I have enjoyed diving into this and studying it in depth in preparation for Gospel Doctrine lessons 15 “Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father” and 16 “Ye Shall Be Called the Children of Christ”. In Mosiah 4:11 King Benjamin talks about the goodness of God and the need we have of a Savior. 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. My son was elated. He wants to push his muscles to the brink, because he knows that is the way to grow his muscles. But he’s never done 10 before. Why wasn’t he fighting back or whining or complaining? O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. King Benjamin did not review his royal service “to boast” (Mosiah 2:16). 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. What does it mean to take upon ourselves the name of Christ? Mosiah 1-6 King Benjamin’s Speech. These doctrines developed over time, like all human thought does: building on previous body of work, arguing, debating, expanding it, and then arguing over those expansions, etc. The son submitted to the will of the father in perfect submissiveness, meekness, humility, and patience, trusting him to meet his needs and wants. In a previous article, I talk about how it’s a bit unrealistic to see such mature Christian arguments in the Book of Mormon. 225, 229, 259) a) humble themselves b) become as little children c) salvation through the atoning blood of Christ the Lord d) natural man e) enemy to God f) has been from the fall of Adam f) will be forever and ever The people believe King Benjamin’s words and pray to God. I didn’t understand what was going on. I interjected, “just let him, it’s no big deal”. 5. BYU Professor of Law John W. Welch argued that King Benjamin’s speech “may be the best royal and religious text to be found anywhere in world literature” that demonstrates this democratizing disbursement of royal duties and privileges to the people. Ostler sees modern elements of Joseph’s environment, such as 19th century revival meeting similarities, camping in tents for several days, call to repent and accept Christ, attenders would experience change of heart, etc. They feel great peace and joy as they covenant with Jesus Christ. 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. 6. He didn’t answer, just shook his head. Preparation. Natural man is an enemy to God. If they did, then Abinadi died before King Benjamin gives his speech, thus eliminating the possibility that Abinadi’s sermon is a derivative of King Benjamin’s. Living the commandments of God results in a state of being where one can be happy and feel blessed. He is a good God. Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy. 6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. King Benjamin announces that an angel of God appeared to him and told him the Son of God would come to earth. Of course, God can update the covenantal stipulations through new revelation and prophecies. acknowledges both modern and ancient content. King Benjamin seems to intentionally stack the deck, making it impossible to keep our end of this. A person goes to lift weights. King Benjamin’s Speech Follows a Covenant Format The Mount Sinai covenant is worth reviewing for that is where we learn about what God expects from us in the covenantal relationship. King Benjamin’s Speech Made Simple is a popular abridgment of the expansive volume King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom.” Prepared with the general reader in mind, this streamlined version presents the essential contents of the original book. (Wait a minute—Mormons don’t believe that. FairMormon makes a case that the camp meetings in Joseph’s location would have occurred when he was very young or later after the Book of Mormon was published, and he likely would have had no first hand experience with them. 25 And little children also have eternal life. This powerful and classic speech by King Benjamin in about 140 BC has been reformatted into a genearal conference format. In Mosiah 4 we read how the atoning blood of Jesus Christ is applied to our life. He sees the Book of Mormon as being chock full of these references, most notably in the passage of King Benjamin’s address. c) become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord We see both the drawing on of powerful phrases already given in what would have been popular sermons of Nephite history “goodness of God” drawing from 2 Ne 9. Interesting and profound logic of why we stay indebted to God. 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. At the end, the audience was “born again”, yet there was no baptism involved. Reading the text in a new format can sometimes offer new insights into the teachings and gives you a fresh copy to highlight and write notes on. Camp meetings were popular in early 1800’s America, especially in frontier areas (ie western New York) that were not heavily populated with many churches and preachers. Now that he’s outlined what God does for us, he’s going to outline what God expects from us. April 13, 2020 Cover image: Image of King Benjamin’s Speech by Walter Rane. The people pitch their tents near the temple in Zarahemla. Commandments of God. Description. 