The first words that come out of King Benjamin's mouth in this chapter are, "My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people" (Mosiah 4:4). We can already see the relationship King Benjamin has with his people. These words show that he truly cares and has a deep friendship with his audience. Throughout the chapter, we also see that he has an incredible testimony of God.
Some things that King Benjamin instructs in this chapter which we can apply to our own lives include the following actions:
- Trust in the Lord
- Be diligent in keeping God's commandments
- Believe in God - that he created all things, that he has all wisdom and power, that we can't comprehend all that he can comprehend.
- Repent and forsake your sins.
- Humble yourself.
- Ask God for forgiveness.
- Remember God's greatness and your own nothingness.
- Call on the name of the Lord daily.
- Stand steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come (Christ's reign on earth).
As a result of these actions, we will:
- Receive salvation.
- Always rejoice and be filled with the love of God.
- Always retain a remission of our sins.
- Grow in the knowledge of God.
- Live peaceably.
- Raise our children righteously.
- Help those that need help.
It is neat to see that if we do what King Benjamin tells us to do, we will naturally live righteously and seek opportunities to help others in the gospel. As observed by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, the virtues that King Benjamin encourages us to develop are "meekness, humility, patience, love, and spiritual submissiveness." Elder Maxwell states that we will never be able to repay God for all that He has blessed us with, but King Benjamin tells us that we must consecrate our lives to God so that we can become more and more like the Savior. Elder Maxwell says, "This objective—knowing and becoming like the Master—is at the heart of King Benjamin’s valedictory address" (Ensign, "King Benjamin's Manual of Discipleship," January 1992).
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