The Vital Role of Righteous Women
Book of Mormon Notes - Tuesday, August 29, 2023, Alma 19
This is a truly miraculous moment in Nephite and Lamanite history and in the Book of Mormon. At this point in Mormon’s abridgment of Alma’s record we begin to witness the beginning of many answered prayers on behalf of the Lamanites, from the time of Lehi to the time of the sons of Mosiah. The faith and prayers of Mosiah and his sons began to bear fruit among the Lamanites, beginning with King Lamoni and his household.
Something that stood out to me as never before in this story is how crucial the role of righteous women was, and is, in the work of the Lord. If you pay attention to the women that are mentioned in this story, and the praise and compliments given to these righteous women, I think that it is clear that Mormon wanted to acknowledge the essential role of righteous women in this miraculous turning point in Lehite history, and to foreshadow the vital role of women in the Lord’s work in the future.
This portion of Mormon’s abridgment of Alma’s record focuses on three righteous women in particular, the queen and wife of King Lamoni, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Abish. The queen’s faith was so great that Ammon praised her in a way that is reminiscent of the Lord’s praise of a faithful centurion:
And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the aNephites. (Alma 19:10)
And,
When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (Luke 7:9)
When King Lamoni rose from his sleep in God, he testified specifically of Christ and his mother:
For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have aseen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be bborn of a cwoman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit. (Alma 19:13)
Thus Ammon’s prayers began to be answered in a miraculous way, but Mormon also emphasizes the faith and preparation of a Lamanitish woman named Abish:
And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish awomen, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—
Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it aknown, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had bfallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay cprostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would dcause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people. (Alma 19:16-17)
Mary, the Queen, and Abish - there would be no salvation, and no conversion of the Lamanites without them. I have also noticed an increasing emphasis in recent years (an emphasis that is more necessary than ever, especially in a time when people are so confused about gender) on the vital role of women in the work of the Lord. Here are just a few examples:
When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.
Finally, my dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.
Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. Remember, it is as wrong to do things just to be seen of women as it is to do things to be seen of men. Great women and men are always more anxious to serve than to have dominion.
Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.
To help another human being reach one’s celestial potential is part of the divine mission of woman. As mother, teacher, or nurturing saint, she molds living clay to the shape of her hopes. In partnership with God, her divine mission is to help spirits live and souls be lifted. This is the measure of her creation. It is ennobling, edifying, and exalting.
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.
Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil. Every sister who strengthens and protects her family is doing the work of God. Every sister who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come. Every sister who makes and keeps sacred covenants becomes an instrument in the hands of God.
From age immemorial, societies have relied on the moral force of women. While certainly not the only positive influence at work in society, the moral foundation provided by women has proved uniquely beneficial to the common good. Perhaps, because it is pervasive, this contribution of women is often underappreciated. I wish to express gratitude for the influence of good women, identify some of the philosophies and trends that threaten women’s strength and standing, and voice a plea to women to cultivate the innate moral power within them.
Thirty-six years ago, in 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball made a profound prophecy about the impact that covenant-keeping women would have on the future of the Lord’s Church. He prophesied: “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world … will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.”5
My dear sisters, you who are our vital associates during this winding-up scene, the day that President Kimball foresaw is today. You are the women he foresaw! Your virtue, light, love, knowledge, courage, character, faith, and righteous lives will draw good women of the world, along with their families, to the Church in unprecedented numbers!6
We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices. The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!7
Men can and often do communicate the love of Heavenly Father and the Savior to others. But women have a special gift for it—a divine endowment. You have the capacity to sense what someone needs—and when he or she needs it. You can reach out, comfort, teach, and strengthen someone in his or her very moment of need.
Women see things differently than men do, and oh, how we need your perspective! Your nature leads you to think of others first, to consider the effect that any course of action will have on others.
In the book of 2 Kings, we read of “a little maid”11 who was captured by the Syrians and became a servant to the wife of Naaman, captain of the Syrian army. She was as salt; she was young, of no worldly importance, and her life as a slave in a foreign country was clearly not what she had hoped for.
However, she spoke two sentences with the power of God, testifying to Naaman’s wife: “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.”12
Her words of faith were relayed to Naaman, who acted on her words, allowing him to be healed both physically and spiritually.
We often focus on the servants who convinced Naaman to bathe in the river Jordan, as the prophet Elisha directed, but Naaman would not have even been at Elisha’s door without “a little maid.”
These are just of few of the latter-day commentaries on the vital role of women in the work of the Lord that I believe that Mormon clearly foresaw and foreshadowed in this particular portion of his abridgment of Alma’s record. Of course there is a lot more to the story, but this is something that stood out to me today in my study.