Mormon begins the account of the mission to the Lamanites by emphasizing how much the missionaries themselves grew as a result of their service. When Alma meets them at the end, he is overjoyed to see their spiritual strength. Then, Mormon rewinds to the beginning. The sons of Mosiah arrive in the land of Nephi and agree to separate. Ammon volunteers to be a servant to King Lamoni, then miraculously defends the king’s flocks from marauders.
Chapter Outline
- Alma and the sons of Mosiah are reunited (v. 1-5)
- The sons of Mosiah travel to the land of Nephi, then separate (v. 6-18)
- Ammon volunteers to be Lamoni’s servant (v. 19-25)
- Ammon defends the king’s flocks (v. 26-39)
My Takeaways
- We can receive the power of God through consistent prayer, fasting, and scripture study.
- Teaching the gospel requires patience.
- A good leader is focused on serving others.
- We ought to be conscientious in fulfilling our responsibilities.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ The sons of Mosiah – Alma 17:1-5
“They Had Given Themselves to Much Prayer and Fasting” – Alma 17:3
It’s easy to think of fasting as an event. It has a defined beginning—when we stop eating—and a defined end—when we start eating again. Many of us also mark the beginning and the end of the fast with a prayer. But in describing the spiritual growth experienced by the sons of Mosiah during their fourteen-year…
Why Are Reunions Important?
After serving as missionaries among the Lamanites, the sons of Mosiah returned home. While en route, they encountered their good friend Alma, whom they had not seen in fourteen years. “Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren” (Alma 17:2). He was delighted to see how well they had done and how much they had…
What Are the Purposes of Fasting?
Yesterday, I wrote about how the Savior’s sacrifice sanctifies us—makes us holy. I also wrote that we receive the blessings of that sacrifice by offering our own sacrifices to him in a spirit of humility and contrition. Today, I’ve studied a specific kind of sacrifice which both predated the Savior’s atonement and continues today: fasting.…
❖ Beginning of the mission – Alma 17:6-18
An Instrument in the Hands of God – Alma 17:9-12
9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if…
Ye Shall Be Patient – Alma 17:11
11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many…
“Assuredly It Was Great” – Alma 17:14
The sons of King Mosiah began their mission with two powerful assets: desire and assurance. They wanted more than anything to share the gospel with the Lamanites, whom they considered to be their brothers, not their enemies (Mosiah 28:1-3, Alma 17:9). God had promised their father that they would be protected and successful (Mosiah 28:7).…
What Is the Relationship Between “Idolatry” and “Idleness?”
The Book of Mormon explicitly connects idolatry (the worship of man-made objects) with idleness (slothfulness). For example: Mormon tells us that the wicked king Noah and his priests “were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people” (Mosiah 11:6). In…
According to the Word and Power of God – Alma 17:17-18
17 Therefore they separated themselves one from another, and went forth among them, every man alone, according to the word and power of God which was given unto him. 18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to…
He Did Administer unto Them – Alma 17:18
18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. (Alma…
❖ Ammon becomes Lamoni’s servant – Alma 17:19-25
I Desire to Dwell Among This People – Alma 17:22-23
22 And the king inquired of Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people.23 And Ammon said unto him: Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die. (Alma 17:22-23) Ammon understood that he had…
I Will Be Thy Servant – Alma 17:23-25
23 And Ammon said unto him: Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die. 24 And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one…
Old Testament Foundations
Fasting: How Long and How Often?
Moses fasted for 40 days. Twice. Let me say up front that I’m not recommending that. In the book of Exodus we read that Moses spent 40 days with the Lord on Mount Sinai, where he received stone tablets with the law inscribed by the finger of God (Exodus 24:18, Exodus 31:18). After destroying those…
Judah’s Transformation
When Joseph’s brothers found him in Egypt, they had all matured, but none more dramatically than Judah. About twenty-two years earlier, Judah had pleaded with the other brothers not to kill their younger brother Joseph. Reuben, the oldest, had tried to save Joseph’s life “to deliver him to his father again,” but Judah had proposed…
Givers
Adam Grant, a professor of organizational psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has studied the affect of interpersonal styles on professional success. He divides people into three categories, according to how they approach interactions with others at work: Givers are willing to help others without expecting anything in return. Matchers help others selectively. They try…
New Testament Parallels
Much People
It’s easy to become discouraged when we try to share the gospel and encounter resistance. But God knows the hearts of His children, and He has repeatedly assured His representatives that He has “much people” who will be receptive to their message.
Servant Leadership
Jesus taught that leaders in God’s kingdom do not place themselves above others. They focus on serving and ministering to those they lead. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin and Ammon demonstrated this kind of leadership.
Letting Things Go
A major part of discipleship is letting things go. Jesus told his apostles what not to pack, how not to plan for speeches, and how to move on when treated badly. The principle is simple: find joy by focusing on the most important things.
