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 I was in elementary school, my job was to take care of the yard. I remember spending hours alone weeding, tilling, edging, and mowing and feeling a sense of satisfaction when I would se plants grow. I think that is why the passages of the scriptures that use gardening as a metaphor are so resonant with me. Quoting Isaiah, Nephi prophesies that "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel" (2 Nephi 14:2). I like to think of the branch of the Lord as the organization of his followers--His church--and the fruit of that branch as their righteous words and actions. We bear fruit as we try to follow God's will, keep His commandments, and bless others.
The other beautiful image in this passages reflects the loving protection and guidance that our Heavenly Father offers. Isaiah describes "a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night" that protects the children of God from evil and directs their path (2 Nephi 14:5). The children of Israel received similar help as they left the land of Egypt: "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people" (Exodus 13:21-22). This scene is summarized in the hymn Redeemer of Israel:
Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliv’rer, our all!
I know that God is able and stands ready to help us produce fruit. His protection and guidance does not remove obstacles from our path, but it ensures that events in our lives happen FOR us and not just TO us.
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