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

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