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 chapter 8 we learn that Mormon was killed by the Lamanites, and his son Moroni took on the task of finishing his father's record. Moroni wrote, "My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not" (Mormon 8:5). Again I am amazed by the faith and persistence that Moroni showed in completing the record at a time when "the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war" (Mormon 8:8).
We also learn that Mormon and Moroni had help from the 3 Nephite apostles of Christ who were blessed to tarry on the earth until God’s Work was done: "my father and I have seen them, and they have ministered unto us" (Mormon 8:11). I can only imagine what those interactions must have been like, the five of them hidden and huddled in a cave or grove of trees. As a ministering brother or sister, what would you say to comfort and encourage someone who carried the weight of the record of their civilization and faced imminent death?
It is significant to me that this momentous period in the history of the world was characterized by extreme loneliness. Moroni wrote alone. Christ atoned in a garden while His companions slept. The church was restored in 1830 in a log cabin with 6 people. It’s easy to forget that most of the critical junctures in the history of the world and in our lives are usually quiet, personal, and maybe even lonely. While on a much smaller scale, I can see all sorts of parallels in my own life. I'm writing this blog by myself at 5:00 am staring our my darkened window onto a quiet city-scape. I usually run alone. Bren and I fell in love and decided to get married in quiet conversations when no one else was around.
Mormon was motivated to keep going because he knew "the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled" (Mormon 8:22). He had confidence that the record he was writing mattered because "the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you. Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not" (Mormon 8:34-35). We can ask God for the same thing. We can pray to know the future. God will not reveal the entire picture, but will show us the portions that we need to know to have hope and move forward in the direction He has prepared for us.
Application Questions
Who in your life could use help and encouragement today? What will you do to serve them?
What seemingly insignificant things are you doing that will have the greatest impact on your future and those around you?
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