15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth
and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one
another.
16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand
in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that
standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his
petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon
himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him
of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his
punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the
same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath
done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. (Mosiah
4:15-18)
King Benjamin continues explaining responsibilities they
have to their children.
It is their responsibility to teach their children.
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in
thine heart:
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and
shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by
the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).
“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the
words of my mouth.
“I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark
sayings of old:
“Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told
us.
“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the
generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful
works that he hath done.
“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a
law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known
to their children” (Psalm 78:1-5).
They are to be taught to walk in ways of truth. “Teach me
thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm
86:11).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians
5:25).
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
They are to be taught to love and serve one another. “Remember, this scripture says to teach our children. How can we teach
them if we don’t get together as a family (and not just as a place to exchange
the car keys)?” (emphasis in original)[1]
“The
Lord organized the family unit in the beginning. He intended that the home be
the center of learning – that the father and mother be teachers. He has given
counsel that applies whether the family lives within or without the boundaries
of an organized unit of the Church…
“The
Lord fixed families to give parents more influence on children than all other
agencies combined. There is safety in this arrangement. It provides parents the privilege, the awesome privilege,
of molding the life and character of a child...”[2]
(emphasis in original)
“Every human being is a spirit child of God and lived with
Heavenly Father before coming to earth. He entrusts his spirit children to
earthly parents … and gives to parents the sacred opportunity and
responsibility to love, protect, teach, and to bring them up in light and truth
so they may one day, through the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
return to our Father’s presence.
“These precious souls come to us in purity and innocence. As
parents, we assume an immense responsibility for their care and well-being.
Parents share this sacred trust with brothers and sisters, grandparents,
teachers, neighbors, and all who touch the lives and impress or influence the
souls of these precious children.”[3]
King Benjamin turns to teaching them their responsibilities to
the poor.
We are to help those who need our help. “He that hath pity
upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay
him again” (Proverbs 19:17).
“If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren
within any of thy gates [IE cities, towns] in thy land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy
poor brother” (Deuteronomy 15:7).
“Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the
needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things
may be done according to my law which ye have received” (D&C 44:6).
“And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick
and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my
disciple” (D&C 52:40).
We must provide of our own substance to those who are in
need. We must not ignore their needs. “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of
the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13).
“[B]eyond your
family, ‘ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye
will administer of your substance unto him.’ A beggar is one who asks, for some
reason or other not having what he needs: ‘Ye will not suffer that the beggar
putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish’ (Mosiah
4:16). He begs because he is hungry, and we must all eat to stay alive-to turn
any beggar down, for all you know, is to sentence him to death-it has happened
(Mosiah 4:16).”[4]
Many beggars are
responsible for this situation. They
made poor choices and decisions and are now on the streets. Why should we care? Why should I give this person anything? Solomon has a response. “Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his
Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs
17:5).
Benjamin makes sure
we understand our responsibilities. If
we judge the person, we have “great cause to repent.” Notice his use of words. As we read his sermon, we see that he chooses
his words carefully. He knows the power
of words (as did President Hinckley). We
don’t have a need to repent, we have “a great cause to repent”
(Emphasis mine). Hugh Nibley is clear in
telling us our responsibility.
“And how shameful to
turn your back on the beggar, with some self-serving rationalization that ‘the
man has brought upon himself his misery’ (Mosiah 4:17). How do you know that?
And you a beggar yourself! For shame! Is it necessary to pass a law against
holding back on sharing what God has given you liberally?”[5]
If the person fails
to repent, “he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of
God.”
“The usual pious
appeal to the work-ethic-there is no free lunch-will not do … The man has
brought upon himself his misery . . . I worked for mine! (Mosiah 4:17).
Indolent and unworthy the beggar may be-but that is not your concern: It is
better, said Joseph Smith, to feed ten impostors than to run the risk of
turning away one honest petition. Anyone who explains why he denies help to
another who needs it, says Benjamin, ‘hath great cause to repent . . . and hath
no interest in the kingdom of God’ (Mosiah 4:18), which kingdom is built up on
the law of consecration.”[6]
The devil loves it
when we attempt to rationalize or justify our choices that are not in harmony
with the Savior’s teachings. Lindon J.
Robinson tells us:
“The Book of Mormon
spells out a risk for those who try to rationalize inequality by claiming that
the poor deserve their deprivations because they are not as smart, don't work
as hard, or have committed some act for which poverty is their prize. Some
during King Benjamin's reign held such views, requiring him to teach that those
who failed to share with the poor because they believed the poor deserved their
poverty needed to repent or would have no place in the kingdom of God
(see Mosiah 4:17–18).”[7]
[2] Therefore
I Was Taught, Elder A. Theodore Tuttle, October 1979 General Conference.
[3] Teach
the Children, President M Russell Ballard, April 1991 General Conference.
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