King Benjamin—A type of Melchizedek
Apr 29th, 2009 by larrybarkdull
(Note: This article is adapted from The Three Pillars of Zion, a series of books on becoming a Zion person. This series of books will be released in August.)
The Book of Mormon truly contains the fulness of gospel truth. One truth concerns the priesthood-its purpose and its proper use. To teach us that truth, Mormon included an abbreviated life study of King Benjamin that culminated with his unabridged speech. Something magnificent happened because Benjamin applied to the priesthood’s purpose and proper use. This account becomes the priesthood model for every father, priesthood holder with a calling, and priesthood leader.
If Melchizedek is an ideal of a priesthood holder in the Bible, King Benjamin is an ideal in the Book of Mormon. Both kings used their priesthood to facilitate a spiritual rebirth of their people and managed to bring them into the presence of the Lord.
What is the Most Sought-after Power?
BYU professor, M. Catherine Thomas, wrote, “The power to play a saving role is the most sought-after power among righteous priesthood holders in time and eternity. The greater the soul, it seems, the deeper the desire to labor to bring souls to Christ through causing them to take his name upon them.” Benjamin was such a priesthood holder, a king and a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Because we are likewise kings and priests to our people, whether our people be our personal families, Home Teaching families, quorums, wards, stakes, or otherwise, we can glean priesthood saving principles from the example of King Benjamin, and thus learn how to establish the principles of Zion in their lives.
Looking for a “City”
One of the first things we learn about King Benjamin was that he followed in the tradition of great priesthood holders before him. What he desired and accomplished for his people was not new. As we have learned, Adam set the example. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “[Adam] wanted to bring [his people] into the presence of God. They looked for a city… ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Hebrews 11:10).” Later, Enoch, Noah, and Melchizedek followed this pattern. Now Benjamin, who “held the keys of power and blessing for his community,” prayed earnestly for priesthood power to endow his people with spiritual blessings and make them Zionlike people. Of priesthood holders’ preparation to enact such a change in their people, Catherine Thomas wrote,
A priesthood holder’s office is to sanctify himself and stand as an advocate before God seeking blessings for his community in the manner of the Lord Jesus Christ himself (see John 17:19), whether the community be as small as a family or as large as Benjamin’s kingdom. A righteous priesthood holder can work by faith to provide great benefits to his fellow beings (see Mosiah 8:18). He can, in fact, exercise great faith in behalf of others of lesser faith, “filling in” with faith for them; thus a prophet [or any priesthood holder] and a people together can bring down blessings for even a whole community (for example, see Ether 12:14). The Lord seems to be interested not only in individuals but also in groups of people who wish to establish holy cities and unite with heavenly communities. Like the ancients, one who holds the holy priesthood is always trying to establish a holy community, is always “look[ing] for a city (Hebrews 11:10, 16). So it was with Benjamin.
Imagine if every priesthood holder would approach his stewardship in this manner: always “looking for a city.” If such were the case, Zion could easily be established in families, quorums, wards, and stakes. The Lord said,
The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church–To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
If Melchizedek priesthood holders do not instigate and disseminate spiritual blessings, those blessings will remain forever unknown and unclaimed.
King Benjamin-A Model for Priesthood Holders
What did King Benjamin do that is worthy of our emulation? First, he had lived a Christlike life, the covenantal obligation of all priesthood holders, having labored ceaselessly in the service of his people and his God. Next, he prepared his people for the blessings of salvation by fighting for them, waging battles in their behalf, doing all that he could to “triumph over the powers of evil-over ‘enemies.’” Catherine Thomas wrote,
This is the pattern: the priesthood holder labors with all his faculties to rout Satan from his loved ones as that enemy is manifested in contention, mental warfare, and physical violence among the people. For any priesthood holder to become a prince of peace, he must in some degree wrest his kingdom, great or small, from the adversary and halt the plans of the destroyer on behalf of his loved ones.” Establishing peace is absolutely essential for spiritual progress and “to receive greater spiritual blessings.
Thus, Melchizedek and Abraham were called princes of peace after the order to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Another priesthood action of Benjamin that is worthy of our emulation is that he prayed earnestly for priesthood power to bring his people into the presence of the Lord. In response to his prayer, and angel appeared with permission to gather his people for the purpose of bestowing upon them a great spiritual endowment, and instructions for how to do it. These were “glad tidings of great joy,” the very thing that Benjamin had wanted for his people. “The Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.”
The message of the angel would distinguish this group of people “above all the people which the Lord hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem.” Catherine Thomas explained, “”Perhaps this was the first time among all the people brought out from the land of Jerusalem that a king and priest-in the tradition of Adam, Enoch, and Melchizedek-had succeeded in bringing his people to this point of transformation actually to receive the name of Christ.”
To Fully Take upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ
What exactly happened? The process of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ begins at baptism, and our subsequent partaking of the Sacrament indicates our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, but to actually do so usually lies in the future. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained,
Mere compliance with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a person has been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the immersion in water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not of themselves guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new birth takes place only for those who actually enjoy the gift or companionship of the Holy Ghost, only for those who are fully converted, who have given themselves without restraint to the Lord. Thus Alma addressed himself to his “brethren of the church,” and pointedly asked them if they had “spiritually been born of God,” received the Lord’s image in their countenances, and had the “mighty change” in their hearts which always attends the birth of the Spirit. (Alma 5:14, 31.)
