Alma 11:2 the man was compelled to pay…or be cast out from among the
people as a thief
This may seem to be harsh
treatment for the thief but it is according to the Law of the Lord, both in Old
Testament times and today. The Lord commanded the church, Thou shalt not steal and he that stealeth and will not
repent shall be cast out (DC 42:20). See also Zech 5:3.
Alma 11:3-19 Why does
Mormon take time to explain the monetary system of the Nephites?
The only apparent reason for
us to know their monetary system is to give us a frame of reference for how
large the bribe is that Zeezrom offers to Amulek (v. 22). A brief explanation
will put this amount (six onties) into perspective. The gold coins were based
on the senine, and the silver coins were based on the senum.
GOLD COINS |
SILVER COINS |
Senine=judges daily wage
(v. 3) |
Senum=judges daily wage
(v. 3) |
Seon=2 senines |
Amnor=2 senums |
Shum=4 senines |
Ezrom=4 senums |
Limnah=7 senines |
Onti=7 senums |
Therefore, Zeezrom’s bribe
of 6 onties is equal to 42 days of pay for a judge or 42 measures of barley (v.
7).
Hugh Nibley
“This
was the system established by King Mosiah…They had a system which ran in sevens
instead of fives and tens; or sixes and twelves, as the English [system] does;
or the decimal system as we use it. It ran in sevens, and Richard Smith pointed
out it was the best possible system that could be devised. It used the least
coins for any necessary transaction. If you want to figure out a system that
will use a minimum amount of coins and save you a lot of trouble, this is the
system.” (Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Lecture 48, p. 316)
Alma 11:20 it was for the sole purpose to get gain…therefore, they
did stir up the people
These lawyers had one thing
on their minds—money. They had perfected the art of instigating legal disputes
that would support themselves. For them, it didn’t matter if there were too
many lawyers to go around. They would simply create enough conflict that their
services would be needed. Imagine lawyers making more work that only lawyers
could perform!
So why would these lawyers
enter this primarily religious debate? There seems to be no offended party that
is likely to bring a suit, yet all the lawyers are interested in confronting
these two prophets. The reason is to further their reputations and engender
some conflict that will end up requiring their services, that they might have more employ. This is a public
debate with large crowds in attendance. If Zeezrom can humiliate Alma and Amulek
with his wit and reason, he can further his reputation as a great lawyer and
increase his clientele. So his battle cry is “conflict for the sake of
conflict,” which translates into more money for him.
Dean L. Larsen
“The
account of the dialogue between Zeezrom and Alma and Amulek in the eleventh
chapter of the book of Alma provides additional insight into Zeezrom’s worldly
self-assurance. He has an audience to play to, and he intends, with his
practiced sophistry and cunning, to make a game of his denigration of the two
missionaries. After all, the audience is completely prejudiced in his favor,
and he relishes the opportunity to add to his reputation among his peers. His
questions to Alma and Amulek reflect his courtroom skills. They are designed
for entrapment.” (Heroes From the Book of Mormon, p. 113-4)
Richard L. Evans
“The
further a difficulty spreads, brethren, the more bitterly entrenched does it
become, and the greater is the cost in time and in money and in
feelings--sometimes even in the disaffection of our families, which is an
experience that has been repeated altogether too many times. In the words of
Paul--in the words of John Taylor--settle your difficulties among yourselves,
if you have them. Don't worry about the lawyers. They have plenty to do without
becoming embroiled in differences among brethren, and the court dockets are
crowded. Settle your differences among yourselves. I hope we haven't any
Zeezroms in the Church, of whose kind it was said:
‘. . . because they
received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the
people. . . that they might have more employ, that they might get money
according to the suits which were brought before them.’ (Alma 11:20)
“If
we have any such I hope they are not making a living at their profession.” (Conference
Report, Oct. 1943, p. 37)
Alma 11:22 Yea, if it be according to the Spirit
Amulek only agrees to answer
Zeezrom’s questions according to the Spirit. He would not answer the question
or teach without this constant companion, for if ye
receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach (DC 42:14).
Alma 11:22 all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence
of a Supreme Being
Dean L. Larsen
“Zeezrom’s offer to pay the missionaries six onties
of silver if they will deny that there is a Supreme Being exposes his
conviction that everyone is as corruptible as himself. It is a revealing
demonstration of the debauched condition into which the people have fallen.
