The reason for highlighting previous close calls with bondage or destruction was to underscore the power of God to save. However, there is a requirement for such salvation. Alma reiterates the promise of the land given to Lehi. They will prosper upon principles of righteousness, but Alma also explicitly quotes: “Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.”
Alma drives this lesson home by noting that it has been fulfilled among the Lamanites; “inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord.” The clear message is that “we see that the word of the Lord has been verified in this thing.” The negative aspect of the promise of the land is real, and the Lamanites are the prime example of the fact that it has been invoked.
The example of the Lamanites proves that God fulfills the negative aspect of the promise of the land. Alma will continue to compare and contrast the people of Ammonihah with the Lamanites who have already been “cut off from the presence of the Lord.”