Labor Exceedingly for His People

Mormon described Captain Moroni with these words: “[He was] a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people” (Alma 48:12). We see the truthfulness of this statement in the way that Moroni recaptured the city of Nephihah. Moroni had gathered a large Nephite army outside the city, but the Lamanites would not come out from the city to battle. Moroni did not give up easily, so he devised another way to attack them: “And when the night came, Moroni went forth in the darkness of the night, and came upon the top of the wall to spy out in what part of the city the Lamanites did camp with their army. And it came to pass that they were on the east, by the entrance; and they were all asleep. And now Moroni returned to his army, and caused that they should prepare in haste strong cords and ladders, to be let down from the top of the wall into the inner part of the wall” (Alma 62:20-21). What struck me when I read this passage this morning was the fact that Moroni went himself to spy on the Lamanites. Normally a general of an army would send someone else on such a dangerous reconnaissance mission, but Moroni was no normal general. He willingly took it upon himself to risk his life trying to find out where the Lamanites were camped. Prowling around the city filled with Lamanites in the dark he could have easily been surprised by an enemy and killed. And yet despite the danger Moroni was willing to “labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.” His efforts led to retaking this Nephite city and helped end the war.

                In the same chapter as this story of the taking back Nephihah, we have one more example of a Nephite leader willing to risk his own life to save his people. After Nephihah, Moroni joined his forces with those of Teancum and Lehi as they sought to finally defeat the Lamanite army. Camped by the city of Moroni, Teancum decided to take matters into his own hands to end the war faster. We read, “The Nephites and the Lamanites also were weary because of the greatness of the march; therefore they did not resolve upon any stratagem in the night-time, save it were Teancum; for he was exceedingly angry with Ammoron, insomuch that he considered that Ammoron, and Amalickiah his brother, had been the cause of this great and lasting war between them and the Lamanites, which had been the cause of so much war and bloodshed, yea, and so much famine. And it came to pass that Teancum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the Lamanites, and did let himself down over the walls of the city.” Despite what must have been terrible fatigue, Teancum snuck into the Lamanite camp by night in order to kill Ammoron who with Amalickiah had been the cause of so much suffering. But, unlike Moroni, his nighttime adventure proved fatal: “And he went forth with a cord, from place to place, insomuch that he did find the king; and he did cast a javelin at him, which did pierce him near the heart. But behold, the king did awaken his servants before he died, insomuch that they did pursue Teancum, and slew him.” I have to think that he could have send someone else in to do this job, especially since he had already done it once himself many years prior with Amalickiah. As a general he could have reasoned that he should find the man best trained to perform such a mission and not put himself in such a perilous situation a second time. But I believe that as a man like Moroni he didn’t want to risk the life of someone else for a job he could do. And so he went, and he gave his life in the effort. Mormon summarized, “He had been a man who had fought valiantly for his country, yea, a true friend to liberty; and he had suffered very many exceedingly sore afflictions. But behold, he was dead, and had gone the way of all the earth” (Alma 62:35-37). Teancum had been more of a humble servant than a general, suffering exceedingly in order to preserve his people. Moroni and Teancum understood well the essence of true leadership that the Savior would later teach His apostles: “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26-27).