Zeezrom obviously expects no disapproval from his fellow lawyers or the people
for his proffered bribe. It is a practice to which they are accustomed.” (Heroes
From the Book of Mormon, p. 114)
Alma 11:24 thou knowest that there is a God
Amulek knows the heart of
Zeezrom. He knows that his attacker has been taught the doctrine of the kingdom
but will not repent because of his love of filthy lucre. The very questions
that Zeezrom asks reveals that he knows there is a God and much more. As a key
element in his devious trap, he only asks questions to which he already knows
the answers. The subsequent verses reveal that Zeezrom knew that there is a
God, that there is only one God, that the Son of God will come to redeem the
people from their sins, and that the Son of God, who becomes the
Redeemer, is the same as the very Eternal Father
(v. 38).
Thus Zeezrom’s wickedness is
symbolic for all in Ammonihah. They know better, they have been taught the
doctrine of the kingdom, and they have received of the Lord’s blessings and
mercy. But they rejected the Lord so that they could lay up for themselves treasures upon earth (3 Ne 13:19).
Alma 11:34 Shall he save his people in their sins?
Zeezrom knows that the Son
of God will come to redeem the people from their sins not in
their sins. This is obviously a trap. At first,
Zeezrom thinks he has his prey tangled in his wicked web but Amulek is not to
be confounded, proclaiming that no unclean thing can
inherit the kingdom of heaven…Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins
(v. 37). See also Hel 5:10.
Alma 11:38 Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?
The Son of God is known to
us as Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He is also the God of the
Nephites, the beginning and the end, the first and
the last, and the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
We are used to
differentiating Elohim from Jehovah with the terms “Father” and “Son.” To refer
to the Son as “the Father” can be confusing. Nevertheless, understanding those
scriptures which refer to the Jehovah as the Father will help the reader better
understand the great role of our Redeemer. The doctrine is simple if you
remember the three ways in which Jehovah is referred to as the Father.
First, he is referred to as
the Father by virtue of divine investiture. If one is the Son of God, given all
his power, authority, and grace, then one is also God and should also be
referred to as “the Father.” Abinadi describes it with the phrase, because he was conceived by the power of God (Mosiah
15:3). Jesus explained that He is the Father because he
gave me of his fulness (DC 93:4).
Second, Christ is the Father
by virtue of his role as the Creator of heaven and earth. He is, in effect, the
Father of creation and therefore retains the title “the
very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.” No one would argue that He
created under the direction of Elohim, but if He, as a pre-mortal Spirit, could
create all things in heaven and earth, then he is, indeed, the Father of
Creation. Accordingly, Samuel the Lamanite prophesied of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven
and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning (Hel 14:12,
italics added).
Third, Christ is the Father
by virtue of his redeeming sacrifice. All those who are born again through the
mighty power of the atonement become the sons and daughters of Christ. As logic
would have it, this spiritual rebirth is not without parentage. The Lord, Jesus
Christ, becomes the Father of our Spirits. Benjamin’s people experienced this mighty change. Therefore, they were called the children of Christ, his sons, and his
daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say
that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are
changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have
become his sons and his daughters (Mosiah 5:7). As Abinadi explains the
meaning of Isaiah, he repeats this doctrine, And who
shall be his seed?…they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has
died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?
(Mosiah 15:10-12)
Alma 11:40 he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who
believe
In contrast to the
resurrection which comes to all regardless of their individual effort, the
doctrine of redemption from sin is contingent upon faith in Christ. He will not
redeem the wicked from spiritual death if they will not believe in his name.
This is a fundamental doctrine which is so often misunderstood in Christianity.
“This
is an important principle which must be viewed properly in order to avoid
confusion. There are persons who teach
that Christ suffered only for those who will repent. This is false. It is
incorrect. The Lord suffered for every soul, ‘yea,
the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong
to the family of Adam’ (2 Nephi 9:21; see also D&C 18:11; D&C
19:16). His suffering and atonement are
efficacious, however, only for those who repent and come unto him. Thus to refuse to repent is to mock his pain
and shun his sufferings. It is, in the
words of Paul, to do ‘despite unto the spirit of
grace’ (Hebrews 10:29).” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 77)
Alma 11:43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its
perfect form
Amulek gives us the
quintessential passage on the nature and perfection of the resurrected body.
Along with the words of Alma which state, The soul shall
be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint
shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost;
but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame (Alma
40:23), we are to understand that the Lord will give us an incredible,
completely free gift—a completely flawless, perfect, immortal body.
If our goal is to become
perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, then one of the most important
elements in that quest has been taken care of for us in the great Resurrection.
We are to receive a perfect body. This perfect body is to be united with that
spirit body which was created in a state of innocence for us in the beginning.
