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 just a few short generations after arriving in the promised land, the Jaredites experienced civil war, and divided into competing kingdoms
Kib was king of the Jaredites, but was overthrown and placed in captivity by his son Corihor. Kib's other son, Shule, challenged and defeated Corihor and returned the kingdom to his father. What surprises me most about this story is the ease with which Shule forgave his brother Corihor: "And Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom" (Ether 7:13). Corihor had imprisoned their father for years and started a conflict that resulted in the death of many people on both sides. For most in Shule's positions, forgiveness would not even feel like an option. Most monarchs would have executed him for treason. Instead Shule not only forgave Corridor, he gave him "power in his kingdom."
Forgiving others does not mean we do not impose consequences or set boundaries. We can love someone, let go of the hurt they caused us, and still exclude them from our lives. In this instance, though, Shule took and immense risk in welcoming Corihor back into the kingdom. As far as we can tell from the scriptural record, Corihor did not rebel again, but his sons Noah and Cohor went to battle with Shule. Shule was able to put down the insurrection, but not without additional humans costs. In reading this passage, I can't tell if Shule is a cautionary tale, or an example to model. Is God teaching us about the dangers of compromising boundaries in the course of forgiving others? Or is he proposing radical forgiveness, even at great personal cost?
Not only was Shule a capable military leader and righteous king, he protected a semblance of religious freedom that was key in helping the people repent. When the people became wicked and started to mock and revile the prophets, "he did execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go whithersoever they would, and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance" (Ether 7:25). Shule did not punish those who did not believe or follow the prophets. He did not mandate his religion. He simply gave the prophets the latitude to preach the gospel, which in this case prompted the people to repent.
Application Questions
Who has wronged you that you want to forgive? What boundaries do you need to put in place to protect yourself?
How can you allow others freedom to make their own choices and still encourage them to be righteous and keep the commandments.
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