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 Helaman chapter 11, the prophet Nephi asks God to cause a famine: "O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee" (Helaman 11:4).
Nephi's strategy worked, and when "the people saw that they were about to perish by famine," "they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi" (Helaman 11:7). I wonder why a famine was effective in changing the hearts of the Nephites, where the calamity of war was powerless to humble them. Either way, the humility caused by the famine led the Nephites to repent, and restore faith in the Lord's prophets. "And the people began to plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine" (Helaman 11:8). The Nephites not only developed faith in the Lord, but also in His servant Nephi.
Verses 10-15 capture Nephi's prayer to the Lord for the Nephites. He appeals to God for the forgiveness of the Nephites because they repented. He refers to when the Lord has heard and answered his prayers in the past, not to claim some special privilege with the Lord, but as an expression of faith. He asks that the Lord bless the Nephites only if they are righteous, according to God’s own words. Nephi’s prayer is powerful because it is in perfect alignment with God’s will.
There are parallels between Nephi's prayer for the Nephites and Christ's intercessory prayer.
Christ prayed for those who the Father gave Him out of the world because they accepted His word, "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them" (John 17:8). Christ acknowledges the glory He has received from the Father and that the Father "lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24). Both prayers seem to be defined by a desire to magnify the will of the Father and save the contrite from their sins (without any attempt to subvert the laws of justice). As explained in Alma chapter 11, Christ will not save people in their sins but from their sins as they humble themselves and strive to change.
Nephi and his brother Lehi "and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine" were tireless in their efforts to preach to the people "having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year" (Helaman 11:27). I don't think it is any coincidence that they received these revelations while they were engaged in spiritual ministry to their people.
Application Questions
How has God chastened you? How have trials and hardships helped you humble yourself?
How do you seek and act on the will of God? Can you remember a time when you were certain that what you were praying for was the will of God?
What more can you do this week to spiritually minister to the people around you?
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