Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
When Nephi and his brothers returned after obtaining the plates, their mother, Sariah, "was exceedingly glad, for she truly had mourned because of [them]. For she had supposed that [they] had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against [their] father" (1 Nephi 5:1-2).
Her sons' return to obtain the plates appears to have been particularly trying for Sariah, who has lost her worldly property and home in Jerusalem, and feared that her "sons [were] no more", and that they would "perish in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 5:2).
It seems strange that the Lord waited until Lehi and his family had left Jerusalem before mentioning the importance of the brass plates. He could have easily included a commandment to get the plates with his initial instruction to flee Jerusalem thereby saving them a trip. (The same is true of the Lord's later commandment to return to Jerusalem again to invite Ishmael and his daughters to intermarry and join them in their journey to the promised land.)
A clue to one possible reason for requiring multiple trips is found in Sariah's response to her sons' return:
"And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted. And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak" (1 Nephi 5:7-8).
Witnessing the Lord's power in protecting and preserving her sons gave Sariah new confidence and faith in the Lord. It helped solidify her resolve to journey to the promised land. It would be easy to read Sariah's experience and take away the lesson, "do not complain." Certainly, we should strive to be hopeful and grateful, even in trials, but the more important lesson is to let our trials fortify our faith and strengthen our testimony. As was the case for Sariah, complaints and serious doubts cannot derail our spiritual growth if we maintain what psychology researchers would call "growth mindset," and submit the process of struggle and learning that the Lord has laid out for us.
Her sons' return to obtain the plates appears to have been particularly trying for Sariah, who has lost her worldly property and home in Jerusalem, and feared that her "sons [were] no more", and that they would "perish in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 5:2).
It seems strange that the Lord waited until Lehi and his family had left Jerusalem before mentioning the importance of the brass plates. He could have easily included a commandment to get the plates with his initial instruction to flee Jerusalem thereby saving them a trip. (The same is true of the Lord's later commandment to return to Jerusalem again to invite Ishmael and his daughters to intermarry and join them in their journey to the promised land.)
A clue to one possible reason for requiring multiple trips is found in Sariah's response to her sons' return:
"And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted. And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak" (1 Nephi 5:7-8).
Witnessing the Lord's power in protecting and preserving her sons gave Sariah new confidence and faith in the Lord. It helped solidify her resolve to journey to the promised land. It would be easy to read Sariah's experience and take away the lesson, "do not complain." Certainly, we should strive to be hopeful and grateful, even in trials, but the more important lesson is to let our trials fortify our faith and strengthen our testimony. As was the case for Sariah, complaints and serious doubts cannot derail our spiritual growth if we maintain what psychology researchers would call "growth mindset," and submit the process of struggle and learning that the Lord has laid out for us.
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