Come, Follow Me Alma 53-63: Insights By Gogo Goff

I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come Follow Me Alma 53-63 (If you missed last week’s insights for Come Follow Me Alma 43-52 click here). Save this pin to read later.

The Army of Helaman, why Helaman?

“And now behold, as they never had hitherto been a disadvantage to the Nephites, they became now at this period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and they would that Helaman should be their leader.” Alma 53:19

We often talk about the Son’s Helaman, we talk about them being preserved because of their faithfulness or obedience, but rarely do we ever talk about their wisest decision, choosing their leader.

Of all the leaders they could’ve asked, they had many mighty men of God, they could’ve come to Moroni, or Teancum, or Lehi.

But instead of choosing a military, or political leader to follow, they asked Helaman the Prophet to lead them, they sought to follow the Prophet into the jaws of hell and death, trusting that he would lead them. Because they trusted that the Lord would lead the Prophet.

The same is true for us today, we can put our trust in ideas, be they political or otherwise, OR we can put out trust in the Prophets of the Living God.

Fighting Against God.

“But as ye have once rejected these things, and have fought against the people of the Lord, even so I may expect you will do it again.” Alma 54:24

There is a difference between making mistakes (which everyone does), and rebellion. Moroni is condemning rebellion, for when someone who is enlightened with all the blessings of the Gospel and they fall away, they start to criticize the Prophet, that leads to open rebellion. Once in open rebellion they normally fight against God, and won’t stop. They cut the thread that binds them to the Prophet of God, and they become their own prophet.

President N. Eldon Tanner related the following that a young man told him.

“You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn’t right, and it doesn’t appeal to them, then that’s different.’ He said, ‘Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn’t want.”
~Anoyomus (CR, October 1966, p. 98.)

Let us not fall into this trap of criticism and self-aggrandizing. Let us stay humble, and follow the Prophet.

Finding Mercy in War.

“But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness.” Alma 55:19

One of the great lies of our day is “the ends justify the means” this has been used to justify many evil acts. But here Moroni shows us how a Man of God fights a war, a righteous war. Moroni did not desire to kill Lamanites, he knew that every Lamanite he sent into the next life was a soul unprepared to meet God.

And when they awoke the pled for mercy, and Moroni granted them mercy. Knowing that the merciful obtain mercy.

Being a Worthy Mother, Father, Son, and Daughter.

“And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of our men, for which cause we have to mourn.” Alma 56:10

Helaman calls the stripling warriors his sons because “they are worthy to be called sons.” I love this, being worthy to be called a son. We know that of all the titles in heaven the noblest is “Father” and “Mother” as evident by the fact that is title God uses. But we rarely talk about being worthy sons/daughters.

Do our actions make us “worthy to be called sons”? Just like doing good brings honor to our earthly parents, and doing wrong brings shame, the same is true with our heavenly parents. Are our actions becoming of a son? Are our actions preparing us to earn the title Mother and Father?

Delivered By God.

“And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands of our enemies. And blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.” Alma 57:35

There are two contrasting forces that claim to deliver us if we follow them. Satan and Jesus Christ. The scriptures teach us again and again and again that Satan will not support you in sin. But Jesus Christ will support you if you follow Him, as an apostle put it.

Trusting in God.

“But behold, we trust in our God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own.”
Alma 58:33

When I hear trusting in God, my first reaction is to think “Oh I trust Him.” But then I have to ask myself, do I? Do I really trust Him? What reasons has He given me to trust Him? What reasons has He to not? The words of hymn #19 (verse 2) come to mind.

“We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.
We’ve proved him in days that are past.”

He has never failed me, why would He start today? With that mindset I’ve been able to put my trust in the Lord’s outcome, and timetables.

Sharing Spiritual Experiences.

“Yea, and he did make it known unto all his people, in all the land round about in that part where he was, that they might rejoice also.” Alma 59:2

Helaman had experienced a miracle! His 2060 stripling warriors had all been wounded but none had died. This miracle strengthened the faith of Moroni, and Moroni shared it!

When we have spiritual experiences we should share them also, sacred experiences we should treat sacredly, but spiritual experiences can and should be used to strengthen the faith of our brethren and to hasten salvation! Often times a sharing a true miracle will inspire people more than almost anything else we can do. People love to hear miracles about the hastening of salvation.

The righteous who die.

“For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.” Alma 60:13

Death is one of the hardest things to deal with. As a missionary, I had an investigator die while we were teaching him, I had friends back home die. I have also had a nephew, uncle, aunt, cousin, and all four of my grandparents die.

When life is full of death, one is prone to wonder, “Why do so many GOOD people die?”

Moroni here teaches us something comforting, the righteous are not lost when they die, they enter into the rest of the Lord. The rest of the Lord is a Jewish way of saying they are going to enter into the Celestial Kingdom. In the words of an Apostle.

 Choosing not to take offense.

“And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.” Alma 61:9

In Chapter 60 Moroni scolded Pahoran, he accused him of all sorts of things, he flat out told him that he would be willing to kill him if he would not help Helaman and give him food.

But the claims were baseless, Pahoran had every reason to be offended at Moroni’s attacks and baseless claims, but Pahoran he chose not to take offense. Much like when Joseph Smith rebuked Brigham Young and he “chose not to take offense.” We can learn from Brigham Young and Pahoran’s examples and choose not to take offense.

Let us consider the teachings of Brigham Young on this topic. “He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense is intended is a greater fool.”
Brigham Young

Being exceedingly humble

“But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.” Alma 62:49

The setting for this verse is the end of the war chapters, peace has been proclaimed, and the Lord is blessing the people greatly with riches. But unlike many times before pride has not entered in.
Why? They remembered their God and were exceedingly humble. So how do we receive the same blessings? Easy we learn this simple lesson:

“The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness.
God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.”
Let us choose to be humble.
We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are.
We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement.
We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us.
We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service.
We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.
We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.
We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.
We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives.
Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.”
President Ezra Taft Benson

Sharing the Scriptures.

“Now behold, all those engravings which were in the possession of Helaman were written and sent forth among the children of men throughout all the land, save it were those parts which had been commanded by Alma should not go forth.” Alma 63:12

Sometimes we forget that even back in the times of the Nephites the scriptures were copied and shared with the people. Why? Because as Alma pointed out in Alma 31:5 “the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just”.

Because The Book of Mormon was written for our day it is our duty to share it with the world. President Benson said we are “under God’s condemnation” for not sharing the Book of Mormon. He said “we have a great work to perform in a very short time. We must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon”