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
Because "the Nephites repented not of the evil they had done, but persisted in their wickedness continually" they were left to their own devices and faced destruction by the Lamanites (Mormon 4:10). While bad things happen to good people, in this case the carnage and misery experienced by the Nephites could have been avoided if they had repented. The Nephites fought fiercely, but lost city after city. In fact they "were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter" and "their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols" because they vengefully fought the Lamanites instead of turning to the Lord (Mormon 4:21).
The trouble started for the Nephites when they became the aggressors in the conflict with the Lamanites. Mormon records that the Nephites' destruction “was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them“ (Mormon 4:4). The Nephites were not focused on the defense of their land, families, and freedom, but in exacting revenge and inflicting damages on the Lamanites.
Applying the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites to interpersonal conflict, I can see times when my words and behavior stopped being about setting boundaries, asserting my needs, or protecting myself, and started being about punishing others. This even happens in parenting when I discipline my children, not to teach and maintain order in our home, but to punish because I'm angry. We all experience conflict with the people around us. We all feel frustrated and vengeful at times, and there is nothing wrong with standing up for ourselves and asserting our needs and points of view. But we can tell if we have gone to far if we are not able to feel love for the person we are opposing or disagreeing with. We can tell we have become the aggressor and forfeited God's help when our focus shifts to doing harm to others instead of securing good for ourselves.
The trouble started for the Nephites when they became the aggressors in the conflict with the Lamanites. Mormon records that the Nephites' destruction “was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them“ (Mormon 4:4). The Nephites were not focused on the defense of their land, families, and freedom, but in exacting revenge and inflicting damages on the Lamanites.
Applying the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites to interpersonal conflict, I can see times when my words and behavior stopped being about setting boundaries, asserting my needs, or protecting myself, and started being about punishing others. This even happens in parenting when I discipline my children, not to teach and maintain order in our home, but to punish because I'm angry. We all experience conflict with the people around us. We all feel frustrated and vengeful at times, and there is nothing wrong with standing up for ourselves and asserting our needs and points of view. But we can tell if we have gone to far if we are not able to feel love for the person we are opposing or disagreeing with. We can tell we have become the aggressor and forfeited God's help when our focus shifts to doing harm to others instead of securing good for ourselves.
Tellingly, “from this time forth did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them even as a dew before the sun“ (Mormon 4:18). Seeking vengeance and refusing to repent robbed the Nephites of their power to defend themselves against the Lamanites. Our problems will not all go away just because we choose to do the right thing, but trying to follow God ensures that we will have help in facing whatever comes our way.
Application Questions
Think about a conflict you are experiencing in your life right now. Is it productive or important? How do you feel about the other people in the conflict? How can you stand firm for what you want and need and feel complete love for others?
Image Credit: Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937)
Application Questions
Think about a conflict you are experiencing in your life right now. Is it productive or important? How do you feel about the other people in the conflict? How can you stand firm for what you want and need and feel complete love for others?
Image Credit: Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937)
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