Two Kings

I think Mormon intentionally gave us the example of two rulers in close proximity in the Book of Mormon so that we could see the difference between the power for good of a righteous leader and the power for evil of a wicked one.  King Benjamin and King Noah were different in about every aspect of their personal lives, the way that they ruled their people, and the legacy that they left.  In a time where we hear from politicians seeking election on the local and national stages, perhaps it would be well for us to ask whether those seeking to lead us are more like King Benjamin or King Noah.  My fear is that far too many of them would fall on the Noah side of the spectrum. 

                One of the ways that we see a dramatic difference between Noah and Benjamin was the manner in which they lived their personal lives.  King Benjamin was “a just man before the Lord” and “a holy man” (Omni 1:25, Words of Mormon 1:17).  Noah on the other hand “did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart” (Mosiah 11:2).  Noah was supported in his “laziness” and “idolatry” and “whoredoms” by the people’s taxes, while King Benjamin “labored with [his] own hands” so that the people “should not be laden with taxes” (Mosiah 2:14).  Mormon said that he labored “with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul” (Words of Mormon 1:18).  Benjamin was extremely humble, telling that people that he was “of the dust” and “no better” than his people (Mosiah 2:26).  Noah, though, surrounded himself with people who were “lifted up in the pride of their hearts” and when he was told by Abinadi to repent he said, “who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?” (Mosiah 11:5, 27).  Benjamin was a selfless man of God who sought always to serve the Lord and his people; Noah was a selfish king who disrespected God and thought only of himself. 

                The kings were very different in how they governed their people and the effect that they had on them.  Noah “did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord” whereas Benjamin told his people to not “commit any manner of wickedness,” and taught them to “keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded” (Mosiah 11:2, 2:13).  King Benjamin fought side by side with his people—not valuing his life more than anyone else’s—in order to protect them: “But behold, king Benjamin gathered together his armies, and he did stand against them; and he did fight with the strength of his own arm, with the sword of Laban” (Words of Mormon 1:13).  One the other hand, when the Lamanites were falling upon his people, King Noah “commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites” (Mosiah 19:11).  Benjamin valued the life of those he served above his own; King Noah “was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his own life” (Mosiah 19:8).  King Benjamin willing gave up the throne to his son Mosiah even though he still lived three years after the transition, whereas Noah tried to hold on to his power until the people “caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire” (Mosiah 19:20).  In short, King Benjamin loved God and his people with all his heart and “spent [his] days in [their] service,” whereas King Noah forced his people to work for him, placing “his heart upon his riches” and spending his “time in riotous living” (Mosiah 2:19, 11:14).  We need a lot more Benjamins and a lot less Noahs to lead our communities and nations.