1 AND it came to pass that they [ Who Alma and Amulek. ] did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, [ What was currently being taught among the people? What did those who taught in the synagogues believe? There would be no Christ(well I guess in a way they did not need a Christ to atone for their sins as they; at least in their own minds did not ever sin. Akin to a belief of the Jews, that they were without sin. To understand Jewish culture is to understand that forgiveness is between God and the individual. If one confesses his sins to God then they are gone, they disappear, they did not happen. Therefore they have no need for a Savior to remit their sins for them - since if they will only confess they are in simple legal terms aquitted of the sin. In their view only God himself can "forgive sin", only God himself can "atone for sin". ), They were better than everyone else, they were Holy, they were an elect people, they were saved, they did not believe in the foolish traditions of their fathers. Alma 31:16-18. How hard would it be to try and do missionary work among a group like that? What are some of the obsticles that you would need to first overcome? The humble are teachable - the proud usually are not. ] entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets. [ Where does Alma go to preach? It seems like everywhere they could. One more conformation that the people were not ready because it did not matter where they went no one really wanted to listen, and then... ]

2 And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; [ Usually the poor are humble in spirit and pride - they think they have nothing to be proud of. ] for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel—

3 Therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, [ Why do some things that appear to be a curse really act as a blessing? 1) The people were not really worshiping God in the synagogues as a result the poor were not lead away 2) By being humble they were willing and able to accept the spirit - as opposed to being more holy than thou. ] being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; [ What is dross? welding metal it is the impurities that float to the top - the scum. ] therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart. [ The "heart" represents one's courage or enthusiasm, the seat of one's feelings. If you are poor in heart, then you're unhappy or depressed. How does satan use the concept of making use feel worthless to accomplish his plans? How or what can we do to overcome those feelings? Understand the plan of salvation, the purpose of this life, that we are children of God. ]

4 Now, as Alma was teaching and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, [ Regarding "onidah", we hear of another hill Onidah in 47:5. These two might be the same, but it seems unlikely as this hill is on the edge of Nephite territory in Antionum near a wilderness inhabited by Lamanites (cf. 31:3) where the hill Onidah in 47:5 is located relatively nearby the Lamanite king's palace which would certainly be deep inside established Lamanite territory. This suggests "onidah" is a word that means something pertinent and is not just arbitrary or after someone's name. In 47:5 it says "they fled to Onidah, the place of arms". This suggests "onidah" means "place of arms". The name might be related to the Hebrew "nadan" (cf. Strong's 5084) which means "sheath", as in the sheath of a sword (uniquely appearing in 1 Chron 21:27, the more common term translated to the English "sheath" is the Hebrew "tahar", although it does not appear to differentiate at all between the knife/sword and it's sheath except by context, see Strong's 8593). And, since the Zoramites were living on the edge of Nephite civilization and near to a "wilderness...full of the Lamanites" (cf. 31:3) then it stands to reason they would have an armory. So if we speculate that we are at an armory, then their would likely be military people around at their specific posts. Maybe this is whom Alma begins to address. This could explain who the first multitude was whom Alma was talking to, and why they were something of a captive audience with little interest in his message. If there was a standing army, or this was where weapons were manufactured then Alma would have a group of people who weren't really able to leave, but who also weren't particularly interested in what he had to say. so, when presented with the group of poor people, he immediately gave up on these others who were a captive audience with no real interest. ] there came a great multitude unto him, who were those of whom we have been speaking, of whom were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world.

5 And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; [ Their assumption was that in order to worship you needed a formal place for such activity. Alma will address this further in chapter 33 when he quotes Zenos. Since the priests, teachers, and leaders of the people were using religion as a means of promoting themselves (cf. 35:3), and they were teaching that all worship had to be regulated within the synagogue so as to exert their influence over the people. Constructing a "holy stand" makes it all the easier as then there is a physical location they can exercise control over. ] and behold, what shall we do? [ What if you were kicked out of your wardhouse what would you do? What do you really need to worship? True worship is found in the life that you live, the things that you value, the relationship that you have with God on a personal level. The main question of this chapter. Alma is asked "What shall we do?" as we are blocked from worship in the houses of worship. As if to say there is nothing we can do to save ourselves because of it either. ]

6 And now when Alma heard this, he [ Alma. ] turned him [ The foremost among them, the guy asking the questions for the group. ] about, his face immediately towards him, [ And looked him directly in the eye. ] and he [ Alma. ] beheld with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word. [ How does one become prepared to hear the word? Humbled... What does the lord allow to happen in our lives that might keep us humble? Death, trials, life experiences. ]

