Alma Appoints Nephihah Chief Judge

Event 73

Reference: Alma 4:6-20

And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of thejudges, that the people of the church began to wax proud,because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, andtheir fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocksand herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner ofprecious things, which they had obtained by their industry;and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride oftheir eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel. 7Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, andto many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to beteachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, manyof them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which theysaw had begun to be among their people. 8 For they saw andbeheld with great sorrow that the people of the churchbegan to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to settheir hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of theworld, that they began to be scornful, one towards another,and they began to persecute those that did not believeaccording to their own will and pleasure.MormonLand ofZarahemla84 B.C.9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges,there began to be great contentions among the people of thechurch; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice,and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride ofthose who did not belong to the church of God. 10 And thusended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and thewickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block tothose who did not belong to the church; and thus the churchbegan to fail in its progress.11 And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninthyear, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he sawalso that the example of the church began to lead those whowere unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another,thus bringing on the destruction of the people. 12 Yea, hesaw great inequality among the people, some liftingthemselves up with their pride, despising others, turningtheir backs upon the needy and the naked and those whowere hungry, and those who were athirst, and those whowere sick and afflicted. 13 Now this was a great cause forlamentations among the people, while others were abasingthemselves, succoring those who stood in need of their83 B.C. succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and theneedy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner ofafflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according tothe spirit of prophecy; 14 Looking forward to that day, thusretaining a remission of their sins; being filled with greatjoy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to thewill and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from thebands of death.MormonLand ofZarahemla83 B.C.15 And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen theafflictions of the humble followers of God, and thepersecutions which were heaped upon them by theremainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality,began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of theLord did not fail him. 16 And he selected a wise man whowas among the elders of the church, and gave him poweraccording to the voice of the people, that he might havepower to enact laws according to the laws which had beengiven, and to put them in force according to the wickednessand the crimes of the people. 17 Now this man’s name wasNephihah, and he was appointed chief judge; and he sat inthe judgment-seat to judge and to govern the people.18 Now Alma did not grant unto him the office of being highpriest over the church, but he retained the office of highpriest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment-seat untoNephihah. 19 And this he did that he himself might go forthamong his people, or among the people of Nephi, that hemight preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up inremembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, bythe word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all thecontentions which were among his people, seeing no waythat he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down inpure testimony against them. 20 And thus in thecommencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judgesover the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the highpriesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of theword, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.