Mosiah 17:2 there was one among them whose name was Alma
“One
of the wicked priests of King Noah is a man named Alma, who is a descendant of
Nephi. When first introduced in the Book of Mormon, Alma is a young man in the
process of being converted by Abinadi. (Mosiah 17:2.) Much of the religious
history of the Nephite nation for the next three hundred years is concerned
with this man and his descendants. Alma not only begins a religious revival
among his own people, but later he is given power by King Mosiah to establish
churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla. (See Mosiah 25:19.)
“Still
later we read that Alma's son (also called Alma) succeeds his father as the
religious leader of the people and also becomes the first chief judge over the
Nephite nation. Other descendants of Alma the elder who become great religious
leaders of the Nephites include his grandson (Helaman); great-grandson
(Helaman, the son of Helaman); great-great-grandson (Nephi, the son of Helaman
who is the son of Helaman); and great-great-great-grandson (Nephi the second,
who is also the chief disciple of the resurrected Jesus Christ). Abinadi may
have felt that he had failed as a missionary; so far as the record indicates,
his only convert was Alma. However, as mentioned above, the missionary efforts
of Abinadi affected the religious life of the Nephites for hundreds of years.” (Daniel
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p.187)
Mosiah 17:2 Alma…believed… therefore he began to plead with the king
Our first exposure to Alma,
the elder, is here in the court of Noah. His first recorded act is to stand up
for Abinadi. People often state the trite and worn-out phrase, “stand up for
what you believe in.” The statement doesn’t explain how difficult it can be to
stand alone; it doesn’t convey how much integrity and intestinal fortitude it
takes to stand up against the views of all around you. It is in this
uncomfortable position which Alma finds himself. He certainly knows that no one
is going to repent or believe in Abinadi’s words. He certainly knows that to
stand up for Abinadi could well mean the end of his political career. Imagine!
Alma was a politician who did not worry about the political consequences of
doing the right thing. He boldly suggested protection for Abinadi. He took an
unpopular stand, and almost lost his life for doing so.
Alma’s transformation, from
wicked priest to convert, is both quick and complete. The integrity of his
soul, like that of Paul, was such that he just needed to be pointed in the right
direction. Abinadi was the one doing the pointing. “It is with painful but
striking irony that before Abinadi faces the flames of a martyr's fire, his
prophetic witness kindles the fires of testimony within the heart of another.” (McConkie and
Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p. 249)
Joseph B. Wirthlin
“The
valiant, exemplary life and powerful teachings of Alma the Elder provide us
with a wealth of spiritual insight. A careful study of his conversion and
subsequent labors as both a spiritual and a temporal leader reveals a number of
practical guidelines and concepts that, if applied in our own lives today, can
help us live more wisely and productively and, thus, more joyfully.
“…As
members of the Savior’s church we struggle with the challenges of living in ’a
world set on a course which we cannot follow’ (Boyd K. Packer, “The Father and
the Family,” Ensign, May 1994, p. 21). While yet a young man, Alma lived and
worked in the court of the wicked King Noah as one of the king’s appointed
priests (see Mosiah 17:1–2). His life in an evil society presented Alma with
many of the same temptations that afflict us today. His position of
considerable authority in a corrupt government also confronted him with
life-threatening conflicts once he embraced the gospel. Understanding how he
turned his back on temptation, overcame sin, and stood fearlessly for
righteousness can help us deal with our own challenges as we struggle to choose
the right.” (Heroes from the Book of Mormon, pp. 79-80)
Mosiah 17:4 being concealed for many days did write all the words
which Abinadi had spoken
We owe Alma a great debt of
gratitude. Without his diligence, we would not have the teachings of Abinadi.
Obviously, Abinadi did not have an opportunity to record his story. This job
was to be done by his only convert and pupil, Alma.
“To
remember and record ‘all the words of Abinadi’
would have required divine assistance.
Jesus explained that the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, will bring
to our remembrance that which has been taught us (John 14:26).
“President
Wilford Woodruff, one of the greatest scribes and note takers of this
dispensation, described his own experience in recalling and recording the words
of Joseph Smith: ‘There is one subject
I wish to speak upon and that is the keeping of a journal with respect to the
dealings of God with us. I have many
times thought the Quorum of the Twelve and others considered me rather
enthusiastic upon this subject; but when the Prophet Joseph organized the
Quorum of the Twelve, he counseled them to keep a history of their lives, and
gave his reasons why they should do so.
I have had this spirit and calling upon me since I first entered this
Church. I made a record from the first
sermon I heard, and from that day until now I have kept a daily journal. Whenever I heard Joseph Smith preach, teach,
or prophesy, I always felt it my duty to write it; I felt uneasy and could not
eat, drink, or sleep until I did write; and my mind has been so exercised upon
this subject that when I heard Joseph Smith teach and had no pencil or
paper, I would go home and sit down and write the whole sermon, almost word for
word and sentence by sentence as it was delivered, and when I had written it it
was taken from me, I remembered it no more.