In the beginning, our spirit bodies were perfect but they could not remain in
innocence as they were all marred by the unrighteous exercise of agency.
Therefore, the union of these two bodies, never again to be separated, does not
make us perfect. It is not enough. That perfect body will still be controlled
by the individual who controlled it in mortality. Amulek later explains, that same spirit which doth posses your bodies at the time
that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your
body in that eternal world (Alma 34:34). True perfection, then, will
depend upon the perfection of the spirit by a) the perfect submission of
individual will to the will of the Father, b) the mastery of the spirit of
obedience, and c) the cleansing of the inner vessel from all impurities.
Otherwise, we will stand before God, with our perfect bodies, having a bright recollection of all our guilt.
Joseph F. Smith
“(speaking
of the resurrection) Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and
men and women shall [return] again to the perfection of their spirits, to the
perfection that God designed in the beginning. It is his purpose that men and
women, his children, born to become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus
Christ shall be made perfect, physically as well as spiritually through
obedience to the law by which he has provided the means that perfection shall
come to all his children.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel
Questions, vol. 4, p. 187)
Joseph Fielding Smith
“A
little sound thinking will reveal to us that it would be inconsistent for our
bodies to be raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some men have been burned
at the stake for the sake of truth. Some have been beheaded, and others have
had their bodies torn asunder; for example, John the Baptist was beheaded and
received his resurrection at the time of the resurrection of our Redeemer. It
is impossible for us to think of him coming forth from the dead holding his
head in his hands; our reason says he was physically complete in the
resurrection, He appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a
perfect resurrected body.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 289)
Dallin H. Oaks
“Many
living witnesses can testify to the literal fulfillment of these scriptural
assurances of the resurrection. Many, including some in my own extended family,
have seen a departed loved one in vision or personal appearance and have
witnessed their restoration in ‘proper and perfect
frame’ in the prime of life. Whether these were manifestations of
persons already resurrected or of righteous spirits awaiting an assured
resurrection, the reality and nature of the resurrection of mortals is evident.
What a comfort to know that all who have been disadvantaged in life from birth
defects, from mortal injuries, from disease, or from the natural deterioration
of old age will be resurrected in ‘proper and perfect frame.’” (Conference
Report, Apr. 2000, May Ensign, p. 15)
Alma 11:43 a bright recollection of all our guilt
In the resurrection, we will not suffer
the limitations of memory which we have in mortality. Our personal computers
will be able to find files much better than they do now. There is scientific
and anecdotal evidence that the brain stores everything which happens to us in
our lives. Our inability to recall certain events does not mean the information
is not there.
Neurosurgical experiments, done on
awake patients, have shown that electrical stimulation to different portions of
the brain can stimulate the recall of events in the subject’s life that had
long since been forgotten. The experiments bring the memories back with the
same vividness as if the events took place yesterday. Placing the electrical
stimulation on different portions of the human cerebral cortex will produce the
recall of different events, suggesting that all events in one’s life are
recorded somewhere in the brain.
We commonly hear of people who believed
they were about to die say, “my life flashed before my eyes.” How could these
memories flash into one’s consciousness if they were not already stored in the
brain? If this is the case, and the scripture suggests it is so, we would be
wise to repent of those things which we do not want to remember at that day.
Then we will be as the righteous who shall have a
perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness (2 Ne
9:14).
John Taylor
“God has made each man a register
within himself, and each man can read his own register, so far as he enjoys his
perfect faculties. This can be easily comprehended.
“…Let your memories run back, and you
can remember the time when you did a good action, you can remember the time
when you did a bad action; the thing is printed there, and you can bring it out
and gaze upon it whenever you please.
“…Man sleeps the sleep of death, but
the spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept--that does not die--man
cannot kill it; there is no decay associated with it, and it still retains in
all its vividness the remembrance of that which transpired before the
separation by death of the body and the ever-living spirit. Man sleeps for a
time in the grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to
judgment; and then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before Him with
whom we have to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain for a man to say
then, I did not do so-and-so; the command would be, Unravel and read the record
which he has made of himself, and let it testify in relation to these things,
and all could gaze upon it. If a man has acted fraudulently against his neighbor--has
committed murder, or adultery, or any thing else, and wants to cover it up,
that record will stare him in the face, he tells the story himself, and bears
witness against himself. It is written that Jesus will judge not after the
sight of the eye, or after the hearing of the ear, but with righteousness shall
he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth. It is not
because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by which a man will be
judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by the
man himself in the tablets of his own mind--that record that cannot lie--will
in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as
judges.” (Journal of Discourses, pp. 77-9)
Orson Pratt
“In
this life there are many things that people, whether righteous or wicked,
forget. Our memories are so weak that many things done in years passed are
obliterated; but when they come forth in the morning of the resurrection, the
wicked as well as the righteous, their memories will be restored, so that every
act of their lives, whether good or evil, will be perfectly remembered, and the
wicked will have a perfect knowledge of all their guilt. Will not this be
sufficient to create an unquenchable fire in their breasts, and with this
recollection, to behold the face of the Lord? Will not this cause them to
shrink from his presence? I think it will.” (Journal of Discourses, vol.
