19 For behold, are we
not all beggars? Do we not all depend
upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both
food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we
have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at
this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of
your sins. And has he suffered that ye
have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured
out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy,
and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find
utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God,
who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that
ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith,
believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the
substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the
man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not,
and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding
your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life
belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou
hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo
be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these
things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
Mosiah 4:19-23
Benjamin makes it clear we have responsibilities to the
poor. Failing to meet them is a
sin. Why would he place such emphasis on
assisting the poor? “For behold, are we not all beggars?
Do we not all depend upon …God?” We
are all “poor” in some manner. There is
only one who can give us our needs, and that is God.
Benjamin is so poignant in his
sharp, one-liner inquiry, "For behold, are we not all beggars?" (Mosiah
4:19). In stressing our continuing dependence on God for all the necessities of
life, Benjamin moves quickly to note our spiritual dependence—especially our
dependence upon the atonement, by means of which alone can we have a remission
of our sin (see Mosiah 4:19—20).[1]
For what do we depend on God? We depend on him for food, clothing, gold,
silver, and all that we have.
King Benjamin also reveals the only
way to maintain change, to retain "a remission of your
sins from day to day" (Mosiah 4:26). The key is humility, the abdication
of imitative desire through recognizing that we are "all beggars" (Mosiah
4:19). Just as God does not reject us for our sins, does not refuse to love us
or to extend his healing grace and continual blessings because we sin, so we
must respond to those who beg help from us though they do not
"deserve" it.[2]
When we call upon the Lord, “begging for a remission of [our] sins,” do we do this in
vain? No. He pours out his Spirit upon us. We are filled with joy and let all know. Paul wrote to the Romans:
1
THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for
wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest
doest the same things.
2
But we are sure [GR know] that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things.
3
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and
doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Romans 2:1-4
Since we are dependent on the Lord, will He not grant
whatever ask of Him. Yes, He will;
however, there is a qualification. “Consider, for example, how many sincerely
believe that if they simply ask for something in prayer, God will grant it,
especially if they ask with at least a modicum of faith. King Benjamin
counseled us, however, that while we are to pray in faith, it should be for ‘that
[which] is right’” (Mosiah 4:21).[3]
So, since the Lord will impart things unto us, Benjamin asks, “O then, how ye ought to impart of the
substance that ye have one to another?” When
interpreting the king’s dream, Daniel advised, “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off
thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if
it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility [OR so that your prosperity may be
long].” (Daniel 4:27)
Since we are utterly and totally
dependent on the Lord, Benjamin urges us to be especially sensitive to others
and to impart to them. In the spiritual domain, those who are rich spiritually
have a duty to impart and to nurture those who are weak. While Benjamin
stressed imparting of material and physical substance to the poor, he would doubtless
agree with Isaiah about the need to clothe others as well in "the garment
of praise" (Isaiah 61:3). Those who have enough bread may shiver for
recognition and yearn for the succor of deserved commendation.[4]
Giving the people the responsibility for taking care of the
poor was a change from the traditional responsibilities of a king.
In ancient Israel, it was typically
the obligation of the king to care for the poor. Kings of Babylon boasted that
they were guardians over the poor, the widows, and the orphans. Similarly, in
ancient Israel, a king was recognized as a just ruler if he afforded or
provided social justice for all. With Benjamin’s speech, the obligation to
assure social justice in his kingdom was placed upon all people, both the rich
and the poor (see Mosiah 4:21–30). The demanding obligations of helping
those in need of help, giving of one’s substance to those who stand in need,
and not turning the beggar out to perish (see Mosiah 4:16) were shouldered by
all the people, who in effect were asked to assume a burden normally considered
to be a preeminently royal obligation.[5]
He repeats his command that we are not to judge the
poor. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”
(John 7:24). If we do, we will be under
commendation. Why? Nothing belongs to us; all we have belongs to
God, including our life. “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother have need, and shutteth [GR is hardhearted, void of compassion] up
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1
John 3:17)
Hugh Nibley warns:
Wo unto us if we judge a man for
his improvidence, however real it might be (Mosiah 4:22), or withhold our
substance from those who have brought poverty on themselves (Mosiah 4:17). The
man who argues that he has a right to more of this world's goods than another
because he has worked harder "hath great cause to repent" (Mosiah
4:17—18).[6]
This all comes down to the fact that if we turn away from
the poor and needy, God will no longer hear our petitions.
To the person who ignores the poor, wo be unto him. “The wo uttered here in connection with
withholding substance and in 4:25 regarding denying the beggar parallels
further parts of the initiation ceremony at Qumran, ‘Cursing of the lot of
Belial, his works (and all associated with him) pronounced by Levites and
confirmed by those entering the covenant by saying the solemn “Amen, Amen,"’
in 1QS II 11–18.”[7]
The Lord makes clear in this dispensation that the Laws
Regarding the Poor[8]
apply in this dispensation. “Wo unto you rich
men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker
your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of
judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my
soul is not saved” (D&C 56:16).
The story of widow’s mite show the importance of doing what
you can.
1
AND he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more
than they all:
4
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but
she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:1-4
[1] King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute, accessed August 8, 2014.
[2] A
Second Witness for the Logos: The Book of Mormon and Contemporary Literary
Criticism, Eugene England, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 8, 2014.
[3] King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute, accessed August 8, 2014.
[5] Democratizing
Forces in King Benjamin's Speech, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute,
accessed August 8, 2014.
[6] The
Way of the Wicked, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 8, 2014.
[7] Appendix:
Complete Text of Benjamin's Speech with Notes and Comments, Maxwell
Institute, accessed August 8, 2014.
[8] Benjamin,
the Man: His Place in Nephite History, John W Welch, Maxwell Institute,
accessed August 8, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment