3 Nephi 4

In follow up with yesterday's blog, again I want to return to what happens to people that begin to be unrighteous and self-reliant and begin to depend on the resources of others. In this chapter we learn the fate of the Gadiantion robbers who did plunder, rob, live, and depend on the resources of others for the Nephites, being lead by prophets of God, began to gather for protection. Upon doing so, the -

"...armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret places, and began to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate." (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:1)

But as they did -

"...there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the robbers save it were in the wilderness.
3 And the robbers could not exist save it were in the wilderness, for the want of food..." (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:2 - 3)

Isn't it interesting that robbing, taking, over taxing, re-distributing of resources seems to work fine until resources become unavailable for -

"...there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites..." (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:4)

This type of motives ended up becoming the end of the robbers. This does not mean there was no death or affliction amongst the Nephites in defending themselve, but it did mean the temporary end of the robbers. Upon doing so, the righteous declared -

"...May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the earth.
30 And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.
31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.
32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.
33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies..." (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:29 - 33)

For, with emphasis -

"...they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction." (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:33)