April 25, 2020
#32 APRIL 20-26, Mosiah 4-6
It’s halftime!
At an American football game when the game is half over, the teams go to their locker rooms for a few minutes while the fans are entertained at “halftime.” Some of the halftime shows are pretty elaborate! And at a stage play or concert, there is often an intermission in the middle of the performance.
We are at “halftime” or “intermission” in the “King Benjamin Show.” We studied three chapters, Mosiah 1-3, last week. This week, we’ll be talking about three more chapters, Mosiah 4-6. These six chapters should really be considered together, but they were divided in half for Come, Follow Me because they are so rich in good material.
So, we’ll give King Benjamin a break for a few minutes before he begins to speak again from his tower while we talk about some things which I hope you’ll find interesting related to his address.
Formal sermons in the Book of Mormon
As we learned earlier with Jacob, the brother of Nephi, there are some addresses or sermons, similar to general conference talks, which are recorded verbatim in the Book of Mormon. These are powerful and are an important part of the Book. Perhaps the most famous and often quoted of these sermons is this address by King Benjamin, but it’s interesting to look at some of the others. Below is a list of formal sermons in the Book of Mormon with the reference, the name of the prophet who gave the sermon and where it was given. Each of these sermons has been recorded for us in the text of the Book of Mormon as it was actually given. (The sermons by Jacob that were saved on the Small Plates of Nephi were recorded there directly by Nephi or Jacob. The sermons that are recorded by Mormon on to his plates must have been imported from the Large Plates of Nephi. I’ll bet he wished he had “copy and paste” functions on the plates! One sermon was added to the Plates of Mormon by his son Moroni.)
When we read these sermons, we are reading the words actually spoken by the prophets, not an abridgment or summary by someone at a later time. That gives these sermons even more power. We are reading what the prophet actually said, as if we were part of his audience. Notice also that some of the audiences were sympathetic, but not all of them. Some of the sermons were given to hostile audiences. In those cases, the sermons resulted in threats, violence (even death), and/or imprisonment of the prophet giving the message.
Here is the list: (I hope the formatting comes out ok for you. It will depend on the screen resolution of your device.)
Prophet Reference Location
Jacob 2 Nephi 6-10 City of Nephi
Jacob Jacob 2-3 City of Nephi
Benjamin Mosiah 2-5 Zarahemla
Abinadi Mosiah 12-15 Court of Noah
Alma Alma 5 Zarahemla
Alma Alma 7 Gideon
Alma & Amulek Alma 10-13 Ammonihah
Alma & Amulek Alma 32-34 Zoramites
Nephi Helaman 7-9 Zarahemla
Samuel Helaman 13-15 Zarahemla
Jesus Christ 3 Nephi 12-16 Bountiful (1st day)
Jesus Christ 3 Nephi 20-22 Bountiful (2nd day)
Mormon Moroni 7 A synagogue
I count 13 sermons by 9 different prophets (counting the Savior and Amulek as prophets). The Book of Mormon would be a priceless treasure even if it were only for the preservation of these marvelous sermons! We have already talked about Jacob’s two sermons and we are now discussing the sermon of King Benjamin. We’ll discuss the others as we encounter them through the rest of this year. Next will be Abinadi, one of my favorites!
More than meets the eye
There is more going on in the sermon of King Benjamin than “meets the eye” to the casual observer. I’ve learned a lot from the notes by Bro. John Welch for the last two weeks about this sermon of Benjamin. If you want to read the notes for yourselves, they are found at Book of Mormon Central (https://bookofmormoncentral.org/come-follow-me/book-of-mormon) and can be downloaded to study and save as a .pdf file.
