Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/CScJcNNkoS4
This is another one of those large blocks of scripture that you just have to pick and choose what you’re going to teach. So I’m going to dig deep into the story of the 2060 stripling warriors, and then show you an activity that I feel can summarize many of the other wonderful principles you can find in the war chapters of the Book of Mormon.
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker, I like to begin with the following activity. I display a few pictures that artists have rendered over the years of the stripling warriors. I’m sure most of you are familiar with them. I’ll usually show the famous Arnold Frieberg picture, and also some others. I also once saw a shirt with a picture of the stripling warriors with the caption “Momma’s Boys” written under it and I'lsometimes I’ll show that as well. If you just google “Stripling Warriors” then click on images, you’ll see a large sampling of what I’m talking about. After displaying these kinds of pictures I like to ask “What is wrong with the following pictures?” Because I really do feel that many artists have made a fundamental error in portraying the Stripling Warriors, and I don’t feel it's inconsequential. With all due respect to the artists who I don’t think are intentionally misleading anyone. But I think they miss the mark here. What do you think it could be? If they can’t figure it out, I like to provide them with the following scripture references as hints.
Alma 56:30 and Alma 56:46
How do those verses help us? In 56:30, Helaman refers to them as his "little sons". Do these guys look little in those pictures? He’d probably refer to them as his burly sons or colossal sons, but certainly not little. I’d be afraid to call these guys little sons. And then we find in 56:46 that all of them were very young. Now I know that is a relative term, but I think we can safely assume that they were at the very most teenagers. On top of that, the very term “stripling” itself means young, boyish, or adolescent. These were not seasoned warriors or John Cena look-alikes. The scriptures tell us that they had never fought in battle before. On top of that, just think of who their fathers were. I highly doubt that they raised their boys to be men of war. There wouldn’t be swords or weapons lying around these Anti-Nephi-Lehite homes. I can’t envision their father’s play fighting with them or sitting around the table taking about their former murders and war exploits. I highly doubt they looked like bodybuilders. Now you might say that I’m splitting hairs here or “so what, why is it such a big deal how they’re portrayed in art? Ummm. I think it is. And here’s why. Because it takes away from the miracle of their victory and their preservation. Nobody would be surprised if these guys walked away from the battlefield without any casualties. You’d say, well of course. But if these guys do, there is only one explanation for it. The explanation that Helaman gives in Alma 57:26
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
Not their own power, but God’s.
TRANSITION
Today we’re going to Liken the Scriptures unto ourselves.
What can these 2060 young men (sometimes we forget the other 60 that joined them later) teach us? Well, there is a study technique that I often use that helps me to liken the scriptures. And that is to reduce the storyline down to a simple outline of one or two sentences and then see if I can substitute relevant modern counterparts to the details. Let me show you what I mean.
How would you summarize the story of the stripling warriors in one sentence?
Here’s how I would do it.
2060 young men fight physical battles with Lamanites, and (the result) none of them died. That’s basically the story right?
Now let’s try to bridge the gap between then and now. What substitutions could we formulate to make it more relevant?
Depending on who you’re teaching you could substitute 2060 young men with “Latter-day youth of the Church of Jesus Christ” or if you’re teaching adults you could simply say “Latter-day members of the Church of Jesus Christ”, but this lesson translates really powerfully for the youth since they can relate to the age of these young men. These are Book of Mormon teenagers. Now they don’t fight physical battles, but what do they fight? Spiritual battles! Not with Lamanites. But with Satan, or Sin, or the World, and what is our result here? Oh I wish that I could finish that statement in the same way, that I could say that none of them perish spiritually. That none walk away from their faith. That none are deceived and lured away by the seductive pull of the world. But they do. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to finish that statement with many die spiritually, or at the very least, some die spiritually. What we’d like to be able to do is finish that statement in the same way as we did with the stripling warriors. SO, to make this story more relevant, we need to examine what it was that these young men did that led to that result. If we want the same results that the stripling warriors got, we need to do what they did! If we follow their example, it stands to reason that we could receive the same outcome. I believe that’s true. In a spiritual sense, we too can win our spiritual battles. So let’s add one more section to our sentence here. Let’s add “by” and study all the things that they did. That should give us a clear picture of the things that we must do in order to stand firm on the latter-day battlefield.
SEARCH
So here we go. Let’s call this activity "What makes a Stripling Warrior?” I’m going to give you the verses and invite you to pause and study them and write down everything you learn about the Stripling Warriors that you feel contributed to their miraculous preservation by God and then we’ll go through and examine them one by one. Here they are:
53:16
53:17
53:19
53:20
53:21
56:47-48
57:19-20
57:21
57:26
57:27
58:40
Now let’s take a look at each on their own.
53:16
One word seems to stand out to me more than any other in this verse. Now, do you recall the situation? The Nephites are facing a grave military threat from the Lamanites. They’ve already lost many people and cities in this war. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies, who have made a covenant that they would never fight again after burying their weapons of war deep in the earth, watching the great sacrifices being made on their behalf, to protect them. And they’re so distressed by this desire to help that the scriptures say they're about to break that oath, but Helaman persuades them not to. So you can see the direness of this situation. So I picture the young sons of these people listening to this discussion and dilemma. And what word in the verse stands out to me? Themselves. It says they assembled THEMSELVES together at this time and they entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites. So whose idea was it? Helaman’s? The other Nephite people? Their fathers? Did their dad’s and mom’s walk over and say, “You know boys, you didn’t make that same oath. You were too young at the time. Maybe you ought to consider fighting for us?” No. That didn’t happen. It was their idea. They assembled themselves together. You can just see this young group of boys walking over to Helaman and saying. We’ll do it. We’ll fight. In fact, we’ve already made a covenant with God to do so. One quality of stripling warriors is that they are self-motivated to do good, to be righteous. They don’t have to be coerced, bribed, shamed, or dragged kicking and screaming to do the right things. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the youth of your ward got together, on their own, and decided that they were going to take an oath that they were going to live the standards in the For Strength of Youth, to be honest, and chaste, and marry to in the temple? That would be amazing. The kind of self-drive and initiative gives you power one the adversary and make you more effective. For example, the missionary who serves because they truly desire to be there and to preach God’s gospel and serve others is always going to be a more effective warrior for God than the one who is there out of a sense of social pressure. The seminary student who decides for themselves that they are going to attend and participate and study will always get more out of the experience than the one who’s there because Mom and Dad are forcing them.
53:17
Stripling warriors make and keep covenants. I’m sure they learned the power of this idea by watching the example of their fathers. Latter-day stripling warriors take their baptismal and sacramental covenants seriously. It’s not just something they do because well, that’s just what members of the church do when they turn eight or attend sacrament meeting. Their covenants mean something to them and they stay true to them.
53:19
Stripling warriors choose prophets as their leaders. Again, Helaman doesn’t walk over and say that he’ll take control. They decide that they want Helaman to lead them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the youth of the church rose up and said, we want Russell M. Nelson to be our leader? We will look to him for counsel and guidance. Not celebrities, political figures, athletes, or their own friends, but a prophet. I love what Helaman calls his band of 2060 young men. Look at 56:10, he calls them his sons. And in 56:46 what do they call him? Father. What a wonderful, close relationship between the prophet and these boys. I’m sure that our current prophet looks at the youth of the church with the same love and trust and expectation as a father has for their own children. Wouldn’t it be great if we all looked to President Nelson as a father? Those who make a prophet their leader, that look to him like a Father, will certainly be more likely to be victorious on the battlefield of life.
53:20
Such great descriptive words in this verse. They are valiant for courage, known for their strength and activity, and they were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. I think they had the type of valiance and courage that Captain Moroni did as he waved his Title of Liberty. They were strong and active. Active is a word we’re familiar with in the church. Latter-day stripling warriors are strong and active in the gospel. They attend their meetings, they participate enthusiastically in church, seminary, the youth program, and their community. They have the courage to go against the grain, to be different, to not care what the world may think of them. And they are true at all times to what has been entrusted to them, not just when it’s convenient or expected, but at ALL times. And what have they been entrusted with? The gospel, their virtue, their integrity, their example, their destiny, their spiritual gifts, the future of the church. They stand true to all of it.
53:21
They are followers of truth and soberness. I like the word soberness. What does that mean? The opposite of sober is drunk. When you are drunk, you are out of control and I’ve seen drunk people before. They often have no clue as to what’s going on around them. They do strange and sometimes even dangerous things. Latter-day stripling warriors are in control; in control of their appetites, their passions, their tempers, their thoughts, words, and deeds. They are free from addictions and they understand and believe that freedom comes from obedience. They keep the commandments and walk uprightly before God.
