24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and
yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny
the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I
give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain
guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye
covet that which ye have not received.
26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have
spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins
from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should
impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he
hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and
administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to
their wants. (Mosiah 4:24-26)
King Benjamin continues teaching us about our
responsibilities to the poor.
While those who have are told to give, what about the poor?
Are they exempt from the commandment to give?
The Lord has told us what is expected of us. “Every man
shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which
he hath given thee” (Deuteronomy 16:17).
In the case of the poor, what’s in their hearts matter. They
are to give what they can. But, most importantly, they must have the desire to
give, had they had the resources.
“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two
mites, which make a farthing.
“And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they
which have cast into the treasury:
“For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her
want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:42-44).
In verse 24 we have
an example of chiastic contrast (using an opposing statement or phrase in close
proximity to the original idea).
A I give not
B because I have not,
B but if I had
A I would give.[1]
“Once we are
convinced that we have an obligation to give, we must learn that to render
service in the proper spirit is of first importance. Mormon, speaking to those
who give for the wrong reasons, said, ‘For if he offereth a gift, or prayeth
unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.’”[2]
“Some months ago my wife drove down to Provo for her
customary weekly visit with her mother, who had been ill for some time. On this
particular day her mother had been having an unusually difficult time, and
didn’t have the strength to hold up her head, or even open her eyes. Though she
was physically restricted, she was very alert mentally, and as my wife was
caring for her many needs of the day she visited with her about family and
friends. My wife held her mother’s head up with one hand while she fed her with
the other, and during the meal their conversation turned to one of our
daughters and her husband who have five children under the age of seven. My
wife commented to her mother that three of our daughter’s children had chicken
pox at the same time. The fact that this little mother was unusually busy was
obvious. My mother-in-law stopped eating, thought for a moment, and then in a
weak, almost inaudible voice said, ‘I feel so sorry for Robin. I wish I could
go to her home and help her.’ A few moments later, as my wife pondered this
wish, she observed, ‘You know, Mother, I think in your case wanting to is
enough. Surely you will receive a blessing for service and selflessness as
though you went to her home and helped’ …
“It is my feeling that, after all is said and done, it will
be the intent of the heart by which we shall be judged. However, let us be
careful that we do not fill our hearts with unjustified excuses. Being selfless
does not come naturally to most of us. Often it is easier to say, ‘I can’t,’ or
‘I’m made differently,’ or ‘I don’t have time,’ than it is to become involved
in making life happier and more pleasant for others.”[3]
If the poor do this, they remain guiltless before God. If
they don’t, they are condemned for they covet that which they do not have. “Wo
unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite,
and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying
hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will
not labor with your own hands” (D&C 56:17).
“One of the many
problems with coveting is that it fundamentally denies that all things belong
to God. Just as the giver must accept God’s ultimate ownership in order to
share his wealth properly with the poor, the poor must receive it in the same
spirit, recognizing the same dependence of all people on God.”[4]
King Benjamin has told his people this so they might obtain
a remission of their sins and walk guiltless before God.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in
thy holy hill?[5]
“He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and
speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:1-2).
“Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite
my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11).
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
“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).
He wants them to impart of their substance to the poor,
according to what each person has.
“Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be
familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto
you.
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of
God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain
riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to
clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and
administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:17-19).
“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true
judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
“And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the
stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in
your heart” (Zechariah 7:9-10).
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet
lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).
They are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the
sick, and administer to their needs, both spiritual and temporal.
“Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting
themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the
needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and
those who were sick and afflicted.
“Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the
people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need
of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy,
feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake,
who should come according to the spirit of prophecy” (Alma 4:12-13).
“In giving, the poor
may keep what is sufficient for their needs, and food, clothing, and shelter
covers it (Mosiah 4:26), for the rule is summed up simply, that every man ‘should
impart of [his] substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath’-which
is also the wording of Deuteronomy, for all have a right to food, clothing,
shelter and medical care, ‘both according
to their wants’(Mosiah 4:26; 18:29).”[6]
“This very hour there are many members of the Church who are
suffering. They are hungry, stretched financially, and struggling with all
manner of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. They pray with all the energy
of their souls for succor, for relief.
“Brethren, please do not think that this is someone else’s
responsibility. It is mine, and it is yours. We are all enlisted. ‘All’ means all—every
Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood holder, rich and poor, in every nation. In
the Lord’s plan, there is something everyone can contribute.
“The lesson we learn generation after generation is that
rich and poor are all under the same sacred obligation to help their neighbor.
It will take all of us working together to successfully apply the principles of
welfare and self-reliance.” (emphasis in original)[7]
[1] Find Bibilical Hebrew and Other Ancient Literary Forms in the Book of Mormon - Forms of Parallelism, Maxwell Institute website.
[2] Living
Welfare Principles, President Marion G. Romney, October 1981 General
Conference.
[5] Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall
dwell in thy holy hill of Zion (JST Psalm 15:1).
[6]
Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.
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