'King Benjamin & The 4 Phases of the Priesthood'
- King Benjamin's Speech passes through Faith, Hope & Charity
- The difference between Marxism and King Benjamin
- The Fluid Hierarchy, the Parable of the Talents and the Rich, Poor & Beggar
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all right in this Cwic episode of come
follow me we are studying the book of
Mosiah chapters four through six this is
the rest of King Benjamin's speech and I
think it's important before we move on
into chapter four here that we just give
it kind of a little bit of a chapter
summary of where we start here in in one
chapter one of Mosiah remember in
Chapter one King Benjamin is talking to
his three sons he designates Messiah his
son as the king and then he specifically
remarks about the temple relics
right the people's relics which are
the brass plates and the plates of Nephi
and the Liahona and probably a well in
the sort of Laban and possibly the
ermine Thummim but he doesn't mention
that and he may be using this in a way
to set up what he's about to do here
right with this ritual with what looks
like a Feast of Tabernacles and day of
atonement ritual and the question is is
why is this mentioned before we start
off with all of this and it makes me
think that possibly this temple drama
may have been found in those brass
plates because remember he says this he
emphasizes how important it was for them
to have the brass plates with them and
for Lehi to have been taught in Egyptian
and how these are a very joseph's fight
a Joseph white plates and these are a
Joseph I'd people but not all of them
just the Nephites right the
Mulekites there are at least Jude from
that from Judah the tribe of Judah
perhaps there's some from others as well
other tribes as well but why is it so
important to say that we would have
dwindled in unbelief as our brethren the
Lamanites would have if we didn't have
these brass plates certainly Benjamin is
talking about his father right
referencing that he took those plates
with him when they when they snuck out
basically probably from the land of
Nephi to go to on their Exodus toward
the land of Zarahemla however mentioning
it right here I think is also it does
tie back to Messiah King Benjamin
speaking and then he's going to give you
know his son Messiah the kingship
here and crown him but I just wonder if
those brass plates aren't full of or
have some of this temple drama that
we've been going over here over the last
couple of chapters inside of them and
something maybe a little bit more
specific remember that what we have in
Genesis at the beginning of Genesis with
the creation story and the story of Adam
and Eve in the Garden of Eden these are
the these are temple dramas right these
stories are temple dramas and that's
what they're written for they're written
for the temple remember that Moses is
writing these things and from what he
has seen on Mount Sinai in vision it
appears to me Abraham does the same
thing right he writes about the creation
story when he's in a vision that's
important to understand and so were the
brass plates full of more detail of the
Feast of Tabernacles rituals and the
temple drama that was focused on the Son
of God on Jehovah and the doctrine of
Christ right coming down to Mary being
born of a woman and then taking on
the sins of the world
and it just makes me wonder that that it
just seems to me that that Benjamin or
perhaps Mormon who abridged this is
letting us know that that is that is the
setup here going into this ritual so
perhaps some of this a lot of this
this was in those brass plates of course
we know that there are a lot of writings
and a lot of books that are in those
brass plates that we do not have today
in her Old Testament so then he goes on
to chapter 2 and remember we focused a
lot on the idea of a fluid hierarchy
there and we talked a lot about the
servant and the suffering servant and
how King Benjamin represents both a
himself as a temporal King there's
participation from the audience the
congregation in their tents facing the
temple and then of course they use the
role of the Messiah right
that is Jehovah and will be Jesus Christ
and those roles that are those different
roles that are played and we kind of
play on the word of Mosiah which is very
similar to Messiah all right so this is
kind of the beginning of maybe this
temple drama then we go to chapter 3 and
here we get the words of the angel we
don't know at least I don't know if
all of chapter 3 is from the words of
the angel a majority of it just a
portion of it we do get some hints here
after in in chapters 4 and 5 but this
chapter in chapter 3 has focused now not
just on these roles but specifically on
the doctrine of Christ so this is this
is the emphasis here what would be the
central point of the temple drama and so
remember that this always makes a lot of
sense to me the way that this is
organized because as I've said many
times knowledge comes before faith right
knowledge comes before faith and now
that knowledge can grow into a perfect
knowledge based on our faith but
knowledge has got to come before our
faith so this this temple drama talking
about the suffering servant talking
about the roles of the King as a
suffering servant talking about the
doctrine of Christ
this is information that is being put
out there first this is how the Lord
works right it's through missionaries
it's through preaching it's through
bringing the truth and principles of the
gospel especially the doctrine of Christ
to others that don't have it and so
where I do believe these individuals
here all have the doctrine of Christ and
this is just ritual that they're going
through it is there's a process there is
