Alma 24:21 - 24:25

Alma 24:21 Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.

When the Lamanites thought they were prepared, they came against the people of the Lord. Rather than run away from the Lamanites they came out to meet them and lay down on the ground in the attitude of prayer. It was in this attitude of prayer that the Lamanites fell upon them with their swords. The people of the Lord offered no resistance.

Alma 24:22 And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.

A thousand and five were thus slaughtered by the Lamanites. Mormon gives testimony that they all went to live with their God.

Alma 24:23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—

It was evident almost immediately that the people of the Lord were not going to fight or resist them in anyway. What they did do was give praise to God for their testimonies as they were being struck down by the swords of the Lamanites.

As I thought about this scene, I thought that it is not so much a tragedy that one dies. It is sad to the living but not to the dead. We think that when we die we lose everything of value or worth, but it actually just the opposite. It is the next life where the real values lie. The tragedy is that a person is not prepared for the next life and will not enjoy being ready for it. It is like goofing off in high school and then going to college and finding one is not prepared for the rigors of college study. Our associations continue in the next life and with even greater intensity and love. In my studies of near death experiences, I have found no one wanted to come back after they had been there even for a short time regardless of how much they love their earthy families.

Alma 24:24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.

When the Lamanites saw the complete lack of resistance and that these people would rather die at their hand than fight, their consciences were now pricked. They began to have empathy for their victims and they themselves refused to continue the slaughter and thru down their swords.

Alma 24:25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.

The Lamanites who refused the orders of their commanders to continue the slaughter, lay themselves down on the ground with the others relaying on the mercies of the others in their army.