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...
Jacob quotes a warning of Isaiah to avoid idolatry and trust in God instead of our own strength. "Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow" (2 Nephi 7:11, Isaiah 50:11)
A similar caution was revealed through Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants in describing human weaknesses and failings: "They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall" (D&C 1:16).
We "kindle fire" and "walk after our own way" when we disregard the teachings of God and rely on our own opinions and thinking. Fire and sparks are an appropriate metaphor because they are unpredictable, dangerous, and consuming. By contrast, Jesus invites us to walk by His light. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). We follow Christ by heeding his words and emulating his example of courageous love.
When we live by God's principles, we are entitled to His power. Isaiah gently chastises the children of Israel by asking, "O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver?" (2 Nephi 7:2) God is unlimited in His power to heal and save. Furthermore, he is unmoving and diligent. I love the contrast that Isaiah draws between our fickle natures and God's steadfastness: "When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning" (2 Nephi 7:4)
I know that God is not dead and that he does not sleep. I know that he is deeply invested in the events of our daily lives and the trajectory of our world. The level of risk and the wide margin of error he is willing to accept among his children is astounding to me; but it is a witness that all of the evil and tragedy and messiness of this world is circumscribed within his power to heal. I do not wonder about God or worry about his interventions in the world. I worry about mine. I hope I can walk in his light and emulate his courageous defense of love and truth.
Image Credit: Newswatch Group
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