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...
There are different models in the scriptures for
meeting a military adversary. In Alma chapter 52 we read that a Nephite general
avoided direct conflict with the Lamanites: “Seeing the enormity of their
number, Teancum thought it was not expedient that he should attempt to attack
[the Lamanites] in their forts” (Alma 52:5). He saw that it was impossible that
he could overpower them while they were in their fortifications; therefore he
abandoned his designs and returned again to the city Bountiful, to wait for the
coming of Moroni, that he might receive strength to his army (Alma 52:17).
Teancum made a strategic military decision based on his judgment of the
relative strength of his army, and decided to wait for reinforcements before
attacking the Lamanites. Eventually, Teancum and Morni succeeded through their
use of decoys and stratagem. While they were surely inspired and aided in their
actions, the story of this battle does not describe the revelations or
protections from God.
As chance would have it, Bren and I are studying
the Old Testament as a couple and read the account of David’s battle against
the Philistines in 2 Samuel 5 last night. David's approach was very different
than that of Teancum and Moroni: after inquiring of the Lord and receiving direction
at His hand, he attacked. As the LDS Institute Manual comments, “David did not
count his men, meaning to rely on the size of his army, but rather he relied on
the Lord.” David showed deliberate disregard for the relative strength of his
army as a symbol of his faith in God.
So which is the right way? Should we use our own
faculties, wisdom, and judgement to weigh and decide the matters of our lives,
or should we seek direction from God and rely wholly on His guidance and
strength? The fact that the scriptures present these, and numerous other
examples of both models, implies to me that both approaches are faithful,
inspired, and appropriate.
I could characterize the influence of the Spirit
in my life in two ways: general direction, and acute intervention. (Elder David
A. Bednar used the analogy of light to discuss these two modes or revelation in
depth in his April 2011 Conference address The Spirit of Revelation.) When I am
trying my best to regularly communicate with God (pray), internalize His
teachings (read scriptures), and love and serve others I am blessed with a
general sense of confidence that my ideas are good ones, and that I'm on the
right track unless warned otherwise by the Spirit. This is how I imagine the
actions of Teancum. As a generally righteous person, his daily thoughts and
experiences were infused with the oxygen of the Spirit. Similarly, when my life
is aligned with God, there is no need to agonize over academic or career
decisions, the number of children to have, the house to live in, or the hobbies
to pursue. Instead, these choices are a form of cooperative creation with God,
in which God honors our personal agency, and consecrates otherwise arbitrary
decisions for our good. Answers to these questions can certainly be found in
the scriptures and through prayer, but are also readily available in books,
academic research, blogs, conversations with friends, advice from parents, and
our own thinking. In this almost imperceptible ecosystem of the Spirit, our own
opinions and good judgment are sufficiently inspired to keep us on a path to
salvation.
The other way the Spirit influences my life is
through acute intervention. This is how I view the experience of David battling
the Philistines. "And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to
the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto
David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. And
David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath
broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters" (2
Samuel 5:19-20). In this case, David had an explicit question and received clear
direction from the Lord. I have experienced similar moments of acute
intervention--a burst of clarity--around a doctrinal question, or more often
regarding a specific action I need to take. Sometimes they have been in
response to sincere and protracted pleadings, and other times gifted without
prompting. These are moments for reckless righteousness. These are the times
when the conventional wisdom, logic, and practicality that generally serve me
so well can safely, and must essentially, be abandoned.
Application Questions
When has God allowed you to study out an issue
and make a decision based solely on your own judgement? How did it bless you?
When have you received undeniable direction and
clarity from God? How did you react?
Image Credit: outdoorlifenorway.com
Comments
Post a Comment