“How Beautiful Are They Who Came to the Knowledge of Their Redeemer and Sing to His Praise Forever”

Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen

We can remind ourselves that Alma, having been touched by the Spirit as he feasted upon the words of truth delivered by the prophet Abinadi, has importuned King Noah to spare the life of this holy man. In so doing, Alma places himself in mortal peril and has to flee for his life and take refuge in the wilderness. The account of his secret convocations at the Waters of Mormon with a small group of enthusiastic and receptive followers is one of the most powerful accounts of conversion and baptism in all scripture. Isaiah intones the famous words: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7). Alma embodies the spirit of these same words, but with the variation, “how beautiful at the Waters of Mormon … !” The redemptive process (in whatever venue) is indeed a thing of beauty, involving as it does the radiance, glory, and light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Commentaries and Insights on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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