Alma began transitioning from his declaration of the sins of the Jaredites to what Helaman should do for his own people. Of course, the first message was to keep the Jaredite record from them so that they would not be tempted by the secret combinations. The next is to continue to preach repentance to the Nephite people. That shift in message is clear from verses 32 and 33. The lesson turns from the darker theme of the destruction of the Nephites to the more important theme of teaching the Nephites what is important.
Not only should they not learn to do as the Jaredites did, but there are also positive actions that they should learn to do; actions that will move them closer to Jehovah rather than further away. They are to be humble: humility contrasts with pride that exalts one person above another. The message that all should treat each other equally and respectfully is a theme that runs throughout the Book of Mormon.
They are to perform good works. Since this is linked, in verse 34, to being “meek and lowly in heart,” it suggests that the definition of good works is how we treat our fellow man. Verse 33 tied the phrase “meek and lowly in heart” to being humble, which is the opposite of Nephite pride. Nephite pride always took the form of social inequity, of thinking that one person was better than another. Thus, Alma reaffirms the essentials of Nephite social understanding, and tells Helaman to preach the fundamental principle of being humble and of doing good works.