9 But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance;

10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

As I mentioned a few chapters ago, I love learning more about Alma and what made him willing to defy his King and accept the Gospel. There were a few factors mentioned there, but this chapter offers a few more:

We learn that Alma had also likely fallen for the carnal pleasures offered by King Noah and his people. Had Abinadi not come along and helped excite Alma’s conscience he likely would have continued a life of sin. 

Alternatively, abominations can refer to false worship under the false priesthood instituted by Noah and would contrast nicely with the emphasis in this chapter of priests being consecrated by Alma through the proper priesthood of God. It could be that Alma realized that his ‘priesthood’ given by Noah was corrupt and worthless.

Regardless, we learn that Alma was brought to the point where he was haunted by his guilt. He had to endure sore repentance and much tribulation. At this point, Alma could have shrunk back to his old ways. He could have rationalized away what he felt. But he continued through the difficult process of repentance. I admire Alma so much for staying strong and fully turning to the Lord in repentance. I am grateful for his testimony and faith.



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