56:47-48
Stripling warriors are adherents to the 5th commandment. They honor their mothers and their fathers. These stripling warrior parents must have been amazing people. These were parents that were able to pass faith on to the next generation. Their mothers are made mention of in particular. They did not doubt that their mothers knew it. Perhaps this is a lesson for us parents. Do your children know that you know it? Have they heard you bear your testimony? Do they see you live your faith conspicuously and graciously? The foundation for the faith of most children begins with the faith of their parents and then, as they grow older, they begin to develop their own testimonies. But it often starts there with Mom and Dad. Latter-day stripling warriors look to the faith and heritage of their fathers and mothers for strength. They are true to the faith that our parents have cherished.
57:19-20
Stripling warriors are firm and undaunted in the face of opposition. Certainly, there will be challenges that arise in this fight. It’s not going to be easy but they don’t turn tail and run as soon as the going gets tough; as soon as the persecution or mocking comes, or when sacrifices have to be made. Latter-day stripling warriors can handle it. They face it with stoic firmness and undaunted courage.
57:21
I love this one. Stripling warriors obey every word of command with exactness. They aren’t looking for the loopholes, the gray areas, or try to push the boundaries as far as they can. They strive to follow the standards and counsels of the prophets with unwavering rigor. I love something that my Dad used to tell me when I was a teenager. He’d say “don’t lick grass”. Now, what on earth does that mean? When he worked on a ranch in his youth, one of the most despised jobs for him was fixing fence. He’d have to walk down miles and miles of barbed wire fence to fix the areas that had been stretched and loosened. This would happen because cows would often think that the best grass to eat was always on the other side of the fence, instead of what's right in front of them. So they would stick their heads through the barbed wire and eat all the grass just on the other side of the fence. But when that was gone, they would push against the fence further out, and stretch out their necks, and lean their large bodies against the barbed wire to get more mouthfuls of that grass on the other side. Eventually, when they couldn’t push any further, sometimes they would stick out their long tongues and try to lick the distant grass into their mouths. That’s the image, that’s licking grass. So whenever we, as children, started to push the boundaries of our standards or think that the best things in life lay on the other side of God’s commandments and counsels, Dad would remind us not to be like those cows. To not push against those fences placed there for our safety. There’s enough of that which is good, and wholesome, and nourishing on this side of the fence. Latter-day stripling warriors don’t compromise even a little with the counsels of the prophets. When the prophets say “Don’t date before your 16, they don’t date before they are 16. Not even at 15 1/2. When the prophets say to dress modestly, they don’t push the boundaries. When the prophets say to pay their tithing, they pay 10% and no less. They don’t cheat or lie or swear even just a little. They strive to obey every word of command with exactness.
57:26
Stripling warriors have exceeding faith. We learned from Jesus that even with faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. What do you think you can accomplish with exceeding faith then? Well, probably a miracle much like these young men experienced.
57:27
In a similar vein, verse 27. Their minds are firm and they put their trust in God continually
58:40
And verse 40, They are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day. They do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually. I’m intrigued by the use of the word strict here, especially when we're talking about teenagers. That’s a word most teens don’t seem to like very much. They don’t want strict parents, or strict teachers, or strict rules. All these words suggest a similar idea. Valiant, firm, undaunted, strict, exactness. Wouldn’t it be great if all of us could have those same words used to describe our commitment to our faith and righteousness?
Now, do you get a better sense of why the stripling warriors experienced the outcome they did? Do you think we might experience the same kind of blessing on a spiritual level if those phrases described us? I can just picture those hardened, full-grown, and skilled Lamanite warriors watching with disbelief at what was unfolding around them. Staring with incredulity and saying, “They’re just boys, though. How is this happening?” Hopefully, the people of the world look at the amazing things that our young men and young women accomplish and their character and say the same kinds of thing. “How do they do it?” When they see the growth that occurs at the hands of our young missionaries, when they consider the accomplishments and the goodness of the members of the church, I hope they share that same sense of awe and wonder. It is miraculous. They are miraculous. May the youth and indeed the general membership of the church follow the magnificent example of these courageous young men.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
I’d like you to stop and ponder the following questions.
Which description of the stripling warriors most inspires you?
While studying this lesson, have you felt inspired by the Spirit to do anything different in your life?
What is it?
Will you do it?
I’d like to insert an additional quick principle here. I can imagine that one could become a little overwhelmed by this list. Is it a bit idealistic to expect people to live like this at all times? Yes. It probably is. I imagine that not even the stripling warriors themselves fit that description all of the time. And that’s why I find Alma 57:27 interesting. Yes, it was true that none of them died, but there is another quality that all of them shared. What is it? They all received many wounds. I imagine that this will be true of all of us as well in our spiritual battles. We are not going to escape this battle of life without some wounds. I’m sure that Satan is going to get a few good hits on every one of us. We’re all going to experience some setbacks, make some mistakes, and suffer loss because of them. But not getting wounded isn’t what matters most. What matters most is that we don’t die. Wounds can heal. Repentance is possible. Sins can be forgiven and we will live to fight another day. But if you remain true and undaunted and firm, you will not be slain.
