ETERNALLY INDEBTED TO YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER (Mosah 1-3) by Ted L. Gbbons QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The Book of Mormon contans the fullness of the everlastng Gospel--the record of the ancent Nephtes, translated by the Prophet Joseph Smth, by the gft and power of God n hm--that we may come to a knowledge of the prncples of the Gospel n smplcty and n purty. It makes clear many dark sayngs of the Jewsh Scrptures, as they have come down to us. It sheds a flood of lght over the Bble; t contans the key of knowledge and understandng; and t s more precous than all the works of modern tmes, and s worth more.... there s more to be learned out of t, my young frends, that s calculated to prove of real worth and blessng to the soul, than can be acqured at all the unverstes, colleges and schools of scence and of modern tmes.... Therefore, study the Scrptures; acquant yourselves wth the Book of Mormon. Read them n your Sunday Schools; read them at your fresdes; let them always be found upon your tables, and never permt your famles to be wthout them; and f you are poor sell your coat and buy them; for you are far better wthout a coat than wthout the word of God to teach your chldren. Let our Bshops, and Elders and Teachers attend to t; and enqure whether you are surrounded by those mlk-and-water Sants who love fne dress more than the love of God, and who love to furnsh ther chldren wth muscal nstruments and toys, and who neglect to furnsh them the words of lfe; f you are, labor wth them and teach them n all sncerty the dutes of a Latter-day Sant, a Sant of the lvng God; and God wll bless you n your labors, and you wll have more joy n dong ths than anythng else you could do. (Erastus Snow, Journal of Dscourses, Vol.23, p.300 - p.301) INTRODUCTION: Among the great poltcal leaders n the hstory of the world, Kng Benjamn shnes lke the sun. By vrtually any standard, he s as good a man and great a kng as ever lved. The cursory descrptons gven by Amalek and Mormon show us the ntrgung outlnes of a lfe centered n Chrst and hs servce. Here are the thngs Kng Benjamn dd and dd not do as he blessed hs people: (Words of Mormon 1: 13) he dd fght wth the strength of hs own arm, wth the sword of Laban. (1:14) they dd contend aganst the Lamantes untl they had drven them out
of all the lands of ther nhertance. (1:15) after there had been false Chrsts, and ther mouths had been shut... (1:16) And after there had been false prophets, and false preachers and teachers among the people, and all these havng been punshed accordng to ther crmes... (1:16,18) and after there havng been much contenton and many dssensons away unto the Lamantes... Kng Benjamn... dd once more establsh peace n the land. (1:17) kng Benjamn was a holy man, and he dd regn over hs people n rghteousness... (1:18) kng Benjamn, [labored] wth all the mght of hs body and the faculty of hs whole soul. (Mosah 2:11) I... was suffered by the hand of the Lord... to serve you wth all the mght, mnd and strength whch the Lord hath granted unto me. (2:12) I... have not sought gold nor slver nor any manner of rches of you (2:13) Nether have I suffered that ye should be confned n dungeons (2:13) Nether have I suffered... that ye should make slaves one of another (2:13) Nether have I suffered... that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commt adultery (2:13) nor even have I suffered that ye should commt any manner of wckedness (2:13) I... have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, n all thngs whch he hath commanded you (2:14) And even I, myself, have labored wth mne own hands that I mght serve you, and that ye should not be laden wth taxes, and that there should nothng come upon you whch was grevous to be borne (2:15) I tell you these thngs that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscence before God ths day. Ths s an electon year and canddates are lnng up and clamorng for my vote already. I wll cast my vote for the man whom I thnk to be the best choce. But I would be much happer n the votng booth f Benjamn were on the ballot. 1. KING BENJAMIN TEACHES HIS SONS AND HAS MOSIAH CALL THE PEOPLE TOGETHER (Mosah1)
Mosah s frst descrpton of Benjamn shows hm not as a kng but as a father. What does Mosah 1:2,3 tell us that he dd for hs chldren? And t came to pass that he had three sons; and he called ther names Mosah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught n all the language of hs fathers, that thereby they mght become men of understandng; and that they mght know concernng the propheces whch had been spoken by the mouths of ther fathers, whch were delvered them by the hand of the Lord. And he also taught them concernng the records whch were engraven on the plates of brass, sayng: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were t not for these plates, whch contan these records and these commandments, we must have suffered n gnorance, even at ths present tme, not knowng the mysteres of God. Benjamn desred to provde the best of every beneft and opportunty for hs chldren. And he dd, by teachng them the scrptures. Erastus Snow (see Quote of the Week) would have approved. Benjamn teaches us a great lesson about the benefts of the scrptures and gves great counsel about how to take advantage of those benefts: I say unto you, my sons, were t not for these thngs, whch have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we mght read and understand of hs mysteres, and have hs commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwndled n unbelef, and we should have been lke unto our brethren, the Lamantes, who know nothng concernng these thngs, or even do not beleve them when they are taught them, because of the tradtons of ther fathers, whch are not correct. (Mosah 1:5) What a blessng to have the opportunty to have hs commandments always before our eyes... Have you taken advantage? Or have you, by reason of neglect of the scrptures., dwndled n unbelef from tme to tme n your lfe? Have you sometmes suffered n gnorance, not knowng the mysteres of God? I have heard that Mark Twan once sad, A man who won t read s no better off than a man who can t. Ths s certanly true of readng the scrptures. If we do not read the Book of Mormon, the Doctrne and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Prce and the Bble, what advantage do we have over those who cannot read them for whatever reason?