an order in how this is being laid out
that I think is this magnificent so now
we step into chapter 4 here and chapter
4 is going to bring together four and
five are going to bring together a lot
of the four interpreters and the quick
principles in them the higher in the
lower laws it's going to have the fluid
I our hierarchy again and here it's
going to have a four phases of the
priesthood faith hope and charity or
outcome you can kind of see in here and
that's not a surprise because again in
my estimation a lot of what the prophets
write about is pulled from this temple
drama and you know it's if we can
recognize that these things
would have been core doctrines to the
ancient Israelites including a focus on
the doctrine of Christ then we can
understand that you know this is this
was a way to have everybody
participate to make new covenants to
teach right and it would be written in a
way through chiasmus and poetry and
chorus ways that would be remembered and
taught and that could be you know some
of it perhaps brought back to your home
and you would have a way to remember
these things who knows how many of these
people actually read they could were
literate but a drama and something
written in a way that you can remember
the stories could be remembered real
well that doctrine was put into a ritual
that's something you can remember and
teach over and over again and I just
wonder if some of this wasn't removed
from the Old Testament and we can see
little pieces of it
in the Psalms but that a lot of a
teachings may have come from some of
those ancient books that we don't have
in an ancient temple drama that was in a
way the older ways the older theology
that maybe some of those in the
wilderness at the time of Jesus Christ
were still holding on to so here we
enter into chapter 4 and this is a very
famous chapter within the church there's
there's a few key scriptures that are
really important that we bring up often
so let's start off here with verse 1 it
says here and now it came to pass and
when King Benjamin had made an end of
speaking the words which he had which
had been delivered unto him by the angel
of the Lord that's the last chapter that
he cast his eyes round about on the
multitude and behold they had fallen to
the earth for the fear of the Lord had
come upon them so let's understand this
so everybody had fallen to the earth
now I'm not discounting that this is
something where they were overwhelmed
with a spirit that's a real possibility
but remember that falling to the earth
and laman and lemuel do this before
Nephi right this is a very common
manifestation of humility and acceptance
right so if everybody does this and
we're in a ritual situation that would
be very common for them at this point
having received the Word of God having
received this information about the
suffering servant about those that are
preserved and the doctrine of Christ
that they are now humbling themselves
and that's what this is going to start
off with it's a position of humility
toward the greatness of God and their
acceptance of this remember when we see
oftentimes the fear of the Lord it's not
a matter of trembling and oh I'm afraid
right a lot of times when we see the
fear of the Lord well the way we ought
to look at that is respect right and awe
and worship and that that's kind of
you know oftentimes when you look at
that word fear that's really what that
means more than being afraid so they're
humbling themselves in a
of worship and respect and honor and
then in verse two and they viewed
themselves in their own carnal state
right the lower law the physical law the
temporal law even less than the dust of
the earth this is again going back to
Moses and that fluid hierarchy they are
nothing right they realize their
nothingness just as Moses did and yet
they are also understanding what their
potential is right and then at the
bottom of verse 2 it says something very
interesting and keep this in mind it
says for we believe in Jesus Christ
remember the doctrine of Christ had just
been laid out for them in the last
chapter the son of God that's key
what are they saying with that title
Jehovah is coming down to earth right
who created heaven and earth and all
things who shall come down among the
children of men that's part of a temple
drama Jehovah will be sent it's the
premortal the war in heaven and
the assigning of a savior for all of us
who are finding ourselves in a carnal
state a fallen state and this is the
exact opposite I'm not gonna go over
this much now but next week and the week
after we're going to be focusing on a
Ben a died and the King and King Noah
and his priests and what Mormon
seems to be doing here is he is setting
up one scenario of acceptance of the
doctrine of Christ right and then we're
gonna see the exact opposite with a Ben
a die right that's what this first half
or so of the book of Mosiah is all about
it's contrasting these two it is a focus
on the higher and lower laws so then we
get in verse 3 here and I'm going to run
through several of these principles
simultaneously as we go through the
chapter but then in verse 3 we get
having a piece of conscience right that
is peace having peace of conscience
because of the exceeding faith which
they had in Jesus Christ who should come
according to the words which King
Benjamin had spoken unto them so first
they have faith here so we're gonna run
down faith hope and charity throughout
this and simultaneously we're gonna run
through the four phases of the
priesthood so what is happening here
they are deciding they're using their
agency they are falling to the ground
they are manifesting right which is
speech and works right the second phase
of the priest oh the first phase is that
