Having fulfilled the first of his purposes by naming Mosiah as his successor, Benjamin now turns to his major purpose in assembling the people. He will be giving them a new covenant, creating a new and formal relationship between the people and their God. He begins by discussing their role with respect to their new king. His very first commandment is that “I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done.” These are people who have elected to remain with Benjamin rather than defecting to the Lamanites. Therefore we may presume that for the most part they have agreed with Benjamin’s rule, and have followed the law he has laid down. Benjamin invokes that same willingness to follow upon his son’s reign. Just as the people followed Benjamin, he requires of them that they follow his son, Mosiah.
Benjamin uses history as the teacher for the lesson of following those commands. He starts with the temporal – the prosperity they have had by following the commandments of Benjamin and Mosiah I. It is interesting that the major evidence of prosperity is that they have not fallen into the hands of enemies. What does victory in battle have to do with prosperity? Aside from the obvious “prosperity” of retaining one’s independence, in Mesoamerica there was a very close economic tie between loosing a war and having a decrease in “prosperity.” The tribute system required the goods of the conquered, and therefore decreased that which was available for the community (we will see this problem intensely in the story of Zeniff and his followers).
In keeping with his theme of involving God as a heavenly king, Benjamin links the “prosperity” under Mosiah I and Benjamin to God’s promise of prosperity if the people would obey. Thus he has declared the continuation of the dynasty, required his people to continue in their support, and turned the ultimate allegiance to the eternal king, God.