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...
Abinidi is imprisoned because he prophesied of the destruction of the people of King Noah if they did not repent. Noah's priests flattered the king and asserted that he was righteous and had not sinned. Noah brought Abinindi before him and his priests to question him and catch him in his words, but Abinidi spoke boldly and testified of their wickedness.
Abinidi accepted a calling from the lord to challenge the most senior leader in the land. He challenged wickedness in no uncertain terms and was willing to suffer imprisonment and eventually death as a result. We don't know anything about Abinidi's life before he prophesied against the wickedness of the king. We don't know his age, or how he was spiritually prepared for his calling. There is no record of him seeing an angel, hearing a voice, or receiving a vision instructing him to testify against wickedness. Where did his clarity around good and evil come from, and how did he muster the bravery to speak and act as he did?
We know that Abinidi came from among the people of Zeniff and was a subject of King Noah. While the people lived the law of Moses and quote Isaiah, it is unclear what access they had to scriptures when they splintered off from the people of Nephi. Abinidi witnessed the corruption of what church organization their was and the downslide of his society into wickedness. He saw righteous priests replaced with corrupt sycophants and the wealth of his people squandered. The record simply states, "there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy" (Mosiah 11:20). As for the source of his direction and courage, Abinidi explained, "Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people ... except they repent I will visit them in mine anger" (Mosiah 11:20).
Abinidi was extremely explicit in his warning and listed over a dozen impending consequences for sin if the people do not repent. He strongly criticized the wicked priests for teaching false doctrine and setting an example of wickedness, thus causing the people to sin. In summary to his rebuke and prophesy, he stated "Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God?" (Mosiah 12:30).
Reading Abinidi's example causes me to reflect on my own commitment to defending truth. It is easy for me to shy away from confrontation and tolerate all sorts of values and lifestyles in those around me. I struggle to know if my tolerance of others is magnanimous or cowardly. Christ dined with sinners and publicans, but also overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. If Abinidi was called to boldy decry his people's wickedness and threaten their destruction if they did not repent, should I be calling out smokers at the bus stop, or warning my boss not to drink? On a more serious note, what is my role when close friends and family members make unrighteous choices? Since all of our circumstances are unique, and the appropriate response will vary in each situation, we can follow Abinidi's example and say what the Spirit prompts us to say. Abinidi issued a warning in the tone and tenor he did because "thus hath [the Lord] commanded me." Instruction from God received through the spirit is our most accurate barometer to know what we should say and do to defend righteousness and counter evil.
Application Questions
How has God encouraged you to challenge evil in your sphere? How are you preparing yourself and taking action to do so?
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