19 And behold also, if
I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has
been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to
thank your heavenly King!
20 I say unto you, my
brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole
soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and
preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye
should live in peace one with another—
21 I say unto you that
if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is
preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and
move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment
to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would
be unprofitable servants.
22 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 2:19-22).
Benjamin continues speaking to the people about service.
He reminds them that he, who is there king serves them. If
he serves them, should they not also serve one another? “[H]e that is greatest
among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth
serve” (Luke 22:26).
“[A] strong element in Benjamin’s discourse is his role as
an example. At several important junctures in the speech, Benjamin cites his
own behavior or function as a role model to the people, thus embodying the
principles of divine righteousness that were incumbent upon his people to obey.
For example, if Benjamin had labored to serve other people, then how much more
should they do likewise (see Mosiah 2:18).”[1]
He spent his days in service of the people. Yet, he has been
in the service of God. If he serves thanks for his service, how much more
should they thank God?
“Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the
harp unto our God” (Psalm 147:7).
“Meek King Benjamin could have wallowed in public esteem. He
could have worried over how to preserve and keep his image intact. Instead, he
was concerned with having Christ's image in his countenance (see Alma 5:14).
Being meek, he quickly deflected praise, as we all should, giving glory to God
and deferring to our heavenly King (see Mosiah 2:19).”[2]
They should give all thanks and praise to that God who
created you. “And [Job] said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked
shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall
continually be in my mouth.
“My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall
hear thereof, and be glad.
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name
together (Psalm 34:1-3).
“Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your
heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you: (1 Samuel 12:24).
“If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with
music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving” (D&C 136:28).
He has kept and preserved them. He has granted them peace to
live with each other. For that, they should rejoice.
“How can we ever repay the debt we owe to the Savior? He
paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we can never pay. Because of
Him, we will live forever. Because of His infinite Atonement, our sins can be
swept away, allowing us to experience the greatest of all the gifts of God:
eternal life.”[3]
If they should serve Him who preserves you from day-to-day, giving
them breath to survive and do according tot heir will, supporting them from one
moment to another, if they serve with their entire soul, they would still be
unprofitable servants.
“Spiritual self-esteem begins with the
realization that each new morning is a gift from God. Even the air we breathe
is a loving loan from him. He preserves us from day to day and supports us from
one moment to another.
“Therefore, our first noble deed of the morning should be a
humble prayer of gratitude. Scripture so counsels: ‘Pray unto God, and he will
be favourable unto [you]: and [you] shall see his face with joy’ (Job 33:26).”
(Emphasis in original)[4]
All God requires of us is to keep His commandments. “If ye
love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
If they keep His commandments, they will prosper in the
land. “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” (Mosiah 1:7).
“And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings
of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men; yea,
we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake
unto Lehi, saying:
“Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be
blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the
land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall
be cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 50:19-20).
The Lord never varies from what He has said. “For he is the
same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from
the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him” (1 Nephi
10:18).
If they keep His commandments, they will be blessed and
proper. “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have
eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).
“For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my
commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in
tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven” (D&C
58:2).
“Today, as I contemplate the many, many blessings that have
been given us, I recall the words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon when,
after enumerating the blessings which had been poured down upon his people by
the Lord, he said this to them: ‘And behold, all that he requires of you is to
keep his commandments.’ Yes, the only thing the Lord requires of us is that we
keep his commandments! This sounds relatively simple, doesn’t it? But we all know
that it isn’t simple, nor was it intended to be. Where much is given, much is
expected. The Lord requires of those who dwell with him the ability to overcome
weaknesses and imperfections. He requires self-denial and self-discipline.”[5]
[2] King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute website.
[3] Earthly
Debts, Heavenly Debts, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2004 General
Conference.
[5] Love
and Forgive One Another, Elder O. Leslie Stone, October 1973 General
Conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment