I Desire That This People Might Not Be Destroyed

In Alma’s words to his son Helaman he spoke about the Jaredites and how they were destroyed because of their iniquity. He then said this, “For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe; therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed.” So Alma expressed his desire that the Nephites not be destroyed like the Jaredites because of iniquity. He continued with this instruction, “Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders” (Alma 37:28-29). Sometime later, after about a year, Alma spoke again to Helaman. He had clearly learned something since speaking these first words to Helaman, for this time he said this: “Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief. Yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct—Yea, and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief and fall into the works of darkness” (Alma 45:10-12). So in his first message to Helaman, Alma expressed his desire that the people of Nephi would not be destroyed like the Jaredites, but in his second message he prophesied that they would indeed be destroyed. It seems that in the time between these two conversations Alma learned that the Nephites would indeed be destroyed and he learned when that would happen.

            What Alma learned, though, was already known to some extent to Nephi hundreds of years earlier. Nephi had had a vision of his people and recorded, “I beheld and saw that the seed of my brethren did contend against my seed, according to the word of the angel; and because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed. And it came to pass that I beheld, and saw the people of the seed of my brethren that they had overcome my seed; and they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land” (1 Nephi 12:19-20). After describing this vision, Nephi made it clear that he understood exactly what this meant: “And now I, Nephi, was grieved… because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall” (1 Nephi 15:4-5). Nephi was overcome with grief because he learned that his posterity would one day be mostly destroyed because of their wickedness. It is possible that Alma had not read this (it was on the small plates which were may have not been with the main records) and so he didn’t realize the surety of his own people’s destruction when he first talked to Helaman. But through revelation he came to understand that his “desire that this people might not be destroyed” would not be fulfilled.

            So why did Helaman need to understand this? These were the final words of Alma to his son, and he gave him the depressing news that his people would become so wicked that they would be destroyed. At first I thought that perhaps this would cause Helaman to despair as he subsequently led the Nephites into battle—what was the point of all their efforts to preserve their people if they were just going to eventually be destroyed? But I don’t think that was Helaman’s attitude at all; I think Alma’s words helped him understand that if he wanted his people to be preserved in his generation, they must not fall into iniquity. Alma’s final statement was this: “Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16). Perhaps these words helped to motivate Helaman to know that God would protect them if they stayed righteous. In Helaman’s subsequent difficulties in the war, what he needed more than anything was the help of the Lord, and his father’s words to him were a reminder that God would protect them if they did not fall into iniquity. And so it is with each of us; even though we know of the eventual destruction of the world at the 2^nd Coming, we can find individual help and strength now if we turn to the Lord and keep His commandments. The comfort and strength that Helaman received with his righteous stripling warriors can be ours as well: “It came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him” (Alma 58:11).