Samuel brings up the irony of his teaching the Nephites about the Messiah. Samuel declares the obvious fact that the Lamanites have not followed God. That has been the path of the Nephites. Now, however, there is a turnaround. The Nephites preached the gospel to the Lamanites, and they have believed. Samuel declares that the Nephites have been kept around this long precisely because there were righteous Nephites who were to preach to the Lamanites to give them the gospel. This is an oblique reference to Nephi, the prophet that they once tried to kill, and now appear to tolerate more than honor in spite of the miracles they witnessed.