Mosiah 6:1 - 6:7

Mosiah 6:1 And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments.

After King Benjamin's speech and the favorable reaction by the people, he took a census. He wanted to list the names of all those who had entered into the covenant he spoke of.

Mosiah 6:2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ.

Everyone put their names on this list except the little children.

[These little children were to be a big problem in later years, as we shall see.]

Mosiah 6:3 And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses.

King Benjamin ended his reign over his people by setting apart his son Mosiah as his replacement. He also set apart Church leaders and teachers to keep reminding the people of the covenant they had entered into. As the general conference ended everyone returned to their homes.

[Show that even if one has acquired the disposition to not commit sins, it will not last to long without be reminded. This reminding must be continuous because satan is abroad in the land and he and his angels are working on us continuously.]

Mosiah 6:4 And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.

Mosiah takes over as king and King Benjamin retires to live out the rest of his life in peace. Mosiah was 30 years old when he began his reign. And it was now 476 years since Lehi had left Jerusalem.

Mosiah 6:5 And king Benjamin lived three years and he died.

King Benjamin lived three years and died.

Mosiah 6:6 And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him.

King Mosiah followed in his father’s footsteps and also reigned in righteousness. He kept all the instructions given to him by King Benjamin and whatever commandments he received from the Lord.

Mosiah 6:7 And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things. And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years.

King Mosiah encouraged the agrarian life style and the people supported themselves through farming the earth. King Mosiah also worked to support himself. There were no taxes levied on the people to support him, he work like everyone else to provide for his own support. He did just as his father had done. There was now peace in the land for the next three years.