In our town’s temple, there is an absolutely stunning painting on the third floor just beyond the sealing rooms. A friend showed it to me a couple years back, and I just can’t get enough of it. I have stood in front of this painting – carefully studying it – many times.
It features one of the stripling warriors, shield securely gripped in his right hand and spear leaning nearby, kneeing before his mother prior to marching into battle. The young man grips his mother’s arm with his left hand as she prepares to place a battle helmet on his head. Partially concealed behind her mother, a young sister sibling seems to know that the moment at hand is a very sacred one.
I cannot look at this picture without emotions welling up inside me, and often, a tear dribbles down my cheek as I consider these mothers and their sons!
Many of us, myself included, just love the Book of Mormon story of Helaman’s stripling warriors, those beginning 2,000 and later joining 60 “sons” of his that in battle “did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness…” (Alma 57:21)
These were blood sons of converted Lamanites. They embraced their new faith and name heritage: the people of Ammon. They had parents who willingly and movingly made a no more weapons ever covenant with God and who stood resolute in it because of the powerful persuasions of Helaman, a mighty man of God. That same Helaman was the father, as it were, of a one-of-a-kind fighting force of young soldiers who despite never having fought in combat, did not fear death.
I recently learned something that happened in this story that I’ve overlooked or not connected in sundry past readings of it. Something that happened several chapters before these sons went into battle, the “why” (at least in significant part) each one of the 2,060 were spared alive.
I think it can best be explained by sharing (with permission) an account from Heather Farrell’s book, “Walking With the Woman of the Book of Mormon.” Heather tells of an experience her friend shared with her.
Her friend wrote:
“When I was a young woman, teaching the story of the 2,000 stripling warriors in Relief Society, an older woman raised her hand and in a tearful voice said, “Why was my son not saved?” He was killed in the Second World War. She asked me in words similar to this: “Why did my son die? He was righteous. I put my faith in God and taught him as the 2,000 warriors’ mothers taught their sons that he would be blessed and protected.” I was young. I don’t remember my answer, but I know it was not sufficient for her, simply saying that God had a plan for each child and some are taken early. That didn’t really answer her question or console her. As I thought about this for a number of years and prayed about what I should have said, the answer finally came. I was reading in Alma 27 where the king of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis was worried about going to the Nephites for protection when the rest of the Lamanites were trying to destroy his people. He wasn’t sure what to do when Ammon told them they could go to the Nephites for help. He feared the many deaths they had inflicted on the Nephites would cause the Nephites to destroy them. I then read in verse 10 – 12:
“But the king said unto him: Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land. And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him: Get this people out of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will preserve them.”
There it was! A prophet of the Lord, speaking for the Lord, promised those of that generation that their lives would be spared! Those mothers had that promise from God’s prophet! So they could, then, with a surety, teach their sons about that promise. They could say, “A prophet of God promised that if you put your trust in God, never doubting the words of the Prophet or your Father in Heaven and His word, your lives WILL be spared!”
I have so often wished I could go back to give a better answer, but I’m sure that dear woman, long departed this life now, has had it all explained to her…Now, I understand it to be the faith their mothers had in putting full faith into the words of the Prophet, given by God, and teaching their sons to do likewise. And I also think with that kind of faith it would not be surprising that God Himself gave the mothers a personal witness that the promise was sure.” (Farrell, H., “Walking With the Women of the Book of Mormon, pg 193-194)
I love this insight!
A sure promise from a sure witness. Anointed of God ones have the backing of God, the stamp of His approval, the “and it came to pass” surety. We can place our acting and abiding faith in God and His promises as delivered to us through his prophet, apostles, and anointed ones.
Unto all the world: When the Lord’s anointed speak, it = and it came to pass