Mosiah 4:14-18

 14 And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

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 4:14-18)

Benjamin now speaks to parents.  Parents, he tells them, you are responsible for your children.  Paul emphasized taking care of your family in his epistle to Timothy.  “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8).  The Lord told Joseph Smith, “All children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age” (D&C 83:4).

Benjamin tells us that children:

·       should not go hungry.

should be clothed.

should not break the commandments.

should not fight and quarrel with each other.

should not serve the devil (“the enemy to all righteousness”).

“Do we treat our sons and daughters as children of God? Do we teach by example? Do we pray with them? Do we attend church with them? Do we have family home evening regularly? Our spiritual progress and qualifying to become friends with Christ and his Father depend on how faithfully we live the gospel in our homes and how diligently we impart the teachings to our children.”[1]

All of this is to be done by parents as their children grow. M. Catherine Thomas looks at the importance of fighting the devil.

“The priesthood holder labors with all his faculties to rout Satan from his loved ones as Satan is manifested in physical violence, mental warfare, and contention among the people. For any Melchizedek Priesthood holder to become a prince of peace, he must in some degree wrest his little kingdom from the adversary and halt the plans of the destroyer on behalf of his loved ones.”[2]

Parents are to teach them in righteousness.  They are to teach them gospel principles so that, when they become adults and begin their own families, they will have a foundation built on gospel principles.

“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)[3]

In this section of his sermon, King Benjamin is emphasizing the importance of helping those in our families and society.

 

“As a just king in ancient Israel, Benjamin had a particular responsibility to see that the weak and the poor in his society were cared for and not oppressed (see Psalm 72:1-4), and this helps to explain Benjamin’s deep concern that his successors not ignore the needs of these vulnerable people. He also implored the assembly to care for their children’s physical needs and to teach them to walk in the ways of the Lord (see Mosiah 4:14-15).”[4]

“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.”[5]

In the next section Benjamin discusses our responsibility to the poor among us.  I’ve found this part of the sermon is often somewhat controversial.  People have their own opinions about how to deal with the poor.  It’s not unusual to see people on the street asking for money.  What should we do?  In my opinion, Benjamin makes our responsibilities clear.  You are welcome to disagree with what I write.

Benjamin tells us we are to give of our “substance unto him that standeth in need.”  Solomon wrote, “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).

He makes it clear that we will not allow “the beggar [to] putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.”  Again, we turn to the words of Solomon. “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13).  The Savior taught, “…He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:11).

Benjamin doesn’t mince words.  We are told it is our obligation, as followers of Christ, to assist the beggar.  John Welch explains:

“In all dispensations, covenant people have been required to give to the poor and to lend to those who ask. This was required of the children of Israel (see Deuteronomy 15:7-11) and of the people of King Benjamin (see Mosiah 4:16-26) as a condition of their covenant … [G]iving to the poor has long been a requirement placed upon the Lord’s covenant people. King Benjamin emphasized it as one of the main spiritual attributes of a righteous, covenant person…”[6]

Hugh Nibley emphasizes the importance of assisting the beggar. “[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).”[7]

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?”[8]

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.”[9]

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).”[10]

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[1] Friend or Foe, Elder Charles Didier, October 1983 General Conference.

[2] King Benjamin and the Mysteries of God, M. Catherine Thomas, Maxwell Institute.

[3] A Foundation Whereon Men Cannot Fall, Elder David B. Haight, April 1972 General Conference.

[4] Benjamin’s Sermon as a Traditional Ancient Farewell Address, John W. Welch & Darryl R. Hague, Maxwell Institute.

[5] Teach the Children, Elder M. Russell Ballard, April 1991 General Conference.

[6] Toward an Understanding of the Sermon as a Temple Text, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute.

[7] Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.

[8] Assembly and Atonement – Public and Private, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.

[9] Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.

[10]“No Poor Among Them,” Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute.