Alma Gives Helaman the Sacred Records
My son Helaman, I tell you to take the records that have been given to me. I also tell you to keep a record of this people, just like I have done. Write on the plates of Nephi. Keep all these things safe, just like I have kept them. They are kept for a good reason. These brass plates have writings on them. They have the Holy Scriptures on them. They have the family history of our ancestors from the very beginning. Our ancestors said these records should be kept and passed down from parents to children. The Lord will keep them safe. They will go to every nation and every people. Then everyone will know the secrets written on them. If they are kept safe, they must stay bright. They will stay bright. All the plates that have Holy Scriptures will stay bright too.
You might think this sounds foolish. But I tell you that small and simple things bring great things to pass. Small things often surprise wise people. The Lord God works through small things to do his great work forever. The Lord uses very small things to surprise the wise and to save many souls. It has been God’s wisdom to keep these things safe. They have helped this people remember. They have shown many people their wrong ways. They have brought them to know God and to be saved. I tell you, without these records on these plates, Ammon and his brothers could not have convinced so many thousands of Lamanites. These records showed them that their fathers’ traditions were wrong. These records and their words brought them to turn from their sins. That is, they brought them to know the Lord their God. They brought them to be happy in Jesus Christ, their Savior. Who knows? Maybe they will bring many thousands of them to know their Savior. Maybe they will also bring many thousands of our stubborn brothers, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin, to know their Savior.
I don’t fully understand these secrets yet. So I will stop talking about them. I will just say they are kept for a good reason. God knows this reason. He plans wisely over all his works. His paths are straight. His path is one circle forever.
Remember, remember, my son Helaman, how important the commandments of God are. He says: If you will keep my commandments, you will do well in the land. But if you don’t keep his commandments, you will be cut off from his presence. Remember, my son, that God has given you these sacred things. He has kept them sacred. He will keep them safe for a good reason. He will show his power to future generations. I tell you by the Spirit of prophecy: If you break the commandments of God, these sacred things will be taken away from you by the power of God. You will be given to Satan. He will blow you away like dust in the wind. But if you keep the commandments of God, and do with these sacred things what the Lord tells you to do (for you must ask the Lord for all things you do with them), no power on earth or in hell can take them from you. God is powerful to do all he says. He will do all his promises that he makes to you. He has done his promise that he made to our fathers. He promised them that he would save these things for a good reason. He would show his power to future generations. He has done one purpose. He has brought back many thousands of the Lamanites to know the truth. He has shown his power in them. He will also show his power in them to future generations. So they will be kept safe. So I tell you, my son Helaman, that you work hard to do all my words. Work hard to keep the commandments of God as they are written.
The Twenty-Four Plates and Secret Works
I will talk to you about those twenty-four plates. Keep them so that the secrets and the works of darkness and their secret works of those people who have been destroyed may be shown to this people. All their murders and robbings and their stealings and all their bad things may be shown to this people. Keep these directors safe. The Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness. They did secret murders and bad things. So the Lord said: If they did not turn from their sins, they would be destroyed from the earth. The Lord said: I will prepare for my servant Gazelem a stone. It will shine in darkness to give light. I will show my people who serve me the works of their brothers. I will show them their secret works, their works of darkness, and their bad things. My son, these directors were prepared so that the word of God would come true. He spoke, saying: I will bring out of darkness into light all their secret works and their bad things. Except they turn from their sins, I will destroy them from the earth. I will bring to light all their secrets and bad things to every nation that will live in the land later. My son, we see that they did not turn from their sins. So they have been destroyed. So far the word of God has come true. Their secret bad things have been brought out of darkness and shown to us.
My son, I tell you to keep all their promises and their plans and their agreements in their secret bad things. Keep all their signs and their strange things from this people. Don’t let them know these things. If they do, they might fall into darkness also and be destroyed. There is a curse on all this land. Destruction will come on all those workers of darkness, by the power of God, when they are fully ripe. So I want this people not to be destroyed. So you will keep these secret plans of their promises and their plans from this people. Only show them their bad things and their murders and their bad things. Teach them to hate such bad things and murders. Also teach them that these people were destroyed because of their bad things and their murders. They murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to tell them about their sins. The blood of those they murdered cried to the Lord their God for revenge on those who were their murderers. So the judgments of God came on these workers of darkness and secret groups. Cursed is the land forever and ever to those workers of darkness and secret groups. They will be destroyed, except they turn from their sins before they are fully ripe.
Teach Them to Hate Sin
My son, remember the words I have spoken to you. Don’t share those secret plans with this people. But teach them a forever hatred against sin and doing wrong. Preach to them about turning from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to make themselves humble and to be gentle and kind in heart. Teach them to stand strong against every temptation of the Devil with their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never get tired of doing good works. Tell them to be gentle and kind in heart. They will find rest for their souls.
Learn Wisdom in Your Youth
Remember my son, and learn wisdom while you are young. Learn while you are young to keep the commandments of God. Cry to God for all your help. Let all your actions be for the Lord. Wherever you go, let it be in the Lord. Let your thoughts be directed to the Lord. Let your heart’s love be placed on the Lord forever. Ask the Lord about all your actions, and he will direct you to do good. When you lie down at night, lie down to the Lord. He will watch over you in your sleep. When you get up in the morning, let your heart be full of thanks to God. If you do these things, you will be lifted up at the last day.
The Liahona: A Lesson About Faith
My son, I have something to say about the thing our fathers call a ball or director. Our fathers called it Liahona, which means a compass. The Lord prepared it. No man can work in the way of such strange workmanship. It was prepared to show our fathers the path they should travel in the wilderness. It worked for them based on their faith in God. If they had faith to believe that God could cause those spindles to point the way they should go, it was done. So they had this miracle. They also had many other miracles done by the power of God, day by day. But because those miracles were done by small things, it still showed them wonderful works. They were lazy and forgot to use their faith and diligence. Then those wonderful works stopped. They did not move forward in their journey. So they stayed in the wilderness or did not travel a straight path. They had hunger and thirst because of their sins.
My son, I want you to understand that these things are not without a lesson. Just as our fathers were lazy to pay attention to this compass (these things were physical), they did not do well. It is the same with things that are spiritual. It is as easy to pay attention to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight path to eternal joy, as it was for our fathers to pay attention to this compass. It would point to them a straight path to the promised land. I say: Isn’t there a lesson in this thing? Just as this director brought our fathers, by following its path, to the promised land, so will the words of Christ, if we follow its path, carry us beyond this valley of sadness into a far better land of promise. My son, do not let us be lazy because the way is easy. It was the same with our fathers. It was prepared for them so that if they would look, they could live. It is the same with us. The way is prepared. If we will look, we can live forever. My son, see that you take care of these sacred things. See that you look to God and live. Go to this people and declare the word, and be serious. My son, farewell.