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...
For Chapters 9-22 of Mosiah, we take a long aside from the story of Ammon and the people of Limhi to learn the history of Limhi's people. These chapters explain how they split off from the Nephites, established their own society, and fell captive to the Lamanites. This history was recorded by a man named Zeniff, who was the founding father of the people of Limhi.
Zeniff was "sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them" (Mosiah 9:1). However, in the course of his espionage, his heart was softened toward the Lamanites. He records, "but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed" (Mosiah 9:1). How many of our vindictive and unkind intentions would evaporate if we had greater empathy for our enemies? Zeniff's experience reinforces Christ's instruction to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). When we seek out the good and divine in others, despite their flaws and failings, we will no longer seek their destruction and with them ill.
What I find most interesting about this is that we later learn that the Lamanites "were a lazy and an idolatrous people" (Mosiah 9:12). What goggles was Zeniff wearing when he "saw that which was good among them?" I take from this that people don't have to be majority good to have good among them and merit our understanding. Mosiah was not making a comment about the state of the Lamanites as he much as his perception of them. Choosing to see the people around us in three dimensions and actively look for their redeeming qualities removes malice from our hearts.
We further learn that the Lamanites "were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands" and even came to battle against the people of Zeniff (Mosiah 9:12). These are the same people that Zeniff found good in and did not believe should be destroyed. Seeing the good in others and being generous in our judgments does not mean we do not establish boundaries and assert our needs. In this case it meant Zeniff needed to arm his people and deflect the aggression of the Lamanites: "Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers" (Mosiah 9:17).
Setting boundaries is not about punishing others, but asserting our own needs. Since we cannot control anything that others say and do, we simply articulate and follow through on what we need to do to care for ourselves. We can do this from a place of love and inner calm. It is never about manipulation, but self-preservation. Zeniff had assistance from the Lord in seeking self-preservation. Zeniff and his people did not pray to destroy their enemies, but that He "would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies" (Mosiah 9:17). Others will always maintain their agency and will do things that hurt us, but God's help we can still find joy and get what we need to thrive.
Application Questions
Which individuals, groups, or political parties do you struggle to see good in, or would figuratively like to destroy? How could you develop greater understanding of their circumstances and goodness?
What needs in your life are not being met? In what ways do others infringe upon you? Even if they never change, how can you respond to the actions of others to make sure you care for yourself?
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