they are using their agency they are
accepting this we get this even this is
kind of what the process they're gonna
run through in chapter 4 and then in
chapter 5 they actually do it right
through actually making the
covenant but it's outlined here for us
through these first four phases of the
priesthood the order that these things
take place in a ritual setting so the
way to understand this is not just this
is something that happens spontaneously
but rather if this is written out and
and this is kind of put out in order
then this is an understanding of how
these things happen in the order in
which they happen and they're gonna run
right through the four phases of the
priesthood which makes a lot of sense
they are at the temple and making
covenants in verse six again this
introduction of knowledge and working
with faith I say unto you if he have
come to a knowledge of the goodness of
God and his matchless power again you
have to have that knowledge and then you
can put the faith in him right that is
what is happening here it is King
Benjamin's speech right I don't mean
just the speech that's outlined him for
for him to say I mean it is his crying
in the desert as John the Baptist does
it is his preaching here that comes to
them first and then they accept it and
then very clearly in verse 8 there is
none other salvation save this which
have been spoken of right there's the
the only way the only way is to get a
remission of your sins and the baptism
isn't listed here but that would be a
part of this and to
humble yourselves go through the
repentance process and then do right and
have faith in Jesus Christ that will be
contrasted with what a Bennett I has to
talk about where King Noah and his
priests are only believing in the merits
of the law of Moses the lower law so in
verse 10 and again believe that ye must
repent of your sins you can see here
what we're going through it is speech
right that's coming out it is repentance
these are all Aaronic priesthood
functions right these are all the lower
law first the first two phases of the
priesthood it is making a decision and
accepting right you're falling to
the earth that is your manifestation and
your works and speech this is all part
of the first two phases of the four
phases of the priesthood and then in
eleven and twelve I'm going again
simultaneous they're simultaneously here
we first had faith and then this is
I'm going to relate this to hope right
I'm going to relate this to hope he says
here if you have known of his goodness
and have tasted of his love think about
the tree of the Tree of Life and the
fruit thereof and have received a
remission of your sins with which
causeth such exceeding great joy in your
souls right okay so again what
is happening here it's a faith in a
trust in the principles of the doctrine
of Christ and once you have that and
you've built that up then you get this
and this is part of that hope again to
me hope is a state of being and it's an
understanding of what your future is
because of your worth because of being a
child of God because of Christ and who
you can become
with it with an eternal progression and
fulfillment in your life so we're
tasting of his love and having
exceedingly great joy right would be a
it would be a position of Hope coming
after your faith
after the trust in Jesus Christ okay so
faith and hope check those two off we're
moving down that process and
simultaneously we've gone through the
the lower functions of the priesthood
and the first two phases right one being
agency right accepting and two would be
the manifestation of that it would be
your works he's going to double down on
that as we get down here a little bit
lower and so now we're gonna move to the
third and fourth phases of the
priesthood and again this might be an
abridgment that is only a partial very
partial from what King Benjamin would
have gone over who knows this could have
lasted seven days three days five days
ten days
right so we may not be getting all of
what King Benjamin had said to his
people but my guess is if there were
more it would be outlining these steps
even further so then we go down to 14
remember the third phase of the
priesthood is family right that's the
first start into what we would consider
to be a Melchizedek Priesthood function
and here we get in 14 and you 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 the
mentions that we get of this evil spirit
all have to do with a war in heaven and
then the adversary right that's a big
that war in heaven is a big part of that
he being an enemy to all righteousness
but you will teach them to walk in the
ways of truth and soberness you will
teach them to love one another and to
serve one another okay so now we're
talking about family here that is a
natural position to go to right because
that's your first responsibility going
outside of yourself that's how the four
phases work so first I need to be
responsible for my own choices my own
agency secondly I need to be able to
speak about that and speak to others
about my convictions and about my
testimony
my works right my manifestation of my
agency needs to be congruent with that
that is all part of the lower law that's
all part of you as an individual now he
moves outside of that circle your own
circle and he moves to family right that
would be the natural next place to go
you have to have that checked off first
obviously and then he's gonna move on to
step four or phase four right or it's
about community and everybody else and
you can see as you study these
principles right these
interpreters that I've articulated and
these quick principles you start to see
these things over and over again
throughout the scriptures and you see
