To put this chapter into its proper time frame we must remind ourselves that king Mosiah's father was the famous warrior prophet, king Benjamin. When he received a revelation to appoint Mosiah as the new king he used the occasion to give a famous scriptural oration. The people were so moved by the Spirit during this talk that they all entered into a covenant to serve God all the days of their lives. Their children, however, were too young to understand king Benjamin and their parents were unable to communicate his stirring message sufficiently to inspire them. As a result, they have grown up resisting the teachings of king Benjamin and disobeying their parents. Now a crisis was looming in Zarahemla and that is where this chapter begins.
It must have been alarming to Alma, the new president of the Church, to see a whole generation of the youth denouncing the gospel, denying the resurrection and refusing to believe in the coming of Christ.