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...
The entire record of king Com of the Jaredites is comprised of seven short verses. He is virtually unknown to the history of the world, but he offers another example of heeding the words of the prophets in trying times. During his rule, the prophets were rejected by the people, who threatened to kill them, and they fled unto Com for protection (Ether 11:2). Presumably while in his care, the prophets “prophesied unto Com many things; and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days.” (Ether 11:3).
I can't imagine that Com's choice to defend the prophets was popular. He likely faced opposition and there is not evidence in the scriptures that his people ever came around to his way of thinking. Com was not able to change the trajectory of the society in which he lived, but he was able enjoy the blessings of a righteous life because he sheltered the prophets, and heeded their words. Our blessings and happiness are not contingent on the behavior of others. We can only control the choices that we make and the kind of person we strive to be.
After six generations and two civil wars, Com's descendant Coriantor rose to the throne. During his rule "there also came many prophets, and prophesied of great and marvelous things, and cried repentance unto the people, and except they should repent the Lord God would execute judgment against them to their utter destruction ... And they did reject all the words of the prophets, because of their secret society and wicked abominations (Ether 11:20, 22). The thing that prevented the people from listening to the words of the prophets and repenting was the secret combinations that bound them. While we may not enter into sworn secret oaths to murder and steal, sometimes our associations with others, and the norms we accept among coworkers or friends keep us from making the best decisions.
Application Questions
How can we sustain those that have been called by God and listen to their teachings.
How can we avoid relationships, cultures, and networks of social obligation that fence in our goodness, or encourage us to make bad decisions.
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