7 Therefore he [ Alma. ] did say no more to the other multitude; [ Those that were at the hill Onidah. ] but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those whom he beheld, who were truly penitent, and said unto them:

8 I behold that ye are lowly in heart; [ What does it mean to be lowly in heart? Are we to be overun and taken advantage of by others? One of the charistics of the Savior Matt 11:29 Elder Neal A. Maxwell has told us being meek and lowly of heart does not mean being used or abused--or being a "doormat" for others. "Meekness," he says, "is more than self-restraint; it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness, reflecting certitude, strength, serenity, and a healthy self-esteem and self-control" ("Meekness--A Dimension of True Discipleship," Ensign, March 1983, p. 71; emphasis added). I have heard that meekiness is defined as power under control of the spirit. Why does the Lord choose to reveal his will to the lowly in heart? The Lord reveals his secrets to the meek, for they are "easy to be entreated" (Alma 7:23). They are often the only ones who will listen. ] and if so, blessed are ye. [What is a blessing or what does it mean to be blessed in this sense? Anything that brings us closer to God is considered a blessing]

9 Behold thy brother hath said, What shall we do?—for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship our God.

10 Behold I say unto you, do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only? [ What is the underlying message for us here about our relationship with God? if we can have much more confidence in the presence of God, then we will not be nearly so dependent upon nor need the approval, the acceptance, and the admiration of men. If our relationship with God is strong, do we need a building?]

11 And moreover, I would ask, do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week? [ Trying to make the point that you need to worship all the time not just one day a week. As such you would not go to the synagogue every day, so since you should worship every day, and you would not otherwise go to the synagogue every day - then see you can worship without it. See Almas response in Alma 33:2 - ]

12 I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; [How do we learn wisdom when we are humble? What is the wisdom that he is talking about? That not only were they not self-sufficient here and that they could not save themselves, that happiness and eternal rewards come thru the atonement and mercies from God and the Savior. sometimes it is the set backs in life that place us where we need to be - For example Joseph Smiths family lost farm after farm until they arrives at the base of the hill cummorah which was where they need to be] for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; [ What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? A common definition suggests that wisdom is what you do with the knowledge that you have. So what is Alma suggesting here? Well, if we are going to be judged according to what we have learned by how we act, think, talk, and what we do, we must strive to learn wisdom and to be counted wise in the eyes of our eternal judge, and not in the eyes of the world. That kind of wisdom may be gained only by the blessings of the Holy Ghost. Alma’s words to the receptive Zoramites told them that it was necessary to have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and to learn to obtain wisdom through that means. ] for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.

13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; [ How does one find mercy? Repentance. While others teach that mercy is a gift just bestowed on every man, that it is given unconditionly; denys God the right to judge, to meat out justice to the wicked and the un-righteous, that all are given the same reward. It just is not so we must repent to be entitled to Gods mercy - there is no other way because as we repent we bind ourselves under his graces - we transfer so to speak our sins. ] and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end [ Endureth to the end in what? Repenting and continually trying to improve, to become closer to God. ] the same shall be saved.

14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?[ Why is it better to humble ourselves than to be compelled to be humble? see verse 15-16. ]

15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, [ Or those who will humble themselves without being compelled to do so. ] 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.

16 Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled [ So what is Alma suggesting here? So it is better that this is our nature to be humble rather than it being a result of our circumstance. ] to be humble; or rather, in other words, [ So in case you did not get what I was trying to say I will say it another way. ] blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, [What does it mean to be stubborn of heart? to resist the impressions of the spirit, they exercise their agency to follow because they will allow themselves to believe. Humility of heart, without the force to do so. At some point ever knee will bow, but you don't get the same credit if you end up bowing because well everyone is. Different types of converts? 1)Those that hear the words believe it and change at all costs, they progress quickly both before and after baptism 2) Those that hear it and fight it by needing more intelligectual proof, their progress is slow some even become to be know as professional investigators. ] yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe. [ How does being compelled to know relate to being compelled to be humble? How much better off are we if we search for truth, for the knowledge without it being socially imposed on us. Or how about those that can gain knowledge without complete proof? Learning knowledge by faith. And how much further is one who will believe, exercise the faith in something that they do not know for sure yet. Because if you know something then you do not need to exercise any faith. ] [Why are some compelled to be humble and others appear to be left alone by the hand of the Lord?]