Have you seen the dfferences between Lamantes and Nephtes, descrbed n these verses by Benjamn, manfested n people n our own culture? Benjamn gave nstructons to hs son to call the people together n a great convocaton. Mosah 1 tells us that there were two purposes for ths meetng. They are n Mosah 1: 10,11. What are they? Therefore, he had Mosah brought before hm; and these are the words whch he spake unto hm, sayng: My son, I would that ye should make a proclamaton throughout all ths land among all ths people, or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosah who dwell n the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; for on the morrow I shall proclam unto ths my people out of mne own mouth that thou art a kng and a ruler over ths people, whom the Lord our God hath gven us. And moreover, I shall gve ths people a name, that thereby they may be dstngushed above all the people whch the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and ths I do because they have been a dlgent people n keepng the commandments of the Lord. (Emphass added) What dd Benjamn gve Mosah besdes the crown? And moreover, he also gave hm charge concernng the records whch were engraven on the plates of brass; and also the plates of Neph; and also, the sword of Laban, and the ball or drector, whch led our fathers through the wlderness, whch was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they mght be led, every one accordng to the heed and dlgence whch they gave unto hm. (Mosah 1:16) 2. KING BENJAMIN TEACHES THE PEOPLE OF THEIR ETERNAL INDEBTEDNESS TO GOD (Mosah 2) Note where the people ptched ther tents when they came to hear the words of ther Kng (see Mosah 2:6). I have come to beleve that t s much easer to hear the words of our Kng f our tents are ptched towards the temple. Where dd Lot ptch hs tent n Geness 13:12? What danger does such a decson pose for people n our own day? When angelc messengers came to destroy the cty of Sodom and Gomorrah, where was Lot lvng (See Geness 19)? What s the modern equvalent of ptchng our tents toward Sodom? If a non-member neghbor vstng your home
were asked to make a judgement about where you have ptched your tent on the bass of what s on your walls, on your vdeo shelf, or on your TV, what concluson would he or she reach? Benjamn told hs people I have not commanded you to come up hther to trfle wth the words whch I shall speak... (Mosah 2:9, emphass added) My dctonary says that the verb trfle means to talk or act jokngly, mockngly, or lghtly. To play or toy wth somethng. The noun refers to somethng of lttle value of mportance. A trval thng or dea. Benjamn does not want hs people to trfle wth hs words. Howe do you trfle wth The law of chastty? General Conference? The scrptures? The sacrament? The presthood? Church callngs? Famly oblgatons? The messages of Mosah 2 are centered n atttude and servce. Benjamn tells us many of the thngs the Lord has done for us: (see Mosah 2:20-23) 1. He has created us 2. He has preserved us 3. He has caused that we can rejoce 4. He has granted that we can lve n peace 5. He s preservng us from day to day 6. He lends us breath 7. He allows us agency that s, the power to lve and move accordng to our wlls 8. He has granted unto us our lves And Benjamn lsts the thngs we can do for God: (see Mosah 2:20-22) There are only three of them: 1. We can be grateful.
