Alma 33:1 whether they should believe in one God
Although the Zoramites are
famous for their self-righteous prayer on the holy stand of Rameumptom, they
apparently worshipped more than just one God. This evil was referred to by
Mormon, Zoram…was leading the hearts of the people
to bow down to dumb idols (Alma 31:1). Because of their exposure to
these many dumb idols, the poor in heart of
the Zoramites, wondered whether they should continue this polytheistic
practice. This sort of idolatry, which is so commonplace among Old Testament
peoples, had not been a problem among the Nephites up to this point.
Alma 33:1 how they should plant the seed
The brilliance of Alma’s
discourse on comparing faith to a seed is that he takes an abstract, intangible
concept and makes it understandable and practical. Yet, the Zoramites still
wonder what they should do to begin. The answer is that they should pray (v.
3-11) and they should begin to believe in the Son of
God (v. 22). The promise is that it will become
a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto
you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son (v. 22).
Alma 33:2 ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye
are cast out of your synagogues
The Lord has taught us, they that worship [God] must
worship him in spirit and truth (Jn 4:24). He did not say “they
that worship God must worship him in the synagogue.” God is not impressed with
man’s attempts to honor his name with the building of places of worship. Even
the temples of God are insufficient edifices compared to the grandeur of God.
Speaking of the temple he was to build, Solomon expressed this concept as
follows, who is able to build him an house, seeing
the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I
should build him an house? (2 Chron 2:6) Therefore, we should be
concentrating on worshipping the Lord in spirit and
in truth wherever we are, not just in church.
Alma 33:3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of
old, has said
By way of review, the
prophet Zenos was an Israelite prophet whose writings are not contained in the
Old Testament. We only know of him through the Book of Mormon. His most famous
contribution to the scriptures is the allegory of the olive tree (Jacob 5). The
Book of Mormon also tells us that he taught plainly of the Savior, that mercy
is bestowed through the Son (v. 13), that there would be three days of darkness
in the Americas, as well as destructions, earthquakes, and tempests associated
with His death, and that Israel would be persecuted and scattered prior to
their great gathering (1 Ne 19:10-16, 3 Ne 10:15-6). Finally, he was martyred
for his valiant testimony (Hel 8:19).
The tone of Alma’s question
indicates that the Nephites had access to the scriptures. Even the poorest of
the Zoramites are asked whether they have read the scriptures. Whether these
records were kept on parchment or metal is unknown but their scriptures were
more available to them than we sometimes imagine. The vision of the tree of
life is not universally applicable if the prophets are the only ones who have
access to the iron rod.
Alma 33:4-11 when I did cry unto thee in my prayer…thou didst hear me
One of the most fundamental
hurdles for an investigator is to believe that God hears and answers prayers.
Some have prayed for years without realizing the power of personal revelation.
In fact, every answered prayer is a little miracle because the power of God has
been exercised on behalf of one of his children. Alma uses the example of Zenos
to show that God will answer prayers offered in the most humble of
circumstances, whether in the wilderness, field, house, closet, or
congregation. We have many examples, personal and scriptural, of that same universal
truth. That the Lord will answer prayers offered from any location is
demonstrated in the sublime revelations given to the prophet Joseph Smith
amidst the worst of conditions in Liberty Jail (DC 121-123).
Elder William J.
Critchlow
“These
souls can dial God in anytime, anyplace, in any circumstances by merely saying,
‘Our Father who art in heaven.’ And there will never be a busy line, never any
interference, never a line out of order. God always hears and answers the
prayers of the faithful.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1964, p. 31)
John Taylor
“Through
some remarks already made I am reminded of my boyhood. At that early period of
my life I learned to approach God. Many a time I have gone into the fields and
concealing myself behind some bush, would bow before the Lord and call upon him
to guide and direct me. And he heard my prayer. At times I would get other boys
to accompany me. It would not hurt you, boys and girls, to call upon the Lord
in your secret places, as I did. That was the spirit which I had when a little
boy. And God has led me from one thing to another.” (Journal of Discourses,
vol. 22, p. 315)
Harold B. Lee
“While
I was attending a stake conference, I was to interview some of the prospective
missionaries. Before one boy came to see me, the stake president said, ‘Now
here is a boy that has just come through a serious experience. He is just out
of the service. He suffered shell- shock in battle, and I think we need to talk
pretty carefully to him and make certain that he is prepared to go.’
