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 response to Samuel's teachings, a small portion of the Nephites repented and sought out Nephi to repent and be baptized. Nephi was the priesthood leader of the people and had been diligently laboring for the salvation of the people all along, but it took the prophesy of Samuel for many to finally repent and turn to God. “For behold, Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might know that the Christ must shortly come (Helaman 16:4). The prophecy of Samuel was surely a singular and atypical event that spurred some to repentance, and then “he was never heard of more among the Nephites” (Helaman 16:8).
It must have been an interesting experience for Nephi, who was a powerful spiritual leader who had been laboring among his people for years, to see a foreigner climb on a wall to preach and in one day persuade many to repent. If the Lord had already called Nephi to minister to the Nephites, why did he not simply work through Nephi to bring back a portion of the Nephites? Why did the Nephites respond to Samuel when they had the opportunity to hear the same message from Nephi previously? While God's message of truth is constant and universal, each of us has a different personality and a different trajectory of life experience. Different aspects of the gospel and different teaching styles will resonate differently with each one of us. Furthermore, the arc of our lives will place us in a frame of mind to be receptive at some times over others. It's significant to me that there is not even the slightest intimation in the book of Helaman that Nephi felt diminished, overshadowed, or jealous that some fly-by-night Lamanite had such success in bringing the Nephites to repentance when he had been laboring with them for years.
Despite the preaching of Samuel and Nephi, wickedness increased among both peoples, and “all save it were the most believing part of them, both of the Nephites and also of the Lamanites ... began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own wisdom” (Helaman 16:15). There is nothing inherently dangerous or wrong about with using the divinely appointed gifts of cognition and discernment that God has blessed each of us with. God wants us to study out matters and practice solving problems on our own. He want us to be self sufficient and increase our personal capacity for work. Where the Nephites erred was not in developing their strength and wisdom, but in "depending" on it at the expense of their faith in God.
The unbelieving Nephites questioned why the Savior would be born in Jerusalem and fulfill His earthly ministry in a land far from them. They complained that they could not attest to the life and work of Christ "for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true" and described spriritual things as "some great mystery which we cannot understand" (Helaman 16: 20, 21). Laman and Lemuel had similar complaints when Lehi received inspiration from God for his family to leave its home and wealth in Jerusalem. Nephi asked them why they did not pray to receive a personal witness from God and they claimed, "We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us" (Nephi 15:9). If that had inquired of the Lord, they would have likely received a confirmation similar to the one that Nephi received that softened his heart and gave him the assurance he needed to follow God. The truth is that the mysteries of God are equally available to all of God's children if we sincerely seek. The scriptures are replete with the refrain, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).
Application Questions
Who has been a passing influence, but an important catalyst for good in your life?
Do you ever feel jealous of the success of someone who is "on your team?" How can you feel threatened by the success of others and be confident in your own contributions?
Have you every experienced personal trials, witnessed injustice, or grappled with difficult doctrines and wondered, "why me?" What is a more useful question that you could ask to receive receive guidance from God without undermining your faith?
In what aspects of your faith or life do you feel like you are still somewhat in the dark? Will you commit to ask God this week for additional insight and help?
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