[ Alma begins to teach what it means to have faith. ]

17 Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, [What is the problem with seeking a sign? even after we see a sign we can dismiss it as acidential, or explain it in so many different ways that it rarely does any good unless we are in the right frame of mind in the first place - them we don't really need a sign any way, Every one who ask for a sign with Amulek and Alma when they were cast into prison and then had the walls falls down and they walked out without being hurt - Did that sign do anything for the people in the land of Ammonihah? No they just went about their merry way - even though they had a little fear for a few minutes. Also Korihor (cf. 34:43-48), who died among them (cf. 30:59) ] then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. [ Well does that kind of not take away the faith portion, because if you know something then you do not really have to exercise faith - you know it and now in a way you are compelled. Alma will further expound this concept in the next verse. ]

18  Now I ask, is this faith? [ Or if you KNOW something is there room for faith? ] Behold, I say unto you, Nay; [ Then Alma answers his own question - NO. ] for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause [ Or there is no reason why he would need faith - he knows it. ] to believe, for he knoweth it. [ Why does the Lord work on the principles of belief, hope and faith? maintain our agency, we learn to trust, we have to listen to a small voice makes us tune our senses to how the Lord works. So which then is really greater in the eyes of God knowing or believing - and exercising faith? Remember the Brother of Jared (Ether 3:19) "for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting." Knowledge replaced faith here, case closed. As long as there is doubt there is a chance for faith. ]

19 And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, [ How would God put some in jepordary if he were to give everyone a complete knowledge of all things at once? The laws apply according to our knowledge, that is why the Lord only reveals things piecemeal, line upon line, D&C 82:3. ] than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?

20 Now of this thing ye must judge. [ "must" - or you have to decide. Now on what do they need to make a decision? It comes from the previous thoughts. That while Alma does not tell them directly that they need to forgive the rich and prideful Zoramites that have persecuted them, they do however need to understand the principle that if they want to receive forgiveness from God then they need to carry that principle in their hearts as well. And choosing not to make a choice is really making a choice. ] Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other; [ The law of equality - the same laws that apply to the left hand apply to the right hand. One will reap the consequences of his actions or in-actions, and the judgement will be consistent from God. ] and it shall be unto every man according to his work.

21 And now as I said concerning faith— faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things ; [ In Biblical Hebrew, the term word is expressed through the triliteral root dbr.  As a noun, dbr carries a dual nuance, meaning both “word” and “thing.”  Therefore, if translated into Hebrew, a text such as Alma 32:21, which uses the English word things, would feature a biblical-like word play between Alma comparing the “word (in Hebrew dābār) unto a seed” (v. 28), and statements such as “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things/words [in Hebrew dĕbārîm]”: Another interesting biblical theme might be noted in connection with the passage just discussed (Alma 32:21). Because “things” can be read as “words,” it would seem that Alma speaks of words as things that can be seen. That might seem odd, but it is a venerable biblical tradition as well. Seeing words appears on occasion in biblical prophetic texts, including the superscription to Isaiah 2:1 (cited in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 12:1): “The word that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” While as contemporary readers, we might typically associate words with the physical act of hearing rather than seeing, as illustrated via Isaiah 2:1, it was not uncommon for Israelite and later Jewish sources to conceptualize a prophetic word as something that could, in fact, be seen. Are faith and perfect knowledge then incompatible with each other? No God has all knowledge and as Joseph smith declared in lectures on faith that "It is the principle by which God exercises power over all temporal as well as eternal things" Lectures On Faith 1:16 But Who is Alma talking too here, how much do they understand the principle of faith at this time? So he is starting to build a foundation for them What are the three principles of knowledge taught by Joseph Smith that faith is based on? A: 1)the idea of the existence of God 2) a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes 3) an actual knowledge that the course in life that one is pursuing is according to God's will Lectures On Faith 3:2-5] therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, [What elements in the definition of hope in this context? It is not worldly hope - or wishing, but rather assurance, it is not just simply positive thinking, anticipation, expectation, confidence, What are those things that we as LDS hope for that we personally have not seen? we hope that we are better people by keeping the commandments, eternal life, atonement, second coming... ] which are true. [ The limiting factor - What is the only source of all trueth? So in essense a hope for the things of God. Alma’s view of faith is active (not substantive). If you have faith, you actively hope. Faith propels us to do the things that move us in the direction of that hoped-for and true, but yet unseen, goal. This is not a definition of what faith is, but what faith does. If you have faith, you necessarily hope. ]

22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, [ So in other words the Lord is saying to begin with the hypothesis(believe that the process(not necessarily the outcome) will work if you try, if you do not you have already decided that it will not work - which is self fulfilling in a way in and of itself, so believe enough to experiment on the word.) in this experiment that his word is true, beginning from there. ] yea, even on his word.

