Mosiah 21

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 Orange 6/22 Brown 6/23.)

Chapter 21

Limhi’s people are smitten and defeated by the Lamanites—Limhi’s people meet Ammon and are converted—They tell Ammon of the twenty-four Jaredite plates. About 122–121 B.C.

  1 And it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace.
  2 And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, There's always a few that Satan picks to keep this going and they began to come into the borders of the land round about.
  3 Now they durst not slay them, because of the ^aoath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their ^bcheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy ^cburdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass—Technical obedience, but not without guile.
  4 Yea, all this was done that the ^aword of the Lord might be ^bfulfilled. NEON LIGHTS MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON!  I think this goes back to Abinadi's prophecy concerning them if they didn't repent.
  5 And now the afflictions of the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had ^asurrounded them on every side.
  6 And it came to pass that the people began to murmur with the king because of their afflictions; and they began to be desirous to go against them to battle. And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he granted unto them that they should do according to their desires. This is a type of the story in the NT where if you 'weary' the king with your complaints, he lets you have your way. God does that too. So....we better be asking for righteous things!
  7 And they gathered themselves together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites to drive them out of their land.
  8 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and ^aslew many of them.
  9 And now there was a great ^amourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren.
 10 Now there were a great many ^awidows in the land, and they did cry mightily from day to day, for a great fear of the Lamanites had come upon them.
 11 And it came to pass that their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger against the Lamanites; and they went again to battle, but they were driven back again, suffering much loss. Is this a message about the power and influence of women? If these women had preached repentance instead of feeling sorry for themselves they would have lost fewer people and repented sooner.
 12 Yea, they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain returned again to the city of Nephi.
 13 And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the ^ayoke of bondage, ^bsubmitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies.
 14 And they did ^ahumble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would ^bdeliver them out of their afflictions.
 15 And now the Lord was ^aslow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their ^bcries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage. I think the Lord has been slow to hear our cries for the end to this pandemic because we first only complained about our burdens. It won't be until we humble ourselves in the depths of humility that he will hear us. He will deliver us when "He sees fit". Here we are 9 months later. Has our “bondage” delivered anything righteous to us? Do we even pray for the pandemic to be over? How do you pray for a false pandemic to end? You have to pray something different. That evil will be exposed...that people will “awaken” to their awful situation...that you’ll be led to those who are ready to “let God prevail” in their lives. It's now been 2 1/2 years. Covid is still "a thing". They just approved vaccines for infants and are pushing them even though we aren't in any kind of "emergency" and covid isn't deadly or dangerous for infants, but the vax is!  Biden warned that a 2nd pandemic is coming. New York just started given vaccines for MonkeyPox, which is just a shingles reaction to the vaccinated..sigh.
 16 And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger. This is the human need that usually drives us to our knees so it makes sense it is the first need satisfied.  The “prosper by degrees” wording sounds like a “line upon line” concept. God gave them enough of a blessing to notice it, but not so much that they would stop calling upon Him. 
 17 Now there was a great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every man should ^aimpart to the support of the ^bwidows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of their number that had been slain. Enforced charity
 18 Now the people of Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, strength in numbers and secured their grain and their flocks; Why did they have to secure it? Half of it went to the Lamanites anyways...you would think the Lamanites would want them to do well.
 19 And the king himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites.
 20 And he caused that his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the ^adaughters of the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon them.
 21 For they were desirous to take them that they might ^apunish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things; therefore they laid wait for them. The priests were so bold. Ah...so this is why they had to secure their fields and flocks...
 22 And it came to pass that there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi, even until the time that ^aAmmon and his brethren came into the land.
 23 And the king having been without the gates of the city with his guard, ^adiscovered Ammon and his brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah therefore he caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into ^bprison. And had they been the priests of Noah he would have caused that they should be put to death.
 24 But when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had come from the ^aland of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceedingly great joy.
 25 Now king Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a ^asmall number of men to ^bsearch for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness.
 26 Nevertheless, they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry ^abones; yea, a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed; and they, having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the ^bcoming of Ammon .I didn't realize this happened so close to Ammon coming
 27 And they brought a ^arecord with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and it was engraven on plates of ore.
 28 And now Limhi was again filled with joy on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a ^agift from God, whereby he could ^binterpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice.
 29 Yet Ammon and his brethren were filled with sorrow because so many of their brethren had been ^aslain;
 30 And also that king Noah and his priests had caused the people to commit so many sins and iniquities against God; and they also did mourn for the ^adeath of Abinadi; and also for the ^bdeparture of Alma and the people that went with him, who had formed a church of God through the strength and power of God, and faith on the words which had been spoken by Abinadi.
 31 Yea, they did mourn for their departure, for they knew not whither they had fled. Now they would have gladly joined with them, for they themselves had entered into a ^acovenant with God to serve him and keep his commandments. when?  I think this is still referencing Ammon and his brethren...
 32 And now since the coming of Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of his people, to serve him and keep his commandments. And yet they still had to suffer the consequences of their earlier sins...will that happen to us as well?
 33 And it came to pass that king Limhi and many of his people were desirous to be baptized; but there was none in the land that had ^aauthority from God. And Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant. As in 'not authorized' or as in 'not clean'?
 34 Therefore they did not at that time form themselves into a ^achurch, waiting upon the Spirit of the Lord. Now they were desirous to become even as Alma and his brethren, who had fled into the wilderness. I am impressed that they honored the concept of “authority” even more than the personal witness and covenant. Notice they still made the covenant and lived the commandments, but knew baptism was necessary. Was this from the teachings in the bible? Prophecy? Teachings from their fathers? 
 35 They were desirous to be baptized as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts; nevertheless they did prolong the time; and an account of their baptism shall be ^agiven hereafter.
 36 And now all the study of Ammon and ^ahis people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves out of the hands of the Lamanites and from ^bbondage.

