A Prophecy in Alma

Today we read Alma chapter 36. There's an interesting prophecy that Alma states about the records that he entrusts to Helaman. He states in verse 4 that these plates should be "kept and handed down" (exact wording: "they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon."

I was thinking about how brave and convinced a man like Alma had to be to state this so affirmatively. He had to have had some kind of personal revelation regarding this. I had to wonder what others of his day thought of these records. Were they more trouble than they were worth? Alma had seen firsthand in Alma Chapter 14 the Ammonihahites destroy the records and believers. Perhaps it led him to consider the longterm safety of his own records.

Whatever the case, his discussion with Helaman leads him to state one of my all-time favorite scriptures in all the Book of Mormon... Alma 37: 6-7

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold
I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his
great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

Good stuff! And I love how Alma defers to his ponderings as possible "foolishness" in him. He did not expect his own spiritual speculations and personal insights to be some hard set rule that Helaman had to defer to unquestioningly. He allowed his son the possibility of seeking to know according to Helaman's own faith. In fact in verse 11 he states that he doesn't know the end of all these things, or the full significance of the records that he is passing on to his son, thus Alma stops speculating at that point. (A very spiritually mature thing to do... how many of us stop speculating at the boundary of what has and has not been revealed to us personally?)

At the same time, he impresses upon Helaman (in following verses 12-20) the strict command that he keep God's commandments, especially pertaining to the records. It is interesting that Alma does not fully understand the NEED for the commandment, though clearly he has received a witness of much of what these records would and could accomplish in the lives and faith of others, but he still insists upon obedience. How often must we know why we obey, before we'll obey? It is to Alma's (and Helaman's) credit that they did not fully understand the importance of these records to us in our day, yet acted in good faith nonetheless.

I am led to wonder, "What acts in good faith have I donethat will have a lasting import to future generations?"

Finally, something funny, I asked Katie, who was pretty sleepy to read the second to last verse. She was yawning when she read the first sentence.

46. O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.

There's a lengthy sermon that I'm not willing to go into about slothfulness, and the ease of the way... In many ways the simple day to day, boring, dull, or should I more rightly say, PREDICTABLE, life of faith, obedience and enduring to the end, might lead some of us to occasionally wander a little from the path... for a little bloodcurdling danger, I suppose... or just to check up on old weaknesses, or for whatever reason... yet... Alma points out the goal is eternal life, and all it takes is a little more gratitude and a little less complacency.

I suppose that's easier said than done... cuz it's so easy! Hehehe...

--Ray