This is an interesting development in the Nephite/Zarahemla history. King Benjamin's address, given just before his son Mosiah was made king, profoundly touched the hearts, minds and lives of his people. They were touched so deeply that they (almost unanimously) made covenants with God and took upon themselves the name of Christ. Their society became one of peace. They faithfully kept God's commandments and served on another. Into this society came Limhi's and Alma's people, who took upon themselves the same convenants.
Fast forward a few years, though; some of the young children who were too young to understand King Benjamin's words were now rebelling. They "...did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ" (Mosiah 26: 1-2). In considering this situation, it occurs to me that this scenario plays out over and over in humanity. There are many examples of young people rejecting the beliefs or traditions of their parents. I don't think it is necessarily a generational thing, though. Many people want to think their own thoughts or to be their own person. Nothing wrong with that as long as the baby isn't thrown out with the bathwater, so to speak. Verse 1 of chapter 26 says that many of the rising generation "could not understand" Benjamin's words. It goes on to say, though, that "they did not believe" what their parents believed. There is a distinction that I want to point out.
-- Not understanding: I don't get it for some reason, not my fault.
-- Not believing: I don't accept it for whatever personal reason I have, it's my choice.
This is a problem for people, no matter what age they are. There many things we may not understand about the Gospel or about God's plan. We must seek the spirit in these matters to guide us; perhaps we may never fully understand, but at least the spirit will prevent our lack of understanding from becoming a spiritual stumbling block. We must not allow a lack of understanding to be a barrier to a testimony in all other areas of the gospel. Sadly, this happens too often. Think of people who disagree with something that a general authority has said and who let it drive them from activity in the church. This happens too often!
Using Satan's old tried-and-true methods, those young unbelievers flattered anyone who would hear them away from the church, and they persecuted those who would not listen to them. Among this group were, notably, King Mosiah's four sons as well as Alma's son. Think of how gleeful this must have made Satan, capturing the children of the religious leader and of the king of the land! In a way, I think of this as Satan trying to fend off the potential these five had for serving the Lord's purposes. He desperately wanted to keep them from doing the good works that they eventually did!
Have you ever been caught doing something that you knew to be wrong? You can imagine how Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah must have felt when they were visited by an angel of the Lord. "...the angel ...descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; And again, the angel said... ...why persecutest thou the church of God? I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God... And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God." (Mosiah 27: 11, 13-15).
If you sometimes feel that your prayers are in vain, think of what the angel said to these wayward sons: "Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come..." (Mosiah 27: 13-14).
Alma and his compatriots were getting in deep, but the Lord knew their value and He took miraculous steps to change things. His servant, Alma (and I believe Mosiah too, as well as other) were pleading for a miracle that would affect these boys. Can we petition the Lord for a miracle? I believe we can. I know of instances in families where a family member or members were totally on the wrong track, looking like there was no hope of them turning back. For reasons I don't know, these people did turn around, and obtained their own testimony. As the Lord said to Abraham: "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). Certainly the Lord can do all things, and He will do all things within His wisdom.
The end result of the angel's visit: Alma and his brethren repented and went about trying to undo the harm they had caused. In the end, there probably could not be anyone who was more dedicated to the Lord's purposes than these five young men. I have to think that there were many who would never have believed it possible. We really can't fathom how the Lord's miracles will work in peoples lives; we can only work to accept His will in our lives, live examples for others to follow, and pray faithfully for those who needs the Lord's blessings. These are the things that make a society spiritually rich.
Don
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