paying for our sins will not bear the same fruit as repenting of our sins."  (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p. 7-8)

JUSTICE AND MERCY IN OUR OWN CHARACTERS

"Neither the justice nor the mercy of God can be understood, enjoyed, or emulated without also understanding--and practicing--the charity that is their essence."  (Lance B. Wickman, "Justice and Mercy in the Warm Glow of Charity," Ensign, June 2000, p. 32)

"These principles that are at the heart of the great plan of redemption are also the very essence of the higher law of personal behavior taught by the Savior.  He sought to teach that law in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5-7) and repeated it for the Nephites (see 3 Ne. 12-14).  He sought to call us in our daily living from pedestrian plodding through what is merely just--that is, from giving to each what is due--to the stratospheric flight of mercy.  He has called each of us to give to each person our love whether or not it is due.  Unless we understand this, His mandate to 'be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matt. 5:48) is subject to gross misunderstanding...Truly, loving others more than self is the essence of the gospel of Christ.  It is the soul of mercy."  (Wickman, p. 33-34)

"God loves us not because we're so lovable he can't help himself--he loves us because his nature is loving, because God is love."  (Robinson, p. 65)  In order to become like God, we need to stop worrying about whether any person around us "merits" our love, and realize that extending charity to others is a product of our character, not theirs.

CONCLUSION


Maybe Alma's counsel to Shiblon would be good counsel for us as parents teaching our children.

"And now, as ye have begun to teach the word [to your children] even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.

"See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.

"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love..."  (Alma 38:10-12)

I challenge you to read these verses every day this week, and allow them to guide your family and/or leadership roles.
  

 My dad's hand with a baby grandson's in 2000

My dad has since died of Alzheimer's Disease

Alma 36-38

Alma 36-39

Post on the board before class:  "What is the best counsel your father/mother ever gave you, and how has it affected your life?"

Alma had spent nine years teaching the people of Nephi, enjoying throughout that time greater or lesser degrees of success.  At the end of this time, many of the people began to return to their old ways, and he felt very downhearted.

"Now Alma, being grieved for the iniquity of his people, yea for the wars, and the bloodsheds, and the contentions which were among them; and having been to declare the word, or sent to declare the word, among all the people in every city; and seeing that the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful." (Alma 35:15)

So what did he do about this situation?  He redoubled his efforts in his own home and with his own family.

"Therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness.  And we have an account of his commandments, which he gave unto them according to his own record." (Alma 35:16)

This is a very good example for us of what we can do when the world around us seems almost beyond improvement: Do what we can at home.  The importance and the far-reaching effects of teaching the gospel to our own children and grandchildren in our own homes cannot be overemphasized.

Since I don't have any pictures of Alma with his sons, 

I'm shamelessly substituting pictures of 

my own cute husband and kids.  

(I didn't ask his permission; I'll ask forgiveness instead.)  

This is our oldest son Nick, third son Andrew, and Gary, 

at Cirque of Towers, Wyoming on a Scout "high adventure" trip, 2002.

THE VALUE OF A PARENT'S COUNSEL

 Invite all class members to be thinking about the question on the board, whether they decide to share their answer with the class or not.

Hopefully everyone in class had at least semi-good parents, but there may be some people in every ward who suffered at the hands of abusive parents.  In that case, it is good to remember the words from the movie "God's Army:"  "At least you've always got your Real Father."  We all have the blessing of the counsel of our Real Father through the scriptures and prayer and other means of revelation.  So hopefully, this lesson does not exclude anybody, and we will be able to learn from the good counsel others have received in our ward and in the scriptures so we can pass that along to our children.

Alma knew the value of a parent's teaching.  He himself, in the depths of despair over his sins, remembered his father's words, and they saved him.   (Alma 36:17)  When he really wanted to know what to do, those words came back to him.  And so Alma wanted to give that blessing to his own sons.  He called them all together, but gave each individualized counsel.

There were three sons:  Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton.  Chapters 36 and 37 are to Helaman, chapters 39-42 are to Corianton, and Shiblon at first glance seems overlooked, a real "middle child syndrome" situation, with only one little chapter of his own, chapter 38.  But if we examine these more closely, we can see exactly what Alma was trying to accomplish.  We can see that he was a very wise parent.

COUNSEL TO HELAMAN (CHAPTERS 36-37)

First, to his oldest son, Helaman, Alma gave the great chiastic poem about his conversion, which we have already studied in a previous post.  (You may want to give handouts of the chiasm to class members who may have been absent that day.)  This must have been carefully worked out and written down as something that would be passed on to future generations because of the complexity of it.

Ask:  What impressed you about the counsel to Helaman?

Alma reminded Helaman to counsel with the Lord, words which every Latter-day Saint should have underlined in his or her scriptures:

"O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

"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 37:35-37)

The rest of the counsel to Helaman involves, for the most part, one subject and that is the scriptures.  Helaman was the new steward over the scriptures, as we see in 37:1.  His father's counsel could have left no doubt in his mind about the importance of preserving the holy words.  In verse 8 we can read, "the [records] have enlarged the memory of this people."  Remembering is so important!  All through his counsel to all three sons, Alma keeps emphasizing, "Remember!  Remember!"  We should study the scriptures in order to remember the goodness of the Lord to his people throughout history, and we should keep our own writings, our own journals, in order to remember his goodness to us in our own lives.  If we record spiritual experiences, our journal can be a real faith-strenthener to us in times of trial.  Without writing them down, we tend to forget, or to trivialize them later.

Helaman, as the new keeper of the records, also was going to be the new prophet.  So the words Alma gave to him were in this context:  for the benefit of the whole church.

COUNSEL TO SHIBLON (CHAPTER 38)

Ask:  What did you like best about the counsel to Shiblon?

Although Shiblon got the smallest chapter of all, his is the most personal and the most complimentary.

"And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.

"I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.

For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word's sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee." (Alma 38:2-4)

 Gary with our second son Nate on his priesthood ordination day

Alma's only counsel to Shiblon was to do in the future what he had done in the past:

"And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  (Alma 38:5)

Alma then told how he knew this, giving a condensed version of his conversion story to Shiblon, who undoubtedly had heard it many times before.  And then he counseled Shiblon to continue as he had begun (verse 10), and to stay away from pride, passion, idleness, and self-righteousness.  His final word (well, almost the final word) of counsel is a curious one to those who are concerned with "building their child's self-esteem":  "acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times." (verse 14)  Why is this so important?  We'll see when we study Alma's words to his third son, Corianton.



(All of the photographs on this page were taken by me, and I hold the copyright, but you may copy them for personal, home, or church use if you so desire.)