Some of the things I found interesting include:
Chiasm in Benjamin’s Address
Benjamin’s address, in fact, the whole first 6 chapters of Mosiah, are chiastic. Remember, chiastic means that it follows a form named for the Greek letter chi, which is shaped like an X. The first part is repeated in reverse order in the second part with the center of the chi being the most important. The words of the angel about the Savior are at the center of the 6-chapter chiasm and, therefore, most important. Other parts of this address are also chiastic. For instance, here is a simple chiasm in Mosiah 3:19, an oft quoted verse. (Again, I hope the formatting works for you.)
a For the natural man
b Is an enemy to God, and
c Has been from the fall of Adam, and
c’ Will be, forever and ever, unless he
b’ Yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit, and
a’ Putteth off the natural man.
I can’t imagine Joseph Smith knew anything about chiastic writing when he translated the Book of Mormon. It is one of the strong internal witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as a record translated from ancient writings of Hebrew origin and not a creation of Joseph Smith or any other person in the modern era.
Benjamin kept the Law of the King
In Deuteronomy chapter 17, there are listed requirements and characteristics that a king in Israel is to follow. Many of these requirements for the king as listed in Deuteronomy are also found in Benjamin’s address. That is not likely an accident. Even though it has been nearly 500 years since the ancestors of these Nephite people left Jerusalem, they are still strongly influenced by their Hebrew background, mainly because they have the Plates of Brass to study and be reminded. Here is the list. Notice how Benjamin refers to many of them in his address.
· The Lord shall choose him
· He shall be one of thy brethren
· He shall not return the people to Egypt
· He shall not multiply to himself silver and gold
· He shall have a copy of the Law
· He shall read the Law all his days
· He shall fear the Lord
· He shall keep the Law
· His heart shall not be lifted up above his brethren
· He shall not turn aside to the right hand or the left
· His days shall be prolonged in the kingdom
See Welch Notes for further discussion.
Benjamin’s address follows the pattern of a coronation and covenant making ceremony in ancient Israel
There are interesting parallels between the covenant ceremonies of Benjamin and Mosiah and those of some Old Testament prophets, including Moses (Exodus 24), Joshua (Joshua 24) and Samuel (1 Samuel 10). Again, how in the world would Joseph Smith know this and write it into the Book of Mormon?
See Stephen D. Ricks, “Kingship, Coronation, and Covenant in Mosiah 1–6,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom”, ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 233–276 and Welch Notes at Book of Mormon Central.
Benjamin’s address qualifies as a great oration
Perhaps most interesting to me was Brother Welch’s discussion of how Benjamin’s address qualifies as a great oration compared to those of classical Greek and Latin orators. From his notes:
It is powerful to compare King Benjamin’s speech to the greatest orations of world history. … Many of their speeches and orations have been preserved, analyzed, and used as models for great talks. I identified twelve key qualities that rhetoricians readily agree are commonly found in the greatest of orations in world history. While great speeches often have six or seven of these, all twelve are present in King Benjamin’s speech. For example:
· Great orations are said to transcend the moment and capture the entire spirit of an age.
· A great oration is dramatic.
· A great oration is absolutely sincere, with no pretense.
· A great oration delivers eternal truths uttered with disarming humility.
· A great oration has a voice of pure authority.
· A great oration is purposeful and effectively organized.
· A great oration gives unmistakable instructions to ensure success.
· Great oratory also produces a compelling presentation of ultimate human choice that propels people to critical action.
All readers of this text should note that Joseph Smith, at the normal rate of translation, did not have more than about a day and a half to bring forth this text [the text of this sermon]. It is not as if Joseph could say, “I know that I need to write one of the greatest religious speeches ever given in the history of the world, so I will take several weeks or months to work on this.” Speakers will labor long and hard over speeches of this magnificence, and certainly King Benjamin must have done so as well. Joseph did not have that luxury. When asked how he could do this, Joseph always answered, “by the gift and power of God.”
And now, O man, remember, and perish not! (Mosiah 4:30)
Ancient people used their brains differently than we do. We rely on books, programs, and aids (e.g. scripture apps with search functions) whereas many ancient people had most of the scriptures committed to memory. When Benjamin said, “Remember, remember, O man,” he meant, “Remember my words; memorize them.”