that okay I mean and that's how I kind
of built all of this and developed all
of these things is simply by finding
these patterns everywhere and Mosiah are
here or King Benjamin's speech is no
different it fits right in here so in 16
he moves to the community and he says
and also ye ourselves we'll succor those
that stand in need of your sucker right
your help your service as a servant you
need to take on that role as a servant
you will administer of your substance
unto him that stand at the need now even
though this is primarily talking about
temporal substance I think it would be
important here to understand that this
is the exact same principle that applies
to a spiritual substance and what do I
mean by that I mean helping others right
with temporal substance is a big
part of let's say the United order right
or the law of consecration but it's not
all of it right we consecrate our
talents we consecrate all that we've
been given and that means our spiritual
gifts and everything else right and so
that's part of the law of consecration
as well so as we go through this don't
think about just a temporal substance
it's your spiritual gifts
and places that you've been given a lot
where you need to impart with that with
others and help other people and what do
we call that that is mercy that is love
that is charity right so again
simultaneously we are moving here from
faith to hope now that we have those two
in place because they are sequential
right these attributes are sequential
faith first then hope and then charity
right now we're going to be focusing a
lot more on charity and the law of
consecration or community and the fourth
phase of the priesthood he then says
here and we remember we're going to get
a distinction here between beggars and
the poor these are two separate people
and I'll give you a parallel to this
here in a minute
says and you will not suffer that the
beggar putteth up his petition to you in
vain and turn him out to perish okay so
again what can we be beggars um we're
gonna get this here and in in verse 19
here in a second right what can you be a
beggar of it's not just food and raiment
clothing you know anything else we're
beggars for spiritually we're all
beggars spiritually right
look at those two simultaneously says
here in 17 you might say that this man
is brought upon himself his own misery
and his punishments are just okay this
is exactly what was going on in the time
of Christ of Jesus
remember when somebody was ill when they
were a leper when they were handicapped
when they were blind or deaf remember it
was always about this is on your parents
or this is on you either you or your
parents sinned and therefore this is
justified to you and of course Jesus
comes around and says I don't think so
right he does the exact opposite and he
heals those individuals and what is he
doing he is standing in for what
everybody else should have been
in a higher law society right a higher
law society is all about covenant and
charity it's reaching down to those
below you in whatever circumstance
temporal circumstance a spiritual
circumstance whatever it might be and
pulling them up and it's those and this
is the second part it's important as
well those that are lower in that
situation reaching up you have to be
able to do that in both cases you are
humbling yourself so this is the exact
opposite teaching of what sayings for
example the Pharisees would teach about
the beggars right they had it coming to
them that's what they would say and
remember this is their king talking
right their king is going over all of
this think of this again make sure
you're thinking of this continually in a
ritual situation something that is at
least semi scripted in 18 that if you
think this way that they are worthy of
this because of their own actions or
whatever it might be then you have great
cause to repent so we can find people
that are all oftentimes in a very
difficult situation especially
temporarily well in both ways and it's
easy to say they made bad choices right
that this is all just them but the
question is are you given more in
your situation than those people were
were you giving the ability and more of
a spiritual strength to not make those
bad decisions were you given a better
hope to not make those decisions were
you given better teachings and
principles and faith then maybe somebody
else is given are your genes different
right genetically are you different and
does that make a difference it's
important to understand all those things
right I think that's what he is saying
here because you're a beggar too
ultimately for the biggest prize out
there were all beggars for it so we
says here in verse 19 this is a verse
that we've heard often it says for
behold are we not all beggars do we not
all depend upon the same being even God
for all the substance which we have
again and he's gonna go over just
temporal items here but this is both
temporal and spiritual it really is our
growth spiritually does come from our
agency but it is a get is always a gift
and we're always indebted to God for it
it's not just because of us
right so do we not depend on the same
being even God for all the substance
which we have for both food and raiment
and for gold and for silver for all the
riches which we have of every kind and
then he goes back and says look you know
how you were just prostrating on the
ground right everybody fell to the
ground realizing that they are of a
nothingness right and basically you are
begging for a remission of your sins in
that situation so again that's why
that's first right that's right that's
part of the lower law begging for
repentance humbling yourself
it's Christ what does he do he does the
