An angel has come to King Benjamin in the night. I wonder who he was, if he could have been Nephi. That would make sense to me. The angel testifies to King Benjamin of the coming of Christ and his testimony starts with verse 5 and goes to the end of the chapter. King Benjamin is quoting the angel’s words to the people. King Benjamin would have known about Christ’s coming, but having it testified of by an angel must have been a deeply moving experience and impressed on his mind the importance of his bearing witness of this to the people. This great prophecy of Christ is the only prophecy of his birth that we have where Mary is mentioned by name.
It is in this verse that we learn more of the Savior suffering in the atonement for our sins to the extent that it caused him to bleed at every pore. The angel testifies of the resurrection and also clarifies something that hasn’t been discussed very much yet and that is how the atonement covers children and people who have never had the opportunity to learn the gospel, who sinned without knowing they were sinning. The angel also tells Benjamin the importance of the name of Christ which will greatly have an effect on his people and we’ll learn more of in Chapter 5.
The angel also tells how it is possible to put of the natural man and become a spiritual person. To me this is how we tune into our best selves, how we learn to not be selfish, to find more meaning and purpose in life and how we can have deeper and more loving relationships.
The great thing about this prophecy is how positive it is. The angel tells King Benjamin that the Lord has heard his prayers and recognized his righteousness, and because of those two things, the angel is appearing to him. The angel commands King Benjamin that he is to teach the people what he will say so he and the people can find joy and rejoice. Promises fill the chapter and we can’t help but feel better about life and ourselves if we ponder the meaning of how these promises effect each of our lives and the lives of those around us.
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