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...
In one of the most dramatic atrocities recorded in the Book of Mormon, the people of Ammonihah burn alive the followers of Jesus Christ "And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire" (Alma 14:8). Alma and Amulek were force by their captors to watch the horrifying scene. "And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames" (Alma 14:10). Their natural impulse was to stop the devastation before them, and they had full faith in the power of God to do so. And yet Alma recorded "The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand" (Alma 13:11). Why would the Lord specifically stop Alma from intervening to save the lives of Christ's followers? The answer Alma receives is that "the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory" (Alma 14:11).
Whenever I do not fully understand God's decisions not to intervene in the world, I always work back from the belief that God loves His children, and that His work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (D&C 1:39). Everything he does is for the eternal growth and happiness of man. Victims of the most deprave crimes receive the highest lessons in resilience, and are presented with life-altering potential for healing and instruction. Those faced with unimaginable challenges can rise in strength to meet them. And even if they are not able to overcome the debilitating effects of tragedy and struggle in this life, they are afforded bottomless wells of mercy and entitled to eternal rewards in the world to come.
God is deeply committed to preserving our freedom of choice and is willing to accept extremely high costs in its defense. Preventing our unrighteous decisions and the sins of others would fundamentally undermine the plan of God. If we are immediately punished or rewarded for our action we would be subject to Pavlovian conditioning. Instead of developing an internal sense of right and wrong that is resilient to challenge and disappointment we would unthinkingly response to a stimulus. Allowing us to do whatever we choose makes us accountable for our choices and underpins the justice of God's judgment. In the case of the people of Ammonihah who murdered the followers of God, "he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day" (Alma 14:13).
In all cases, whether to intervene or allow wickedness to unfold, God's decisions are based in His perfect knowledge and motivated by the welfare of His children. While God allowed his followers in Ammonihah to be killed as martyrs, he heard the prayer of Alma and miraculously released him from prison and killed his captors in an earthquake. "And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them" (Alma 14:26). God's intent in releasing Alma and Amulek from prison seems to be less about alleviating suffering and more about building faith.
Application Questions
Why do bad things happen to good people?
How have the trials of your life enabled your growth and happiness ad built faith in Christ?
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