To fully take upon us the name of Christ requires at least three things:
- Intervention or assistance by the priesthood
- Our receiving all of the temple covenants and ordinances
- Our living worthily of all that we have received.
Using the Priesthood to Facilitate a Spiritual Experience
King Benjamin understood his priesthood role to act as an advocate for the people and facilitate a spiritual experience whereby the people could receive a greater endowment of the Spirit in a temple setting. We must remember that the responsibility of the priesthood is to bring people to the Holy Ghost, whose responsibility is to bring people to Jesus Christ, whose responsibility is to bring people to the Father.
Having prayed and received the angel’s permission to proceed with the promise that his people might “rejoice with exceedingly great joy,” and be “filled with joy,” which terms, according to Catherine Thomas, are synonymous with being born again, King Benjamin gathered his people to the temple, where he taught administered to them something akin to the temple endowment. He covered such temple themes as “the creation, fall, atonement, consecration, and covenant making. Benjamin last words pertain to being ’sealed’ to Christ and receiving eternal life (see Mosiah 5:15).” The result was as astonishing as anything we read in scripture. These people became Zion people; they “received an endowment of spiritual knowledge and power which took them from being good people to Christlike people-all in a temple setting.
What they experienced through the power of the priesthood was a revelation of Christ’s nature and the power to be assimilated to his image.” That is, by Benjamin’s priesthood intervention, they fully took upon them the name of Jesus Christ and consummated their journey to be fully born again. Now they were Zion people.
The Temple is the Summit of our Spiritual Journey
The connection of the priesthood, temple and receiving the name of Christ does not escape us. The scriptures teach us that the temple is a house for “the name” of the Lord. The Kirtland Temple was a place where “thy name shall be put upon this house.” Clearly, the temple is where we fully receive the name of Jesus Christ through the covenants and ordinances of salvation. According to Elder Dallin H. Oaks, when we partake of the sacrament, we indicate our willingness to make our way to the temple to take upon ourselves fully the name of Christ and receive the blessings of exaltation, including those highest blessings associated with the name of Christ given to those who live righteously against all hazards.
Priesthood holders are specifically commissioned to help people take upon them the name of Christ. Beyond administering the ordinances of baptism and the Holy Ghost, priesthood holders are responsible to get people to the temple, where we take upon us the name of Christ more fully. Then priesthood holders are to teach those exalting covenants and to set an example of righteous covenantal living. The result will make their charges Zion people and eventually gods. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “God’s name is God. To have his name written on a person is to identify that person as a god. How can it be said more plainly? Those who gain eternal life become gods!”
To fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, meaning the endowment and event that can only happen in a temple, opens the door to be nominated a candidate for exaltation. For King Benjamin’s people, this pivotal experience resulted in a “profound transformation from basic goodness to something that exceeded their ability to even describe. This much did they say, ‘The Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent…has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2).”
Priesthood-the Power to Bring People to a Higher Spiritual Plain
Who can underestimate a priesthood holder’s power and responsibility to help to establish Zion principles in his people? Catherine Thomas concluded,
It is the privilege and responsibility of a community’s priesthood leader, through exercising mighty faith and laboring with his people, to bring them to a higher spiritual plain in their quest to return to God. Benjamin had been praying that the Lord would send power to bring to pass a spiritually transforming experience for his people. The Lord sent his angel to declare to the king that power would be given to cause the people to be spiritually reborn, to becomes sons and daughters of Christ, and to receive the sacred name forever….The people tasted of the glory of God and came to a personal knowledge of him; through the power of the Holy Spirit they experienced the mighty change of heart and the mystery of spiritual rebirth.
Spiritual Awakening Linked to the Redemption of Zion
No priesthood responsibility could take precedence. It has everything to do with establishing Zion is one life or many lives. President Benson, “When we awake and are born of God, a new day will break and Zion will be redeemed.” That is what Benjamin did with his priesthood-that is what we all must do: awaken the people so that they are born of God; seek for a new day, so that Zion will be redeemed. This is the “city” we look for, the city “whose builder and maker is God.”
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.279
Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.159
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.281-82
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.282-83, referencing Mosiah 4:14
See Alma 13:17-18; Abraham 1:2
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.290-91
Bruce R. McConkie, “Born Again,” Mormon Doctrine, p.101
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.285-86
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.292
See 1 Kings 3:2; 5:5; 8:16-20, 29, 44, 48; 1 Chronicles 22:8-10, 19; 29:16; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 6:5-10, 20, 34, 38
See Dallin H. Oaks, “Taking Upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1985
Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 3:459
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.290
M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.293
Ezra Taft Benson, A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon, p.66
Sister M. Catherine Tomas is one of my heroes. I took a class by her early in my BYU years and from then on I took a class by her every semester as much as I could. There was always a great Spirit in that classroom. Since I’ve gotten some of her books and tapes. I’ve always loved her insignts into the Gospel.
She is my hero too. What an amazing contribution she has made to gospel literature.