Mosiah 20

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 Orange 6/22  Brown 6/23.)

Chapter 20

Some Lamanite daughters are abducted by the priests of Noah—The Lamanites wage war upon Limhi and his people—The Lamanite hosts are repulsed and pacified. About 145–123 B.C.

  1 Now there was a place in ^aShemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to ^bdance, and to make themselves merry. No matter what the "beliefs" of others are, or who they learn to "hate", people are people. We need to connect to our common humanity. Here we see these girls loved to sing and dance. Not sure what "make themselves merry" means. Could be sketchy...or could be a coping mechanism for when they are feeling down or depressed or sad.  
  2 And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to dance.
  3 And now the priests of king Noah, being ashamed they were wicked but they knew they had done wrong to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that the people would ^aslay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and their ^bchildren. Fear and shame were more powerful than humility, honesty, love, duty, and faithfulness. They had once felt powerful and invincible, but now there was no king to support them in their wickedness and Satan is never there to protect you.
  4 And having tarried in the wilderness, and having discovered the daughters of the Lamanites, they laid and watched them; This reminds me of David who watched Bathsheba and it led to his great sin and even murder.
  5 And when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the ^adaughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness. So their lusts were more powerful and controlling than their sense of right and wrong. They only cared for their own safety and desires. If they couldn't return to a position of power and authority, they would not return. But they still wanted to satisfy their lusts or their desires to have families. There must have been at least 24 priests then, each taking one girl. 
  6 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi, for they thought One of Satan's greatest tools... to get us to 'think' wrong conclusions it was the people of Limhi.
  7 Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went They were ticked before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi.
  8 And now Limhi had discovered them from the ^atower, great "watchman on the tower" symbolism even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait just be prepared and wait for it for them in the fields and in the forests. Did they live within eyesight that they could see their preparations? 
  9 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them.
 10 And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey. Which side was fighting like lions? I'm guessing it was the Lamanites. I wonder if the Nephites were wondering what had provoked this aggression or if they had just come to expect that it could happen anytime for no other reason than their longstanding hatred.
 11 And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they ^afought for their lives, and for their ^bwives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight. The Lamanites fought like hungry lions, but the Nephites fought like dragons! 
 12 And it came to pass that they found the king of the Lamanites among the number of their dead; yet he was not dead, having been wounded and left upon the ground, so speedy was the flight of his people.
 13 And they took him and bound up his wounds, this is truly "love your enemies" or at least have compassion on them and brought him before Limhi, and said: Behold, here is the king of the Lamanites; he having received a wound has fallen among their dead, and they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us slay him. Hmm...why bind up his wounds just to slay him later?
 14 But Limhi said unto them: Ye shall not slay him, but bring him hither that I may see him. And they brought him. And Limhi said unto him: What cause have ye to come up to war against my people? Behold, my people have not broken the ^aoath that I made unto you; therefore, why should ye break the oath which ye made unto my people? This may be the core of the anger. They each thought the other had broken their oath. Interesting that the Lamanites just attacked without even sending a warning or accusation that because they took their daughters they were going to come and destroy them... why? 
 15 And now the king said: I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger This causes much destruction in the world and in families and in relationships I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people. You would think they would at least threaten them that if they didn't return their daughters they would go to war.
 16 And now Limhi had heard nothing concerning this matter; therefore he said: I will search among my people and whosoever has done this thing shall perish. Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people.
 17 Now when ^aGideon had heard these things, he being the king’s captain, he went forth and said unto the king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge.
 18 For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And are not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites? I think Gideon was given this impression/idea by the Spirit. 
 19 And now, behold, and tell the king of these things, that he may tell his people that they may be pacified towards us; for behold they are already preparing to come against us; and behold also there are but few of us.
 20 And behold, they come with their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us we must perish.
 21 For are not the words of Abinadi ^afulfilled, which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities? We must always check the possibility that our trials are just judgment for our sins...
 22 And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the ^aoath which we have made unto him; for it is better that we should be in bondage than that we should lose our ^blives; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood. It's one thing to fight for your life and liberty, it's another to fight to extinction. Bondage is better. Especially when you have a history rich in bondage, repentance and deliverance. And when you are guilty, maybe bondage sounds like just punishment and part of your restitution.
 23 And now Limhi told the king all the things concerning his father, and the ^apriests that had fled into the wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them.
 24 And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an ^aoath that my people shall not slay thy people. Trust is being restored
 25 And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, this is a sign that the people are in power, not the king and he's acknowledging that and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi.
 26 And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had ^acompassion on them and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land. This, to me, is a sign that these Lamanites were good in their hearts. They had been taught the traditions of their fathers, and didn't have the tools to handle their anger if they thought they were "right" but they weren't hard-hearted. I'll have to see if I can track these particular Lamanites to see if they convert in the future.

