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
After hearing Ammon preach the gospel and desiring to repent, King Lamoni slipped into a spiritual coma for two days and two nights. For me the subsequent interaction between Ammon, the queen, and the Lamanite servant Abish is a fascinating illustration of women's access to priesthood power, and the righteous use of priesthood authority. Obviously concerned about her husband's wellbeing, the queen sought Ammon. When she summoned him, " Ammon did as he was commanded ... and desired to know what she would that he should do" (Alma 19:3). Drawing parallels between Ammon and priesthood leaders today, I see a powerful example of how priesthood leaders should council with those they are called to serve. Ammon actively solicited and was responsive to the needs and desires of the queen. He asked her what he should do. For her part, the queen expressed faith in priesthood authority and confidence in Ammon's healing power: "The servants of my husband have ma