Book of Mormon Studies (28 June 1928)

BOOK OF MORMON STUDIES1

Alma Repents: “In our last lesson we learned that King Noah called his priests together to decide what should be done with Abinadi. The priests said: ‘Bring him here that we may question him.’ So he was brought before them. The reason why they wanted to question Abinadi was that they might confuse him, and get him to say something for which they could condemn him. But the priests did not succeed. The Spirit of God was with Abinadi, and he showed plainly how far they had departed from the ways of the Lord. He taught them with much plainness the laws of the Gospel, and uttered many prophecies with regard to the coming of the Saviour and the great work God would perform in future days on the earth.

“Abinadi’s teachings did the priests no good. They loved their sins too well to forsake them. They grew more and more angry as his words exposed their wicked ways. The king was as angry as his priests and he gave the prophet into their hands to be put to death.

“Now there was one of the priests who was not a bad man. He was quite young and his name was Alma. He knew that Abinadi had told the truth regarding the sins of Noah and his priests. So he pleaded with the king to spare the life of the prophet and let him go in peace. But this made the king still more angry and he had Alma turned out of his presence and then sent his armed servants after him to kill him. But Alma fled and hid himself so that Noah’s servants did not find him. Alma kept himself hid for many days, and while he was thus hiding he wrote the things which he had heard Abinadi teach.”2

“Alma, the young priest who had fled from the servants of King Noah, repented of his sins and went around secretly among the people and taught them the words of Abinadi; and many believed the truths which he laid before them. He acted thus cautiously that what he was doing might not be known to the king.

“In time those who believed Alma’s words went with him to a retired spot called Mormon a little outside the city. In this thicket Alma hid himself in the day time from the spies of the king. In the night time he came out and preached the Gospel to those who would hear him. After a while he called upon those who wished to serve God to come forward and be baptized in the waters of Mormon.

“When the people heard this invitation they clapped their hands for joy, exclaiming: ‘This is the desire of our hearts.’ Then Alma took Helam, one of the believers, into the water, and said: ‘O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.’ When he had said these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon Alma and he baptized Helam, and they came out of the water rejoicing. Then Alma took others, one by one, into the water, until he had baptized two hundred and four souls.

“After the death of Abinadi, Alma organized a church, and all who were baptized were members of it. This church was called the Church of God or the Church of Christ, and all who were afterwards baptized by the authority of God were added to this church. As Alma held the Holy Priesthood he ordained some of the brethren priests. These priests he instructed to preach faith and repentance and the things which had been spoken by the prophets of God. He taught the people to be loving and kind, one to another, to keep holy the Sabbath day, and to give thanks to the Lord at all times for His goodness towards them. One day in every week was set apart when the members of the church gathered to worship the Lord.

“Little by little the church grew, until it numbered four hundred and fifty members. By that time the king had learned what Alma was doing. This displeased him greatly. He said that Alma was stirring up the people in rebellion against him. Like all tyrants he was a coward, therefore he sent his soldiers to destroy Alma and the people of the Lord. But being warned by the Lord of the coming of the king’s army, and not wishing to fight, they took their families, their Hocks, their grain and their tents and departed. They traveled eight days in the wilderness, and the Lord strengthened them so that King Noah’s troops did not overtake them. At the end of eight days they came to a very pleasant land, and there they settled and called it the land of Helam.”3

Abinadi the Martyr: “After Alma had been driven from the presence of Noah, the king ordered that Abinadi should be taken, bound, and cast into prison. There he was kept three days, when he was again brought before the king. Abinadi’s words were so powerful that Noah grew afraid and was disposed to release him, but the priests stirred up Noah’s anger by telling him that Abinadi had reviled him. This appears to have been one of Noah’s weak points. He was so used to flattery that he grew angry when any one found fault with him. So the king delivered Abinadi up to be slain.

“The officers then took Abinadi, and in the streets of Lehi-Nephi they burned him to death. While the flames were scorching him he uttered several terrible prophecies regarding the evils which should come upon those who had so cruelly robbed him of life. Then saying: ‘O God receive my soul,’ he fell, and his spirit passed away to God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death. All the evils that he had foretold were fulfilled to the utmost in the later history of the Nephites and Lamanites.”4

QUESTIONS

1. In what way did the Prophet Abinadi prepare the peoples’ minds for the coining of the Messiah?
2. What were his teachings regarding Christ?—See Mosiah, chapter 14.
3. How was the truth of the resurrection taught to these people?
4. Who are they who have no part in the first resurrection?—See Mosiah, 15:26, 27, 28.
5. Tell in brief the story of Abinadi from his birth until his death.
6. Who was Alma? How was he converted and what did he do after his conversion?
7. Tell of Alma’s activity in establishing the church.

• 1.Lesson 14 of the Relief Society Course of Study—for use on the second lesson night in July. Read from Mosiah, chapters 14 to 20.
• 2.Deseret Sunday School Union Leaflets, August, 1S98.
• 3.Deseret Sunday School Union Leaflets, September, 1898.
• 4. Deseret Sunday School Union Leaflets, August, 1898.