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...
The labels that matter the most are those we ascribe to ourselves. Others may try to categorize and bin us, but only the associations we choose define our identity and reflect what we most value. When we meet new people, we often simplify and summarize ourselves into a few seconds of information, and usually let our profession, hobbies, and family status stand in for our most important dimensions. Who we tell ourselves we are is who we act like and who we become. Our labels for ourselves are more that descriptive, they are prescriptive; they tell us how to act, how to feel, and ultimately shape who we are. Maybe that is why our baptismal covenant commits us to take on the name of Christ, and why our first primary lessons remind us that "I Am a Child of God."
God will not prevent us from being anything we want to be. In this chapter of the book of Alma, Amlici sought to usurp power over the people of Nephi. When his attempt to use a plebiscite to establish himself as king failed, his followers, the Amlicites, fought to overthrow the Nephites. "And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites" (Alma 3:4) The Amlicites used red face paint as an identifying symbol, and eventually the Amlicites who intermarried with the Lamanites also came to have dark skin. "Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him" (Alma 3:10).
Some have used the fact that the Lord caused the skin of the Lamanites to be darker than the Nephites to justify institutional racism, and further the idea that brown or black skin is somehow lesser. Clearly these notions are incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ, which teaches that we are all equally loved by God who is "no respecter of persons." As Peter elaborated in the New Testament, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Alma 3:34-35).
Like the Lamanites who carried the curse of their fathers (symbolized by darker skin), we may suffer the ill effects of others' bad decisions, but are the masters of our own destiny. In the same way we reject the notion of original sin ("We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adams transgression" - Article of Faith 2) we reject the idea that a person's outward circumstances is a reflection of their worthiness. God does not assess people by the color of their skin, the size of their bank account, their political affiliation, or sexual orientation. He judges us by our actions through a unique lens that only Christ has earned by suffering the pains and temptations of all people. Because he knows our circumstances and challenges perfectly, he tempers His judgments of us within the context of our capacity and inheritance. As the Lord instructed the Old Testament prophet Samuel, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
Alma knew that readers might misconstrue God's intended lesson behind this curse, and so he clarified that no hereditary characteristic can be considered a curse. The only curse we carry is a function of our own choices and no other external condition or characteristic. "Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation" (Alma 3:18-19). The curse, of which dark skin was only a symbol, was a result of their personal actions. "For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey" (Alma 3:27).
Application Questions:
When are you tempted to judge others based on external characteristics? How can you seek to "looketh on the heart" instead?
What are the core facets of your identity? Does the way you think about yourself help you come closer to God?
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