And this was their faith, that by
so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were
faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the
land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;
(Alma 48:15)
This faith the Nephites had about how God would bless them
for keeping the commandments is interesting and applicable today. Prosperity
implies peace, but the blessings during war are no less important. The Nephites
believed that during war they would receive appropriate guidance about whether
to flee or fight.
I started thinking about these war instructions—flee or
prepare for war (fight). Under what conditions are
each of those applicable?
Fleeing is appropriate when the opposition is too great and losses
would be too severe if the home army gathered to fight.
Fighting is appropriate when the opposition can be beaten
with a stiff resistance brought to bear.
And wouldn’t it be lovely to know ahead of time—prophetically—when
to run or when to fight so you don’t end up fleeing when you might have won, or
you don’t get slaughtered where you should have run if you’d only known?
Where have our prophets told us in effect to run? One issue I can think of right off—tolerance. Where have they told us to stand and
resist? Strengthening the family
and standing for religious freedom. I personally feel that should give us some
hope.
What other issues can you think of where the prophets told us to flee or to prepare for war?
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