“So
as I talked with the young man, I said, ‘Why do you want to go on this mission,
son? Are you sure that you really want to go, after all the harrowing
experiences you have had?’
“He
sat thoughtfully for a few moments and then said, ‘Brother Lee, I had never
been away from home when I went into the service, and when I got out into the
camps, every waking hour I heard filthy, profane language. I found myself
losing a certain pure-mindedness, and I sought God in prayer to give me the
strength not to fall into that terrible habit. God heard my prayer and gave me
strength. Then we went through the basic training, and I asked Him to give me
physical strength to continue, and He did. He heard my prayer. As we moved up
toward the fighting lines and I could hear the booming of the guns and the
crackling of the rifles, I was afraid. Again I prayed to God to give me the
courage to do the task that I was there to do and He heard my prayer and gave
me courage.
"’When
I was sent up with an advance patrol to search out the enemies and to send back
for the reinforcements, telling them where to attack—and sometimes the enemy
would almost hedge me around until I was cut off, and it seemed that there was
no escape—I thought that surely my life would be taken. I asked for the only
force of power to guide me safely back, and God heard me. Time and again
through the most harrowing experiences He led me back. Now,’ he said, ‘I am
back home. I have recovered, and I would like to give thanks to that power to
which I prayed—God, our Heavenly Father.’” (Ye Are the Light of the World, chap.
13)
Gordon B. Hinckley
“Brethren
and sisters, I know that you are a praying people. That is a wonderful thing in
this day and time when the practice of prayer has slipped from many lives. To
call upon the Lord for wisdom beyond our own, for strength to do what we ought
to do, for comfort and consolation, and for the expression of gratitude is a
significant and wonderful thing.” ("The Fabric of Faith and Testimony,"
Ensign, November 1995, p. 89.)
“Be
prayerful. You can't do it alone. You know that. You cannot make it alone and
do your best. You need the help of the Lord . . . and the marvelous thing is
that you have the opportunity to pray, with the expectation that your prayers
will be heard and answered. . . . The marvelous thing about prayer is that it
is personal, it's individual, it's something that no one else gets into, in
terms of your speaking with your Father in Heaven in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Be prayerful. Ask the Lord to forgive your sins. As the Lord for help.
Ask the Lord to bless you. Ask the Lord to help you realize your righteous
ambitions. . . . Ask the Lord for all of the important things that mean so much
to you in your lives. He stands ready to help. Don't ever forget it.” (Colorado
Springs Young Adult Meeting, April 14, 1996 as taken from The Teachings of
Gordon B. Hinckley)
Alma 33:11 thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of
thy Son
This passage is significant
for two reasons. It refers to Christ’s role as merciful mediator. Stephen R.
Robinson said:
“Some
in the modern Church just seem to have a difficult time acknowledging God's
great mercy to his Saints. This has been a failing in other dispensations as
well. For example, Alma quotes the ancient Prophet Zenock to his own people
(and to us) as follows: ‘Thou art angry, O Lord,
with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast
bestowed upon them because of thy Son’ (Alma 3:16). I believe it is a
sin of ingratitude to resist the mercies that have been bestowed upon us
because of the Son.” (Following Christ, p. 87)
Secondly, this passage
explains, in an Old Testament context, that Christ was to be the Son of God.
Bruce R. McConkie
“Statements
by the seers of Old Testament times, which have been preserved for us, that God
should have a Son are few and far between… Actually the Book of Mormon tells us
more about the usage of the name the Son of God by Old Testament prophets than
does that volume of Holy Writ itself. Nephi the son of Helaman, as he sought
diligently to prepare his people for the coming of their Messiah, told them
that both Moses and Abraham bore record ‘that the Son of God should come’; that
‘many before the days of Abraham’ so certified; that ‘all the holy prophets’
from Abraham to Moses did likewise; and that ‘since the days of Abraham there
have been many prophets that have testified of these things,’ including Zenos,
Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, all of whom labored among Old Testament
peoples. The same witness, he said, had been born by ‘almost all of our
fathers’ among the Nephites. (Hel. 8:13-23.)
“Alma,
with the brass plates of Laban as his source, quoted these words from a prayer
of Zenos: (quotes Alma 33:3-16). Fragmentary as our records are, it is
nonetheless clear that all of the prophets of Old Testament times knew and
taught that the promised Messiah would be the Son of God.” (The Promised
Messiah, p. 144)
Alma 33:14 if ye have read the scriptures…how can ye disbelieve on
the Son of God?