Mosiah 19

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 orange 6/22  Brown 6/23.)

Chapter 19

Gideon seeks to slay King Noah—The Lamanites invade the land—King Noah suffers death by fire—Limhi rules as a tributary monarch. About 145–121 B.C.

  1 And it came to pass that the ^aarmy of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord. I want to be among 'the people of the Lord'. The “in vain” part of this for the army was not realizing that God was the reason they couldn’t find them. God’s protection is better than any hiding place or plan of man.
  2 And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, by the king? Was he so vain as to think no one would dare to attack them so he didn’t need a large army? Large armies need support, and I’ll bet the king wanted the resources for himself. Or it’s possible the forces were reduced by the lack of men wanting to serve (assuming it was a choice) and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people. Hmm...we are seeing a division now. Is it over the same thing?
  3 And the lesser part began to ^abreathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them. Civil war? Why did part of the people begin to have courage they could make their dissatisfaction known? Because the forces were reduced? 
  4 And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king.
  5 And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the ^atower which was near the temple. If this was actually in the act of fighting, how did he gain power to flee? 
  6 And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of ^aShemlon, and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land.
  7 And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, ^aspare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people. I can just hear the king say with a patronizing fake love, “...my people...” I don’t think he cared at all for “the” people that he clearly didn’t slaim has his own. Noticing that the king knew Gideon's name. I wonder how he knew him...
  8 And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his ^aown life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life. Why? Why was the king so necessary just because they were being attacked? Was it because the forces were so small that they’d need those who supported the king to fight as well? How likely would they be to do that if the king had been murdered by the opposition? There might be internal civil war at the same time they were being invaded. Bless Gideon for making this “split second” decision. Assuming it was a righteous decision to kill him...
  9 And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children. Oh...no command to fight them after all...I wonder if Gideon knew this is what he’d tell the people to do...I wonder if the king went first, not as an act of leadership, but to be furthest away from the attacking Lamanites!
 10 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them.
 11 Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should ^aleave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites. What is this garbage? I guess if you got men to “obey” you, then whoever was left with you wherever you fled, you could count on them still letting you be their king. Again, no actual “my people” belief here by the king, which is clearly made known by his willingness to sacrifice the most vulnerable to save his own life. The women and children must have been slowing everybody down.
 12 Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled. How would you like to be the child or wife that watches your father/husband run off and leave you to be slaughtered by the Lamanites...talk about trauma to the soul!
 13 And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them.
 14 And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women. I’m trying to picture the movie version of this...These men had already made the choice to stay with their families, but they must have not had any weapons to fight or knew that fighting was useless. I don’t know who had the idea, but it must have been from God. I give the “fair daughters” much honor for having the courage to walk toward the attacking Lamanites. Did they do this out of faith? vanity? desperation? honor for their fathers? 
 15 Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even ^aone half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites from year to year. I'm surprised that they didn't take the "fair daughters" as concubines...and I have to think the fathers knew that was a possibility if they saw their "beauty".
 16 And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was ^aLimhi.
 17 And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man. "I know he’s a bad man, but....” 
 18 And it came to pass that Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king and those that were with him. Gideon had let the king go, and now he’s probably even more angry that he did. He’s out to get that guy! I wonder why he didn’t go himself? Was he in some kind of leadership position? Was he needing to protect the people? Was there still a “division” among the people after all this?  And it came to pass that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests.
 19 Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their ^awives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them. It’s good to know these “weak-minded” men had a conscience and that it “burned” (pun intended) within them to the point that they wanted to go back and now were willing to make the sacrifice to do what was right. 