In the year 2000, I was teaching an honors BYU Book of Mormon class, and for the last six weeks of the semester we were studying King Benjamin. The requirement was for them to memorize the entire speech. I had them perform it in groups where they could do it like a Greek chorus, but I also assigned them to do certain parts by themselves. It is possible to recite this whole talk in 35 minutes. Eleven years later, I still got reports from the students that it was the best thing they did at BYU.
Welch Notes, Book of Mormon Central
I haven’t tried to memorize Benjamin’s speech, at least, not yet. I found a few years ago when learning the temple endowment that memorizing is good for my aging brain. Memorizing doesn’t come as easily as it did when I was younger, but is a good exercise. After learning the endowment, it was very meaningful for me to memorize The Living Christ. I repeat that each morning when I get up and do some exercises. Lori and I used to repeat it together, alternating sentences, everyday as missionaries and still do it often in the car, doing the dishes or other odd times. I also learned The Proclamation on the Family and enjoy reciting it to myself two or three times a week. I’m now working on the Bicentennial Proclamation which Pres. Nelson introduced at the last General Conference. My goal is to have it memorized for the next General Conference in October. Maybe I’ll start then on Benjamin’s address after that. We’ll see.
Mosiah Chapter 4
Halftime is over. The teams are back on the field ready for the second half kickoff. Intermission is concluded and everyone is back in their seats for the second act of the King Benjamin Show. Benjamin had a good break and is back on his tower ready to go again. Let’s see what has happened during intermission.
If you didn’t watch the Book of Mormon video of Mosiah 1-5 last week, you’ve got to take time to watch it. Even if you did, watch it again or, at least, start at about about 10:30 minutes to see what happens after Benjamin gives the people the words of the angel. It’s powerful! I got choked up again this morning hearing Benjamin’s words and watching the reactions of the people, especially the children. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/mosiah-1-5/2020-03-0110-king-benjamin-teaches-about-serving-god-mosiah-29-11-14-17-1080p
Apply the atoning blood of Christ
King Benjamin concludes the words of the angel at the end of Chapter 3 with the first Amen of this sermon. Even though there is a chapter break and despite my lame jokes about “halftime” and “intermission”, there is actually no break between the close of the words of the angel and what comes next. King Benjamin cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. (4:1-2)
Struck by the power of the words of the angel and the message about the Savior, His suffering and atonement and the warning of the angel that these words shall stand as a bright testimony against this people at the judgment day (3:24), the people are overwhelmed with awe and humility and fall to the earth. In our day, we bow our heads. In their day, they bowed their whole bodies. The Book of Mormon video shows them kneeling on the ground. Some may have prostrated themselves on the ground to show their humility. And they begin to cry,
O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. (4:2)
The video is especially touching showing these words coming from different members of the audience who were kneeling below the tower. The Book of Mormon says they all cried aloud with one voice (4:2), but I doubt they spoke in unison as if this were a well-rehearsed chorus. More likely, they spontaneously cried out each in their own way from their own heart. But their hearts and thus their voices were united in one.
I have knelt many times and pled with our loving Father to “apply the atoning blood of Christ” in my behalf. Perhaps, even more meaningfully, I have knelt and pled on behalf of others as their brother and priesthood leader asking our Father to “apply the atoning blood” of His holy Son in behalf of a repentant sinner (aren’t we all sinners?). I’ve told you before the story of pleading in those words for a brother whose transgressions were egregious. As I apologized to the Lord for this brother’s mistakes and pled with the Lord to forgive him, the voice that came into my mind was distinct, “I already have.” We have a loving, forgiving Father in Heaven who is delighted to respond to heart-felt pleas from His children for forgiveness through the atoning blood of His Beloved Son.