same thing he comes down humbling
himself into a mortal body into a mortal
world he is in humiliated killed right
but it's his mercy and His grace his
charity that wins out in the end and
that's what King Benjamin's going here
through that order so he's putting us in
the same role as him in that sense I'm
talking about the Lord right where we
apply the idea of taking on that role
right it's actors and roles here
roles and actors it is us fulfilling the
the role of the suffering servant of
paying the price for somebody else
because we play the role of the beggar
also as we can play the role of the
helper right of the servant just as
Christ did and then he gets into a
little bit more nitty-gritty here and
he's going to divide the poor from
beggars these are two different people
and then there's those that are neither
right so overall there's three different
groups right he says and again I say
into the poor this is in verse 24 ye who
have not and yet have sufficient that ye
remain from day to day I mean all you
who deny the beggar this is the poor
he's talking about that deny the beggar
because you 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 right
in other words you need to still stay
humble toward those that are in in even
worse position than you so he's
classifying the poor of those that don't
have extra they're barely making it
day-to-day but they have food most of
the time at least and then there's the
beggar that they don't even have maybe
land or the ability to do anything for
whatever reason to be able to produce
and he says down in verse 26 I would the
II should impart of your substance to
the poor right so now it's that middle
group the poor every man according to
that which he hath such as feeding the
hungry clothing the naked visiting the
sick and administering to the relief
their relief both spiritually and
temporally as we said simultaneously
according to their wants right so what
are we starting to get here we're
getting an idea here of the United order
we're getting an idea here of the law of
consecration but this is something that
is really important to understand back
up in verse 13 he says and you will not
have a mind to injure one another but to
live peaceably and to render to every
man according to that which is his due
right that would be justice right if you
gave a day worth of work you get a day's
worth of wages right so be just with
everyone some people start to read that
and they start thinking that this has
something to do with
certain political ideologies and it
couldn't be farther from the truth and I
have seen this and heard this from even
LDS scholars that start to equate some
of these things with some type of a
Marxist idea right that you are to have
everybody equal and to give to everybody
so that they are equal to you that is
not at all what King Benjamin is saying
here and that's not how that works right
that is a corruption that is only
achieved I'm talking about Marxism
through force and tyranny you cannot
when you what happens is that
you know there's how I see this write
something like Marxism which is still
out there right believe it or not it's
failings are monumental and the
destruction of this has been as evil as
anything you can think of and yet there
are many people that still go back and
still want to align themselves
sympathize with this idea of flattening
the hierarchy and the problem is the
approach to this is always the same it
is we're going to skip all three of the
first phases of the priesthood and we're
gonna go directly to the fourth we're
gonna take out the individual we're
gonna take out your agency as best we
can we're going to take out your works
your manifestation your speech number
two and third is family how do we take
out family we're going to have you be
loyal to the state first and loyal to
your family second if even that and
that's the way it always works out what
King Benjamin is going through here is
all four phases of the priesthood you
cannot give up the lower law you can't
give up the individual which is the
Aaronic priesthood you can't give up
agency you can't give up their works and
their speech the way you move toward
that fourth principle as they're doing
here
is through righteousness is through love
and charity and people making their own
choices doing their own works based on
what we've seen here so far preaching
the word people accepting it and then
following through with covenant with
each other and helping each other out
both spiritually and temporally I've had
a few of these discussions these minimal
and very minimal discussions but
discussions with people that are members
of the church and usually in academics
and there's still a leaning from
many people it's you know in that world
toward this Marxist idea of you know in
this social justice idea that cannot
work right it is tyrannical that is to
me it's exactly what happened in the war
in heaven is that there was a flattening
of the hierarchy we're going to remove
the ability to grow so that there is not
envy right it is it is a philosophy of
envy a flattening of the hierarchy which
can never happen you can't have a
flattening of the hierarchy the answer
to that is not flattening out the
hierarchy the answer to that is charity
and love the answer to that is a fluid
hierarchy where everybody can move up or
down based on their own decisions and
their individuality and that you can
foster charity among each other or
people can reach down and people can
reach up think about the plan of
salvation if everybody was the same if
nobody needed your service if nobody
needed you to sacrifice even within your
own family alright what would that do to
the plan of salvation it's completely
