The emphasis on giving substance to the poor is stronger in this sermon that anywhere else in the Book of Mormon. It is worth considering why that might have been. Knowing that social inequality was beginning even in Jacob’s day, and that whenever we see the Nephites wearing costly apparel as a sign of their wealth, we know that apostasy is on the way; this tells us that the probable reason for the contention that split apart Nephite society must have been fed by desires for social stratification. The reason Benjamin speaks so strongly about fostering social equality is precisely because it had been one of the root causes of the recent contentions. Similarly, the emphasis on the atoning Messiah suggests that the particular Nephite understanding of Jehovah’s future earthly mission must have been another of the reasons for the division.
Remembering that Zarahemla consisted of two peoples who had developed religion differently, even though they began from the same location and culture, tells us that the divisiveness that will plague Nephite society in future years was a continuation of the differences that created the civil war that preceded Benjamin’s speech.