Alma 17:6-10
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17
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Questions
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Verse 6
- Why did the Sons of Mosiah refuse to take over rulership of the kingdom, against the wishes of their father and the people?
- We tend to celebrate the installation of the chief judge system as a an improvement over the monarchy. Learning here that Mosiah really wanted to pass the kingship on to his sons, what does that tell us about how the change in political structure was really perceived by Mosiah?
- Was it really more important for the Sons of Mosiah to go on their mission, than it was for them to honor their father by taking over rulership of the kingdom?
- What were the political repercussions of the Sons of Mosiah leaving? Did it create a political vacuum that the judges were unable to fully fill? Did it lead to the revolt by Amlici?
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Verse 7
- Why would the Sons of Mosiah take swords and other weapons on their mission? Was it just to provide food for themselves? How useful is a sword in hunting?
- Why bother giving us this tidbit about their taking weapons with them?
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Verse 8
- Why don't we learn more about who the Sons of Mosiah took with them on their mission?
- Is there a difference between preaching and teaching? Why are we told that they went up to preach, rather than to teach, to the Lamanites?
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Verse 9
- What does it mean that they fasted and prayed much? What exactly did they pray for?
- What does it mean for the Lord to "grant...a portion of his Spirit"? How does that portion then "go with them, and abide with them"?
- What does it mean to be "an instrument in the hands of God"?
- Why do they call the Lamanites "their brethren"?
- Is there a difference between bringing someone "to the knowledge of the truth" and "to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers"?
- What should be our approach to the incorrect traditions of those who we teach? Should the emphasis be on teaching them the truth, or to showing them the baseness of their traditions?
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Verse 10
- What does it mean that the Lord "did visit them with his Spirit"? Is this a visitation by what we call the Holy Ghost, or some other type of visitation?
- Why was the first thing that the Lord said to them was to "be comforted"? Why would they need such comfort?
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Lexical notes
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Exegesis
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Related links
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Verse 9
- Don R. Clarke, "Becoming Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 97–99. Elder Clarke said: "The sons of Mosiah were willing to step outside their surroundings and do that which was uncomfortable. Had Ammon not been willing to journey into a foreign land..., he never would have found and helped Lamoni and his father, and many Lamanites may have never learned about Jesus Christ... Do we really want to be instruments in God’s hands? If so, our desire will permeate our prayers and be the focus of our fasts."
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