20 Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands.
21 But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.
3 Nephi 3:20-21
In the Book of Mormon, Gidgiddoni showed remarkable restraint in the face of an imminent threat, typical of the prophet-generals of his time.
In the shadow of the Gadianton army massing, he shunned preemptive war. He refused the popular calls for a first strike to “destroy them in their own lands,” instead advocating for fortifying their homeland.
In the end, this defensive strategy prevailed. Giddianhi, the Gadianton leader, was slain, and Zemnarihah, his successor, was hanged.
The Lord will always favor a righteous defender who does not actively seek war, but who seeks to defend home and family.