They were filled with joy
After pleading on their knees before their Father in Heaven, these faithful, humble Nephites had a remarkable experience.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come. (4:3)
The emotion of joy and feeling of peace are the most frequent companions of the Spirit of the Lord. They are often accompanied by tears of gratitude. Pres. Nelson said in General Conference in October 2016, The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival
In response to the question, “How can I find joy?”, as part of the 21-day Book of Mormon challenge in Europe and the UK in September 2018, while serving as a missionary in England and Wales, I wrote the following:
True joy (as opposed to other more fleeting and superficial positive emotions such as having fun, feeling happy, being optimistic, etc.) is always linked to the Savior. Our loving Father in Heaven is the source of all joy and extends it to His children through His Son. As President Nelson says, joy has little to do with the circumstances of our lives but everything to do with the focus of our lives - on the Savior. Joy is centered in our faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement and our hope for the blessings promised because of our covenant relationship with Him.
The Book of Mormon is the "handbook" of the Atonement. As such, it is also a rich source of information about how to achieve joy in this life. The word joy is found 145 times in the Book of Mormon, more than in any other of the standard works (considering the Old and New Testaments separately.) The word joy is used 4 times in this passage and is linked to the Spirit of the Lord, remission of sins, peace of conscience and faith in Jesus Christ (v. 3); tasting of the love of God and receiving a remission of sins (v. 11); and having his Spirit poured out upon us (v. 20). It is clear that joy is linked to our faith in the Savior and the blessings of His atonement in our lives.
I am grateful for the Savior in my life. In the smallest part, I have also "known of his goodness and have tasted of his love." (v. 11) God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son - the source of true joy in our lives!
Only one salvation
Having witnessed the repentance and powerful spiritual experience of his people, Benjamin, with a full heart, begins to speak again. He reminds his people that the feelings they have from the Spirit are because of the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world (4:6) and that there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of. (4:7). There is no other way to heaven. The Millet and McConkie Commentary puts it this way:
We are hardly at liberty to pick and choose among various redemptive plans. While it may have been true in the ancient world that all roads led to Rome, it was equally true that there was but one entrance to the Holy of Holies. There is and can be only one salvation, and thus there is and can be only one Savior.
That atonement was prepared in the pre-earthly councils when Jesus Christ stepped forward and offered to be the “willing Lamb” to put into effect the plan of His Father on earth. Thus He became the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made. (D&C 76:39)
Believe in God
Benjamin will now go on to instruct his people further about how to receive the atonement in their lives and walk the covenant path. He gives a compelling, powerful series of parallel invitations regarding belief and actions based on belief. I’ll list them in bullet form:
Believe
· In God;
· That He is;
· That He created all things;
· That He has all wisdom;
· [That He has] all power;
· That man doth not comprehend [embrace, understand] all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
Believe that ye must
· Repent of your sins;
· Forsake your sins;
· Humble yourselves before God;
· Ask in sincerity of heart that He would forgive you.
If you believe all these things see that ye do them. (4:10-11)
Benjamin concludes this section of his sermon with a powerful verse of exhortation.
As ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come. (4:11)
This verse is a great summary of how to walk the covenant path. We presume that Benjamin’s people, at least those old enough to have done so, have already accepted Christ and been baptized. He is now describing the path which they must follow as faithful followers of Christ to retain what they have received. This verse is a fitting companion to the summary verse of Nephi near the conclusion of his writings in which he encourages his followers to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)
In order to retain the repentant heart they have and the companionship of the Spirit and joy which have come to them, Benjamin exhorts his people in this verse to “remember” and “always retain in remembrance “the greatness of God” and “his goodness and long-suffering towards you” and to pray “daily” and stand “steadfast” in the faith. Benjamin has read Nephi!
Retain a remission of your sins
In the remainder of this chapter, Benjamin’s sermon takes a different direction. The traditional interpretation of these verses is that Benjamin goes on to give more counsel about what we need to do to “retain a remission of our sins.” His counsel is to live peaceably, render to every man, provide for and teach your children, succor those that stand in need of your succor, impart of the substance that ye have one to another, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, administer to their relief spiritually and temporally. And I believe this interpretation, that Benjamin is being directive, i.e. telling them what they should do, is largely correct. But there is another perspective on these words that I’d like to share with you and invite you to consider. I believe there is truth in both interpretations.
