Skip to main content

9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

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...
1 comment

2 Nephi 6 - They Shall Not Be Ashamed That Wait for Me


Nephi's brother Jacob recounts history and the words of Isaiah in his role as a spiritual leader of the people. Jacob's introduction offers a useful model to asses how conscientious I am in serving others: He says "...I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world" (2 Nephi 3).


  • Do I hope for the well-being of others?
  • Am I consistently and urgently concerned about those around me?
  • Do  I invite others to make good choices/repent?
  • Do I regularly and sincerely share the scriptures and my testimony? 


While I may care about people in an abstract way, and do not actively harm others, rarely do I exhibit the kind of love that Jacob describes. I get distracted by my own wants and selfish pursuits, and am generally timid in inviting others to change or sharing my beliefs with those I fear would reject them. 

 Talking about those who will know Christ when he comes again Jacob teaches that "thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me" (2 Nephi 6:7). He further reiterates, "the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah" (2 Nephi 6:13). The Hebrew word translated as "wait" means to "look to," "hope for," "expect," or "anticipate" (Ogden, Skinner).

 Waiting for the Lord helps us be less ashamed of him.  Looking to, hoping for, expecting, and anticipating that God keeps his promises can motivate us to follow him and love and serve others. In Hebrews 11 we learn that the heroes of the Old Testament "all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). We may not see the rewards or outcomes of good choices in this life, but the more firmly we believe in the Lord and His promises, the more likely we are to follow Him. 

 Jacob's motive in sharing the words of Isaiah was to bless his people (and readers today). "And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God" (2 Nephi 6:4). To me this passage could mean either 1.) learn and 2.) glorify the name of God or it could mean to 1.) learn the name of God and 2.) glorify the name of God. The idea of "learning the name of God" draws associations for me to knowing God.  In Christ's great intercessory prayer for the the world we learn that "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Not to know about God, but to know him. When we do what God asks us to do, we learn in a visceral, experiential way to know what He knows, feel what He feels, and do what He does. 

 When we come to know God, we can be freed from our mistakes and strengthened to meet the pain and challenges of this life. "For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee" (2 Nephi 6: 16-17, 1 Nephi 21:24-25, Isaiah 49:24)
Ogden, D.K. & Skinner, A.C., 2011. Verse by verse: the book of Mormon, Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book.

 Image Credit: Unknown

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

24 Feb-1 Mar - Their Scales of Darkness Shall Begin to Fall From Their Eyes - 2 Nephi 26-30

2 Nephi 26 - He Shall Heal Them In 2 Nephi chapter 26 Nephi reflects on the future destruction of his people. It must have been difficult for him too see visions of his posterity wiped off the face of the earth. As he witnessed that " they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the   a fire   of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, he exclaimed, " O   the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord" (2 Nephi 26:6-7).  Despite his sorrow, Nephi still acknowledged " but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are   jus t" (2 Nephi 26:7).  The destruction of the Lord is not generally reserved for casual sinners, but " they that kill the  prophets , and the saints" (2 Nephi 26:5) . Because they rejected Christ and his teachings...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ether 7 - Wherefore Shule Gave Him Power in His Kingdom

In just a few short generations after arriving in the promised land, the Jaredites experienced civil war, and divided into competing kingdoms  Kib was king of the Jaredites, but was overthrown and placed in captivity by his son Corihor. Kib's other son, Shule, challenged and defeated Corihor and returned the kingdom to his father. What surprises me most about this story is the ease with which Shule forgave his brother Corihor: " And Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom" (Ether 7:13). Corihor had imprisoned their father for years and started a conflict that resulted in the death of many people on both sides. For most in Shule's positions, forgiveness would not even feel like an option. Most monarchs would have executed him for treason. Instead Shule not only forgave Corridor, he  gave him "power in his kingdom." Forgiving others does not mean we do not impose consequences or set bound...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mosiah 13 - Salvation Doth Not Come by the Law Alone

Abinidi is protected while he delivers his message to king Noah and his priests. Knowing that God has a plan for our lives and will help us fulfill His plan can free us of fear and self-doubt. When king Noah and his priests try to slay Abinidi, he retorts,"God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time" (Mosiah 13:3). When Joseph Smith was wrongfully imprisoned in Liberty Jail he and his companions suffered unimaginable injustice, and received a similar assurance from God. "Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever" (D&C 122:9). No matter how brief our remaining time on earth, it is sufficient to accomplish all that God has in store for us in this life.  Abinidi's confidence and obedienc...
Post a Comment
Read more