Amalickiah Stirs Up War
As soon as Amalickiah became king, he started turning the Lamanites against the Nephites. He appointed men to stand in towers and preach hatred toward the Nephites. He stirred up their anger so effectively that by the end of the nineteenth year of the judges, he had achieved everything he wanted. He was now king over the Lamanites, but he wanted more—he wanted to rule over everyone in the land, both Nephites and Lamanites. He had accomplished his plan. He hardened the Lamanites’ hearts, blinded their minds, and filled them with rage. Soon he had gathered a massive army to march against the Nephites.
With such enormous numbers under his command, he was determined to crush the Nephites and enslave them. He made the Zoramites his chief captains since they knew the Nephites’ military strength, where they gathered, and the weak points in their cities.
They broke camp and marched through the wilderness toward Zarahemla.
Moroni Prepares His People
While Amalickiah was gaining power through lies and manipulation, Moroni was doing something completely different. He was preparing his people to stay faithful to the Lord their God. He’d been building up the Nephite armies and constructing small forts and defensive positions. He threw up earthen walls around his forces and built stone barriers to circle their cities and protect their borders—all around the land. In the weakest defensive positions, he stationed the most troops. That’s how he fortified and strengthened Nephite territory.
He was preparing to defend their freedom, their land, their wives and children, their peace—so they could live for the Lord their God and uphold what their enemies mockingly called ‘the cause of Christians.’
A Portrait of Moroni
Moroni was a strong and powerful man. He had deep understanding and never took pleasure in bloodshed. His soul celebrated the freedom and liberty of his country and his people from bondage and slavery. His heart swelled with gratitude to God for all the privileges and blessings given to his people. He worked tirelessly for their welfare and safety. He was unwavering in his faith in Christ. He had taken an oath to defend his people, their rights, their country, and their religion—even if it cost him his life.
The Nephites were taught to defend themselves against enemies, even to the point of bloodshed if necessary. But they were also taught never to be the aggressors—never to raise a sword except against an enemy, and only to save their own lives. They believed that if they did this, God would bless them in the land. In other words, if they faithfully kept God’s commandments, he would prosper them, warn them to flee when necessary, or help them prepare for war when danger came. They also believed God would show them where to position themselves against their enemies, and by doing this, the Lord would deliver them. This was Moroni’s faith, and his heart gloried in it—not in bloodshed, but in doing good, in protecting his people, in keeping God’s commandments, and in resisting evil.
I’m telling you the truth: If everyone who ever lived—past, present, and future—were like Moroni, the powers of hell itself would be forever shaken. The devil would have no hold over the hearts of humanity.
He was like Ammon, the son of Mosiah, and like the other sons of Mosiah. He was like Alma and his sons. They were all men of God.
The Work of Helaman
Now Helaman and his brothers were just as valuable to the people as Moroni was. They preached the word of God and baptized everyone who listened to their words and turned away from sin.
As they went out teaching, the people humbled themselves because of their message. They were so favored by the Lord that they had no wars or conflicts among themselves for four whole years.
Reluctant Warriors
But as I mentioned, at the end of the nineteenth year—even though they had peace among themselves—they were forced reluctantly to fight their brothers, the Lamanites.
In fact, their wars with the Lamanites continued for many years, no matter how reluctant they were to fight.
They hated taking up arms against the Lamanites because they found no pleasure in bloodshed. More than that, they were grieved to be the ones sending so many of their brothers into eternity unprepared to meet their God. Yet they couldn’t just lay down their lives and let their wives and children be massacred by the brutal cruelty of men who had once been their brothers—men who had abandoned the church, left them, and joined the Lamanites to destroy them. They couldn’t bear to let their brothers celebrate the slaughter of Nephites, not as long as there were people who kept God’s commandments. The Lord had promised them that if they kept his commandments, they would prosper in the land.