This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Alma 53-63, which includes the story of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters.
Alma 53
“Moral discipline is learned at home. While we cannot control what others may or may not do, the Latter-day Saints can certainly stand with those who demonstrate virtue in their own lives and inculcate virtue in the rising generation. Remember from Book of Mormon history the young men who were key to the Nephite victory in the long war of 66 to 60 B.C. — the sons of the people of Ammon. Their character and discipline were described in these words:
“’They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
“’Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him’ (Alma 53:20-21). …
“Here we find a standard for what should happen in our homes and in the Church. Our teaching should draw upon our own faith and focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. Each must be persuaded that service and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others are far superior to making one’s own comfort and possessions the highest priority.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2009 general conference, “Moral Discipline”
“While we are profoundly grateful for the many members of the Church who are doing great things in the battle for truth and right, I must honestly tell you it still is not enough. We need much more help. And so, as the people of Ammon looked to their sons for reinforcement in the war against the Lamanites, we look to you, my young brethren of the Aaronic Priesthood. We need you. Like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, you also are the spirit sons of God, and you too can be endowed with power to build up and defend His kingdom. We need you to make sacred covenants, just as they did. We need you to be meticulously obedient and faithful, just as they were.
“What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries who, like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, are ‘exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity’ and who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing they [are] entrusted” (Alma 53:20).
“Listen to those words, my young brethren: ‘valiant,’ ‘courage,’ ‘strength,’ ‘active,’ ‘true.’ We don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with ‘faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:5).”
— President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2002 general conference, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries”
“In a day of ever-changing values in which some say, ‘If it doesn’t hurt anyone, do what you want,’ or ‘If it feels good, do it,’ or ‘It’s only cheating when you get caught,’ I think about Helaman’s stripling warriors. These young men, who were taught correct principles by their mothers, ‘were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all — they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted’ (Alma 53:20).
“Now, that means being true when you are tempted, being true when you don’t want to be, being true when it means standing alone from the rest of the world. Remembering the example of these faithful young men strengthens me in my effort to be steadfast in obeying gospel principles.”
— Sister Ruth B. Wright, then the second counselor in the Primary general presidency, October 1990 general conference, “Draw Strength From the Book of Mormon”
Alma 56
“In the Book of Mormon we read about 2,000 exemplary young men who were exceedingly valiant, courageous and strong. … These faithful young men paid tribute to their mothers. They said, ‘Our mothers knew it’ (Alma 56:48). I would suspect that the mothers of Captain Moroni, Mosiah, Mormon and other great leaders also knew.
“The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they ‘wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places’ (Ephesians 6:12). However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.”
— Sister Julie B. Beck, then the Relief Society general president, October 2007 general conference, “Mothers Who Know”
“Helaman and his 2,000 stripling soldiers fought valiantly to protect their families and their liberty. Their entrance onto the field of battle changed the course of the war. Momentum swung back in favor of the Nephites.
“In a letter written to Moroni, Helaman describes the faith and courage these young men exhibited:
“’And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites. …
“’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’ (Alma 56:45, 47).
“Brothers and sisters, ‘they did not doubt, [and] God [did] deliver them.’ In their first great battle, not one of the 2,000 was slain. After the battle, 60 more young Ammonite men joined the small army. …
“Helaman and his young stripling soldiers understood the importance of making covenants with the Lord. They were also recipients of the blessings that come to those who faithfully keep their covenants.
“As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have also taken upon ourselves sacred obligations. We have done this in the waters of baptism and in the temples of the Lord. We call these obligations ‘covenants.’ Covenants are promises we make to the Lord. They are extremely sacred in nature. The most important thing we can do in this life is to keep the promises or covenants we have made with the Lord. When we keep our promises to the Lord, He allows us to progress spiritually.”
— Elder Richard J. Maynes, then of the Seventy, October 2004 general conference, “Keeping Our Covenants”
Alma 57
“One of the powerful stories in the Book of Mormon teaches us of the influence that parents can have in the lives of their young sons. This is the account of 2,060 young men who volunteered to defend the liberty of their country. They were led into battle by Helaman, yet ‘there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds’ (Alma 57:25). Why? Because ‘they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness.’ Then Helaman explains the reason behind this great miracle: ‘I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them’ (Alma 57:21). What did their mothers teach them? ‘That there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power’ (Alma 57:26).
“Parents, do you realize what great power you have in the lives of your sons? When you teach them that there is a just God and that He wants every able and worthy young man to serve a mission, your sons will have the faith to answer the Lord’s call.”
— Elder H. Bryan Richards, then of the Seventy, October 1998 general conference, “‘As for Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord’”
“Integrity is sustained by forethought and commitment. It was written of Helaman’s stripling warriors, ‘Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness’ (Alma 57:21). They were fully committed to what they would do when they got into the heat of battle. Their efforts won them the crown of integrity.”
— Elder Royden G. Derrick, then of the First Quorum of the Seventy, October 1984 general conference, “‘By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them’”
Alma 58
“The stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon prayed earnestly that God would strengthen and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. Interestingly, the answers to these prayers did not produce additional weapons or an increased number of troops. Instead, God granted these faithful warriors assurance that He would deliver them, peace to their souls, and great faith and hope for their deliverance in Him (see Alma 58:11). Thus, the sons of Helaman did take courage, were fixed with a determination to conquer and did go forth with all of their might against the Lamanites (see Alma 58:12-13). Assurance, peace, faith and hope initially might not seem like the blessings warriors in battle might want, but they were precisely the blessings these valiant young men needed to press forward and prevail physically and spiritually.
“Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental and spiritual difficulties, He may increase our resolve and resilience.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2013 general conference, “The Windows of Heaven”
Alma 60 and 61
“During a perilous period of war, an exchange of letters occurred between Moroni, the captain of the Nephite armies, and Pahoran, the chief judge and governor of the land. Moroni, whose army was suffering because of inadequate support from the government, wrote to Pahoran ‘by the way of condemnation’ (Alma 60:2) and harshly accused him of thoughtlessness, slothfulness and neglect. Pahoran might easily have resented Moroni and his message, but he chose not to take offense. Pahoran responded compassionately and described a rebellion against the government about which Moroni was not aware. And then he responded: ‘Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul. … And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart’ (Alma 61:2, 9).
“One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience and the potentially offensive actions of others. A thing, an event or an expression may be offensive, but you and I can choose not to be offended — and to say with Pahoran, ‘It mattereth not.’”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2006 general conference, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them”
Alma 62
“We all have challenges. The variable is our reaction to the hard. …
“[A Book of Mormon] example occurred after years of war: ‘Because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, many had become hardened, … and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God’ (Alma 62:41).
“We each choose our reaction to hard.”
— Elder Stanley G. Ellis, now an emeritus General Authority Seventy, October 2017 general conference, “Do We Trust Him? Hard Is Good”
Alma 63
“It appears that Shiblon was a son who wanted to please his father and went about doing what was right for right’s sake rather than for praise, position, power, accolades or authority. Helaman must have known and respected this about his brother, for he gave Shiblon custody of the sacred records he had received from his father. Surely Helaman trusted Shiblon because ‘he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God’ (Alma 63:2). As seems truly characteristic of Shiblon, there is not much recorded about him from the time he took possession of the sacred records until he gave them to Helaman’s son Helaman (see Alma 63:11).”
— Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the Seventy, April 2015 general conference, “Truly Good and Without Guile”
