In the scriptures for Lesson 16, we continue to follow
the discourse of King Benjamin. King Benjamin must have been a very powerful
teacher and orator as he had a profound effect upon his people. After he had
finished speaking, he looked around at the people and “behold they had fallen
to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them” (Mosiah 4:1).
I thought “the fear of the Lord” was a strange expression. However, in Volume 2
of the Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millett, this
expression is explained clearly. In many ancient cultures, falling to the earth
was an indication of reverence and awe; and the Hebrew word Yirah or fear,
could also be translated as respect or reverence. This made me think of a very
special story that was given to me by my old youth Sunday School teacher, Sister Gloria Kelly, an angel Sister who touched my life in a dramatic way.
“I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the Temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, he arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and he smiled as he softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into his arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessings was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to feel what I then felt” (as cited in Bryant S. Hinckley, The Faith of Our Pioneer Fathers, p. 226-27.)
When Sister Kelly first asked me to read this to the
class, I cried. I could imagine myself in this dream. I would have also fallen
to the Earth, in fear and love of the Lord. One day, I want to be worthy to
kneel at His feet.
In Mosiah 4:15-26,
King Benjamin speaks again of love for your fellowman, of tending to the needs
of the poor, and of not judging those that stand in need. In verse 19 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”. Living in this beautiful
country (NZ) with freedom and natural beauty, having the Gospel in my life, having
a wonderful family and love in abundance, having a home and shelter, a job that
brings satisfaction, and being able to study and learn – these are all
blessings for which I am so grateful. I convey my gratitude to the Lord every
day for these special blessings. I share as much as I can and always make an
effort to help others when I am called upon to give aid or assistance. This is
something that I was taught from my earliest years.
Mosiah 5 contains chiasmus. Chiasmus is found in ancient
Hebraic texts and many of the proverbs provide great examples. In 1830, when
the Book of Mormon was published, no one in America even understood chiasmus.
John W. Welsh (1985), in his text Chiasmus
in the Book of Mormon, stated “the remarkable presence of complex
chiasms in the Book of Mormon testifies to the ancient origin of the text”.
The chiasmus in Mosiah 5:10-12
is illustrated in the picture below. This is from BYU
Studies Quarterly, and appeared in the Gospel
Doctrine Prep blog of John Bytheway.
I thought it would be fun to try a chiasmus myself. I
tried to apply the concepts from King Benjamin to this chiasmus.
Joy penetrates my being as I testify of the love of my Saviour.
This knowledge
fills me with humility and gratitude.
The enabling power of the Atonement provides me with hope;
a hope
that must be fuelled by constant effort and
obedience
and service to my fellowman,
giving my time and talents, and the gifts the Lord
has given me;
giving my time and talents wherever they may be
required,
providing service
to my fellowman.
I must
live a Christ like life through constant effort and
obedience,
motivated by
hope arising through the power of the Atonement
that creates in
me an overwhelming sense of humility and gratitude;
conclusively testifying to me of the love of my Saviour.
The following video, was a PowerPoint I once made for a lesson, to illustrate Gratitude. This is what I am grateful for:
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