Alma Pronounces a Concluding Blessing on the People

John W. Welch

In the ancient Israelite sacrificial system, there were different kinds of sacrifices. Atoning sacrifices reconciled and brought man and God back together where there had been a separation between them because of sin or impurity. The words, sin, guilt, transgression, and peace, are present in Alma 7. Those words represent the full panoply of all of the types of sacrifices in the Law of Moses, under which there were sin offerings, guilt offerings, atoning sacrifices, and peace offerings. Alma, as the High Priest, who had probably just performed the special sacrifices on the Day of Atonement during the season connected with the Feast of Tabernacles, would have been especially sensitive of the great power and purposes of living the laws of sacrifice and obedience. As the High Priest, Alma had particular duties to keep the temple pure and holy, to cleanse it on the Day of Atonement, so that it could symbolize to the people the complete workings of the Law of Moses, welcoming Jesus as the one who fulfills all of these forms of sacrificial offerings and of atoning reconciliation for us.

In Verse 27, Alma concludes with a blessing efficaciously echoing the peace offering, and what a blessing it is: "May the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever." Perhaps you have been present in situations where you’ve had an apostolic blessing pronounced upon an audience—how encouraging and faith building that is. Here, in Alma 7:27, we have the prophet and high priest Alma pronouncing a blessing in Gideon upon these wonderful people, who are just as wonderful and blessed as you are.

John W. Welch Notes

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