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 the case of the Jadeites, the "Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise" (Ether 2:7). God will often ask us to go farther than we want to go. He loves us too much to leave us as we are and has expectations that will stretch us and make us uncomfortable. C.S. Lewis expressed this idea using the metaphor of remodeling a house:
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).
Regarding the promised land, the record also explained that "this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off" (Ether 2:10). Not only did the Jaredites have to submit to the will of the Lord to to arrive at the promised land in the first place, they had to remain righteous or lose the privilege of living there. Before the brother of Jared built barges or traversed the great oceans to the promised land, the Lord wanted to emphasize this point, and help prepare the brother of Jared in advance.
We learn that "for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord" (Ether 2:14). God wanted to make the importance of prayer absolutely clear to the brother of Jared, because it would be his lifeline to God, and lay the foundation for the spiritual health of their entire civilization. The Lord warned, "my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord" (Ether 2:15).
After the initial test of departing into the wilderness with his clan and provisions, the brother of Jared had to devise a way to transport the caravan across the ocean to the promised land. The brother of Jared went to the Lord with two main questions: How to ventilate the barges, and how to light the barges. God directly answered the first question and instructed the brother of Jared to install hatches in the top and bottom of the barges, to which he responded, "I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me" (Ether 2:18). But the issue of lighting the barges was left for the brother of Jared to grapple with. The Lord asked him, "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire" (Ether 2:23).
I love this pattern of revelation. The Lord involves the brother of Jared in the process of problem solving. God outlines certain parameters, but leaves the specific solution up to the brother of Jared. On occasion when I have heard general authorities of the church speak, they emphasize that because they are general authorities they teach general principles. The doctrines of the church are large, overarching constructs, not detailed action plans. The lessons we learn from general conference and read in the scriptures are generalized guidelines that create a framework for our lives, but the specific details must be worked out by each individual in direct consultation with God through study and prayer. For example, parents are instructed to provide for the spiritual and temporal needs of their children, but what that looks like and how it is achieved in each marriage and family is unique.
Application Questions
What does God appear to be making of your life? What additional changes do you need to make in your life to grow closer to the Lord and realize His vision for you?
How have you translated the teachings of the gospel into the specifics of your daily life.
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