Friday, July 4, 2014

Mosiah 2:8-13

8 And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words.
9 And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.
10 I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man.
11 But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.
12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;
13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—
Mosiah 2:8-13

The people had pitched their tents and were all together.  It turns out the congregation was too large for them to hear King Benjamin’s words. 

With the exception of the words of Christ himself, no speech in sacred literature, in our opinion, surpasses that of King Benjamin … [T]his text is a treasure trove of inspiration, wisdom, eloquence, and profound spiritual experience and insight. Little wonder that Mormon saw fit to include this speech as he compiled the most significant Nephite records into the Book of Mormon. Mormon abridged many Nephite sources, but not Benjamin's speech. Mormon may well have copied the text directly from Benjamin's original or from one of the copies that Benjamin caused to be "written and sent forth among those who were not under the sound of his voice" (Mosiah 2:8).[1]

Why were the people gathered, by family, in tents?  Had there been no tents, the congregation most likely would have heard his words. 

Everyone had a tent, not just those who had come from out of town and needed a place to stay. Furthermore, they all remained in their tents during the speech, surely for ceremonial reasons. If it had not been religiously and ritually important for them to stay in their tents, the crowd could have stood much closer to Benjamin and been able to hear him, obviating the need for written copies of his words to be prepared and circulated (see Mosiah 2:8). Apparently Benjamin considered it more important for the people to remain in their tents than to have them stand within close hearing distance of the speaker.[2]

To ensure the people heard his words, King Benjamin had them written down for those who could not hear him.

The Book of Mormon recounts that the multitude that assembled to hear King Benjamin was so large that his oral teachings were transcribed and "sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice" (Mosiah 2:8). But this could mean either that scribes went about reading Benjamin's teachings or that numerous written texts were made available for private study. I think the former option is the more likely one.[3]

King Benjamin begins.

He explains he assembled them together to his hear words.  He is not there to give them words of little value.  He wants the people to know that “[a]lthough [he] is speaking, he is clearly acting as the mouthpiece of God.”[4] 

The general substance of the Book of Mormon itself, of course, encapsulates this rich and special sermon, which is like a sparkling, doctrinal diamond that can be approached and appreciated in so many different ways. Surely King Benjamin kept his promise not to "trifle" with words (Mosiah 2:9), for his was a rich and wholesoul sermon![5]

He tells them to open their ears to hear and hearts so they can understand the mysteries of God.  “The opening of the ears and eyes can mark the beginning of a ritual ceremony (as it expressly does in Mosiah 2:9) and can symbolize the commencement of an opening of the mysteries and a deeper understanding of what is truly being said and done.”[6]

Benjamin shares words similar to those of King Solomon, “O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart” (Proverbs 8:5).  Abinadi would tell King Noah and his priests, “Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.  Therefore, what teach ye this people?” (Mosiah 12:27).

Benjamin reminds them there is nothing special about him.  He’s a man with aches and pains, just like them.  He’s approaching his death.  He’s no different a person than they are.  The fact he was chosen and consecrated to be their king doesn’t change that fact.

He has “been kept and preserved by [the Lord’s] matchless power.”  He used his might, mind, and strength given him by the Lord to serve his people.

During his tenure as king, he has never sought gold, silver, or any form of richness from his subjects.  This is similar to Paul’s declaration.  “I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me” (Acts 20:33-34).

 In certifying that he had spent his days in the service of his people and had "not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches" (Mosiah 2:12), Benjamin drew straight from the Deuteronomy text, which limited the power of Israelite kings to multiply unto themselves gold, silver, or horses.[7] 

During his reign, he did not confine people in dungeons.  He also outlaws slavery.  He forbade the people from committing murder or plunder, to steal or commit adultery.  He did all he could to prevent the people from committing any manner of sin.  “The breaking of three commandments of the ten—murder, stealing, and adultery—is often cited as the reason for the destruction of the covenant people in the Book of Mormon…”[8]

He taught the people to keep all the commandments of the Lord.  Benjamin established a set of laws in his sermon.

Early in Book of Mormon history, King Benjamin set forth a five-part legal series prohibiting (1) murder, (2) plunder, (3) theft, (4) adultery, and (5) any manner of wickedness. This five-part list, which first appears in Mosiah 2:13, uniformly reappears seven other times in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 29:36; Alma 23:3; 30:10; Helaman 3:14; 6:23; 7:21; and Ether 8:16). Apparently the Nephites viewed Benjamin's set of laws as setting a formulaic precedent.[9]


[1] King Benjamin's Speech – Introduction, John W. Welch & Stephen D. Ricks, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[2] King Benjamin's Speech in the Context of Ancient Israelite Festivals, Terrence L. Szink & John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[3] Israelite Inscriptions from the Time of Jeremiah and Lehi, Dana M. Pike, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[5] King Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[6] Toward an Understanding of the Sermon [at the Temple] as a Temple Text, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[7] Benjamin's Speech: A Masterful Oration, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[8] Sacred History, Covenants, and the Messiah: The Religious Background of the World of Lehi, David Rolph Seely, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.
[9] Textual Consistency, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 4, 2014.

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