 20 And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto ^adeath by fire. Why did they choose this way to kill him? Were they also repenting for Abinadi’s death? Did they know of Abinadi’s prophecy? Surely the priests knew...
 21 And they were about to take the priests also and ^aput them to death, and they fled before them.
 22 And it came to pass that they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites of one half of all they possessed.
 23 And the people told the men of ^aGideon that they had slain the king, and his ^bpriests had fled from them farther into the wilderness.
 24 And it came to pass that after they had ended the ceremony, what was this ceremony? that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon what they had done to the king.
 25 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an ^aoath unto them, that his people should not slay them. I’m assuming they told the Lamanites they couldn’t deliver King Noah to them since he was dead...
 26 And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him ^aby the people, made ^boath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay ^ctribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed. Is there a difference in what one should do when all of the people are threatened with destruction? Alma “rebelled” by teaching the Word of God secretly, rather then openly rebelling until it was time to flee. Limhi wasn’t quite there spiritually, and determined it better to live in bondage than die in rebellion. Plus they weren’t really fighting for “truth”... just to live or die. 
 27 And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish ^apeace among his people. Even though they were taxed at 50%, they were still free to do as they pleased. Way better than actually slavery. We are in similar circumstances. We pay high taxes but are free to move about and do as we please...
 28 And the king of the Lamanites set ^aguards round about the land, that he might ^bkeep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites.
 29 And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them. It was possible to have peace, even in bondage.

Mosiah 18

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 Orange 6/22  Brown 2023)

Chapter 18

Alma preaches in private—He sets forth the covenant of baptism and baptizes at the waters of Mormon—He organizes the Church of Christ and ordains priests—They support themselves and teach the people—Alma and his people flee from King Noah into the wilderness. About 147–145 B.C.

  1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, ^arepented of his sins and iniquities, I wonder what his repentance process looked like for him...and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—This is true repentance and conversion. Did he receive any spiritual manifestations? Was he previously a baptized Nephite? Was he born again? Alma knew Abinadi would be killed and the warning to repent would not continue unless he carried it forward. He also must have known that he preached under penalty of death as well if he were caught. What is the lesson for us today? John the Baptist would say, "are you willing to lose your head for Christ?"
  2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the ^aredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and ^bdeath of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
  3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words. I wonder what this looked like in their day...How did he determine if it was “safe” to teach someone or if they would turn him in? Why were some of the people in a condition to receive the word? Were they privately righteous while most others were sinning?
  4 And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a ^aplace which was called Mormon, Is this the first time we hear of the name Mormon? having received its name from the king, Why did he name it Mormon? Who was Mormon? being in the ^bborders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts. Was this a little scary to them then? Or did they pick this place because it would be considered unlikely by the King? 
     5 Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, sounds symbolic and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king. Were these routine searches or was the king actively looking for Alma. He had sent his guards to catch him and kill him and they were unsuccessful, so it’s likely that they were regularly on the lookout for him. 
  6 And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.
  7 And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did ^ateach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord. This is what we need to have preached again in our day...
  8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
  9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?These are our baptismal covenants! After you are baptized, you seek for the Spirit to be "more abundantly upon you" - when you actually "receive" the Holy Ghost. Did Alma have authority to baptize? He was a “priest” after all... Notice that in our covenant we say we will stand as a witness at ALL times in ALL things, and in ALL places EVEN UNTO DEATH. (Watch this video for a great example of this...)

