Moroni had taken command at a very young age (v. 17). He died eighteen years after the account we are reading, in the 36 year of the reign of the judges (see Alma 63:3). Therefore, he may have been appointed some years before, or he would have been only forty-three or forty-four years of age at the time of his death. He had retired one to four years earlier from his military position “to spend the remainder of his days in peace” (Alma 62:43).
Preparation is the mark of a good leader. To be prepared requires anticipation of the future, and Captain Moroni was always prepared for war against the Lamanites (Alma 43:18–21). As the account continues, the Lamanites copy the Nephites innovative methods, but we will see that Captain Moroni was a step ahead and always prepared with some new methods of defense that the Lamanites had not anticipated. On the other hand, the Lamanites still used their basic age-old customs of warfare (see Enos 1:20; Mosiah 10:8; Alma 3:5). They relied on the arm of human strength while Captain Moroni relied on the Lord.
The Lamanites also relied on their reasoning to gain power over the Nephites (Alma 43:22). Captain Moroni relied on revelation through the Lord’s prophet for his defense (Alma 44:23). His faith was rewarded, and Alma received Captain Moroni’s requested message from the Lord (v. 24). Captain Moroni began his preparation for the next Lamanite invasion.