23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels [ See Alma 12:29 The Lords set Angels to teach men what he would have them do to return to him, and he started sending angels to do this work right after the fall of Adam. ]unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. [ Who can have faith then? men, women and children, age or gender is not a requirment. A jab at the priests and the priestcraft of the Zoramites - who have set themselves up (the priests) as the exclusive rulers and instruments of God for the people, and then exercise unrighteous dominion upon them. As to Angels see also 2 Ne. 32:2-3 for Nephi's thoughts on the "tongue of angels". ]

24 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out—now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true— [ He has stereotyped them - because as a group all are poor as to the things of the world, so he is trying to say that while it is true that they are all poor, that some of them would have listened even of they were not among the poor. ]

25 For I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; [ I don't mean to or I am not implying that you are all of the same stature as far as having to be compelled. ] for I verily believe that there are some among you who would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.

26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know [ In Hebrew, the word for "know" is the word yada, which means not only learning about something or someone but experiencing something or someone. It is not a superficial experience of God but a profoundly intimate experience. In the Israelite worldview, The Old Testament is the foundation of this experience. ] of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties,[ You have to put some effort into the process - come out of that deep spiritual sleep that you are in. ] even to an experiment upon my words, [ Prove me wrong or right unto yourself. ] and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to , [ What is the first step? - desire. ] let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. [ The comparison here is "the word" or the gospel, the doctrine so to speak is compared to a seed. So the gospel is the seed that you have to give it the opportunity to grow, and you do that by or through faith. ] Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, [What is the seed that he is encouraging them to plant? That Jesus is the son of God and as such he was assigned a mission from the Father which is defined in Alma 33:22-23 In light of the seed do the words chosen to start this verse bring any other scriptutres to mind?. Interesting choice of words here as we know in John 1:1,14 we read 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.] behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, [ Or as long as you are not presupposed that it will not work, but if you give it a real chance to grow. ] that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; [ This is interesting here - this is a promise. If you will give the gospel a real chance you will see the result. Why? The Lord has to be consistent on his end, unchanging, work the same for everyone. ] and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, [ The gospel does have some merit in my life. ] for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; [What happens when the seed begins to enlarge your soul? The good from the seed will replace the bad things in your soul. How many times in the scriptures do or have we seen that after someone prayers and their sins are forgiven that they turn to their fellowmen for their salvation? The thoughts of doing bad to others is replaced by the thought of doing good for others... ] yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, [ Or it is beginning to change how I see things. I understand things differently than I did before. Looking from the outside in why is it hard for some to view the church as just a lot of unnecessary commandments that they need to keep? as we experiment on the word we begin to understand the reason for the commandments and we begin to follow them for a different reason, because they begin to feel right. ] yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. < [ It begins to seem right. See also Matt 13: Parable of the Mustard seed. Interesting choice of words here I think. Delicious - using the sense of taste. It is interesting because the sense of taste is so complex. How does one describe the taste of a strawberry to one who has never tasted a strawberry? It is almost impossible. So here he is suggesting that if you want to really know how delicious it is then you must taste for yourself there is no other way. ]

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness. [ So what happens to us if this is a good seed? We begin to become like Christ - because Christ is the seed. You receive his image in your countenance. ]

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. [ So what can you conclude from your experiment at this point? That the seed has began to grow just as was promised. Is you knowledge perfect yet? No, does the process make believing easier, Yes because you see that it is beginning to work for you. ]

34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, [Which is? That the seed has swelled and sprouted and started to grow. it has enlarged itself within you, and you know this now. ] and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. [ But that is all that you know from the experiment at this point. You begin to understand and become like God, expreiencing his feelings - you bein to connect the dots of things that sound familiar - those with a familiar spirit from your pre-mortal life. ]

35 O then, is not this  [ The enlightening of your understanding and the expansion of your mind. ]  real? [ How real are your spiritual experiences? How hard are they to explain? Does that make them less real? Reality is sometimes greater than knowledge. ] I say unto you, Yea, because it [the seed/word] is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, [ Does this sound familiar? If we go to the creation Alma’s statement that a testimony is “light” and that “whatsoever is light, is good” clearly reflects God’s initial act of creation in Genesis 1:3–4: “And God said let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good.” ] because it [light] is discernible, [ You can see it with your eyes, you know it is there. ] therefore ye must know that it is good; [ Alma’s statement that a testimony is “light” and that “whatsoever is light, is good” clearly reflects God’s initial act of creation in Genesis 1:3–4: “And God said let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good.” ] and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good. [ At this point are we done? No we have only started, we have only exercised the faith to determine if there really is a Savior What do we know about seeds and the germination process? seeds only have enough energy to give it life to sprout and then sustain it for a very short time. So without the presence of soil, sun, water and other nutrients it will only sprout and the die. Does a seed sprout then instantly become a tree, or produce corn or whatever? No it takes time, it is a process How does that relate to what we must do with our faith? How do we nourish and nuture faith? Prayer, study, keeping the commandments. ]