To explain this alternative understanding of these words by Benjamin, let me tell you of an experience I had once while teaching a gospel doctrine Sunday School class in our home ward on the Book of Mormon in which we were discussing this sermon by King Benjamin. When we got to this point in chapter 4, we approached Benjamin’s words to his people in the traditional way – teaching your children, imparting of your substance, etc. – i.e. telling them what they should do. At that point, a thoughtful member of the class and a good friend raised his hand to make a comment. Dale said something like, “Maybe these verses are not so much about all of the things we need to do after we’ve come to Christ, repented and received a remission of our sins. Maybe the remainder of this chapter is describing the life of a person whose heart has been changed, who has accepted the atonement of Christ, repented, is striving to overcome the natural man and has received the Spirit in their lives. Maybe Benjamin is describing what our lives will look like if we have made those changes in our lives. If we are truly converted, we won’t have a mind to injure others, but will live peaceably. We will provide for our children and teach them, so they won’t fight and quarrel with each other. We will succor others and impart of our substance to those in need. Maybe Benjamin is saying that’s the kind of life we can live as we come to Christ.” Wow! I had never thought of these verses in quite that way. That class member would one day be called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Dale Renlund certainly expanded our understanding that day of what Benjamin was teaching his people. It was enlightening for me and many in the class. In his current stewardship, Elder Renlund now enlightens Church members in his worldwide ministry.
There is an oft-quoted passage in the New Testament which can similarly be taken at least two ways – as either predictive or instructive. On the evening of the Last Supper, the Savior said to Peter, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Matt 26:34). The traditional and more common interpretation of this verse is that the Savior was prophesying that Peter would deny Him three times before the cock would crow in the morning. However, there is another way to interpret these words of the Savior. Pres. Kimball spoke of this possibility in a classic talk, “Peter, My Brother.” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball/peter-brother
Pres. Kimball suggested that the Savior was actually instructing Peter to deny Him three times before the cock would crow. The Savior needed Peter to survive the terrible night that was to follow in order to lead the Church after He was gone. Perhaps, if Peter had not denied knowing the Savior, he would also have been arrested and may have been crucified with Christ.
So, there is often more than one way to interpret scripture and there are often lessons to learn from looking at scripture in different ways. Maybe it is helpful to look at Benjamin’s words in at least two different ways, instructive and predictive, in getting the most out of his remarkable sermon. I hope this idea is helpful to you.
Are we not all beggars?
In last week’s blog post while writing about Mosiah 2, I called Benjamin the “poster child” of service. Well, he might also be called the “poster child” of charity, specifically the more traditional kind of charity – succoring and helping others. In this regard, Elder Maxwell called Benjamin’s sermon a “Manual of Discipleship.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1992/01/king-benjamins-manual-of-discipleship.
The verses which follow the question, are we not all beggars (4:19), may be the most eloquent and insightful instruction about caring for others in a non-judging way found anywhere in the scriptures, except the words of the Savior Himself. Benjamin says that since we have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of [our] sins (4:20), O then, how [we] ought to impart of the substance that [we] have one to another. (4:21). We should do so without judging the person in need. Leave judgment to the Lord. He also teaches the “doctrine of good intentions”. To those who don’t have enough to share with others, he counsels, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. (4:24). It is the true intent of our heart that matters to the Lord. And He knows our hearts. There is no hiding our true feelings from Him.
Benjamin then links our being charitable toward others with our retaining a remission of our sins in these words. For the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (4:26)
Being the practical and wise king that he is, Benjamin also adds this caution, See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. (4:27)
Great advice from a wise king! Counsel that is as timely today as it was then.
