The Unnamed Soldier

One of the great unnamed characters of the Book of Mormon is the soldier who protected Moroni from Zarahemnah, the leader of the Lamanite army.  The Nephites and Lamanites had been fighting and Moroni was trying to convince Zarahemnah to accept a truce with a covenant that he wouldn’t fight any more.  When they could not come to an agreement and Moroni promised to recommence the fighting, “Zarahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni’s soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off his scalp and it fell to the earth” (Alma 44:12).  I’m impressed by how quickly this soldier was able to respond to Zarahemnah’s sudden lunge at Moroni.  He had stood there not just listening to the interchange between these two leaders, but he had been ready at every moment for the first sign of trouble.  He did not let himself get distracted as it would have been so easy to do.  If he had waited even a second longer to respond it could have been disastrous for Moroni who could have lost his life or at least been injured.  This man was a soldier who knew his duty and fulfilled it perfectly. 

               This story reminds me of an experience I had in boy scouts.  I was repelling down a cliff and I had made the mistake of not wearing gloves.  I had a belayer down below watching me, and towards the very end I started going too fast down the mountain and without thinking I let go of the rope because it was burning my gloveless hands.  That should have sent me falling even faster but the belayer who held the rope—I no longer remember who it was—immediately stopped me at that moment as was his job to do.  I was only about 5-10 feet above the ground at that point, which means that he did not have much time to react before I would be plummeting into the ground with what could have been a serious injury.  But like Moroni’s soldier, he never lost focus of his duty and responded in a split second to save me from an accident.  I love that we also have a few words from this unnamed soldier who after this heroic feat declared, “Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace” (Alma 44:14).  He certainly never could have imagined that his words would be read by millions over 2000 years later, but they stand as an invitation to all of us to sue for peace but to do so with courage and determination.  Mormon was sure to point out that his prophecy indeed was a true one: “Behold they were pierced and smitten, yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied” (Alma 44:18).  So, having the spirit of prophecy, surely he also had “the testimony of Jesus,” and that testimony in all of us should motivate us to fulfil our own duty before Him with the same readiness of this faithful soldier and my own belayer (Revelation 19:10).