14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.
16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.
Alma 24:14-16 (Emphasis mine)
The king continues reminding the people God loves their soul and has had mercy on them. They have been visited by angels that taught them the plan of salvation (verse 14).
The king then makes a powerful proposal. Since they have been forgiven, their swords were made bright because the stains have been taken away. There is only one way to keep them bright. Bury them deep in the earth as a testimony before God that they were never used. If their brethren destroy them, they will go to God and be saved (verse 16).
This is a very powerful show of faith. They know that there are those that are getting ready to attack them. They know their very lives are in danger. The king even tells them they may die. But, if they do, they will return to God. This is a faith that is rarely seen.
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man's blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.
Alma 24:18 (Emphasis mine)
And the people made a covenant with God that they would rather die than shed any more blood. They also promised they would labor rather than spend their day in idleness.
Discussing this powerful example, Victor Ludlow wrote that “…the converted Lamanite ‘people of Ammon covenant with God that they will never again use weapons for the shedding of human blood. These passages demonstrate that both peaceful and warlike people can humble themselves and enter into covenants with God.” [i] (Emphasis mine)
Making a covenant with God was not an uncommon occurrence in the Book of Mormon.
“The concept of covenant in the Book of Mormon is consistent with Israelite practices recorded in the Old Testament. Covenants are the formation of new relationships and can be seen in family terms. Like the Israelites, the Nephites believed that people were able to make covenants directly with God. This belief is demonstrated by the actions of the people of Ammon after their conversion. They covenanted that ‘they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man's blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives’ (Alma 24:18).” [ii] (Emphasis mine)
This covenant was important to them because of their many murders. What would happen to them if they became what they were like before? Welch writes:
“This oath of the Ammonites (as they would later come to be known) reflected the resolve of converts with a unique background. Because of their ‘many murders, the Ammonites deeply feared that any further shedding of blood might take them beyond the scope of forgiveness (Alma 24:11-13). After these people arrived in the land of Zarahemla, their oath, which had been tested in blood, was honored by the Nephites, who continued to grant them exemption from active (but not economic) military duty (see Alma 27:24)” [iii] (Emphasis mine)
They feared that, if they took up weapons again, that they might never be forgiven again. They were willing to die rather than risk being eternally cut off from God.
Mormon breaks in for a brief observation so we understand the importance of the actions of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies.
19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.
Alma 24:19 (Emphasis mine)
[i] Covenant Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Victor L. Ludlow, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 26, 2011.
[ii] The Lord Will Redeem His People: Adoptive Covenant and Redemption in the Old Testament and Book of Mormon, Jennifer Clark Lane, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 26, 2011.
[iii] Law and War in the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 26, 2011.
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