You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/1?lang=eng.
Satan probes. He looks for weakness. As Mormon begins his abridgment of the record of Alma the Younger, the legacy of King Mosiah is at stake. Mormon reminds us that Mosiah did not leave another king to reign in his place. Instead, he left laws for the people, and they were “obliged to abide” by those laws (verse 1).
The first big challenge to make sure that the laws would hold comes in the form of a big, imposing person. In Alma’s first year as chief judge, this strong man is brought before him. In addition to being physically intimidating, the force of the man’s personality is a threat to the order that Mosiah and Alma have worked hard to establish for the good of the people.
As long as people have a mortal nature, there will be charismatic figures who appeal to their pride and their earthly desires to be flattered, comforted, and told that they need not do anything hard or self-sacrificing to bring meaning, power, peace, enlightenment and salvation into their lives. These figures will lie in a bold, magnetic way that many want to embrace.
That is precisely what this imposing person, named Nehor, does. He not only plays by his own rules, but he openly challenges the system for everyone else. He teaches that priests and church leaders should be supported by the people, which is dangerous because then their ability to tell the people hard truths about God’s will becomes compromised (verse 3). Such a system would be to Nehor’s advantage because of his gifts of persuasion and strength. I try to imagine the force of his personality. Most of us have had people in our lives who have been strong influences one way or another. If those strong influences have been good, there is great cause for rejoicing. But if they have gone the other way, we know how hard it can be to escape that vortex.
Nehor preaches a gospel with no accountability to God or anyone else. He begins receiving money from others, and establishes his own church (verses 4-6). Claiming to represent God without authority, instead relying on yourself and your gifts, is called priestcraft (verse 12). It is priestcraft regardless of whether you believe you are doing it for the right reasons. Even if you start with good intentions, it is almost inevitable that pride will take over when you hold yourself out as having sway over people. If you don’t receive authority from God through Him or His authorized servants, you don’t have authority. Period.
The violence that Nehor is doing to God’s will then breaks out into the open in the form of physical violence. While Nehor is seeking to expand his influence, he is confronted by Gideon. This is the same Gideon who confronted the wicked King Noah and who provided the inspiration to King Limhi to help the people escape from Lamanite captivity. Now in older age, Gideon is one who has authority to act from God as a teacher. Gideon’s willingness to call out Nehor’s wrongdoing enrages Nehor, and he kills the older Gideon (verses 7-9). By going against the Lord’s way and church, Nehor has fallen captive to the intemperate impulses that the devil tries to plant in all of us, and in so doing he becomes another tragic story of a capable, gifted person who gives in to pride.
Now comes Alma’s test. He is in a position where he needs to be willing to enforce the law as it has come through the Lord by way of King Mosiah. Without the law, the reign of the judges will be compromised. But because of Nehor’s popularity, there’s always a risk that many of the people might protest and even rebel against the government. Alma faithfully follows the law, presumably determining that he will go with what is right and let the Lord take care of the consequences. The law calls for those who shed innocent blood to pay with their life (verses 13-14). Just before Nehor’s execution, he acknowledges the falsity of his teaching (verse 15), which may mitigate the potential for unrest.
But the precedent of Nehor’s priestcraft has a toxic effect on the Nephites, because others lifted up in the pride of their hearts see their own way to worldly recognition and gain. Learning from Nehor’s mistake of killing Gideon, these others are cunning and clever by avoiding clear violations of the law while still undermining and persecuting the church and its loyal members. They take particular advantage of the members’ humility (verses 16-20).
Facing these challenges, some people within the church move away from humility and toward pride. It is not totally clear from Mormon’s writing, but it is possible that these church members get into confrontations both with their persecutors from outside the church and with other members within the church. Even if their original intention may be to defend the truth and their way of worship, by resorting to contentious means and distancing themselves from the Spirit of the Lord, they end up on the wrong side of things. Stoking anger with the rationalization that it’s for a good cause is one of Satan’s favorite strategies. It costs many their association with the true church of God (verses 21-24).
We take comfort and hope in seeing that many remain “steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God” and bear persecution with patience (verse 25). It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Mormon again outlines for us what Kings Benjamin and Mosiah had shown from their examples—that those with true authority to act for God (holders of His priesthood) do not seek worldly gain or recognition for their service (verse 26). They impart freely of their substance to better those around them, and in doing so radiate light and increase peace in their community (verses 27-28). Inevitably these virtues among a people lead to prosperity, which can continue so long as people’s hearts do not get attached to their riches (verses 29-31).
In contrast, those who are not receptive to the Lord’s commandments are disposed to various types of bad behavior (verse 32), but the law as it is enforced is able to constrain that behavior to keep the general peace for the first five years of Alma’s time as chief judge (verse 33).
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