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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...
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2 Nephi 8 - The People in Whose Heart I Have Written My Law


Jacob uses the words of Isaiah to remind us to remember the power of God, celebrate the eventual victory of good over evil, overcome fear of man, and abandon sin. 

 Isaiah uses a number of terms to address us as readers: "ye that follow after righteousness, "ye that know righteousness," "my people," "my nation," "the people in whose heart I have written my law," "arm of the Lord," "Jerusalem," "thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine," and "Zion." Each seems to reflect a different facet or our nature and role as followers of Christ, and encodes some implicit instructions

 The People in Whose Heart I Have Written My Law 
I love the progression of the terms used by Isaiah from those who "follow after" righteousness, to those who "know" righteousness, to those "in whose heart I have written my law." I interpret this to mean those who are striving and attempting to keep the commandments, those who have personal knowledge of righteousness through experience, and those who have been transformed by righteous choices and the Spirit. The implicit instruction to me is to internalize and apply Christ's teachings, and to make them an integral part of the fabric of my personality. 

 Arm of the Lord
I have never noticed before that Isaiah highlights things that righteous follower of Christ have done in the past. At first reading, it seems like versus 9-10 describe things that God as done (cut Rahab, wounded the dragon, dried the seas, and made the depths of the sea a wayfor the ransomed to pass over). While these miracles were surely achieved through the power of God, they were enacted by his servants. Moses stretched forth his hands and parted the red sea so that the children of Israel could walk across on dry land. I'm uncertain of the exact allusion Isaiah is making, but I'm curious about the role of God's followers in "cutting Rahab," or "wounding the dragon," or thwarting the devil. The implicit instruction it that we can be the "arm of the Lord" in enacting good works. In that way we partner with God to be magnified by His power and fulfill his purposes. 

 Thou Afflicted, and Drunken, and Not with Wine 
This is the most confusing phrase to me since I would not intuitively use it to describe the people of God. In fact, it is generally used to describe the wicked. "Ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. (2 Nephi 27:4, Isaiah 29:9). But even the people of God are afflicted and imperfect. We all suffer from the incoherence and poor judgement that comes with being mortal. That may be why Isaiah commands those drunken and not with wine to "now hear this" and explains "Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again" (2 Nephi 8:22). Christ has paid the price for our sins and experienced the pain and disappointment of this life. We do not have to hold on to guilt for our mistakes, and we can find relief from suffering and pain. 

 Because of our divine nature as children of God, we do not need to be afraid of being judged by the world, or criticized by others. Their opinions are passing and God will eventually overcome even the most violent opposition: 

  • Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation" (2 Nephi 8:7-8).


  • Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass? (2 Nephi 8:12)


  • "I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my people" (2 Nephi 8:16)


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