Mosiah 4:1 - 4:5

Mosiah 4:1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.

After King Benjamin had delivered the words he was commanded to speak to this people, he looked over the congregation to observe the effect of his speech. He saw that all the people had fallen to the earth. They had made an assessment of their present condition and knew that they had fallen short of what they should have been like and they were fearful of their standing before God.

Mosiah 4:2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. 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.

They now began to plead with the Lord that the atoning blood of Christ be applied to them so that they might feel that their sins were forgiven and that they were now in good standing with God. That they would not want to hide from Him if he came among them. They did all together give testimony of Jesus Christ who they acknowledge was the creator of the heavens and the earth and who would come down to earth as a mortal to experience what they were experiencing as mortals.

Mosiah 4:3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

After this confession of faith, the Spirit of the Lord came to them to tell them that they had been forgiven of their sins. Because their consciences were now free of guilt, they were filled with joy knowing they were right with God. This all happened because of the great faith in Jesus Christ who they knew could heal them as testified by King Benjamin.

Mosiah 4:4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

After assessing their reactions to what he had spoken thus far, he continued. He again remind them to pay close attention to the rest of his discourse.

Mosiah 4:5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—

Now if the people have come to a realization of just how inferior a man’s true nature is because of the fall of Adam is to God.