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 quoting Isaiah, Nephi reaffirms the value of Isaiah's words: "Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly" (2 Nephi 25:8). He is particularly interested in helping those who do not understand or value Isaiah's words to come to know and appreciate them. Perhaps that is why Nephi gloried in "plainness." He said, "I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn" (2 Nephi 25:4).
In chapter 25 Nephi simplifies and summarizes many of the themes from Isaiah's words about the scattering of the Jews, the mission of Jesus Christ, and His second coming and redemption of Israel. He invites readers to use his plain, or straightforward words as a reference to better understand Isaiah, but maintains that there is a higher plane of understanding available to those who seek understanding directly from God. "Give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy" (2 Nephi 25:4) Essentially, Nephi's plainness is like a Cliff's Notes summary of a piece of literature -- it can outline the basic plot and identify major themes, but cannot substitute the richness and nuance of experiencing the work itself. That depth of understanding is rooted in personal revelation through the spirit, and God teaches in a way that expects that of us. The understanding we gain is made more powerful by the effort we exert to gain it. It also acts asa protective mechanism to ensure that those who are not ready to be held accountable for a higher level of knowledge are not inadvertently exposed to it. Christ described it this was when he explained to His apostles why he spoke in parables:
"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:10-13).
In this chapter, Nephi is especially committed to helping those who struggle with the words of Isaiah to take the first step. Plainness in speaking is valuable in eliminating ambiguity and clearly marking the path to Christ. Nephi explains his motivation for writing plainly when he says, "we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do ... And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:23, 26).
But Nephi concedes that plainness only points us to the "source." To truly see and hear, to understand the "mysteries of the kingdom" we must have the "spirit of prophesy" and be transformed by God's grace. Access to the full meaning of Isaiah's words and Christ's parables is a gift, and the higher the price we pay for that gift in the currency of study, pondering, and prayer, the more we will treasure it.
Application Questions:
Write about a time when a principle of the gospel came to life for you. What did you do to gain that deeper insight? How did the spirit of enlightenment speak to you?
What can you do this week to help your children or others you love "know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins?" What implicit truths do you believe that you want to make explicit for your kids?
Is there a parable or doctrine that has never really made sense to you? What other resources and approaches could you use to gain more insights?
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