This was the gift of God to me.’ (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford
Woodruff: History of His Life and
Labors, pp. 476-77; italics added.)” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p. 249)
Mosiah 17:6-7 after three days, having counseled with his priests
Noah was so angry with
Abinadi that he wanted him put to death (v. 1). At the time of his
incarceration, Noah lacked one important thing—a good reason to kill Abinadi.
It is likely that the three days of counsel with the priests revolved around
what charges they could procure against Abinadi. The first words out of Noah’s
foul lips were, we have found an accusation against
thee, and thou art worthy of death. One appropriately wonders, what did
Abinadi do that was worthy of death?
We don’t know that much
about Nephite law but we do know that there was no
law against a man’s belief (Alma 30:7). Therefore, Noah lacks a legal
precedent for killing Abinadi. Accordingly, he comes up with a pretty lame
excuse, For thou hast said that God himself should
come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put
to death (v. 8). Does this true statement constitute a capital offense?
In which law does it state that God’s condescension is so impossible and
offensive that the teacher of such doctrine should be put to death? Here are
the first similarities between the trial of Abinadi and the trial of Christ.
They were both wrongfully accused, wrongfully condemned, and wrongfully put to
death.
Mosiah 17:10 I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a
testimony against you
“To
prove to his people that Abinadi was wrong, King Noah contrived a stratagem. He
thought if he offered Abinadi an excuse or a pretext whereby Abinadi could
escape punishment for the crime of which the prophet had been declared guilty,
and if he made it so tempting that Abinadi would accept it, he would then be
relieved of all liability as to Abinadi's death. Recant what you have said, or
die. The choice was left to the prophet.
‘I will not recall the words which I have spoken…for they are
true, and if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall stand
against you at the last day.’
“The
king became faint. He had been eager to accept a trumped-up apology from
Abinadi, which did not come. At length King Noah grew worried. He was about to
release Abinadi ‘for he feared his word’ and
also, he feared ‘the judgments of God would come
upon him.’” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon,
vol. 2, pp. 189-190)
Spencer W. Kimball
“Into
the pattern of martyrdom comes the voluntary phase. In every instance the
martyr could have saved his life by renouncing his program. Abinadi had been
told he would be put to death. But he answered, I
will not recall the words which I have spoken . . . for they are true...”
(Conference Reports, Apr 1946, p. 47)
Elder Cree-L Kofford
“In
all probability, having been in prison, Abinadi has been brought before the
king and his priests in some form of physical restraint to minimize the
possibility of escape. He has just heard the supreme authority of the land
pronounce the death sentence upon him. Without attempting to impart emotions to
Abinadi, consider yourself in that same circumstance. Would there not have been
a flood of emotion pour over your body? Would there not have been, if only for
a moment, a touch of panic, a desire to flee, a hope that the heavens would
open and rescue would come? Now, having placed yourself in that frame of mind,
would you not then have seized upon the words ‘unless
thou wilt recall all the words which thou has spoken evil concerning me and my
people’ as the hoped-for route of escape? Would not most of us have
sought to find some manner of taking advantage of that opportunity to avoid the
sentence of death? Under circumstances such as that, it would not seem too
difficult to clothe in respectability the desire to live by simply considering
all of the good which you could continue to do if your life were prolonged, and
contemplating how you might ‘recall all the words’
in such an equivocal way as to still leave intact the teachings which you had
sought to impart.
“Certainly
most of us would be susceptible to some form of thinking along those or similar
lines. And now, once again, we get a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of
Abinadi, for the record states simply: ‘Now Abinadi
said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have
spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true’ (Mosiah
17:9; emphasis added).” (Heroes from the Book of Mormon, pp. 71-2)
Mosiah 17:11 now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his
word
Here, we get a better
glimpse into the cowardice of Noah’s soul. Unlike Alma, he was unable of doing
what was right because he was concerned about what the people and priests
thought. The similarity between him and Pilate is striking:
‘Pilate therefore went
forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may
know that I find no fault in him…
The Jews answered him,
We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son
of God.
When Pilate therefore
heard that saying, he was the more afraid…
And from thenceforth
Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this
man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh
against Caesar.’ (Jn 19:4-12)
‘When Pilate saw that he could prevail
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his
hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just
person: see ye to it.’ (Matt 27:24)
One could argue that Pilate
made a greater effort than did Noah at releasing his righteous prisoner. Both,
however, failed under the peer pressure of their political position.
