This is one of the most powerful stories of sacrifice and
humility I know. I have always felt very tender, and even reverent, about this
chapter.
The Lamanites, Amulonites, and Amalekites who were not
converted to the Lord get all riled up against the Lamanite converts. They feel
betrayed by them because they converted to the same faith as the Nephites. So the
angry Lamanites prepare to go to war against their converted brethren.
But the Lamanite converts—now called the
Anti-Nephi-Lehies—refuse to fight their brethren. They won’t even prepare for
war. Their king gives a speech to all the Anti-Nephi-Lehies expressing gratitude
for their new life and new faith, and he helps us understand why his people
refuse to fight in battle now:
10 And I also thank my God…that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.12 Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren.15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.
This isn’t just talk. After the king’s speech, the people
literally do what he had suggested—they dig a giant pit and bury all their
former weapons of war to demonstrate to God that they refuse to go back to
their old, murderous ways now that they have repented, even if it costs them
their lives.
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin;
The Anti-Nephi-Lehies are true to their commitment, because
the Lamanites do come to war against them, and they really refuse to
fight, even if death is the consequence. I am deeply touched by the faith and
perspective of these new converts, and by the effect their faith has on others
who were initially angry enough to kill them. These words deserve to be taken straight
from the book:
21 Now when the [Anti-Nephi-Lehies] saw that [the Lamanites] were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.
22 And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.
23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.
25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.
26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.
The angry Lamanites decide to stop attacking the converted
Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s, and take out their anger on the Nephites instead. They first
attack the city of Ammonihah, and wipe out the entire city before the Nephite
army can gather to fight back (This was the wicked city that burned all the
believing women and children with their scriptures, if you remember— it was wiped
out in Alma 16:9. We back-tracked through time to learn about Ammon and Aaron’s
missionary efforts with the Lamanites, and now we are catching up to the time
period we read about with Alma and Amulek).
After the Nephites win the war, the Lamanites begin to turn
against their Amulonite leaders who have been influencing them to hate the
Nephites and they start hunting them down to kill them, which was actually
prophesied by the prophet Abinadi who was burned at the stake by King Noah and
his High Priest, Amulon (see Mosiah 17:18). What goes around comes around
(especially when a prophet warns you and you do bad stuff anyway)!
After the war ends, most of the Lamanites end up joining the
Anti-Nephi-Lehis, and they enter into the same covenant of peace and bury their
war weapons, too. Absolutely incredible! The Lord works in mysterious ways.
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