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 midst of the slaughter of his people, Mormon took a moment to write a message to the descendants of the executioners. He spoke to the remnants of the Lamanites. Even after they had decimated his country and his people, even after they had wounded him, and even as they sought to hunt and kill him, Mormon wrote a letter to the child of the Lamanites to persuade them to believe in Christ. He laid out the path to happiness and salvation to the posterity of his murderers.
Why would Mormon do something like that? Why would he use his last moments and his last breath to think of the welfare of his killers' children? While the scriptures don't speak about Mormon's motivation, I can only assume he wrote chapter 7 because he knew the prophesies about the destiny of the Lamanites and was persuaded by them. Wow. I can't imagine a more stressful and harrowing set of circumstances that Mormon faced, and yet his faith in a promise from God that would not be fulfilled for untold millennia was sufficient for him to write these words to people he would never meet.
He wanted them to know the following things:
- They were of the house of Israel (Mormon 7:2)
- They needed to repent to be saved (Mormon 7:3)
- They needed to cease from unjust wars (Mormon 7:4)
- Christ's atonement and resurrected (Mormon 7:5)
- All people will be judged (Mormon 7:6)
- Those redeemed by Christ will have everlasting happiness (Mormon 7:7)
With so little time, such difficulty in writing, and such desperate circumstances, it is telling to see what Mormon deemed to be the most important information for future generations to know. I wonder what it is about these doctrines that are so transformative and how they shape those who believe them.
After listing the things he wanted the posterity of the Lamanites to know, he invited them to repent, be baptized, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ in the Book of Mormon and the Bible (Mormon 7:8). He promised the future Lamanites that if they did those things they would believe in Christ, know of their ancestors, and it would be well with them at the judgment day.
Application Question
What prophesies or teaching of the prophets are compelling to you? How do they change the things you do and the way you spend your time and resources?
What can you do to love and serve your enemies?
Image Credit: Joseph Brickey
Comments
Post a Comment