Church History Connections
“Ye Cannot Go Amiss”
Last week and the first part of this week, I was on vacation. So when I logged on to my work computer yesterday, I had a large number of emails to work through. My first instinct was to create a plan. Should I sort the emails by sender or by date? Should I handle the…
“A Portion of His Spirit”
When the sons of Mosiah and a small number of their friends embarked on a mission among their enemies, the Lamanites, they knew they couldn’t accomplish their objectives alone. They would need God’s help. To that end, they “searched the scriptures diligently” and “[gave] themselves to much prayer, and fasting.” As a result, “they had…
Stewardship
I wrote earlier this week about the importance of acting “as for years”—treating your home, your job, and your other responsibilities as if you would have them forever, and investing for the long term. I quoted Brigham Young saying that he would continue to spend money to improve his home until the very last day…
“They Separated Themselves” – Alma 17:13, 17
Within the infinite work of the Lord, we each have a finite work to do. Our efforts complement one another, enabling us to collectively reach many more of Heavenly Father’s children than any of us would have been able to do alone. When the sons of Mosiah and their colleagues arrived in the land of…
“Fellow-Servants” (Alma 17:29)
What inspires you to serve? For me, it is often seeing other people serve. Several years ago, I met a young couple in Chennai, India. They were running a school for young children who lived in a leprosy colony. After talking with them for a short time, I was struck by how happy they were.…
They Had Searched the Scriptures Diligently – Alma 17:1-3
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla. 2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel…
All Posts Referencing Alma 17
- Jacob’s Blessings (3/22/2026)
- Seeing the Face of God (8/27/2025)
- Called and Assigned (7/19/2025)
- A More Exceeding and Eternal Weight of Glory (6/15/2025)
- Planted (5/30/2025)
- Devoted to Study (3/21/2025)
- A Job Description for Servants of God (1/31/2025)
- The Plan of Salvation (4/18/2024)
- Testimony of Jesus = Spirit of Prophecy (12/30/2023)
- Abide in Your Calling (8/25/2023)
- Much People (7/28/2023)
- Faithful over a Few Things (5/26/2023)
- Servant Leadership (5/9/2023)
- Letting Things Go (3/10/2023)
- “As One Having Authority” (2/25/2023)
- Repentance and Resolutions (1/1/2023)
- The Fast That I Have Chosen (10/6/2022)
- Fasting with Purpose (7/19/2022)
- It Fell on a Day (7/5/2022)
- Gleaning (6/8/2022)
- Fasting: How Long and How Often? (4/29/2022)
- Judah’s Transformation (3/15/2022)
- Givers (2/23/2022)
- Pandemic Lessons (10/1/2021)
- “Ye Cannot Go Amiss” (7/16/2021)
- “A Portion of His Spirit” (7/4/2021)
- Stewardship (5/22/2021)
- “They Separated Themselves” – Alma 17:13, 17 (5/19/2021)
- Declare Repentance (2/18/2021)
- “Fellow-Servants” (Alma 17:29) (2/9/2021)
- Shepherds (12/23/2020)
- “They Never Would Shed Blood More” – Alma 53:11 (8/11/2020)
- “And Thus We See…” (7/3/2020)
- Burying My Weapons (7/1/2020)
- “Assuredly It Was Great” – Alma 17:14 (6/25/2020)
- “They Had Given Themselves to Much Prayer and Fasting” – Alma 17:3 (6/24/2020)
- How Can I Be a Better Missionary? (12/19/2019)
- Why Are Reunions Important? (12/14/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Caught with Guile?” (11/27/2019)
- What Are the Purposes of Fasting? (11/18/2019)
- What Is Authority? (10/15/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Diligence? (9/22/2019)
- How Can I Be a Better Employee? (8/31/2019)
- How Can I Be More Patient? (8/26/2019)
- How Can I Be a More Effective Leader? (8/23/2019)
- What Is the Spirit of Prophecy? (8/17/2019)
- How Can I Be More Patient with Myself? (6/26/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Serving Others? (4/26/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Patience? (4/11/2019)
- What Is the Relationship Between “Idolatry” and “Idleness?” (4/8/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Long-Suffering?” (3/1/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Search the Scriptures? (1/5/2019)
- According to the Word and Power of God – Alma 17:17-18 (1/5/2018)
- Ye Shall Be Patient – Alma 17:11 (1/4/2018)
- They Had Searched the Scriptures Diligently – Alma 17:1-3 (1/3/2018)
- He Did Administer unto Them – Alma 17:18 (2/20/2017)
- An Instrument in the Hands of God – Alma 17:9-12 (2/20/2017)
- With Power and Authority – Alma 17:2-3 (2/19/2017)
- I Will Be Thy Servant – Alma 17:23-25 (11/9/2016)
- I Desire to Dwell Among This People – Alma 17:22-23 (7/23/2016)
- They Fasted Much and Prayed Much – Alma 17:9-11 (7/21/2016)
- When They Taught – Alma 17:2-3 (7/15/2016)
- But This Is Not All – Alma 17:2-3 (6/23/2015)
- Alma 17:15 They Were a Very Indolent People, Many of Whom Did Worship Idols (11/5/2014)