Watch yourselves
Benjamin closes this chapter and this portion of his sermon with a powerful exhortation. After telling the people that I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them (4:29), he then goes on to exhort them to watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives. (4:30)
Truly a wise and inspired king!
Mosiah Chapter 5
A mighty change of heart
Benjamin appears to have concluded his sermon, and a powerful sermon it is! But wait a minute! He told Mosiah in chapter 1 that he would give the people a name. I shall give this people a name, … a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression. (1:11-12) He hasn’t said anything about a name. Did he forget? Not likely. What comes now is in many ways the most important and instructive part of this remarkable sermon.
The wise king pauses to listen and assess the response of his people to his message. He sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. (5:1)
Their response is gratifying to him and instructive to us. They all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. (5:2)
A mighty change of heart! No more disposition to do evil but to do good continually! Incredible! At the beginning of chapter 4, the people had fallen to their knees because they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. (4:2) In response to their pleas for the atoning blood of Christ to be applied to them, they were filled with the Spirit and with joy and peace. But now they have taken an important step forward. Not only have their hearts been touched, but they have been changed. They not only believe, but they are converted. They not only feel joy and peace, but they are now willing to do something about it. We are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days. (5:5)
It is not enough just to feel, even to feel wonderful spiritual feelings. We must act upon those feelings and be changed by them. The hearts of the people of Benjamin were changed. They no longer had a “disposition to do evil.” They would no longer see how close they could walk to the line that separates good from evil without going over the line. They would stay as far from the line as possible.
In my life, the time when my heart changed and I gave up any disposition to do evil was when I met Lori Duncan. She was so good and I was so grateful that she agreed to marry me, that I wanted to be the best person I could possibly be for her. Though far from perfect, I resolved that, if I could figure out what was right, I would try always to do it so I could be good enough for her. I had no more disposition to do evil. I gave up the rationalizations and double mindedness that often characterize teenagers and young adults, even some returned missionaries who, like myself, ought to have known better. I’m still working every day on trying to become a better person. I have a long way to go. I try to live every day without regret, but I never do. Thank goodness for repentance and the chance to try again, gifts from the Savior through His atonement.
Back to King Benjamin and his people, notice that the scripture doesn’t say that they became perfect. They still needed to, as Benjamin said, “watch themselves.” But the disposition to do evil was gone. No more rationalization. No more sliding barely under the wire. No more walking close to the line. Their hearts were changed. And so was mine. I haven’t been perfect since that day, far from it, but I’ve never looked back. My heart was changed by Lori Duncan (or, better, changed by the Savior for Lori Duncan) and I’ve never been the same man since.
A new name – the name of Christ
What comes next is truly remarkable! There is no where else in scripture to learn as clearly and powerfully the doctrine that the next few verses teach us as here with King Benjamin and his people. These verses are the whole reason for this sermon, for the past four chapters.
In response to the change of their hearts and their covenant to be obedient in all things all the remainder of their days (Notice “all” twice. They were “all in”, no holding back.), Benjamin rewards their faithfulness. He tells them, Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant. (5:6) He then goes on to bless them with these profound words:
Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. (5:7-8)
Because of the covenant they have made, the people of Benjamin entered into a new relationship with Christ, a covenant relationship. This can and must happen for each of us. When we enter into a covenant relationship with Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and present ourselves to Him with our hearts changed and with no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually, He is no longer “only” our elder Brother in the spirit, but He becomes the Father of our new spirit, our reborn, changed spirit. He is the Father of our spiritual rebirth. We become “His sons, and His daughters” – “children of Christ.” In token of our new relationship with Christ, just as Lori Duncan became Lori Boyer when she entered into a new relationship with me as her husband, we take upon us the family name, the name of Christ. This is what it means to truly be a Christian. It is to become a “Christ-ian” by taking His name upon us. And those of us who have entered into this new family relationship with Christ as the Father of our spiritual rebirth, become “siblings” in this family. That’s the real reason why we call each other “brother” and “sister” in the fellowship of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this, His true Church. Yes, we are brothers and sisters with all of God’s children throughout the world, children of the same Heavenly Parents. But in a special, covenantal way, we are “brothers” and “sisters” in the family of Christ, the family of those who have entered into a covenant with Him and taken His name on themselves. We renew this covenant each week as we partake of the sacrament and say “Amen” to the words of the prayer which includes and witness unto Thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son.
