Skip to main content

9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

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...
1 comment

Helaman 1 - There Began to Be a Serious Difficulty Among the People


The Book of Helaman opens with the ominous introduction that "there began to be a serious difficulty among the people of the Nephites; ... there began to be a serious contention concerning who should have the judgment-seat" (Helaman 1:1-2). Only a few short years after Moroni had put down an insurrection in the capital of the Nephite nation, the Nephites faced new internal challenges. A summary of the brutal struggle for the judgment seat highlights the turmoil within Nephite society:

  • Three brothers,--Pahoran, Pacumeni, and Paanchi--vie for the judgement seat (Helaman 1:2-4)
  • Pahoran is elected chief judge (Helaman 1:5)
    • Pacumeni concedes to Pahoran (Helman 1:6)
    • Paanchi incites sedition, and is tried and sentenced to death (Helaman 1:7-8)
    • The followers of Paanchi send an assassin, Kishkumen, to murder Pahoran (Helaman 1:9)
  • Pahoran is murdered by Kishkumen (Helaman 1:9)
  • Pacumeni is elected chief judge (Helaman 1:13)
  • Pacumeni is killed by the Lamanite general Coriantumr (Helaman 1:21)

Shortly before this crisis in succession (52-50 AD), the Nephites had been embroiled in war with the Lamanites (62-57 AD). The proximity of these two events struck me as I read this chapter, and I felt the gravity of the Nephites' struggle. Sitting comfortably in my safe apartment surrounded by every modern convenience, it's difficult to imagine a situation as dire as the one the Nephites faced. While I may be the first to complain about unethical leadership and partisan politics in America, I have never experienced war, and can't imagine a presidential candidate being murdered by their political opponent. Still I take warnings and messages of hope from the experience of of the Nephites. 

 Coriantumr was an ethnic Nephite who deserted to the Lamanites and led a Lamanite army against the Nephites. Seeing Coriantumr's potential strength, the Lamanite king "did stir [Coriantumr and his army] up to anger" (Helaman 1:17). It is clear that stirring Coriantumr and his army to anger was a necessary step in garnering support for an unjust war. Anger clouds our vision and causes us to fall prey to our baser instincts. Words and actions taken in anger rarely reflect our values or the best version of ourselves. Knowing this, evil leaders incite anger to manipulate others to do things they know to be wrong and might not otherwise do. 

Moronihah was a leader in the Nephite army and was caught of guard when the Lamanites "had come into the center of the land, and had taken the capital city which was the city of Zarahemla, and were marching through the most capital parts of the land, slaying the people with a great slaughter, both men, women, and children, taking possession of many cities and of many strongholds" (Helaman 1:27). If I were in Morlnihah's shoes, I might have felt that I was responsible for a failure with catastrophic costs. I can imagine feelings of hopelessness and anxiety welling up. There will be times when our weaknesses and blindspots result in failures that not only affects us, but causes others to suffer. Furthermore, emboldened by the ease with which he had conquered Zarahemla, Coriantumr marched on the city Bountiful. We don't know anything about Moronihah's emotional state, but the scriptures record that the Nephite general Moronihah headed off the Lamanite army, killed Coriantumr, and surrounded his soldiers. By acting quickly, Moronihah was able to stanch the flow of Lamanite soldiers and reclaim Nephite territory. Instead of dwelling on loss and failure, he focused on solutions. 
Application Questions:

 When and how are we manipulated by others to act in anger? How can we avoid impulsively acting on prejudice?

 How can we respond quickly to our mistakes and take corrective action?
Image Credit: unknown

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1 Nephi 17 - That I May Find Ore to Molten, That I May Make Tools

Nephi is given the daunting task of constructing a ship to carry his family across the ocean. Like Nephi, the Lord asks us to do things that are beyond our current knowledge and ability with a promise that he will help us: "And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them ( 1 Nephi 17:3 ) From the experience of Nephi and his family, we can also see that the Lord grants us joy in our trials and certainty in his direction when we follow his commandments. When Nephi and his family reached the seashore, a brief respite before crossing the ocean, they enjoyed the break and celebrated their progress: "Notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mosiah 16 - Speaking of Things to Come as Though They Had Already Come

Abinidi explains how Christ's atonement heals and redeems the righteous, while the wicked remain in their sins to be judged. The remarkable thing to me about Abinidi's teachings, and the teachings of all the Book of Mormon prophets who lived before Christ, is their level of conviction in what where, at the time, future events. Christ had not come yet. They looked forward to the ministry and atonement of Christ and were fully persuaded of its reality and the eternal impact it would have. It is hard enough to believe in Christ and follow His teachings after the fact, even with records of His life, and hundreds of millions of people who share a belief in Christ's divinity. But all that Abinidi and other prophets of his time had were their own revelations and inspiration from the Spirit.  Abinidi also alludes to Christ's own faith saying, "now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there coul...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matthew 6 - Consider the Lilies of the Field

They Have Their Reward I've alway been a pragmatist when it comes to serving others. My attitude is that regardless of the purity of our motivations, it is better to serve someone than to not. I don't think Christ's teaching in the sermon on the mount necessarily contradict that notion, but He does teach a higher, holier way of being. He warns the hypocrites who give alms, pray, and fast for public recognition that they will not receive the blessings they might otherwise merit. He doesn't condemn service with impure motives, but simply warns that those who hypocritically do good for impure motives "have their reward" (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16).  In so many instances, we get to choose the spiritual outcomes of our lives. Even in the final judgment, we will not be  assigned to glory or punishment as much as we will  self-select based on our level of comfort. If we have not been transformed by the power of Christ we will not desire to be in his presence. ...
Post a Comment
Read more