 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. It truly must have been, for they were willing to risk being caught to gather to hear the word of God.
 12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart. Was this is moment of being given “authority”?
 13 And when he had said these words, the ^aSpirit of the Lord was upon him, How was this manifest? and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having ^bauthority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the ^dfoundation of the world. Not sure how the 'authority' was given, but he clearly says it was given to him. Notice the contrast of serving God “until you are dead” with being granted “eternal life”. Don’t be afraid to stand for God, even at the risk of your life. 
 14 And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were ^aburied in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit. I love the visual of them both going down in the water. Did they receive their baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost at this same moment?
 15 And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury ^ahimself again in the water.
 16 And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were ^abaptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the ^bgrace of God. What does it mean to be "filled with the grace of God"? What does that look like? How do you know that is what is happening? 
 17 And they were called the church of God, or the ^achurch of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
 18 And it came to pass that Alma, having ^aauthority from God, ^bordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to ^cteach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Were they just studying the writings of the brass plates? Abinadi hadn’t talked that long that there would be much more for them to teach...or was there continuing revelation? Notice how many times he says he had authority from God!
 19 And he commanded them that ^athey should ^bteach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets. Okay...so that kind of answered that question. They taught what had been written before and what Abinadi taught. Some people want to discount the teaching of earlier prophets and only focus on what the living prophet says, but Alma clearly valued the writings of all the former holy prophets and taught mostly that. Even Jesus quoted "old" scriptures when alive and also when he visited the Nephites.
 20 Yea, even he commanded them that they should ^apreach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. Even though we believe in continuing revelation, nothing needs to be preached to the masses except repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and His redemption. All other revelation to the church must come through the prophet.  Individual revelation is for the individual. 
 21 And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another. If this is all you are teaching, then there is nothing to contend about. There is one faith in Jesus Christ, one baptismal covenant that they all made, and that covenant turns them outward in unity and love to each other. 
 22 And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the ^achildren of God. Notice they 'became' the children of God. Was this in the process of time or suddenly? How do we know if we have “become” the children of God? Wouldn’t it be by our fruits? Our feeling? The lack of contention? “If ye are not one, ye are not mine”. Other scriptures references about "becoming sons and daughters of God" are linked with being born again.|
 23 And he commanded them that they should observe the ^asabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God. The importance of the Sabbath Day has never changed since the creation of the earth. Perhaps the law was given so the earth, herself, could rest from all our labors and the energy produced in our selfish pursuits. God’s blessing to the world was “rest” once a week. When the judgements come in the form of earthquakes and tempests and other “earthly” chaos, could it be the earth herself meeting out justice for breaking her covenant promised day of rest? Sometimes I wonder if God hears my daily thanks as “vain repetition” but here were are taught that we are to give thanks daily to the Lord.
 24 And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained ^ashould ^blabor with their own hands for their support. No priestcraft allowed!
 25 And there was ^aone day in every week that was set apart that they should ^bgather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it was in their power, to ^cassemble themselves together. This is why we have to go back to church even during this COVID pandemic. We are commanded to gather. It's important to God and should be important to us! I have to admit that I haven’t been “gathering” in person during COVID, but only virtually, because I don’t want to wear a mask if I don’t have to. And the truth is, we don’t “have” to wear a mask by “mandate” at church, but our leaders are still asking us to. As long as I am authorized to take the sacrament at home and we “have” to wear a mask to church, I will stay home. 