This is a profound doctrine! If it is new to you, I hope I’ve explained it in a way that you can understand. Don’t be confused. Our Heavenly Father will always be the father of our spirits. We were born as spirit sons and daughters to Heavenly Parents, our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Mother, in Their heavenly home ages before this world was created. And we each have an earthly father and mother in this life, the parents of our physical bodies. But, for those of us who have entered into this covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, He becomes the “Father” of our spiritual rebirth and new life. It is similar to the way that (in this country) we say that George Washington is the “father” of this nation. Christ is the “Father” of our new selves, our reborn, changed selves as we walk the path back to our heavenly home.
This doctrine is so important to understand that I encourage you to take the time to ponder, pray and read more about it until you become comfortable with this profound concept of our relationship with Christ and what it means to truly take His name upon us. To help you understand, I’ll suggest just two resources. There are many!
As a young member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Pres. Oaks gave an excellent talk in April 1985 “Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ.” Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1985/04/taking-upon-us-the-name-of-jesus-christ
In their weekly podcast for Book of Mormon Central, Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson discuss this doctrine. Tyler gives what is perhaps the best discussion of this profound doctrine that I’ve heard, certainly in recent memory. He adds an important dimension that I’d never considered. Obviously, to generate new life and give birth, every “father” must have a woman, a mother, as his partner. The identity of that woman is obvious in the cases of our Heavenly Parents and our earthly parents, but it’s not so obvious who it is when it comes to Christ as the Father of our spiritual rebirth. It is the Church, His bride! Jesus Christ is symbolized in the scriptures as the Bridegroom. The Church is His symbolic bride. (See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/bridegroom)
You’ve got to listen and hear Tyler Griffin develop this profound understanding. I’ll give you the YouTube link. Start at 28:15 if you don’t have time to listen to it all. That’s where he and Taylor Halverson begin to discuss this concept. I hope you find it as illuminating as I did. https://youtu.be/bgxDv0mSoDE
Retain the name written always in your hearts
Having given the people the new name, the name he promised Mosiah he had for the people, Benjamin now concludes his marvelous sermon by encouraging them to retain this name always in their hearts and giving them some counsel how to do so.
I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you. (5:12)
His counsel is fairly simple and consistent with what he has been teaching for the past 4 chapters – serve God; serve others, stay on the path.
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (5:13)
We serve God to come to know Him. And we serve Him, as Benjamin taught early in his sermon, by serving others. (2:17)
Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Two great words – “steadfast” and “immovable.” That’s what we need to be. Not perfect, just doing our best and staying on the path. Repenting daily. Believing in Christ, the Father of our new self. Partaking of the sacrament weekly. Serving others to serve God. Watching our thoughts, our words and our deeds. Staying in the covenant. Resisting any disposition to do evil. We don’t have to be better than good. Just stay on the covenant path. Do this and Christ will bring us home. We can all make it!
Amen
Notice the “Amen” at the end of this verse. This is the second and final “amen” for this sermon. Benjamin is done. He and Mosiah will take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments. (6:1) Amazingly, there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ. (6:2)
Benjamin will live another 3 years before he dies. Mosiah will assume the throne and reign righteously as the last king of the Nephite people for 33 years. He will be a great king, like his father before him. We read that King Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord. (6:6)
Thank you, King Benjamin, for what you have taught us! And thank you, dear Father, for the gift of Thy Son, the Father of our new heart, our spiritual rebirth and our new life in Christ. We love you Both!
My dear “brothers” and “sisters” in the covenant family of Christ, thanks for reading! May He always bless you and those you love.
Richard