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care , [ Alma appears to invoke creation imagery - does this sound like what God said to those who helpped in the creation of the earth. IN other words learn to use the same process that I used in the earths creation, be like me and nourish the things, take note and care to provide the things that are need to help your testimony grow. “if ye will nourish the word.” Again, through these textual allusions, Alma appears to be saying that man was created to act like God (tending the earth’s vegetation; Genesis 2:5, 15), and he can therefore fulfill the measure of his creation by exercising faith in God’s word. ] that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. [What is the ultimate goal that comes from planting the seed? To bring forth the fruit. If the seed is the divine sonship of God then what is the fruit? The atonement, that we can become like him, that we can be resurrected, that we can inherit all that he has - in other words everything that the Savior provided us thru his obedience to the plan. The fruit brings forth the seeds that when planted will yield the tree of life. ]

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, [ If you do not exercise your agency to help the seed that you know is good to grow up then what will happen? It is kind of obvious. So planting the seed is not enough. ] behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh [ Temptations and challenges that will come forth. ] and scorcheth it, [ Burn it up, destroy it. ] because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, [ How do we know it was not the seeds fault? Well you already know that the seed was good, it caused your soul to swell, so the seed was good - did it all of the sudden turn bad? No I don't think so. So you cannot blame any further results on the seed. ] neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, [So if you plant the seed, and it sprouts and then dies whose fault is it? Yours Why? Because you did not continue to nourish it. ] and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof. [ And what is the fruit thereof? Verse 40 it is the fruit of the tree of life, the fruit that will come from the plan of salvation. ]

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, [ See Alma 13:16 "and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord." ] ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life. [ Or you cannot be a partaker of the plan of salvation because you do not have a belief on the Savior, and without that belief on him you cannot be saved. President Ezra Taft Benson teaches that true faith is made up of this trust: “Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. Elder Oscar W. McConkie, father of Bruce R. McConkie, once asked, “How can a man have faith enough to have salvation if he does not believe that God is all-powerful, or that he knows all things?”(Oscar W. McConkie, in Conference Report, October 1952, 57.) ]

41 But if ye will nourish the word, [ Or the plan of salvation as Alma describes in 33:22-23. ] yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, [ Why do we need patience? Does not all happen at once, it is just the beginning. Are there ever any times in growing a tree, that things happen beyond our control? Insects, too much heat, not enough heat, too much water, not enough water. ] looking forward to the fruit thereof, [ Drawing reference to the Tree of Life which Lehi saw. 1 Ne. 8. the word of God, represented by the rod of iron in that vision and by the seed in Alma’s discourse, leads to the Savior, represented by the tree of life. ] it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. [ What does the trees purpose become? To provide everlasting or eternal life What is our purpose in this life? To live worthy to obtain eternal life - Isn't it interesting that the purpose of the tree is the same as the purpose of our mortal existence. ]

42 And because of your diligence [ Your consistent approach, day after day, working at it. ] and [ Along with. ] your faith and [ Along with. ] your patience [ The idea that you were able to work with a little, and then a little more, continuing to build each time, not knowing it all at the start. ] with the word [ Which is defined as the plan of salvation in Alma 33:22-23. ] in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, [ Every fruit that is precious and sweet comes from the divine sonship provided by the Savior. one other note on fruit. fruit has seeds in it that can produce more and more and more fruit forever and ever, eternally - literally without end - hence the notion that we too can have eternal increase. ] that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. [ In otherwords, in the end you have done a good job, you have performed your labors well, you like the little red hen are treated to the rewards of your labors, you get the best of all that is good. Is this not the definition of our journey here in mortal life, to become like Christ? What is sweeter than the spirit testifying of a trueth? What is purer than inspiration and revelation? What is whiter than the See also Isa. 55:1-2. ]

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you. [What must we also understand about the process - in the fact that the fruit does not come until after we have a tree? A tree does not happen over night - it takes faith, diligence and patience - in other words time. ]