Alma wrote this to his son, Helaman about the brass plates:
And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the beginning—
Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.
And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ.
Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
Alma 37:3-6
What did he mean about them retaining their brightness? Take a look at these two pennies below, notice that one on the left is darker and more oxidized than the one on the right.
Like brass, copper items such as coins are prone to oxidation, leading to tarnishing. Over time, brass reacts with oxygen in the air, resulting in a color change from bright reddish-orange to shades of brown or even green. Brass oxidation is unavoidable and it requires care in order to keep it bright.
It’s possible that the engravings on the plates may have been such that oxidization could have made them illegible. Alma was very adamant that keeping them “bright” was important and that this small and simple thing brought about a great purpose.
I’ve wondered if Alma had a particular regimen for polishing the plates or maybe if the plates stayed polished by his continued use and reading of them. The latter seems more compelling to me as a lesson about scripture study.
While we read from paper and digital devices today, I think there is a lesson in how pennies that get used more often are brighter than those left untouched.
A penny that moves around a lot gets abrasively cleaned in pockets, coin machines, and registers. The continued use of it, keeps it bright.
It’s kind of like that saying “rust ruins more tools than overuse.”
While we don’t have to worry about metal plates and oxidization, perhaps what gets dull and tarnished by ignoring the scriptures is us, our perceptions, and our receptivity to the Spirit.
It’s no wonder that feasting on the word of God is associated with a perfect brightness of hope.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
2 Nephi 31:20
