Here we see a remarkable principle at work. God had commanded the Nephites as a people to fight only defensively, to go to war only as it was necessary to the preservation of their lives, their agency, their families, and their worship. As was pointed out in volume 3 of this work (see commentary on Alma 43-62), Christians enter war; they do not begin it.
Even when it came to taking the initiative in what would appear to be a noble cause- to go into the mountains and root out the secret combinations- the sensitive Gidgiddoni declined the suggestion and explained that if they did that his people would not enjoy the approbation and thus the strength of the Lord.