Come, Follow Me

Alma 5; 7

Which City Do You Live In?

By David A. Edwards

Church Magazines

Alma shows us that, wherever we’re at spiritually, the Lord gives us the messages we need.

cityscape

Illustrations by Albert Espi

For more than eight years, the prophet Alma had two jobs: high priest and chief judge. But when he saw that many Church members had become wicked, he gave up his position as chief judge so that he could spend more time preaching to the people.

The first city he preached in was Zarahemla (see Alma 5). The second was Gideon (see Alma 7).

His messages in these two cities had some similarities, but they also had major differences.

The people of Zarahemla needed to wake up to just how far they had fallen spiritually and how badly they needed to repent. But the people of Gideon were spiritually prepared for a different kind of message.

We can learn from the different messages Alma taught the people of these two cities. Here are a few themes these messages had in common and the different ways he taught them.

Remember

Zarahemla: Alma encouraged the people to look back and remember “the captivity of your fathers [and God’s] mercy and long-suffering towards them” (Alma 5:6). Specifically, he talked about King Noah’s wicked influence on them, how it had led to their bondage, and how the Lord had miraculously delivered them after they repented.¹ In addition, he asked them to think of their own past spiritual experiences and consider if they could feel the same way now (see Alma 5:26). With this remembrance, he asked them to look forward and imagine when they would stand to be judged of the Lord (see Alma 5:15–24).

Gideon: Alma encouraged the people to look forward and remember the promise of eternal life to those who repent, are baptized, enter a covenant with God, and keep the commandments of God (see Alma 7:16).

Repent

Zarahemla: The people got some tough talk from Alma about their need to repent. For example: “Wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!” (Alma 5:32). He preached to them at length about their specific sins and the consequences of them.

Gideon: They weren’t in the same sinful state as the people of Zarahemla. Alma taught them to repent as a way to show faith in the Savior, receive His power, prepare for His coming, and prepare to make covenants (see Alma 7:9–16).

Turn to the Savior

Zarahemla: Alma taught about Jesus Christ as “the good shepherd [who] doth call you … in his own name” (Alma 5:38). He also taught about the coming of Jesus Christ “to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name” (Alma 5:48).

Gideon: Alma focused on the “one thing which is of more importance” than anything else: the Savior Jesus Christ and His mission to redeem mankind (Alma 7:7).

Alma taught about the many things the Savior would suffer for us: “pains and afflictions and temptations,” “sicknesses,” “death,” “infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12). And Alma taught why the Savior would suffer these things: “that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor [help or give relief to] his people according to their infirmities,” and “that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions” (Alma 7:12–13).

This is a precious teaching. The Savior suffered so many things so that He could have perfect compassion for us and know how to help us.

cityscape

We Can Have Joy

We can relate Alma’s preaching in Zarahemla and Gideon to ourselves. For instance:

• We may need to hear different messages in different circumstances in our lives.

• No matter where we’re at spiritually today, we can always draw closer to the Savior, repent, and find joy.

• If we are spiritually prepared, we can receive more of God’s word, including precious truths that help us draw closer to the Savior.

In the end, Alma had joy in both groups of people. In Zarahemla, “after wading through much affliction and sorrow” (Alma 7:5), he had joy because they repented. In Gideon, he had joy because he knew they already had great faith in the words he had taught them about the Savior (see Alma 7:17) and gave “exceeding diligence and heed” to his words (Alma 7:26).

The next time the Lord’s servants are going to speak to you, you might think of what kind of message you need and are prepared to receive.

Alma’s Questions

Questions can be a great teaching tool.

Alma asked the people of Zarahemla around 30 questions for them to answer personally so that they could see how far they had strayed spiritually, repent, and turn to the Savior.

For instance:

• “Have ye spiritually been born of God?” (Alma 5:14).

• “Are ye stripped of pride?” (Alma 5:28).

• “Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother?” (Alma 5:30).

• “If ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye?” (Alma 5:39).

In Gideon, Alma asked only one question, and he answered it himself:

• “Do you believe these things?… I know that ye believe them” (Alma 7:17).

For questions to ask yourself, see For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices (2022), especially the temple recommend questions.

Note

1. By the way, when the angel first appeared to Alma and the sons of Mosiah to get them to repent, this is exactly what he told them to remember (see Mosiah 27:16).