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
I firmly believe that God provides all the information we need to be happy in life and to prepare for salvation and exaltation, albeit according to His own timeline, and contingent on our preparation and receptiveness. This belief helps me reconcile gaps in the scriptural record, and the iterative nature of revelation. Confusion and disappointment are replaced by curiosity and wonder at how God's work goes on unimpeded, though implemented by imperfect human vessels. The Transfiguration as recorded in the New Testament is confusing to me, and only after a few days of study and consulting other sources have some of the basic pieces started to come together. Most significantly, the purpose of the Transfiguration, to bestow priesthood keys on Peter, James, and John, is only known through modern revelations received by Joseph Smith. I may never know why God did not deem it essential to record and preserve details of this conferral of priesthood keys on Peter, James, and John, or wh