Alma Chapter 32
Summary: Alma teaches the poor and those who have been cast out be the Zoramites. He recognizes that they are humbled and tells that that when you are humbled you seek repentance and that those who repent shall find mercy. He preaches about the importance of faith and that faith is not having a perfect knowledge but instead is hope in those things which you have not seen ti be true. He uses the analogy of a seed to the word of God. The seed must be planted and nourished and it is, it grows to be a large tree which contains good fruit - and the fruit is eternal life which can be picked and enjoyed
Lessons Taught/To be Learned:
These three chapters of Alma (chapters 32-34) when studied as whole, capture the essence of, and background of, the tree of life (back in Lehi's dream - 1 Nephi Chapter 8) and how it relates to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal savior and the savior of the world. In Alma's analogy the seed, the nourishment, the growth into a tree and the good fruit that the tree bears are all symbolic Christ. Christ (or your knowledge and acceptance of him) "is the seed, is the tree and is the fruit of eternal life"-(taken from a quote from Elder Jeffery R. Holland).
In Chapter 32, Alma describes this eloquently, and in the next chapter that follows, he uses words from two previous prophets to show how this all points to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then, in chapter 34, Amulek preaches that Christ is the way to salvation and how one is saved through his atonement. Taken all together, they show that Lehi's dream is represented as God's gift of mercy for us and that we should follow his Word and the Word of his Son to receive eternal life.
Key Scriptures (italicized and in quotes):
"13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved."
"21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
"41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life."