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...
On of the best way to identify priorities is to introduce constraints. We probably all answered party game questions like, "I your house was on fire and you could only take three things with you, what would they be?" or "If you were stranded on a desert island with only one suitcase, what would you want in it?" etc. Jacob and other ancient prophets engraving their records on metal plates faced a similar decision. Given limited real-estate, what would they choose to record for the benefit of their people and future readers. Jacob explains his criteria this way: "And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, ... I ... engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible" (Jacob 1:4). I like this not only as the criteria for recording scripture, but to help us evaluate what we spend our time, mental bandwidth, and physical and emotional energy on. If our lives were a pie chart, how large would the slice dedicated to sacred preaching, revelation, and prophesying be?
Jacob also teaches us about the process of receiving revelation. "For because of faith and great anxiety, it truly had been made manifest unto us concerning our people, what things should happen unto them" (Jacob 1:5). Jacob received knowledge and direction because of his faith (meaning his willingness to act) and "great anxiety," which I interpret as concern and mental focus. We are also entitled to inspiration when we are willing to act on what we receive and are invest (in terms of time and mental/emotional energy) to getting and answer.
During this time, wicked practices cropped up in Jacob's society. "The people of Nephi ... began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as ... desiring many wives and concubines ... Yea, and they also began to search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride" (Jacob 1:15-17). Like all sin, lasciviousness, greed, and pride are based in our desire to go numb/escape our lives, and the false belief that having something different than what we have now will make us happy. The truth is, even the achievement of righteous desires will not bring us greater happiness if we have not created that happiness internally first though the thoughts and beliefs we chose to espouse. Any time we pursue external pleasure, wealth, or prestige to compensate for an emotional void we worship idols. Only the well-being that comes from healthy thoughts and principled living according to God's plan is living and lasting joy.
In response to these societal shifts, Jacob undertook a personal mission to teach and correct the people. "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God" (Jacob 1:7). I'm always interested in the role of persuasion in teaching the gospel. Persuasion can often carry a negative connotation, or denote getting someone to do something they do not want to or would not otherwise do. More accurately, I think it appropriately highlights the roles pathos, ethos, and logos play in teaching the gospel and helping others to accept it. Do we share our personal beliefs in a way that it emotionally compelling? Do our words and actions reinforce the credibility of our beliefs? Have we acquired sufficient knowledge of our beliefs to present them logically and articulately?
Jacob goes on to record "And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence" (Jacob 1:19). There are some really important points about commitment and responsibility in this verse. Commitment means that we are so certain that we will do what we have said we will do that we eliminate all other alternatives. Failure to follow through on what we have committed to do is no longer and option. If I asked you to commit to read the Book of Mormon every day this week, you might say yes. If I followed up that question with, "Will you give me $50,000 if you don't?" You might still say yes, but even the most committed of us can probably feel the emotional difference between those two questions. When I want to gauge my commitment, I like to ask the $50,000 question to make sure I've ruled out the possibility of flaking out. Instead of the $50,000 question, Jacob asked himself the "sins of the people" question. He was willing to accept the sins of those over whom he had stewardship if he did not fulfill his commitment to teach them. I wonder if I have a similar level of commitment to teaching my children, or fulfilling my calling.
The more important point is to notice the nature of his commitment. His commitment was to teach with diligence. He did not commit to take on the sins of the people if they did not accept his words and repent. It is very easy for us to conflate the two and project our sense of success or worth on the choices of others. Especially in defining our role as parents and concerned family members and friends, it is important to scope our commitments to focus on things within our control. We can commit ourselves to magnifying our callings a a home or visiting teacher, but not to bring back a less active member. We can commit to instruct and perfectly love our children, but not to keep them from sin, or get them on a mission, or ensure they marry in the temple. Whether someone participates fully in church or lives righteously is up to them. The piece that is up to us is our own diligence in doing everything we can to guide and support.
Application Questions:
In my various roles (spouse, parent, employee, student, church member), what is my stewardship? How can I be more committed to my responsibilities in those areas?
When you share the gospel or talk to others about the church, can others sense the emotions you have about the gospel? Do you words and actions (your example) reflect our testimony? For doctrinally tricky aspects of the gospel, what do you still need to learn to explain it to yourself and others logically?
Image Credit: Matthias Zomer
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