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...
When Samuel the Lamanite prophesied of the coming of Jesus Christ, he warned that the people would face calamities and natural disasters if they did not repent. As the predicted time of the signs approached, "the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite" (3 Nephi 8:3). While the people looked forward with earnestness, their anticipation was filled with dispute and skepticism, not faith. We are instructed today to look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, but mainly to inspire our faith a motivate our action to hasten the work.
Nephite disputations notwithstanding, near the time of Christ's death in Jerusalem, "the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth" (3 Nephi 8:12). Natural disasters obliterated entire cities and the number of the dead and wounded are not even recorded. The book of 3 Nephi records that "many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate" (3 Nephi 8:14).
After the devastation of these natural disasters, a fog of darkness descended on the land blocking out all light for three days, "and there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land" (3 Nephi 8:22). This darkness literally and figuratively signaled the nadir of Nephite society. The people were racked with grief and the land was filled with mourning for slain family members and destroyed cities. As the people wailed for those that had lost in darkness and isolation, they also regretted their procrastinated repentance. "O that we had repented before this great and terrible day" (3 Nephi 8:24).
Before giving the parable of the talents, Jesus reminded his disciples to "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13). Not only do we not know when Christ will come again, our lives are fleeting and fragile and we have know way of knowing if today is our last day on earth, or if we have decades ahead of us. This uncertainty encourages us to live each day to the fullest, and to leave nothing that would fill us with regret if today was our last moment on earth. As Alma taught, "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors... if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" (Alma 34:32).
Application Questions
If you were struck with tragedy today, what would you wish you had repented of?
What work would you be sad you had not finished if today was your last day on earth? What steps can you take to do more in that area?
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