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 protected while he delivers his message to king Noah and his priests. Knowing that God has a plan for our lives and will help us fulfill His plan can free us of fear and self-doubt. When king Noah and his priests try to slay Abinidi, he retorts,"God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time" (Mosiah 13:3). When Joseph Smith was wrongfully imprisoned in Liberty Jail he and his companions suffered unimaginable injustice, and received a similar assurance from God. "Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever" (D&C 122:9). No matter how brief our remaining time on earth, it is sufficient to accomplish all that God has in store for us in this life.
Abinidi's confidence and obedience empowered him with protection from God, "for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord. And he spake with power and authority from God" (Mosiah 13:5-6). Adherence to God's instructions for our lives transforms and elevates us. It may not change our physical appearance, but it enlivens our words and actions and brings certainty and peace.
Abinidi reviewed the ten commandments and chastised king Noah and his priests for not living and teaching them to the people. He said, "I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts" (Mosiah 13:11). The scriptures imply that the priests were actually versed in the law of Moses and knew the commandments, but they had not internalized them. It is not enough to live the commandments; we need to understand their purpose and let the underlying intent sink deep into our hearts. In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul said it this way, "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3:3). We write the gospel on our hearts when we allow it to transform our natures.
Recently Bren and I went to the temple to consider whether or not to undertake a new endeavor that will occupy a lot of our time and mental bandwidth. I went with concerns that I was not capable enough, did not have enough time, and would not be able to meet the demands and timeline involved in adding one more thing to our lives. While I participated in the endowment--an ordinance that outlines the creation of the world in which we make covenants with God--I was struck by the gradual and incremental processes of creating the world. Even our Heavenly Father, the omnipotent God of all creation, with more power and wisdom and ability than any other being accomplished his work incrementally with the aid of others, and took time to rest. Abinidi reinforced the same point to king Noah and the priests and taught, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Mosiah 13:19). Even our righteous desires may take protracted time and effort to achieve and will be met with obstacles and setbacks along the way. While I've never been able to find definitive attribution, I love the idea of in the purported Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” There is no need for us to delay the good things we want to be, do, and have. Slow and deliberate effort accumulates and will eventually result in the outcomes we desire.
Abinidi testified of the central role Christ plays in our healing and progress in life. He said, "that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish" (Mosiah 13:28). While our actions are important, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our mistakes. Our best efforts will always fall short of the measure of heaven, we cannot cleans our own sins, and we are limited in our power to change our natures. All the goodness, improvement, and eventually salvation we experience is a gift from God that we will never deserve on our own merits. Nephi explained that his purpose in living the gospel and teaching others about Christ was because Christ is our only path back to our Heavenly Father. "For 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" (2 Nephi 25:23).
God is great and it is only through the merits and grace of Jesus Christ that we can enjoy an elevated life and eternal progress after our time on earth. I share the belief that Abinidi bet his life on that Christ lived and died for us and that his actions have infinite transformative, enabling, and saving power that we can access if we are willing. It is a gift that is freely given and available to every person that lives on the earth. And though I will never deserve it, I know I can ask for it and enjoy it in greater measure.
Application Questions
What are you creating in your life that requires incremental, sustained effort? How can a knowledge of God's plan and an eternal perspective give hope and motivation to keep going?
What would you do and set out to create if you knew you could not fail?
How can you partake more fully of Christ's atonement?
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