16, p. 331)
Alma 11:44 this restoration shall come to all, both old and young
Dallin H. Oaks
“Resurrection
is much more than merely reuniting a spirit to a body held captive by the
grave. We know from the Book of Mormon that the resurrection is a restoration
that brings back ‘carnal for carnal’ and ‘good for that which is good (Alma 41:13).” (Conference
Report, Apr. 2000, May Ensign, p. 15)
Alma 11:44 What about the resurrection of little children?
“Joseph
Smith declared that the mother who laid down her little child, being deprived
of the privilege, the joy, and the satisfaction of bringing it up to manhood or
womanhood in this world, would after the resurrection, have all the joy,
satisfaction and pleasure, and even more than it would have been possible to
have had in mortality, in seeing her child grow to the full measure of the
stature of its spirit. If this be true, and I believe it, what a consolation it
is ... It matters not whether these tabernacles mature in this world, or have
to wait and mature in the world to come, according to the word of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, the body will develop, either in time or in eternity, to the full
stature of the spirit, and when the mother is deprived of the pleasure and joy
of rearing her babe to manhood or womanhood in this life, through the hand of
death, that privilege will be renewed to her hereafter, and she will enjoy it
to a fuller fruition than it would be possible for her to do here. When she
does it there, it will be with certain knowledge that the results will be
without failure; whereas here, the results are unknown until after we have
passed the test.
“Children
will come forth from the grave as children, be raised to maturity by worthy
parents, and be entitled to receive all of the ordinances of salvation that
eventuate in the everlasting continuation of the family unit.” (Robert Millet,
Joseph Fielding McConkie, The Life Beyond, pp. 118-9)
Joseph F. Smith
“Joseph
Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death
would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a
lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure, and
satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches
the full stature of its spirit.’ There is restitution, there is growth, there
is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks
volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has
revealed these principles to us.” (Gospel Doctrine, p. 455)
Alma 11:44 there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost
Elder LeGrand Richards taught
that this was one of his favorite passages. Elder Richards lost his hair when
he was quite young and kidded that he looked forward to the time when he could
again enjoy the companionship of those many hair follicles which suffered such
an early demise.
Alma 11:45 the whole becoming spiritual and immortal
The resurrected body is not
a “physical body.” By this, I do not mean to say that it is not a tangible body
of flesh and bones for it most assuredly is. The scriptures speak of the
resurrected body as being “spiritual” not “physical.” This is because it is no
longer a mortal, corruptible body, subject to death and full of the corruptible
substance of blood. Joseph Smith taught:
“Concerning
resurrection, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, or the kingdom
that God inherits or inhabits, but the flesh without the blood and the Spirit
of God flowing in the veins instead of the blood, for blood is the part of the
body that causes corruption. Therefore we must be changed in the twinkle of an
eye or have to lay down these tabernacles and leave the blood vanish away. . .
. Blood is the corruptible part of the tabernacles.” (Joseph Smith, The Words
of Joseph Smith, pp. 370-71; standardized)
If a physical body has blood
coursing through its veins, then a spiritual body must have the Spirit of God
flowing in its veins, as Joseph Smith taught. That a resurrected body is spiritual
is taught in both the New Testament and D&C, so
also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is
raised in incorruption…It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body
(1 Cor 15:42-44), and they also shall rise again, a
spiritual body (DC 88:27).
Therefore, it is important
to make the distinction between “a spiritual body” and a “spirit body.” The
former is a tangible resurrected body; the latter is an unembodied personage of
spirit.
Joseph Fielding Smith
“After
the resurrection from the dead our bodies will be spiritual bodies, but they
will be bodies that are tangible, bodies that have been purified, but they will
nevertheless be bodies of flesh and bones. They will not be blood bodies. They
will no longer be quickened by blood but quickened by the spirit which is
eternal, and they shall become immortal and shall never die.” (Doctrines of
Salvation, vol. 2, p. 285)