When the Nephite Kingdom was first established the people were so few that they could not possibly sustain the expenses incidental to royalty. This, also, was true of those who held the priesthood, and spent a goodly portion of time in the work of the ministry. It became the rule for the kings to supply themselves with the necessary things of life, and to maintain the dignity of the office they held.
Alma commanded that this same excellent custom should be adopted by the priests he had appointed, and this same course of action was continued by the Nephites as long as they were ruled by kings, and even throughout the times when their nation had grown rich and numerous.
Alma sensed the responsibility of the priests in teaching the word of the Lord to the people; he also knew that if the burden of providing for their wants was put on the shoulders other than their own, they might become slothful and indolent. His thought was that if the priests were forced to rely on the abundant strength the Lord had given them, that then they would increase in grace and in the knowledge of His glory. We must not forget that knowledge is power, and in that knowledge they would teach "with power and authority from God." They would grow in the favor of God.