frustrated and so King Benjamin's words
here are crucial in understanding this
that you have to have the four phases of
the priesthood this is this is at the
very core of our theology in the church
it's rarely spoke enough in these terms
I I wish it was more but
this is at the core of our theology
these four phases and in fact in verse
27 we get an explanation of this I think
this is a really important qualifier
here and for understanding what King
Benjamin is saying he says and he
obviously feels that he needs to put
this in here he says and see that all
these things are done in wisdom and
order what does that tell us that tells
us that you can do these things
providing for the poor and helping the
beggar you can do these things in a way
that is not wise and that is not in a
good order in fact it might be he's
saying this because it's really easy to
do this the wrong way so he adds his
qualifier in there and then he says for
it is not requisite that a man should
run faster than he has strength in other
words if you're a poor there's only so
much that you might be able to do beyond
what you're doing for your family right
and again it is expedient that he should
be diligent that thereby he might win
the prize let's talk about that in a
second here it's the same prize that
everybody has the poor the beggar the
one that's well-off it's the same prize
that we all are looking for therefore
all things must be done in order it's a
really interesting statement
right you have these different groups
these three different groups he's
talking about but there needs to be an
order as to how this is done and to me
it's looking at the focus of these four
phases of the priesthood and
understanding that all of us have the
same prize in mind so for example would
it be wise and orderly if all we're
looking at is giving cash to the beggars
and the poor's is that the wisest thing
to do not that you should say I'm not
going to do it at all but is that the
primary focus that seems to be the
primary focus in government right it's
not a looking at the other three phases
of
how do we help you create better
decisions in agency how do we help your
works be productive and help you produce
and number three what about family what
is your family situation here because
family is a great sense of support for
all of these things we need to focus on
having the family as a center part of
society and civilization in doing that
to me is doing that in order right and
then lastly is charity from outside of
your family and from things that you
can't make the right decisions for or
have the right works for but bringing
you along so that we're all going toward
winning the prize the same prize it's
all the same end so let's look at this
in the light of the parable of the
talents I've gone over this just
recently but I want to do it again let's
let's talk about this we talked about
this I think it might even been last
week or the week before talking about
the fluid hierarchy and that's how this
works here you happen to have three
groups so let's say you had a one that
was well-off had the five talents right
and they're full of spiritual gifts and
productivity and intelligence and health
right and street smarts and they're able
to really do really well and so they go
out and they produce another five
talents okay and then you have the one
that has the sermon that only has two
talents let's just say for now that that
is more along the lines of maybe the
poor or just above the poor it would be
that a talent would be a one day's wage
so this would be a little bit more than
two talents would be more than that
right you would be a little more than
above poor but let's say that we see
that as the second group and as long as
I'm poor if I have the idea that I if I
could when I can I will help the beggar
the person that has even less than I do
and if I follow certain principles it
doesn't matter that I'm down below here
that I'm poorer because I can grow I can
use my agency
and I can use my works in my expression
to move forward and get another two
talents and who knows over time maybe if
I have the right help and I have the
right faith I can move up and now maybe
I'm a five talent person and I'm not
talking about just money right I'm
talking about being rich spiritually and
then there's the third person right and
the third person is the one that has one
talent and what do they do they go out
and they bury it right they bury it
because it's like saying look I've only
got the one talent I'm not a five talent
person I'm not a two talent person I
don't have that kind of money or
productivity or skills or health or
whatever it might be which is really
just saying I'm just gonna sit back and
I would look at this in a sense of envy
and victimhood
right I can look at this in a sense of
envy and victimhood and I'm going to
lose those first three phases if I do
that to some degree I'm gonna lose my
agency because if I'm a victim right
then maybe I can't do all these things
I'm being oppressed and I'm going to
reduce my own idea of what I have for
agency number two my expression in my
works hey if I'm oppressed or if I'm a
victim or I've got these problems and
maybe I don't have the same works I
don't have the same motivation to have
those same works and faith in those
works and third maybe maybe it's hard
for me to keep a family the way it
should be because I don't have those
talents in place right that money in
place I don't have those gifts in place
but that's what I'm saying that and this
is unpopular sometimes but the beggar
and the poor also have to be a part of
Covenant covenant is reaching from both
sides right so it's not just a matter of
