Even though a righteous king is chosen, there is no way to assure that those who succeed him will be of like spirit. For this reason the Lord commanded Samuel to warn Israel not to establish a monarchical government, but they would not listen to their God or to his prophet. “This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you,” Samuel prophesied:
“He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectioneries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:11-18.)
Thus Alma encourages his people to stand fast in the liberty wherewith they have been made free and admonishes them to wisdom in trusting no one to be a king over them.