Mosiah 4:1-3

Chapter 4

King Benjamin continues his address—Salvation comes because of the atonement—Believe in God to be saved—Retain a remission of your sins through faithfulness—Impart of your substance to the poor—Do all things in wisdom and order. About 124 B.C.

1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he 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.

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth.  And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: 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.

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words 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, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

Mosiah 4:1-3

King Benjamin ends the message the angel told him to give his people.  When he looked over the people, they had prostrated themselves “for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.”  A similar thing happened when princes were sent to Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, to hear the words of Jeremiah.  “Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words” (Jeremiah 36:16).

Why did the people fall to the earth?  I’ve never seen this happen, no matter how powerful the message.  “[T]here is reason to believe that some kind of cue, such as the blowing of a horn or the announcement of an acclamation, would have been given to assemble the people (see Mosiah 2:9), to call them again to attention (see Mosiah 3:1), to call the people to fall simultaneously to the ground (see Mosiah 4:1), and to cry aloud all with one voice (see Mosiah 4:2; 5:2).”^[1]

John Welch further explains:

Bowing down—or more dramatically, full prostration—is not only an instinctive response when coming into the presence of a superior being, but it is also a common element of ritual. Collective group prostration, particularly in a temple context, was more than simply a reaction of people being overcome. It had long been a customary part of the Nephite covenant-making ceremony (see Mosiah 4:1).^[2]

So, we see the falling to the earth was an important part of the ritual.

Benjamin’s words made the people aware of their carnal state.  They were “Less than the dust of the earth.”  The people cried, saying, “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.”

Hugh Nibley explains the people crying together.

As in Mosiah, there were frequent exchanges between the king and the people, the latter reciting in unison. This explains the odd circumstance in which the people "all cried aloud with one voice" (Mosiah 4:2) and proceeded to recite in unison an ecstatic statement of some fifty words. How could they do it spontaneously "with one voice"? Throughout the world such acclamations were led by a special cheerleader, sometimes called a stasiarch, who stood before the crowd and received notes from important people or shouts from the audience requesting particular cheers. He would recite a sentence to the people and wave a flag to lead them in a uniform chant (compare Deuteronomy 27:14–26). Sometimes the king himself chose to lead the cheering, and some Roman emperors enjoyed it. There was no limit to what could be shouted in unison, and it could go on for hours.[3]

Asking the Lord to apply the “atoning blood of Christ” is important.  Hugh Nibley explains we are given choice.

If we would have God "apply the atoning blood of Christ" (Mosiah 4:2) to our case, we can also reject it. We can take advantage of it or we can refuse it. The Atonement is either dead to us or it is in full effect. It is the supreme sacrifice made for us, and to receive it we must live up to every promise and covenant related to it—the Day of Atonement was the day of covenants, and the place was the temple.[4]

The Lord heard their plea.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon the people.  They rejoiced because they had received a remission of their sins.  Their conscience was at peace.  This was all don through their faith in Christ and their acceptance of what King Benjamin had told them.

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[1] King Benjamin's Speech in the Context of Ancient Israelite Festivals, Terrence L. Szink & John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 31, 2014.

[2] Toward an Understanding of the Sermon as an Ancient Temple Text, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 31, 2014.

[3] Assembly and Atonement – Public and Private, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 31, 2014.

[4] The Meaning of the Atonement, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 31, 2014.