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...
After Nephi and his brothers obtained the plates, they were commanded to return again to persuade Ishmael and his family to intermarry and join them on their journey to the promised land. "...The Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise" (1 Nephi 7:1).
In the same way He had commanded them to return for the brass plates (which contained the scriptures and their genealogy), the Lord commanded them to return at great personal risk to find spouses. Nephi states that this was not just to "raise up seed," but to "raise up seed unto the Lord." Aside from the obvious procreative necessity of marriage, Nephi implies that marriage was key to raising righteous families. Just as they needed the words of the prophets to raise their children in righteousness, they also needed to work within the partnership of marriage.
In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" issued by the The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles in 1995, the leaders of the church reinforced that "parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness," and that "happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." My experience has been that marriage provides unity and strength that are indispensable in raising good children, and pursuing personal righteousness. I am a dramatically better person because of the positive influence of my spouse, and because of the ways marriage stretches, refines, and teaches me.
As they returned to the tents of Lehi, "Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us," and actually sought to kill Nephi (1 Nephi 7:6). Nephi rebukes them and asks "How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?" (1 Nephi 7:9). Truly, Laman and Lemuel had forgotten miraculous things that should have led them to righteousness. They had seen an angel (1 Nephi 7:10), they had been delivered form the hands of Laban (1 Nephi 7:11), and they had a knowledge that "that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him," but still disobeyed and persecuted their brother (1 Nephi 7:12). Based on all this knowledge and experience, Nephi invites them to repent and obey in the phrase, "Wherefore, let us be faithful to him" (1 Nephi 7:12).
Converting knowledge to action is one of the most important lifelong pursuits we undertake. Not only in spiritual matters, but in all aspects of our lives. I know I should save money, I know I should get at least 7 hours of sleep, and I know potato chips are not a health food. But the fact that I don't always act on that knowledge leads me to believe that developing good habits is about a lot more than just knowledge.
One of my favorite models for changing behavior is found in the book Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. They stress the point that there are multiple factors that influence behavior, and that we generally overemphasize the role of knowledge at the expense of other considerations. Simply having knowledge (a component of our personal ability) is insufficient if it is not accompanied by motivation, social support, and an environment conducive to good choices:
Surprisingly, Laman an Lemuel repented: "They were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down before me, and did plead with me that I would forgive them of the thing that they had done against me" (1 Nephi 7:20). Equally impressive is the speed and ease with which Nephi "did frankly forgive them all that they had done" (1 Nephi 7:21). While I'm sure Nephi is simplifying this process in his record, when I read this exchange I can't help but feel that I overcomplicated repentance and forgiveness. Just as the Lord told the woman taken in adultery, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" our access to forgiveness and our ability to forgive are more immediate than I think (John 8:11).
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