2. We can serve hm (see also Mosah 2:17) 3. We can keep hs commandments. Of course, when you do these thngs, he doth mmedately bless you; and therefore he hath pad you. And ye are stll ndebted unto hm, and are, and wll be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? (Mosah 2:24) When we look at our meager efforts n ths lght, we begn to see why Benjamn could call us unproftable servants (see Mosah 2:21). Of course, God s nvestment n the welfare of hs chldren and hs nvolvement n ther lves s not a busness venture from whch he hopes to turn a proft. Benjamn s explanaton of the goodness of God makes t seem very much as though God pays reverse nterest: the more we try to repay hm for hs goodness and blessngs, the more hs goodness and blessngs upon us ncrease. Benjamn uses another nterestng word n ths chapter-- a word that may be worth a lesson of ts own: But, O my people, beware lest... ye lst to obey the evl sprt... (Mosah 2:32, emphass added) My dctonary defnes the word lst n ths way: To nclne; to bend toward; to tlt. For behold, there s a wo pronounced upon hm who lsteth to obey that sprt; for f he lsteth to obey hm, and remaneth and deth n hs sns, the same drnketh damnaton to hs own soul; for he receveth for hs wages an everlastng punshment, havng transgressed the law of God contrary to hs own knowledge. (Mosah 2:33) Ths lstng s not the same as the open rebellon n Mosah 2:37; t s rather a subtle drftng, a slght nclnaton, a nearly nvsble attracton to the entcements of sn, one that mght go almost unnotced wthout the rght tools. Ths remnds me of a passage n Amos. Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumblne, wth a plumblne n hs hand. And the LORD sad unto
me, Amos, what seest thou? And I sad, A plumblne. Then sad the Lord, Behold, I wll set a plumblne n the mdst of my people Israel: I wll not agan pass by them [gnore ther transgressos] any more... (Amos 7:7,8) The purpose of a plumblne on a wall s to see f the wall s bendng or tltng or nclnng to see f t s lstng. God told Amos that he meant to measure Israel wth a plumblne, to see f they were gulty of the thng Benjamn warned hs people about of lstng to obey the evl sprt. How would you recognze such a dlemma n your own lfe or n the lves of your chldren? What sgns would you look for that mght ndcate nclnng? Bendng? Tltng? We have been commanded not to lst but to walk uprghtly before God And now my brethren, f ye were rghteous and were wllng to hearken to the truth, and gve heed unto t, that ye mght walk uprghtly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard thngs aganst us. (1 Neph 16:3, emphass added) And we are enabled to do t, accordng to Neph, as we hearken to the truth and gve heed to t the truth of the scrptures, the truth of the ntmatons of the Sprt, the truth of the words of the lvng prophets. These are the thngs that wll prevent us from lstng: from leanng and tltng and bendng. And lstng s a dangerous pastme, For every man receveth wages of hm whom he lsteth to obey. (Alma 3:27) A man who lsteth to obey the evl sprt and becometh an enemy to all rghteousness... (Mosah 2:37) s n a great dlemma, and f that man repenteth not, and remaneth and deth an enemy to God, the demands of dvne justce do awaken hs mmortal soul to a lvely sense of hs own gult, whch doth cause hm to shrnk from the presence of the Lord, and doth fll hs breast wth gult, and pan, and angush, whch s lke an unquenchable fre, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. (Mosah 2:38) Of ths condton of unquenchable fre and ascendng flame, Joseph Smth sad, A man s hs own tormentor and hs own condemner. Hence the
sayng, They shall go nto the lake that burns wth fre and brmstone. The torment of dsappontment n the mnd of man s as exquste as a lake burnng wth fre and brmstone. I say, so s the torment of man. (Joseph Smth, Journal of Dscourses, Vol.6, p.8, Aprl 6, 1844) On the other hand, Benjamn nvtes ths consderaton: And moreover, I would desre that ye should consder on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed n all thngs, both temporal and sprtual; and f they hold out fathful to the end they are receved nto heaven, that thereby they may dwell wth God n a state of never-endng happness. O remember, remember that these thngs are true; for the Lord God hath spoken t. (Mosah 2:41) KING BENJAMIN REPEATS AN ANGEL S PROPHECIES ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT (Mosah 3) Mosah 3 s a beautful prophecy about the mnstry and atonement of the Savor, n preparaton for whch the angel announces that he wll declare glad tdngs of great joy. (Mosah 3:3) Ths phrase, also used by an angelc messenger n Luke 2:10.,11 s a wonderful way to descrbe the overall meanng of any message about the atonement of Jesus Chrst: glad tdngs of great joy! For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy rghteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoce; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be flled wth joy. (Mosah 3:4) Benjamn gves hs people a powerful and descrptve account of the redemptve servce of Chrst (Mosah 3:5-10), and even though the sufferngs enumerated are anythng but joyful, stll the message s one of great joy, because the Savor s sacrfce wll atone for the sns of at least three groups of people: 1. For behold, and also hs blood atoneth for the sns of those who have fallen by the transgresson of Adam, who have ded not knowng the wll of God concernng them, or who have gnorantly snned. (Mosah 3:11) The blood of Chrst atones for the sns of those who do not know the law. Ths s
not a promse of exaltaton. We cannot be saved n gnorance (see D&C 131:6). 2. And even f t were possble that lttle chldren could sn they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as n Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Chrst atoneth for ther sns. (Mosah 3:16) The blood of Chrst atones for lttle chldren. Presdent John Taylor taught: Wthout Adam's transgresson those chldren could not have exsted. Through the atonement they are placed n a state of salvaton wthout any act of ther own. These would embrace, accordng to the opnon of statstcans, more than one-half of the human famly who can attrbute ther salvaton only to the medaton and atonement of the Savor, Thus, as stated elsewhere, n some mysterous, ncomprehensble way, Jesus assumed the responsblty whch naturally would have devolved upon Adam; but whch could only be accomplshed through the medaton of hmself, and by takng upon hmself ther sorrows, assumng ther responsbltes, and bearng ther transgressons or sns. (John Taylor, The Gospel Kngdom, p.119, emphass added) The fnest artcle on the salvaton of chldren that I have read s n The Ensgn, Aprl 1977, pp. 3-7. It was wrtten by Elder Bruce R. McConke and s called The Salvaton of Lttle Chldren. 3. For behold he judgeth, and hs judgment s just; and the nfant persheth not that deth n hs nfancy; but men drnk damnaton to ther own souls except they humble themselves and become as lttle chldren, and beleve that salvaton was, and s, and s to come, n and through the atonng blood of Chrst, the Lord Omnpotent. (Mosah 3:18) The blood of Chrst atones for men who humble themselves and repent. Of course a tme wll come that... none shall be found blameless before God, except t be lttle chldren, only through repentance and fath on the name of the Lord God Omnpotent. In that day, none wll be gnorant of the msson of Chrst, because the tme shall come when the knowledge of a Savor shall spread throughout every naton, kndred, tongue, and people. (Mosah 3:20)
CONCLUSION: The msson of Chrst s to make possble our reconclaton to God. And all thngs are of God, who hath reconcled us to hmself by Jesus Chrst, and hath gven to us the mnstry of reconclaton... (2 Cor. 5:18) But why was such a reconclaton necessary at all? If we are hs chldren and hs love for us n unblemshed and eternal, what s the thng that has dvded us from hm? Sn has made us hs enemes. But t has not made hm our enemy! Hs love remans, and the proof of that love s n the msson of hs Son. But God commendeth hs love toward us, n that, whle we were yet snners, Chrst ded for us. Much more then, beng now justfed by hs blood, we shall be saved from wrath through hm. For f, when we were enemes, we were reconcled to God by the death of hs Son, much more, beng reconcled, we shall be saved by hs lfe. (Romans 5:8-10, emphass added) When the scrptures descrbe us as hs enemes, they mean to teach us that we are subject to the consequences of the fall unless and untl we are regenerated by the atonement. For the natural man s an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and wll be, forever and ever, unless he yelds to the entcngs of the Holy Sprt, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a sant through the atonement of Chrst the Lord, and becometh as a chld, submssve, meek, humble, patent, full of love, wllng to submt to all thngs whch the Lord seeth ft to nflct upon hm, even as a chld doth submt to hs father. Ths wonderful sermon of the great and good Kng Benjamn teaches us ths process of beng reconcled as well as t s taught anywhere n the scrptures. And certanly the sermon n whch he gves us these teachngs s one of the fve fnest sermons ever recorded n the standard works. We wll conclude our study of hs words n the lesson next week. Copyrght 2004 by Ted Gbbons <tedgbbons@yahoo.com>. All rghts reserved. No part of ths text may be reproduced n any form or by any means for commercal gan wthout the express wrtten consent of the author. Dgtal or prnted copes may be freely made and dstrbuted for personal and publc non-commercal use.