20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.
- They were capable. He describes them as courageous, strong, and active, which are the qualities you would want to see in an individual contributor.
- They were reliable. When they were entrusted with a task or an assignment, you could count on them to complete it. Mormon calls them “men of truth and soberness.” To me, this means that they had their thoughts and their emotions under control. They saw things as they really were, and they were not easily agitated. Mormon attributes this stability of mind and heart to their upbringing: they had learned from a young age to keep the commandments of God, reliably and faithfully.
Their strength and courage allowed them each to contribute meaningfully. Their self-discipline enabled them to operate as a unified organization. Imagine the power of 2,000 capable warriors who could be trusted to “obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness,” as Helaman later attested (Alma 57:21). Individually, they were formidable. As a group, and with the help of the Lord, they were unstoppable.
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