“And in the Morning the Lord Caused a Deep Sleep to Come Upon the Lamanites”

Brant Gardner

The contrast between the escape of the Limhites and the Almaites is interesting. Both leave with their belongings past sleeping guards. The difference is that Limhi plied the guards with wine to induce their sleep, and the Lord himself caused a deeper sleep to come upon the Lamanites guarding Helam.

Perhaps the difference lies in the nature of the faith of the two groups. Alma's group had relied almost entirely on their new faith. Limhi's people were in the process of repentance, and were much more used to relying upon themselves rather than the Lord. In each case the Lord causes a miracle, but perhaps the greater participation in the creation of the miracle by the Limhites was a response to their degree of faith, a faith that still saw themselves as an important part of their own destiny.

While this might explain the difference, it should not be taken as a marker of one's faith that the miracles of the Lord are greater, or that they rely less upon the individual's participation. The result in both cases was a deliverance from bondage. Each group received the same temporal benefit. The difference in faith did not alter what the Lord delivered, only the method by which it might be delivered.

For us, that should teach us that our faith can be sufficient, even though it is not as great as our neighbors. God can and does work with us based upon the faith that we have, and he may provide miracles to us all, regardless of the stage of our belief. Once again, there is no limitation to what the Lord may do for us when answering our righteous prayers. There may be differences in the mode of deliverance, but deliverance may come to all.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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