It’s time for the story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors!
Remember, they were introduced back in Alma 53 and now they are entering the
field of battle!
Helaman is the captain of the little band of 2,000
Stripling Warriors, and they are assigned to strengthen Antipus and his army in
the city Judea. The Lamanites have captured many cities in that part of the
land, and Antipus is trying to figure out how to get some back, but it
is too difficult to attack the Lamanites inside the fortified cities, and the Lamanites refuse to come out. So Antipus and Helaman develop a strategy.
Helaman and the little band of Stripling Warriors march past the city
Antiparah, which has the largest Lamanite army, pretending they are carrying
supplies to a nearby city of Nephites. Because their group is so small, and the
Lamanites are stressed about the Nephites receiving any more strength or
supplies, the Lamanites in Antiparah decides to chase after the
Stripling Warriors. Just what the Nephites wanted to happen! As soon as the
Lamanite army is out, Antipus’s army (who has been hiding) chases after them from behind.
For two days there is a 3-player chase. Helaman and the
Stripling Warriors (who were basically the bait) are in the front, marching
their hearts out to not be caught by this huge Lamanite army. And next, the
Lamanites are being chased by Antipus and his Nephite army.
Then on the third morning the Stripling Warriors wake up,
and the Lamanites are nowhere to be seen. Did
Antipus catch up to the Lamanites, and now they are fighting and need the
Stripling Warrior’s help? Or did the Lamanites stop and hide, and they are
waiting to ambush the Stripling Warriors if they turn around and go back? This is a dangerous and tense situation.
Helaman asks these 2,000 young men what they want to do.
Can you see why these boys are my heroes?
46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus. 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
Not only are the warriors my heroes for their faith and
courage, but their mothers are my heroes. I love this story that shows the
power and influence a good mother can have on her children, which in turn
influences an entire nation.
Helaman and the Stripling Warriors turn around and go back,
and it turns out to be the right decision. Antipus had indeed caught up to the
Lamanites, and they have been fighting with all their might and strength, and
are getting exhausted and starting to lose. Antipus and many of the leaders
have been killed.
The Stripling Warriors jump into the battle with all their
courage and strengt. They are so strong that the entire Lamanite army turns
around from fighting Antipus’s army and focuses on the Stripling Warriors. This
gives Antipus’s remaining men enough time to re-group and get back in the
fight. And with the Lamanites surrounded by the Stripling Warriors on one side,
and the Nephites on the other side, they soon surrender. The Nephites have just
conquered the largest Lamanite army!
Are you ready for the best part? Not one of the Stripling
Warriors was killed in battle. Loads of Lamanites and Nephites were killed, but
not a single Stripling Warrior. The power of faith! I love this story.
The Nephites succeed in re-capturing two of their cities
that had been taken over by the Lamanites. One of them, the city Cumeni, they
capture by camping outside the city and preventing the Lamanites from receiving any
supplies or provisions. They capture a large delivery of supplies (and take the delivery-army as prisoners), and eventually Cumeni surrenders because they
can't survive any longer without outside food and supplies.
By now the Nephites have a lot of prisoners of war, and
they are getting difficult to handle, so they send a troop to escort the
prisoners to Zarahemla where it will be easier to guard them. But the next day
the Lamanites attack the city Cumeni to try to win it back, and the delivery
troop miraculously returns to help the Nephites fight (they find out later that
the prisoners had revolted and many escaped, but it was good the troop had
returned to help fight). The Stripling Warriors—who are now
2,060 strong—fight along with the Nephites in a fierce and bloody battle, and
manage to beat off the attacking Lamanites and keep the city Cumeni.
Miraculously, for the second time, none of the Stripling Warriors are killed,
even though over 1,000 Nephites are killed and even more Lamanites.
These verses help me to understand why the Stripling Warriors had such power.
20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.
21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them…
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.
No comments:
Post a Comment