The Lord Strengthens and Delivers Alma and His People
Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, July 31, 2023, Mosiah 24
The journey of Alma and his people out of the Land of Amulon, into the valley of Alma, and finally back to Zarahemla is a great pioneer story.
It also provides an interesting parallel to the story of the deliverance of King Limhi and his people. Whereas the Lord strengthened King Limhi, Gideon, and the Limhites through council and through blessing Gideon’s plan to make the Lamanite guards drunk before leading the Limhites through the wilderness, the Lord intervened in an even more miraculous way for the people of Alma. The Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites under Amulon’s command, and then he stopped them from pursuing the people of Alma any further than the Valley of Alma.
Why did the Lord intervene in such a miraculous way for Alma and his people? It may be that Amulon and the Lamanites under his command were more incorrigible and impossible to escape from without the Lord’s help. In fact, Mormon reminds us that it was only the Lord who could deliver Alma and his people from the bondage of Amulon and the Lamanites. One reason for their miraculous deliverance was their faithfulness to the covenant that they had made with the Lord in the waters of Mormon.
These Lamanites were very cunning and wise in the ways of the world. They were taught the language of the Nephites, they kept records, they traded with each other, and they prospered in worldly prosperity. But Mormon mentions that these Lamanites did not know God, even though they were friendly with each other. Amulon and his army were even worse. Amulon didn’t teach anything regarding the law of Moses or the words of Abinadi, and he and his army exercised authority over Alma and his people.
The king over all of the Lamanites was King Laman. King Laman appointed subsidiary kings over different populations of Lamanites throughout the land. Somehow Amulon gained favor with the Lamanites and their King Laman. This seems very surprising, especially after what Amulon and the other wicked priests of King Noah had done by abducting the twenty-four Lamanite daughters. Amulon was a tyrant like King Noah, and he was very deft at seeking after and obtaining power. He was also very eager to exercise power over Alma and his people, even to the point of placing heavy burdens upon them and imposing a death penalty upon anyone who dared to pray out loud.
This was a very difficult time for Alma and his people, but because of their faithfulness to their covenant with God, and in His great wisdom and mercy, the Lord strengthened Alma and his people. Alma and his people demonstrated such great patience and faith, submitting cheerfully to all the will of the Lord, that the Lord visited them in their afflictions, made their burdens seem light, strengthened them, and promised to deliver them from bondage the next day.
The Amulonite task-masters may remind us of the Egyptian task-masters who oppressed the ancient Israelites, and Alma may remind us of Moses, a new deliverer in the Promised Land. Certainly Mormon had Moses and the Israelites in mind as he abridged this portion of the large plates of Nephi.
Consider the Lord’s tender mercies to Alma and his people:
And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their ahearts to him; and he did know the bthoughts of their hearts.
And it acame to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
And I will also ease the aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions. (Mosiah 24:12-14)
It has often been noted that the Lord did not just remove the burdens or immediately deliver Alma and his people. The Lord doesn’t always remove trials, difficulties, or burdens from us. He works from the inside out. He strengthens us and provides the means necessary for us to do our best and to change our own circumstances. Elder Bednar has taught this principle many times, including in his talk “Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease”:
Each of us also carries a load. Our individual load is comprised of demands and opportunities, obligations and privileges, afflictions and blessings, and options and constraints. Two guiding questions can be helpful as we periodically and prayerfully assess our load: “Is the load I am carrying producing the spiritual traction that will enable me to press forward with faith in Christ on the strait and narrow path and avoid getting stuck? Is the load I am carrying creating sufficient spiritual traction so I ultimately can return home to Heavenly Father?”
Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual traction, we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most.
In this same talk, Elder Bednar also taught specifically about Alma and his people and how the Jesus Christ strengthened them, and how He strengthens us:
Consider the example in the Book of Mormon as Amulon persecuted Alma and his people. The voice of the Lord came to these disciples in their afflictions: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage” (Mosiah 24:13).
Note the centrality of covenants to the promise of deliverance. Covenants received and honored with integrity and ordinances performed by proper priesthood authority are necessary to receive all of the blessings made available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. For in the ordinances of the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest unto men and women in the flesh, including the blessings of the Atonement (see D&C 84:20–21).
Recall the Savior’s statement “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30) as we consider the next verse in the account of Alma and his people.
“And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs” (Mosiah 24:14).
Many of us may assume this scripture is suggesting that a burden suddenly and permanently will be taken away. The next verse, however, describes how the burden was eased.
“And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah 24:15; emphasis added).
The challenges and difficulties were not immediately removed from the people. But Alma and his followers were strengthened, and their increased capacity made the burdens lighter. These good people were empowered through the Atonement to act as agents (see D&C 58:26–29) and impact their circumstances. And “in the strength of the Lord” (Words of Mormon 1:14; Mosiah 9:17; 10:10; Alma 20:4), Alma and his people were directed to safety in the land of Zarahemla.
Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities. Most of us know that when we do things wrong and need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has made it possible for us to become clean through His redeeming power. But do we also understand that the Atonement is for faithful men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully? I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the Atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all alone—through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities.
It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for us. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to enliven us—not only to guide but also to strengthen and heal us.
With Elder Bednar’s teachings in mind, let’s read again about how the Lord strengthened and delivered Alma and his people:
And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did astrengthen them that they could bear up their bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with cpatience to all the will of the Lord.
And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.
And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go awith thee and deliver this people out of bbondage. (Mosiah 24:15-17)
Like the Limhites led by Gideon, the people of Alma, led by Alma, escaped during the night. But unlike the Lamanites who were made drunk so that they could not pursue the Limhites, the Lord caused the Amulonites, specifically the task-masters, to fall into a deep sleep.
Alma and his people rejoiced, gave thanks, and praised God for their deliverance in a valley that they called the Valley of Alma. But the Lord interrupted their rejoicings for a moment to urge Alma and his people forward to Zarahemla because the Lamanites had awoken and were pursuing them. After twelve more days of travel in the wilderness, Alma and his people also arrived in Zarahemla. King Mosiah received Alma and his people with joy, just as he had received the Limhites:
And after they had been in the wilderness atwelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also breceive them with joy. (Mosiah 24:25)
And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi. (Mosiah 22:14)
This was a great gathering of the faithful Nephites in the new Nephite capital, Zarahemla, a place that may be the very place where the latter-day Zion has been established, or the place of the New Jerusalem.