I have a soft spot for Alma the Elder. The heroism of
leading a group of believers away from the murderous intents of King Noah is
admirable to say the least. His repentance, however, from a sinful life (Mosiah
23:9) and the humility he gained which led him to be an instrument in God’s
hands deserves every commendation (v 10, 11). It is with this humility that he
refused his followers’ request to be their king (v 7-9, 13). He learnt well from
his experience with King Noah.
Alma’s greatness began with the establishment of the
Church in the city they called Helam (Mosiah 23:16,20) where for 20 years he
watched over his people teaching them to live in harmony and love (23:15) and to
depend on God for their deliverance after they fell into bondage to the Lamanites
(23:27). Once they joined the people of Zarahemla, Alma the Elder established
the Church there also and became the high priest over the whole land (25:19). He
was loved and he was respected. Imagine his surprise and embarrassment when
persecution arose among the rising generation and smack in the middle of it was
his son Alma the Younger…..(26:1-4)
Imagine the
grief and sorrow to have your own son working to discredit your life's work. Because
he was a son and called The Younger, many readers of the Book of Mormon have
presumed that Alma the Younger was a youth when rebelling against his father
and against God. Mormon however, identifies him as 'a man' (Mosiah 27:8,9), a
well-seasoned sinner, well-practiced in his ability to create trouble, an
apostate who made it his life's work to discredit the Church. It is very
unlikely that Alma the Younger was a reckless hot-headed youth when he was
wreaking havoc. A hot-headed youth is more concerned with pursuing his own self-interests
and rebellion than being involved in apostasy. Shortly after Alma the Younger
is visited by an angel, his father Alma dies at the age of 82 (Mosiah 29:45).
It would have been unlikely that Alma at this age had a son in his twenties.
This would suggest that Alma was more likely to have been in his 40s at the
height of his wickedness and ensuing repentance.
The question
of Alma's age offers more insight into the severity of his sinful life. His
sins were not trivial, but heinous and destructive, not only to himself but to
others (Mosiah 27:9). His sins and the persecutions which he heaped upon the
saints no doubt went on for years. These were not trivial sins easily washed
away, but Alma had a good father….a father who prayed unceasingly for the
saving grace of his son (27:14). And when that grace came, Alma the Elder
gathered people around to pray and fast for his son that “the eyes of the
people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God” (27:22).
One can only imagine Alma’s joy to see the fruits of repentance in ‘this, his
son’.
Alma the
Elder died at the age of 82, “having lived to fulfil the commandments of God”
(Mosiah 29:45). Repentance became a legacy in his family because some 20 years
later Alma the Younger’s son Corinaton caused his father immense sorrow…..I
wonder if Alma reflected at the time what he had done to his father.
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