Mosiah 4: Humility, Remission of Sins, and Care for the Poor
I was in the shop last week, planing a piece of black walnut that had been sitting in the rack for about four years. It was a good board. Straight grain, dark heartwood, no cracks. I had been saving it for something that mattered.
I stood there looking at it and felt small. Not in a bad way. The kind of small you feel when you are standing next to something that was growing before you were born and will outlast you. That board was part of a tree that had been alive for decades. I was just the person who got to do something with it for a little while.
That is the closest I can get to what the people felt in Mosiah 4. They fell to the earth. They described themselves as less than the dust of the earth. And then, in that same moment, they received a remission of their sins and were filled with joy.
What Does It Mean to Be Less Than the Dust of the Earth in Mosiah 4
The people had just heard King Benjamin's sermon. The angel had delivered a message to Benjamin in Mosiah 3 about the coming of Christ, the atonement, the natural man, and the salvation of little children. Now Benjamin was speaking those words to the people, and the Spirit hit them hard.
And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
Then they fell to the earth. The fear of the Lord came upon them. They saw themselves in their carnal state, and they did not like what they saw.
Here is what I keep coming back to. They did not fall because they were afraid of being punished. They fell because they finally understood what they were standing in front of. It is the difference between knowing a board is old and actually feeling the weight of the years in your hands.
Benjamin tells them in verse 11 that they need to retain this knowledge. Not just have the experience and move on. Hold onto it.
And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
That is a long sentence. But it holds the whole thing together. Knowledge of God, tasting his love, remission of sins, and exceedingly great joy. Then the instruction to remember your nothingness and his goodness. Both at the same time.
How to Receive a Remission of Sins in the Book of Mormon
Benjamin lays out the conditions plainly. Believe in God, repent, humble yourself, ask for forgiveness, keep the commandments, and continue in faith until the end.
Fair enough. It sounds simple when you list it like that. But the people did not just hear the list and check the boxes. They fell to the earth first. The humility came before the remission.
I think about this when I am working on a piece that is beyond my skill level. There is a moment where you realize you are about to ruin good wood. You stop. You step back. You admit you do not know what you are doing. And then, only then, can you ask for help and actually receive it.
The remission of sins in Mosiah 4 is not a transaction. It is a response. The people saw themselves clearly, and God met them there.
Benjamin's Teaching on the Poor in Mosiah 4
This is where the chapter turns. Benjamin moves from the people's relationship with God to their relationship with each other. Specifically, their relationship with the poor.
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.
Then he addresses the objection that comes up every time.
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.
I have thought that. I have seen someone in a bad situation and wondered how much of it was their own doing. Benjamin does not say the question is wrong. He just reframes it.
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, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
That is the line that gets me. Every time I have been tempted to judge someone for needing help, I have to remember that I am asking God for the same thing. Forgiveness, sustenance, another chance. I am a beggar too, and I am just better at hiding it.
I wrote about a similar idea in D&C 70: Stewards Over the Revelations and Commandments. The Lord calls six men as stewards, not owners. The same principle applies here. Nothing we have is really ours. We are managing it for someone else.
Meaning of Running Faster Than One Has Strength in Mosiah 4
Verse 27 is one of the most practical verses in the Book of Mormon.
And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
I don't know. I think we sometimes treat this verse like a permission slip to take it easy. But that is not what it says. It says be diligent and win the prize. It just says do not run faster than you have strength.
There is a difference between being lazy and being wise about your limits. I have burned myself out on projects before. Stayed up too late in the shop, rushed the joinery, made mistakes that took twice as long to fix. The work would have been better if I had stopped at a reasonable hour and come back fresh.
The same is true for service and spiritual growth. You cannot give what you do not have. You cannot sustain a pace that breaks you. Wisdom and order are not the enemy of diligence. They are what make diligence possible.
The thread continues in Mosiah 3: What the Angel Told Benjamin About Christ, the Natural Man, and Little Children, where the angel lays out the conditions that make this kind of life possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the people fall to the earth in Mosiah 4?
The fear of the Lord came upon them after hearing King Benjamin's words. They saw their own carnal state clearly and cried out for mercy. The falling was not punishment. It was the natural response to finally understanding who God is and who they were in relation to him.
What is King Benjamin's argument against judging those who are poor?
Benjamin says we are all beggars before God. Every person depends on God for life and food and salvation. It is hypocritical to judge someone else's need when we ourselves are completely dependent on mercy we did not earn.
What does Benjamin mean by not running faster than he has strength?
This is a caution against overextending yourself to the point of failure. The Lord wants diligence and the prize, but he also wants wisdom and order. Steady work beats heroic burnout every time.
How do you retain a remission of sins according to Mosiah 4?
Benjamin says to remember the greatness of God and your own nothingness. Call on the Lord daily and stand steadfast in faith. The remission is not a one-time event. It is a state you maintain through daily humility.
I put that black walnut board back on the rack. I was not ready for it yet. Maybe next year or the year after. The tree waited decades, and I can wait a little longer.
That is what Mosiah 4 teaches. You do not rush the work or judge the other person's pace. You remember who you are standing in front of, and you keep showing up.
-- D.