27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and
order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has
strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby
he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
28 And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever
among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth,
according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou
shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also.
29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby
ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I
cannot number them.
30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch
yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the
commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning
the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And
now, O man, remember, and perish not.
(Mosiah 4:27-30)
As the people have listened to King Benjamin’s words, he reminds
them these things must be done in wisdom and order. “Every man in his own
order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded
him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all
might be glorified” (D&C 88:60).
“Thus, none shall be exempted from the justice and the laws
of God, that all things may be done in order and in solemnity before him,
according to truth and righteousness” (D&C 107:84).
No one should run faster than they can. “I returned, and saw
under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,
neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet
favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Ecclesiastes
9:11).
“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and
means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end”
(D&C 10:4).
“God will not require more than the best we can give because
that would not be just, but neither can He accept less than that because that
would not be just either. Therefore, let us always give the best we can in the
service of God and our fellowmen. Let us serve in our families and in our
callings in the Church in the best manner possible. Let us do the best we can
and each day be a little better.”[1]
“There may be times
when we may feel overwhelmed, hurt, or on the edge of discouragement as we are
trying so hard to be perfect members of the Church. Be assured, there is balm
in Gilead. Let us listen to the prophets of our days as they help us to focus
on the things that are central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of
His children. The Lord knows us, He loves us, He wants us to succeed, and He
encourages us by saying: ‘And see that all … things are done in wisdom and
order; for it is not requisite that [men or women] should run faster than [they
have] strength. … [But] it is expedient that [they] should be diligent’ (Mosiah
4:27).”[2]
He tells them that, should they borrow something, it should be
returned as the both agreed. If they don’t, they commit a sin. They may also
cause their neighbor to commit a sin.
“Under Israelite
law, failure to return that which a person has borrowed was the equivalent of
theft. Jewish law placed no significance
on the fact that the person had received the possession of property lawfully …
It was also important for a person under ancient law to return exactly what he
had borrowed; otherwise a dispute could ensue over whether the value of the
returned object was equal to the value of the borrowed object.”[3]
Benjamin shares some
discouraging words with us. “I cannot
tell you all thing things whereby ye may commit sin.” “Instead of telling them what they should not
do, he has told them what they absolutely must do, the minimum if they would
expect God’s blessings.”[4] While
there is only one path to return to our Lord, there a many paths that lead us
to sin.
We will be judged by
our thoughts, words, and deeds. We must
watch what we do. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart
from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’
sons” (Deuteronomy 4:9). When Alma2
confronted Zeezrom, he told him, “For our words will condemn us, yea, all our
works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will
also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our
God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains
to fall upon us to chide us from his presence” (Alma 12:14).
The Savior taught
that even thinking about sin is sinful. “Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). He further taught, “But those things which
proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the
man. For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies
[GR slanderous statements]: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat
with unwashen hands defileth not a man” (Matthew 15:18-20).
“[A] Church News
editorial in 1985 cited Mosiah 4:29–30 and added, ‘This counsel is so timely in
today’s world as we struggle with the proliferation of pornography, obscenity,
and indecency. These growing evils bombard us on every hand. At times it seems
almost impossible to escape them because they appear to be everywhere …
Individually, we must remember the admonition of King Benjamin and watch
ourselves, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. If we keep the commandments
and continue in the faith we will have power over the evils of pornography.
Otherwise, we may succumb to its enticements and ultimately perish.’”[5]
We will be judged by
our thoughts, words, and deeds. We must
watch what we do. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart
from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’
sons” (Deuteronomy 4:9). When Alma2
confronted Zeezrom, he told him, “For our words will condemn us, yea, all our
works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will
also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our
God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains
to fall upon us to chide us from his presence” (Alma 12:14).
The Savior taught
that even thinking about sin is sinful. “Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). He further taught, “But those things which
proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the
man. For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies
[GR slanderous statements]: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat
with unwashen hands defileth not a man” (Matthew 15:18-20).
“[A] Church News
editorial in 1985 cited Mosiah 4:29–30 and added, ‘This counsel is so timely in
today’s world as we struggle with the proliferation of pornography, obscenity,
and indecency. These growing evils bombard us on every hand. At times it seems
almost impossible to escape them because they appear to be everywhere …
Individually, we must remember the admonition of King Benjamin and watch
ourselves, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. If we keep the commandments
and continue in the faith we will have power over the evils of pornography.
Otherwise, we may succumb to its enticements and ultimately perish.’”[6]
We must keep the commandments
and continue in faith. King Benjamin has
given us all we need to defeat sin and return to our Father in Heaven.
[2] The
Global Church Blessed by the Voice of the Prophets, Elder Dieter F.
Uchtdorf, October 2002 General Conference.
[3]
Complete Text of Benjamin’s Speech with Notes and Comments, Maxwell Institute website.
[4]
Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.
[5]
The Use of King Benjamin’s Address by Latter-day Saints, Bruce A. Van Orden,
Maxwell Institute website.
[6]
The Use of King Benjamin’s Address by Latter-day Saints, Bruce A. Van Orden,
Maxwell Institute website.
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