Just as the entire purpose
of the Law of Moses was to point to Christ, so the entire purpose of the
scriptures are to testify of Jesus Christ. Therefore, if
ye have read the scriptures…how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God? In
the Title Page of the Book of Mormon, Moroni wrote the reason the book was
written, to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile
that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD. The ancient and modern
prophets have explained that we will be held responsible for the way in which
we use this valuable tool. Nephi finished his record with this warning, these words shall condemn you at the last day. For what I
seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar (2 Ne
33:14-15).
Joseph Fielding Smith
“It
seems to me that any member of this Church would never be satisfied until he or
she had read the Book of Mormon time and time again, and thoroughly considered
it so that he or she could bear witness that it is in very deed a record with
the inspiration of the Almighty upon it, and that its history is true....
“...No
member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who has not
seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon." (Conference Report, Oct. 1961, p. 18)
Alma 33:17 they stoned him to death
The
Savior said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and ye would not! (Matt 23:37) One might assume
that there are many instances of prophets being stoned in the Old Testament,
but there is only one. A prophet named Zechariah was stoned in 2 Chron
24:20-21. Yet, the Savior said that prophets were stoned, and it is only
through the Book of Mormon that we learn that this is how the prophet Zenock
was martyred. This just provides more evidence that our version of the Old
Testament is not very complete. It lacks some plain
and precious things (1 Ne 13:28).
Alma 33:19 behold a type was raised up in the
wilderness
Alma is referring to the
brazen serpent which Moses made to symbolize Christ.
‘And the people
spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any
water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
‘And the LORD sent
fiery (poisonous) serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of
Israel died.
‘Therefore the people
came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD,
and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.
And Moses prayed for the people.
‘And the LORD said unto
Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to
pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
‘And Moses made a
serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.’ (Numbers 21:5-9)
Only from Nephi do we learn
that there were many who were bitten who were too stubborn to be healed, the labor which they had to perform was to look; and
because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many
who perished (1 Ne 17:41). This stubbornness is what astounded Alma, O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting
about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would
ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not
cast about your eyes, that ye might perish? (v. 21)
Alma also underscores the
fact that they did not understand the symbolism of the brazen serpent, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. John
taught us what the serpent was to represent, as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life (Jn 3:14-15, see also Hel 8:15).
As the Israelites were
suffering from physical sickness, they were given the opportunity to be healed,
almost in an instant, and yet they declined. Similarly, the stubborn sinner
will often wallow in spiritual sickness rather than look
upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit (Hel 8:15). The
spiritually ill continue to suffer (and are in danger of spiritual death)
because they do not believe that [the Lord] would heal them (v. 20).
Boyd K. Packer
“’How silly,’
some must have said. ‘How can such a thing cure me? I'll not show my stupidity
by paying any attention,’ and some would not look….
“And today
many say, ‘How silly! How could accepting Christ save me?’ They will not turn
their heads to look nor incline their ears to hear. They ignore the great
witness that comes from these conferences. We ought to, indeed we must, heed
the counsel of these men, for the Lord said, ‘What I
the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the
heavens and the earth pass away my word shall not pass away, but shall all be
fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the
same.’ (DC 1:38)” (Conference Report, Oct. 1968, p. 76)
Harold B. Lee
“Some may say
all of what I have said sounds so simple. It is. It is like the rod of Moses on
which the serpent-bitten Israelites had only to look to be healed. But, as the
Book of Mormon reminds us, ‘because of the
simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished’
(1 Nephi 17:41). Strange as it seems, some men are, as Jacob described them,
forever ‘looking beyond the mark’ (Jacob
4:14), missing the plain and simple truths in their search for complexity!” (Teachings
of Harold B. Lee, p. 334)
Neal A.
Maxwell
“Many today do
not believe, of their problems, that the gospel of Jesus Christ will heal them.
But they are wrong. Many today are so hardened that they will not even look,
but one day their knees, too, will bow in acknowledgment that Jesus is the
Christ.
“Again, the
issue is the importance of being able to believe in the truth in order to do
the most realistic thing to spare us present pain and spiritual death.
“Symbolically
and actually, the Son of God has been lifted up upon the cross, and it is to
him that we look so that we might ‘live, even unto
that life which is eternal.’
“Each family,
properly established, can help itself and others to do that simple thing.” (That
My Family Should Partake, p. 97)