those that are better off spiritually
those that are better off with their
testimonies those that are better off
with money those are better off with
intelligence or skills or anything else
reaching down and just by themselves
pulling up you have to have the other
side of that reaching up right and
efforting that that has to be there that
is part of to me that is part of the law
of consecration
that is part of the United order
that is part of covenant it's the same
way with the Covenant that we have with
God right the guide reach down below all
of us and is willing to pull us up but
he doesn't do it just by itself
that isn't enough just like our works
aren't enough we have to have both
covenant means coming together at one
mint means both of us reaching out to be
at one with each other us and God so we
have to go through those our agency we
have to make the right choices we have
to hear the right word we have to have
the right works and the right speech and
we need to develop family of some sort
one way or another and then we can be in
a position to reach down and pull others
up but we all need to go through that
process that's what the prize is right
that's what the prize is none of us get
away without being tried like Abraham
and Sarah
none of us because it is all about
becoming and we can't do that without
our agency and without our works and
speech so we've gone through this
simultaneously the fluid hierarchy
here we have the have faith which is up
toward the top of the chapter we have
Hope which is the joy that we have right
the assurance of where we can go with our
lives because of a remission of our sins
and because of the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ it's a state of mind it's a state
of being and then of course the last
portion of this chapter focuses on
charity and how we're helping our family
and how we're helping others faith hope
and charity and along with that we have
the four phases of the priest
right agency being number one it's a
first thing number two is our speech and
our works our manifestation of our
agency what we're going to do number
three is family and number four is
community its Zion its covenant with
everybody else so this to me is
something that being a ritual is
purposefully put into this context and
into this order now in Chapter five we
get the covenant actually happening so
they've gone over this the teaching
Benjamin's taught these things we've had
participation from the audience right
from the congregation here at the
temple but here the Covenant actually
happens and this is what it's starting
to it's all built toward is this
covenant reaction you'll see how this is
also apparently looks like this is a
covenant or ritual situation that that
everybody knows about they may have done
this last year or maybe three years ago
or whatever it might be but they know
what's going on here says here in verse
1 of chapter five and now it came to
pass that when King Benjamin had thus
spoken to his people he sent among them
desiring to know of his people if they
believed in the words which he had
spoken unto them right getting his
speech out to everybody they need that
knowledge and in verse two we get a hint
here and they all cried with one voice
okay how does that happen you know the
way that happens drama you know the way
that happens script right this could be
a psalm here that they are a reference
to a psalm here a chorus they would be
led here likely by somebody by the
Hasaan
who would be the you know even today in
a synagogue the Hasaann is maybe Hudson
Hudson is the one who leads the
congregation in certain speech and song
and you might even have assistants that
are going out because there's so many
different people same people perhaps
that are
reading the words of King Benjamin to
those that are in their tents so they
all cried out with one voice saying we
believe all the words which thou has
spoken so they're agreeing to this right
they're stepping into this the words
have come to them the rod of iron is
there they're going to believe and hang
on to the rod of iron
and we know there are surety and truth
because of the Spirit of the Lord
omnipotent so they felt the spirit which
has wrought a mighty change in us and in
verse 4 and it is the faith which we
have had and in verse 4 it says and it
is the faith which we have had on the
things which our King has spoken unto us
right so again knowledge is given to
them first and then it's like okay I can
have faith in this I understand this I
believe in this I can lean and trust on
this and in verse 5 and we are willing
to enter into a covenant this is the
part that they would speak of with our
God to do his will to do his will it
works and to be obedience to His
commandments this is just like what we
get in the first blessing of a sacrament
on the bread and so one key once King
Benjamin sees that there's an acceptance
of this at this point this would be part
of the drama part of the participation
by the audience he says because of the
covenant which he have made ye shall be
called the children of Christ his sons
and his daughters for behold this day
this day there it is right with covenant
right this day he hath spiritually
begotten you for ye say that your hearts
are changed through faith on his name
therefore year born of him and have
become his sons and his daughters so I
would that ye should take upon you the
name of Christ so there is the idea of
what we do at baptism right we repent of
our sins first we have faith in Jesus
Christ it's like the first principles
and ordinances of the gospel right and
and then
we take upon ourselves the name of
Christ so this is the name that Benjamin
was talking about it looks like in