Mosiah 17:12 the priests lifted up their voices against him
The analogy between Christ
and Abinadi continues. Noah’s priests were the most adamant that Abinadi be
killed. The chief priests among the Jews were the most adamant that Christ be
crucified, for Pilate knew that for envy they had
delivered him (Matt 27:18). The argument in both cases was that they had
rebelled against the supreme authority of the day. Noah’s priests recount, He has reviled the king. The Jewish chief priests
recount, this man…maketh himself a king and speaketh against Caesar (Jn 19:12). The priests in
both instances seem to think that they will not be held responsible for the
death of the men in question. Certainly, Noah and Pilate both felt the burden
of responsibility for passing the death sentence. That Noah’s priests and the
chief priests will be held responsible for their actions is without doubt. As
Abinadi prophesied, God executeth vengeance upon
those that destroy his people (v. 19).
Mosiah 17:13 scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death
“We generally say that Abinadi was burned at
the stake- and that may be true, although technically it might not be the whole
story. The scripture does not say he
was ‘burned at the stake’; it says he ‘suffered
death by fire’ (Mosiah 17:20). A
statement in Mosiah 17:13 catches our attention: ‘And
it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with
faggots, yea, even unto death.’
Three words in the foregoing sentence should be noted. The first is that they bound him. That seems self-explanatory. The second is that they scourged him. To scourge means to whip, flail, or
beat. The third term is faggots: ‘He was scourged with faggots, yea, even unto death.’ A faggot is a bundle of sticks or
twigs, used for fuel. This passage
seems to say that Abinadi's tormentors took burning torches and poked him with
these, burning his skin until he died.
And then, says the record, ‘He fell, having
suffered death by fire; . . . having sealed the truth of his words by his
death’ (Mosiah 17:20).” (Book of Mormon Symposium Series, edited by PR
Cheesman, MS Nyman, and CD Tate, Jr., 1988, p. 102)
Hugh Nibley
“How do you scourge the skin with faggots,
and what's the difference between scourge and scorch? They're the
same word, the same word exactly. Scourge, scorch, scotch, score-it means to
damage the skin of someone. Our word scratch is the same thing. And you
have the very same thing in Semitic languages. Harash is the Hebrew word
for scratch and for to plow. Harataha is the Arabic word
for ‘mar the surface, engrave, make a mark on something, or plow the ground.’
They all have that same word that means ‘to scorch, to scourge, to scratch.’
When his skin started to curl up, in other words, he said this. It's
interesting. The faggots are burning brands. They burn, and we think of scourging
as with a scourge, as ‘to scourge with a whip.’ But they're the same
word exactly. They scourged him and scorched him-in other words, he was being
fried. It's not a comfortable way to die, either.” (Teachings of the Book of
Mormon, Lecture 36, p. 109)
Mosiah 17:15 thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that
I do suffer
Abinadi is prophesying that
the descendants of the priests will kill other righteous individuals by fire.
The fulfillment of this prophecy is contained in Alma 25. The priests of Noah
kidnap and later marry some 24 Lamanite women which they found while in the
wilderness (Mosiah 20:3-5). The descendants of these priests became Lamanites
and fought in many battles with the Nephites:
‘…in the which
they were driven and slain.
And among the Lamanites
who were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were
the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites;
And the remainder,
having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and
authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish
by fire because of their belief—
…And he said unto the
priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the
like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even
as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now
behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they
were hunted, and they were smitten.’ (Alma
25:3-5,12)
Mosiah 17:18 ye shall be hunted…ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains
of death by fire
See Mosiah 19:20-21 and Alma
25:1-12.
Mosiah 17:20 having sealed the truth of his words by his death
There is no greater
testimony than the giving of one’s life for a cause. With the shedding of
blood, the testimony is sealed. The martyr gives up all. There is no pretense,
no last-minute recanting, no rationalization or apology. In the words of John
Taylor, The testators are now dead, and their
testament is in force (DC 135:5). For where a
testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
For a testament is of force after men are dead (Heb 9:16-17).
Robert J. Matthews has said:
“I
can imagine them dancing and cavorting about Abinadi, and hear them shouting,
exulting, and gloating over what they were doing. And during it all, Abinadi was pronouncing prophecies of God's
vengeance upon them- prophecies that were literally fulfilled. The noise, the din, the stench would be
awful! Wickedness and righteousness,
life and death, are real, and Abinadi's martyrdom really did happen. It was necessary that it happen so the
righteous might be justified and the wicked might be condemned. Sadly, we read that ‘Abinadi was [only] the first
[among the Nephites] that suffered death by fire
because of his belief in God‘ (Alma 25:11).” (Book of
Mormon Symposium Series, edited by PR Cheesman, MS Nyman, and CD Tate, Jr.,
1988, p. 103)