To the Dust in Humility

After Alma’s repentance, he declared, “I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all. Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye” (Mosiah 27:30-31). This statement highlights the need for us to be humble before God, for one day we will bow before Him and confess that He is God. From this time forward Alma taught the people, and I’m impressed by how much he focused on the need for humility. Having himself been brought down low before the Lord, choosing to come with humility to Him and let go of his prideful ways, Alma was equipped to invite all he taught to come humbly before God.

                As Alma traveled from place to place, he encouraged the people to be humble. He questioned the people of Zarahemla, “Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble?” He further asked them, “Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance—Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?” (Alma 5:27, 54-55) He then went to Gideon, and he said to them, “And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace.”  He invited them with these words, “And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things” (Alma 7:3, 23).

In Ammonihah he invited them to not harden their hearts, an action that is synonymous with being humble. He quoted these words of God: “If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest. And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord” (Alma 12:33-36). Alma’s heart had been hardened before the angel visited him, but he had chosen to humble himself and soften his heart. He hoped that the people of Ammonihah might do the same, but they mostly rejected his message. He invited them as well with these words, “And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest. Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek…. But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering” (Alma 13:13-14, 28). That is a powerful invitation for all of us to humble ourselves before the Lord.

                When Alma taught the poor of the Zoramites he focused extensively on humility. He said, “Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty. Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble” (Alma 32:15-16). The world would teach us that humility is not the way to obtain good things in this life, but Alma knew that the greatest blessings of God come through real humility. He encouraged his son Helaman to continue preaching what he had taught: “Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Alma 37:33). To be humble is to let God prevail in our lives and to overcome our trials with faith in Jesus Christ, not trusting in the arm of flesh. Alma also encouraged his rebellious son Corianton with these words, “Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility.” As we let our own sins and repentance bring us down in humility before the Lord, then for us as well we can see the “great plan of mercy… have claim upon [us]” (Alma 42:30-31).