Many people are following the mandates because the prophet said we should follow the government guidelines and be good global citizens. But...our church doesn't tow the same line when it comes to illegal immigrants. They are not told to follow the law and are even given temple recommends. How do they answer the question, "are you honest in all your dealings"? Why don't they have to be good "global citizens" and follow the laws of the country? If the church doesn't think these are good or fair laws, why do they get to ignore them and we don't get to ignore the bad mandates that are clearly unconstitutional? I don't understand the thinking or logic in these two matters. sigh. Notice the unity and love these people had caused them to want to be together “as often as was in their power”. This is how like-minded people who are considered outcasts feel. They want so much to be together. While the rest of the like-minded in the world don’t really care about being with other like-minded people...they just go about their lives doing their own thing. 
 26 And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the ^agrace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the ^bknowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God. What “wages” would you rather have? Notice God was the one who “paid” the priests for their labor. He paid them in the currency of the Spirit which gave them power and authority to teach. It makes me wonder if our highest church leaders should not receive money from the members for their wages either. King Benjamin wasn’t supported by the people...  why wouldn’t they rely on their own retirement plans from their own careers? I understand through the decades that things creep in that are not necessarily intended to be wrong, and I am not accountable if it is wrong or right. This is God’s church and it’s up to Him to take care of those things. I just pay my tithes and offerings as God has commanded and the rest is between God and those who are stewards of those sacred funds. It takes more and more faith to pay tithes when I see where they are going. BYU is off the rails and tithing goes there. They invest the tithes in stocks of corrupt companies like Pfizer, Google, etc. The apostles are wealthy men who still get a monthly income from the church. What is happening? What does it mean to have the "knowledge of God"? Clearly one of the spiritual gifts is to be able to preach with power and authority from God. It makes me wonder how many of our leaders (local and higher) have received this actual "knowledge of God" (born again) because I don't see much teaching "with power and authority from God". I believe they have "authority"...I just don't often feel the "power"
 27 And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, ^aevery one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.
 28 And thus they should impart of their ^asubstance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. Ok, so maybe this is more like how we are doing it. Those that preach “full-time” are supported by the free will offerings and “good desires towards God” of the members. These men, after all, are serving full-time in their retirement years when the rest of us actually “retire”. We support them out of gratitude and love. The only caveat would be if they aren’t really in “need” of those funds to support themselves because they do have retirement income...maybe they shouldn’t take it. Pres. Trump didn’t accept his presidential salary because he didn’t need it. This is the spirit I’m talking about...
 29 And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; another clear statement that was he was teaching them he had been commanded of God and they did ^awalk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants. In Zion, everyone seeks the welfare of the other. I like to think that the “wants” part of ministering isn’t actually driven by the “wants” of the individual, but of the ministering person really seeking to know what the other ‘wants’ and striving to give them that just for the joy factor.
 30 And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the ^awaters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall ^bsing to his praise forever.(Calling and Election made sure? Baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost. This is the 'song of redeeming love' people feel to sing after receiving redemption. These people didn't take a lifetime to receive this. Seems to have happened pretty fast and to them all at once. Is this the effect of having someone preach with "power and authority from God"? Is this why so few feel this way or have received this? What needs to change? Who needs to come?
 31 And these things were done in the ^aborders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king.
 32 But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king.
 33 And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his ^aarmy to destroy them. Christians are always martyred in the name of being “domestic terrorists”.
 34 And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were ^aapprised of the coming of the king’s army; therefore they took their tents and their families and ^bdeparted into the wilderness. Hmmm....who “apprised” them? The footnote to this word refers to another time the Lord gave Alma warning. So we are to assume this was done here. Trust that the Lord will warn His people to leave before they are destroyed. How much time did they have? How pre-prepared were they to leave? Did it matter? They had faith God would be with them and they already lived off the land so that wouldn’t have been a worry to them. They could probably do it very quickly.
 35 And they were in number about ^afour hundred and fifty souls. They all had tents! Even though they probably had more permanent dwellings. How much notice did they have? So their numbers went from 204 to 450 from their first baptismal meeting until they left. I wonder how long this was? Even if it were in the same year, that more than doubled the number. This could be a great example of the exponential growth when “every member is a missionary”. Each of the 204 went and brought just one more person (plus another 50...)