15 And it came to pass
that after there had been false Christs, and their mouths had been shut, and
they punished according to their crimes;
16 And after there had
been false prophets, and false preachers and teachers among the people, and all
these having been punished according to their crimes; and after there having
been much contention and many dissensions away unto the Lamanites, behold, it
came to pass that king Benjamin, with the assistance of the holy prophets who
were among his people—
17 For behold, king
Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and
there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with
power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the
stiffneckedness of the people—
18 Wherefore, with the
help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and
the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish
peace in the land.
Words of Mormon 1:15-18
King Benjamin has consolidated his kingdom. He led them in war and served as a religious
leader for the people. Laws were
passed. Some of the laws dealt with
false Christs and false prophets. Those
guilty were punished according to their crimes.
“Before the institution of the reign of judges, Nephite law
punished false prophets, false preachers, and false teachers ‘according to
their crimes’ (Words of Mormon 1:15). There is no reason to think that
sincerity could exonerate an accused false teacher during Benjamin’s time.
Legal support for taking action against such speakers before the time of Mosiah
was probably drawn from provisions in the law of Moses that forbid several
forms of impious speech, including false prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1–5;
18:20–22), blasphemy (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 24:10–16), reviling the gods
(Exodus 22:28), and leading people into apostasy or idolatry (Deuteronomy
13:1–18).[1]
In addition to false Christs, there were false prophets, preachers,
and teachers. These people were punished
according to the laws.
“The content of the laws enforced in the Book of Mormon also
shows a careful regard for the rights of dissenters to think and believe what
they want to, a respect for their rights of conscience. Thus, ‘the law could
have no power on any man for his belief’ (Alma 1:17; 30:9), but for their
illegal actions dissenters could be punished (Words of Mormon 1:15–16; Alma
1:16–18; 30:10–11).”[2]
There was also contention among the Nephites. Some went so far as to leave Zarahemla and
join the Lamanites. Benjamin did not
work alone in dealing with his contentions and dissensions. He was assisted by “holy prophets who were
among his people.”
“This significant union of religious and political roles in
a single leader marked a major change in Nephite politics and theocracy. This
shift was apparently not accomplished without some resistance. Mormon mentions
several false messiahs, false prophets, false preachers, and false teachers who
arose at this time and had to be silenced and punished. This led to ‘much
contention’ in Zarahemla (Words of Mormon 1:16).”[3]
We learn King Benjamin is a holy man. He ruled in righteousness, assisted by many
holy men in the land. On occasion, they
would speak with harshness because of the stiffneckedness of the people. Enos faced this same problem in his time. “And there was nothing save it was exceeding
harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and
destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of
eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring
them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these
things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going
down speedily to destruction. And after
this manner do I write concerning them” (Enos 1:23).
When two societies come together, decisions have to be
made. What will the new society
become? Benjamin faced this
problem.
“It would appear that Benjamin set in motion [developing a
new and different society]. as elements of the old order began fading out: for
example, direct male descendants in Jacob’s lineage ceased to be available to
control the records and priestly functions assigned to Jacob (see Omni 1:25),
and the ‘holy men’ and ‘the prophets’ who once worked at Benjamin’s side to
ensure orthodoxy (Words of Mormon 1:17–18) are not mentioned again and seem to
step back into a less significant role. Even the priests who normally
surrounded the king (see Mosiah 6:3; see also Noah’s priests, Mosiah 11:5) soon
diminished in social prominence to the point that special interest groups, such
as Alma’s and Nehor’s, were allowed to appoint and define the rights and duties
of their own individual priests and followers (see Mosiah 26:8; Alma 1:6).”[4]
With the assistance he received, Benjamin exerted his whole
body and soul to serve the people. Peace
was eventually established throughout his kingdom.
It is not surprising that there would be problems in this
new society.
“[John L.] Sorenson explains that the probable enculturation
of the Mulekites into the customs of the New World would have been the basis
for conflict between the Zarahemlaites and the people of Mosiah. Indeed,
dissensions in Zarahemla occur early in the reign of Benjamin (son of Mosiah1;
see Words of Mormon 1:15-18). Sorenson seems to be on the right track when
he says that ‘it is plausible that later “contentions” and “dissensions” in
Nephite society were in part led by unhappy descendants of Zarahemla who
considered that they were not given their due when Mosiah became king’ (p.
120). More than simple envy of rulership, however, the principal contentions
were more fundamental and dealt with an entire way of life.”[5]
King Benjamin exemplified his beliefs as he ruled his
people.
“As for his own exemplification of discipleship, we begin to
learn of Benjamin’s character well before his sermon. Just as this special king
labored to produce his own necessities, he personalized his leadership in other
ways. As a warrior-king, he ‘did fight with the strength of his own arm, with
the sword of Laban’ in putting down unrest (Words of Mormon 1:13), to which
false Christs, false prophets, and false preachers doubtless contributed. In
this challenging context, he was not alone, for there were ‘many holy men in
the land’ who assisted him (Words of Mormon 1:16—17). Thus, well prior to the
great sermon, King Benjamin had been involved with typical single-mindedness in
his successful efforts to deal with contention and dissension. He acted, as was
his pattern, ‘with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul’
and established peace in the land (Words of Mormon 1:18).”[6]
[1]
The Trial of Korihor, Maxwell Institute.
[2]
Dissent: Perspectives from the Book of Mormon, Lynn D. Wardle, Maxwell Institute.
[3]
Benjamin, the Man: His Place in Nephite History, John W. Welch, Maxwell
Institute.
[4]
Democratizing Forces in King Benjamin’s Speech, Maxwell Institute.
[5]
The Other Stuff: Reading the Book of Mormon for Cultural Information, Brant A. Gardner,
Maxwell Institute.
[6]
King Benjamin’s Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute.
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