6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant. What’s going on here? The weight lifter failed in his attempt to lift 10 reps on his own. d) natural man Stephen D. Ricks For readers of the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin’s speech is a treasure trove of inspiration, wisdom, eloquence, and spiritual insight. Regardless of whether you believe this passage is 100% ancient, 100% modern, or somewhere in between, believing Mormons agree that King Benjamin’s address ranks as one of the most important sermons in all of scripture. See Alma 5:7, 12, 13, 14, 25; 19:33; Helaman 15:7. This passage was one of the very first identified by Book of Mormon critics as having obviously modern influence. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. King Benjamin taught that when we truly apply the atonement of Jesus Christ, our views change. 21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. 11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. God cares about not just our needs but our wants. Having him in our hearts and us in his heart. King Benjamin's son Mosiah is appointed to be the next king. e) yieldeth to the Holy Spirit Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? Let’s see what the Book of Mormon says). The truth that we cannot pay the Savior Jesus Christ back for what he has done for us is an important truth to stress with those we teach. There was some kind of unspoken communication here. His spotter is there to help him if he can’t make it. That’s a very gentle way to remind us that we’re not perfect, we’re going to make mistakes, we’re not going to go as fast as we probably want to. Michael Barker also makes note of the use of other poetic structures, for example. King Benjamin's Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom" is the most substantial collection of studies ever to focus exclusively on this landmark address. The Book of Mormon takes the Arminian view that due to the nature of the atonement being infinite, that they will receive salvation, similar to little children who die before reaching age of accountability. Become as a child, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to God’s will. The spotter has to lift most of the weight this time, but he gets it up. When the father told the son no, there seemed to be an understanding that the only reason he was saying no was that there was something bigger and better on the horizon. 1) He gave us life 2) If we attempt to repay him through service, he immediately blesses us, keeping us in debt. In Nibley's view, one of the main purposes of the kings' speech is on the peaceful continuation of the kingdom as the throne passes on to the rightful heir. • In his book Since Cumorah, Hugh Nibley studies Benjamin's oration as an archetypal coronation speech. Prepared with the general reader in mind, this streamlined version presents the essential contents of the original book. Many LDS authors and scholars have pointed at complexity in this passage. A revival hosted by Bishop William M’kendree in 1826 in New York where attenders pitched their tents facing the raised stand, referred to the camp as God’s temple. It was King Benjamin’s previous efforts that inspired Mosiah to make these changes. Those who turn to the Savior can be cleansed from sin. The Book of Mormon enters the debate exactly at this advanced state. The video is based on Mosiah 1–5. Purpose was to teach atonement of Christ, the need for a Savior, and call sinners to repentance. Halverson adds another important one. But at the same time, he gives a very grace centered message to soften the blow of how difficult this may seem. Mosiah 3:11 Eleven studies examine the classic speech f… 41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. The people … And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Some very profound commentary on modern U.S. politics, both from a conservative perspective (Mosiah 2 talking about political leaders not taking payment and keeping taxes low) and from a very liberal perspective (Mosiah 4 a very Socialistic view of community, taking care of all beggars and reducing poverty). Anachronistic Christian Doctrine in the Book of Mormon, Nick Frederick — New Testament in the Book of Mormon, In a previous article, I talk about how it’s a bit unrealistic to see such mature Christian arguments in the Book of Mormon. These arguments sound exactly like they did in Joseph Smith’s era, after Christianity had matured through the early Christian period, Pelagianism, Catholic period, the Protestant Revolution, and the debates of Calvinism and Arminianism that led to the state of American Protestant Christianity in Joseph’s day. Through this speech, he was able not only to transfer political power to his son… 7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. King Benjamin encourages the people to remember how they feel, to believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ, and to care for the poor and the needy. King Benjamin addresses his people and prophesies about the life of Jesus Christ. OK, I’ll let it go. 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