5 I say unto you, my
sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the
hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his
commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled
in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who
know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are
taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.
6 O my sons, I would
that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these
records are true. And behold, also the
plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from
the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of
their surety because we have them before our eyes.
7 And now, my sons, I
would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit
thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may
prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our
fathers.
8 And many more things
did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.
Mosiah 1:5-8
King Benjamin has been teaching his sons about the
importance of the records they have. He
explains the records have been preserved by God. With the records, they can understand His
commandments and mysteries. Alma2
may have had King Benjamin’s teachings in mind when he told his son, Helaman2,
“Yea, I say unto you, were it not for
these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon
and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of
the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words
brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of
the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:9). While deciding what to do when he was moved
on by the Spirit to slay Laban, one of his thoughts was on the importance and
necessity of the record. “Yea, and I
also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to
the law of Moses, save they should have the law” (1 Nephi 4:15).
Elder Neal Maxwell referred to the importance of the records
to knowing the commandments and mysteries of God. “As we see from the content
of Benjamin's sermon, the so-called mysteries referred to by King Benjamin are
actually the plain but precious things required for salvation and for
exaltation … Wise King Benjamin knew personally of the importance of sacred
records. Just a few years before Benjamin's reign, some of the people of
Zarahemla ended up denying ‘the being of their Creator’ (Omni 1:17). Why?
Because they had no sacred record.”[1]
Without the records, the Nephites would have “dwindled in
unbelief” and know nothing about the
word of God. Instead, they would follow
the incorrect traditions of their fathers.
Daniel C. Peterson points out that, in the Book of Mormon, the phrase
“traditions of the fathers” is never used in a positive sense.[2]
We see the importance to a culture of stable laws and
traditions.
“Indeed, civilization in the ancient world was precariously
fragile. Cultures would cease to exist if, for whatever reason, the stabilizing
language, norms, and rules were not successfully transmitted from one
generation to the next. Much that was of social importance hinged upon the
preservation and perpetuation of the law. The law was not self-perpetuating or
self-enforcing. It defined the social order, and it implemented the divine
order. No ancient person would doubt the axiom that a nation without law would
dwindle and perish in unbelief and disarray (compare 1 Nephi 4:13; Mosiah
1:5).”[3]
Benjamin gives his testimony the records are true. They contain a record of events and
ministries from the time Lehi’s part left Jerusalem to the present day.
He calls on his son to “search [the records] diligently,
that you may profit thereby.” This same
admonition applies to us. He called on
them to keep the commandments. In his
great sermon, he would repeat this counsel to the people, “And behold, all that
he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if
ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth
vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he
doth bless you and prosper you” (Mosiah 2:22),
If they keep the commandments of the Lord, they will prosper
in the land. This repeats the promise
given Nephi. “And inasmuch as ye shall
keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise;
yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice
above all other lands” (1 Nephi 2:20).
John Welch writes about King Benjamin’s admonition to his
sons.
“He ‘taught them concerning the records which were engraven
on the plates of brass’ (Mosiah 1:3) because he felt that if it had not been
for the commandments and teachings on these plates, their people would have ‘suffered
in ignorance’ (Mosiah 1:3), would not have understood the mysteries of God (see
Mosiah 1:5), would have ended up with incorrect traditions as the Lamanites did
(see Mosiah 1:5), and would not have prospered in the land (see Mosiah
1:7). He told his sons to search the plates ‘diligently’ (Mosiah 1:7) and
reminded the people that they had been taught concerning the sacred records
(see Mosiah 2:34) and were now accountable to live by their precepts.”[4]
Benjamin reminded his sons about the importance of remembrance.
Clearly the memory that is expected of the people of God in
both the Bible and Book of Mormon is not mere curiosity; neither is it a matter
of being able simply to recall. Rather, the key is righteous deeds.[5]
Mormon ends his abridgement of Kin Benjamin’s words to his
sons. “And many more things did king
Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.” What
could these teachings have been? Neal
Maxwell said, “Intriguing, isn’t it?”[6]
[1]
King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute, accessed June 24, 2014.
[2]
Editor's
Introduction: Traditions of the Fathers, Daniel C. Peterson, Maxwell
Institute, accessed June 24, 2014.
[4]
Benjamin,
the Man: His Place in Nephite History, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute,
accessed June 24, 2014.
[6]
King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute, accessed June 24, 2014.
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