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
To supplement this post you can click on the link to watch a video depicting how Lehi gave his family a final blessing before he died.
2 Nephi 1 - I Am Encircled About Eternally in the Arms of His Love
In 2 Nephi chapter 1, Lehi characterized a list of things as "so great blessings from the hand of the Lord," to include (2 Nephi 1:10):
- having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men
- knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world
- having power given them to do all things by faith
- having all the commandments from the beginning
- having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise
In addition to highlighting principles of knowledge and faith that had blessed his life, Lehi encouraged his posterity to reap the blessing of keeping the commandments: "And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land" (2 Nephi 10:20). Given his lifetime of experience with personal revelation and enjoying the blessings of God, Lehi could offer himself as an example. He said, "the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" (2 Nephi 10:15). Other that personal experience, there is no more compelling evidence that the sincere testimony of someone we can relate to and trust. As illustrated metaphorically in his vision of the tree of life, Lehi has partaken of the atonement of Jesus Christ and enjoyed a lifetime of blessings as a result.
I have been guided and richly blessed in my life because of the grace of a loving God. I know that I can access His wisdom and lean on His power through sincerely searching the scriptures, consulting Him in prayer, and trying to live as he would live.
Click on the link to read my previous post on 2 Nephi 1
2 Nephi 2 - He Shall Consecrate Thine Afflictions for Thy Gain
While it may be a radical notion, I am encouraged and comforted by the thought that nothing has gone wrong. Heartbreaking tragedy, vile injustice, and my own willful sins are all within the scope of God's risk tolerance, and circumscribed by the power of the atonement. On a fundamental level, it is rarely useful to think about the things that happen to us or the things we do in binary terms of "good," and "bad."
Before this becomes too philosophical, or you think I'm advocating for moral relativism (which I'm not), I will explain this idea in the context of Nephi's testimony of the atonement. In 2 Nephi chapter 2, Nephi summarize the blessing that Lehi gave to Jacob before he died, and said of Christ, "he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain" (2 Nephi 2:2). Even though Jacob had experienced hunger and fatigue, forfeited worldly comforts of wealth and home, suffered trials of faith, and other unknown challenges, all of these things helped Jacob grown because they were infused with the healing power of Christ's atonement.
Nephi later gave additional instruction to his people to "pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul" (2 Nephi 32:9). The mechanism that allows us to turn our hardships and sins into assets is prayer.
The limits of this principle and promise were tested to the extreme when Joseph Smith was wrongfully imprisoned in Liberty Jail, Missouri. God spoke to Joseph and said, "if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 121:7). God places an unfathomable premium on experience. Gaining experience is why we are sent to earth, and looking at the range of experiences humans have on the earth strengthens my testimony in the infinite power of Christ's atonement to heal.
Click on the link to read my previous posts on 2 Nephi 2 (Part I, Part II)
2 Nephi 3 - Unto Him Will I Give Power
Most of Lehi's blessing to his youngest son, Joseph, was a prophecy about what the Lord will do for the descendants of Joseph in the latter days. Of note, the work of this great seer of the latter days (Joseph Smith) is framed in the context of what God will do, not necessarily in terms of what the "prophet like unto Moses" will do. Speaking through Lehi, God said, "a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins" (2 Nephi 3:11). The implication is that while Joseph may have been faithful and capable, the real power in his mission came from God. God additionally emphasized that "out of weakness he shall be made strong" (2 Nephi 3:13). Even though it was said of Joseph Smith that he "has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world" he was still wrought in weakness and relied solely on the power of God to fulfill his calling (D&C 135:3).
After seeing a vision of the people of the world and God's creations Moses declared, "Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed" (Moses 1:10). This humble recognition of our nothingness before God is liberating and hopeful. In the same way God was the source of Joseph and Moses' power, we can rely on Him to understand and achieve our unique callings. We can rely on Him to help us overcome our trials and compensate for our weaknesses.
In fact, our weaknesses are part of God's grand design. In Joseph Smiths' case, the Lord said, "I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him ... behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins (2 Nephi 3:17-18).
It is comforting to know that when we fail or bump up against the limits of our current ability, nothing has gone wrong. In fact, God said, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27). Here are a few questions to consider how this process is at play in your own life:
- What has God called and empowered you to do?
- What weaknesses persist in your life?
- How has God helped you compensate for you weaknesses
2 Nephi 4 - Unto the Consuming of My Flesh
I cannot read 2 Nephi chapter 4 without hearing the hymn I love the Lord performed by the BYU Singers ringing in my head. This passage is generally referred to as the psalm of Nephi, so it seems only fitting that it should be set to music.
A theme that occurred to me in this reading of the psalm is the tension between worldly and spiritual things. Despite a lifetime of righteousness and spiritual leadership, Nephi still grappled with the failings of his fallen nature and cried, "my heart sorroweth because of my flesh" (2 Nephi 4:17). This sorrow was not prevented by Nephi's love of the scriptures or spiritual things. Nephi said, "my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard" (2 Nephi 15-16). Seeking, pondering, and internalizing spiritual things cannot eradicate human failings or eliminate temptation and sin from our lives. Instead, Nephi shows that the power of God's love and the transformative influence of the spirit can overcome our carnal natures.
Nephi praised God saying, "He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh" (2 Nephi 4:21). Charity displaced worldliness in his heart. Moroni also spoke of the sanctifying power of Charity, and the interplay of works and grace obtaining it. "brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure" (Moroni 7:48). Charity, or any other shift in our character to bring us more in line with God's will and nature, is only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. While it is precipitated by our efforts to be true followers of the Savior, it is a spiritual gift granted by the grace of God.
Nephi went on to explain the role of the Holy Ghost in enlightening his mind and Spirit. "And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things" (2 Nephi 4:25). These parallel forces--the power of Christ to heal and the power of the Spirit to illuminate--inspired Nephi's resolve and confidence. He saw Christ and the spirit, not his own efforts, as the only escape from worldliness: "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh" (2 Nephii 4:34).
Click on the link to read my previous post on 2 Nephi 42 Nephi 5 - After the Manner of Happiness
Our prayers in behalf of others cannot override their agency or change their behavior. As Nephi experienced, "I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren. But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
After separating from his brothers Lamen and Lemuel, Nephi described how his people "lived after the manner of happiness" (2 Nephi 5:27). While he did not say it explicitly, Nephi alluded to what constitutes "the manner of happiness" in his description of his people. They:
- "observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things" (2 Nephi 5:10)
- "did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance" (2 Nephi 5:11)
- "did make many swords" to defend themselves from the Lamanites" (2 Nephi 5:14)
- "did build a temple" (2 Nephi 5:16)
- "brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass" (2 Nephi 5:14
- were industrious, and to labor with their hands (2 Nephi 5:17)
- had no king, but a leader that "did for them according to that which was in my power" (2 Nephi 5:18)
- anointed "priests and teachers over the land of my people" (2 Nephi 5:27)
Regardless of the outcome, we are more likely to be happy when we keep the commandments, work hard in our professions, read the scriptures, seek the guidance of the spirit, go to the temple, heed priesthood leaders, protect ourselves from harm and sin, and select servant leaders.
Image Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
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