The result of obeying Jehovah’s commandments was that those who were in the church, or those who were living those commandments, began to receive the benefit of the promise of the land. They were righteous; therefore, they prospered.
Mormon makes certain to point out that the reason for their prosperity was that they had the things that they needed, and shared with all who were in need. He concludes that they therefore became more wealthy than those who did not belong to the church. Mormon mentions “good homely cloth.” Webster’s 1828 dictionary indicates that something that is “homely” is “plain, like that which is made for common domestic use.” Since we also have the adjective “good” in the description of the cloth, it is probably intended to indicate that it is made in the home, as was much clothing in antiquity. It is an interesting contrast to the “silk and fine-twined linen.”
This is an interesting point, because prosperity is typically the issue that begins to create social inequity. That is the reason that Mormon stressed that they became wealthy through their egalitarian sharing with the needy. It is also important to note that most of what made them wealthy was that they had “whatsoever they stood in need.” They had food and shelter. They did have precious things, but the emphasis is not on the trappings of wealth, but rather that the true definition of wealth is the ability to provide for both one’s own needs and to assist with others who might yet be in need.