The Desires of Alma and Korihor

In Alma’s great soliloquy in which he wished to be an angel to share the gospel, he said this: “For I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life…. he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience” (Alma 29:4-5). That we ultimately receive according to our desires was confirmed in an interesting way in the next chapter as Korihor came on the scene. The anti-Christ stood boldly before Alma and the chief judge Nephihah and railed against the church and faith in general. When Alma testified of the existence of God, Korihor demanded a sign. He said, “I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign.” Alma then gave him a warning to make sure this was really what he wanted, “If thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.” At that point Korihor could have stopped blaspheming and prevented the sign from coming, but instead he declared, “Ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.” And so, he got exactly what he desired: “Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.” The poignant question of Nephihah to him after this should make us all reflect on the consequences of our own desires: “In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign?” (Alma 30:45-51). In other words, Korihor, this is exactly what you asked for—you wanted a sign, and now you have a sign such that you know without a doubt of the power of God. If this was not what you wanted, you shouldn’t have asked.

               I do not believe that Alma’s statement that God grants unto us according to our desires was meant to suggest we get everything we want from God. Rather, we ultimately will receive the eternal reward that we desire: if we desire life and joy, we will have them in the end. If we desire evil and death as Korihor did, we will have those as well when all is said and done. This story should encourage us to consider what we really want; do we, like Alma, desire to declare “repentance and the plan of redemption” so that others can “repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth?” Or do we desire the carnal things of this world and wish to prosper according to our own genius and strength without the help of God like Korihor? Korihor got his desire, and so did Alma. It is interesting that Alma did not die in the normal manner; Mormon recorded: “When Alma had done this he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of. Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses” (Alma 45:18-19). If he was taken up without tasting death, no doubt the Lord needed Alma to continue ministering like Moses who was transfigured and came again in his body to the mount to visit Peter, James, and John. In other words, Alma got just what he desired and great was his joy. As I heard one teacher suggest, as Alma was taken up to the Lord he was surely handed a trump just as he had longed for. In the next life he undoubtedly continued uninterrupted his preaching as an angel of God, truly with “a voice to shake the earth.”