Chapter one of Messiah that he said he
was going to give a name to this people
he why does he know he's going to do
that because it is a ritual he knows
that that is part of what goes on here
this is how this happens and we're gonna
get in with a bin and I also this same
idea about being born of Jesus Christ
right because when we're born of Jesus
Christ he becomes our Father and we are
his sons and his daughters in that sense
in a minute I will explain how he is
both the father being Jehovah or Jesus
Christ how he is both the father and the
son not in the idea of a Trinity but in
playing in different roles right it's
it's actors and roles roles and actors
it's a fluid hierarchy then he says
something interesting here we've heard
this before in verse 9 and it says and
it shall come to pass that whosoever do
with this taking on the name of Christ
shall be found at the right hand of God
what does that mean for he shall know
the name by which he is called for he
shall be called by the name of Christ so
those that are called by the name of
Christ in other words those that make
the covenant and stick to it will be
found on the right hand of Christ well
that's what that's the hand that you
make an agreement with a covenant with
is your right hand it's like the
separation of the sheep and the goats
right and those that are not going to be
called by the name of Christ those that
don't take on his name have to take on
another name he says and those that do
that find themselves on the left hand of
God so there's this idea I mean even
think about how a presidency sits even
right so if you've got the Prophet right
you would have the first counselor who's
higher in the hierarchy sit on his right
and the second counselor sit on his left
right that doesn't mean one's good and
one's bad it just it's just talking
about that's how that would work there
has to be hierarchy you have to have a
seating arrangement with everything
right and it's the same way with your
bishopric right as you look up at the
bishop you're going to see you're going
to see your bishop there in the center
your first counselor to his right and
the second counselor to the left so that
is being reconciled with God reconciled
means sitting in counsel and those
that are on the right side are going to
be those that are reconciled and sitting
in counsel with him because of the
covenant that is made and kept and by
the way the commandment do not take the
Lord's name in vain what are they doing
here they're taking on the Lord's name
that's an important thing to understand
I think that the watered down version of
that and again this is just my thoughts
on this I did an episode on this
actually but my thoughts on this are
that taking on the name of the Lord
taking the name the Lord's name in vain
saying OMG is a very small part of that
what it means is that when you've
covenanted and you've taken on his
name through that covenant through
baptism and then you do it in vain
you're you follow through in vain in
other words it doesn't mean anything to
you that's the Covenant right
that's the commandment it
seems to me and then in the last verse
of the chapter verse 15 we get that
begin as I said he was gonna circle
around to the works to good works he
does that here he says therefore I would
that ye should be steadfast and
immovable always abounding in good works
that Christ the Lord God omnipotent
meals may seal you his in other words
you know the seal on something he's
claiming you and then in the last
chapter we're going over here chapter 6
just briefly there's a couple just a
couple things I wanted to go over he
says here that everybody entered into
the Covenant that makes sense except it
were little children and they took
upon them the name of Christ remember
that we're talking about Old Testament
times here where this is during the time
in Jerusalem where we don't really have
any scriptures now the Jews have their
scriptures they have the Maccabees
for example and the period that happened
during the Hasmonean period but our gap
in the Old Testament right coming down
from more the times of Malachi down to
the New Testament there are several
hundred years there that we don't have
any writings from the prophets here we
do in that time period and what are they
focused on they're focused on Jesus
Christ and Mosiah he begins to reign in
the stead of his father Benjamin he
begins in his thirtieth year he's 30
years old or 29 years old when he begins
to rain and Messiah also like King
Benjamin walks in the ways of the Lord
and observes the Lord's judgments and
his statutes and did keep his
commandments in all things whatsoever he
commanded him
that is probably Mormon writing and then
he puts himself in the role of the
servant here at the very end it says and
King Messiah or Mormon puts him in the
role of servant Susan King Messiah did
cause his people that they should till
the earth that is that's kind of like
that that's
language of the Garden of Eden and he
also himself did till the earth thereby
he might not become burdensome
unto his people so he is put
in that same role of lowering himself
and putting himself into that role of
the servant King so what a masterful
piece of work we have here with King
Benjamin's speech that's a bridge by
moment
we have the fluid hierarchy everywhere
here we have a ritual right where people
know what's going on that is put into a
specific order we see the four phases of
the priesthood we see faith hope and
charity and as we move into the next
couple of weeks with Abinadi we're
gonna see the exact opposite thing
happening with King Noah and his priests
I'll talk to you next time
50% Complete
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