CONCLUSION
There is a word that comes to mind when I think of the stripling warriors. Invincible. They could not be killed. They could not be stopped. When we do the things they did, I believe we become spiritually invincible. I think one of the most amazing moments in this story must have been when they lined up these young men to be counted. I wonder who got to do that. What must that have been like? To count one by one, to reach 1,000, then 1,500, then imagine your surprise and gratitude when you actually reached 2,000 and there were still more to count, 2010, 2020, 30, 40, 50. And at that moment it would probably start to dawn on you that what you were witnessing was not luck, or chance, or circumstance, but something divine. 2055, 56, 57, 58, 59, 2060. Your gratitude would change to awe. I hope to have a similar experience when it comes to my own children. I don’t want to lose even one. When it comes to the youth of my ward, to my students. I too hope that I could count them off one by one and find that none had perished. I do believe this is possible, but only if we can somehow seek to match the courage, the exceeding faith, the firmness, and the commitment that these 2060 demonstrated.
PRINCIPLE CHALLENGE
Well to me, that is probably the most powerful story in these chapters. But certainly, there are many other principles we could point out. So, rather than try to cover them deeply, I want to give you a way of covering many war chapter principles in a short amount of time and I like to make it a bit of a game with my students. No, you won’t be going into any great spiritual depth on any of them, but I do feel it will give them some great practice on identifying relevant principles from stories in the scriptures. So here’s how it works.
I put the following list of principles up on the screen and then give these instructions. Or you could give each of them a printed handout with all these on it and I’ll make that available to you. Now, these are from all of the war chapters together. Alma 43-63 so I know it looks like a lot. But that’s by design. You want this to be challenging, and you’ll find that the game gets easier as you go along and eliminate the principles one by one. So here are the instructions. Now depending on the size of your class, you may have them compete as individuals, or you could put them together in small groups.
Listen to the teacher read or summarize the scripture reference.
Search the list of principles and select which you think is the best match with what that reference or story teaches
Raise your hand and wait to be called on.
You only get one guess so be sure it’s your best answer.
You may guess again only after all other teams/individuals have given an answer and the correct one has not been identified yet.
One point awarded for the team/individual that identifies the correct match first
The team with the most points by the end of class wins!
So here we go.
43:19-21 Preparation=Power. J
43:48-50 When we feel weak, if we cry unto the Lord for strength, he will give us power to face the adversary. N
44:1 When you find yourself in a contentious situation, it is wise to “stop and withdraw a pace” and try to resolve it peacefully. A
44:3 The righteous give credit to God for their victories. S
48:21-24 If we must go to war, we should go reluctantly, only in defense. M
49:3-4 Satan is persistent and may attack you again in an area where you once fell. After you repent, you must fortify yourself against that thing. D
49:14-16 If we trust in the Lord and his leaders, we can make strengths out of weaknesses.R
49:22 Don’t give Satan an equal chance to win against you. Stack the odds in your favor. You don’t want a fair fight. F
50:1-6 We should have many different types of defenses against Satan. Be overly protective of your soul, even if it requires a lot of effort. H
50:22-23 Being righteous, following good leaders, and being spiritually prepared brings true happiness. I
50:30-31 If we ever find ourselves in a situation of abuse, we should run away from it and go tell a trusted individual all about it. T
51:34 If you want to kill evil in your life, do it swiftly and immediately, not slowly by degrees. K
52:21-37 Never leave your strongholds of faith, even if you feel it is just a little temptation that you can handle. C
53:2 It’s easier to fight life’s spiritual battles when you can do it with a trusted and righteous friend. B
55:1-24 People do foolish things when they are drunk. Obey the Word of Wisdom! O
58:9-11 When we feel outnumbered and weak, if we pour out our souls in prayer to God, he will give us assurances, peace, great faith, and hope. P
59:13 It’s easy to get frustrated with government. G
61:9 When somebody offers you offense, don’t take it. You can choose not to be offended. Q
62:41 Our trials can either soften or harden our hearts—drive us to God, or away from him. We decide which. E
Well, we can conclude there. So many great principles of spiritual warfare in these chapters, and really, we just scratched the surface. There are others in there that I had to exclude for time’s sake. But with the practice you have in identifying relevant principles, I encourage you to go back in and find others of your own. You won’t be disappointed if you do.
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