Alma’s historical personalization continues by recounting another piece of history, and indicating that it should be personalized. He mentions the bondage of the fathers, but the emphasis is not on the bondage but the delivery from bondage. Remembering these events further ties Helaman into the tradition and experience of those fathers.
What Alma does here is create the transition from this introduction into the meat of the discourse, which will be his experience. He begins the transition with the phrase “I would that ye should do as I have done…” This will allow Alma to move to his own experience. The linkage between the delivery from bondage and Alma’s delivery from personal bondage will be clear as Alma describes his experience.
We need not assume, however, that Alma’s formulation of this instruction to Helaman suggests that Helaman is a sinner in need of the transformational experience of Alma. Alma is not saying that, but rather emphasizing the release from bondage, however dire or light that bondage might have been.