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...
1 Nephi 16 - A Round Ball of Curious Workmanship
Lehi's journey in the wilderness illustrates the iterative nature of God's commandments. He teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept" and when we have met His expectations and reached a new spiritual vista, he charts a new path and offers additional light and knowledge. After Lehi's sons had married the daughters of Ishmael, Nephi said, "thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him" (1 Nephi 16:8). Lehi had fulfilled all the commandments to date, but would have wandered stranded in the wilderness without continuing to heed to counsel of God. One verse after completing all of God's commandments, the Lord offered new commandments, and "the voice of the Lord spake unto my father by night, and commanded him that on the morrow he should take his journey into the wilderness" (1 Nephi 16:9).
Along with new challenges God offered additional instruction and guidance. Outside of his tent Lehi found, "a round ball of curious workmanship" (1 Nephi 16:10). The phrase "curious workmanship" reminds me that this ball was not made after the pattern of the world and was not an object that Lehi and Nephi were naturally familiar with. The gospel occasionally runs counter to conventional wisdom and rarely feels intuitive and comfortable at the outset. But even though the gospel is peculiar, it is not mystical or inaccessible. Taking the pointers in the ball of curious workmanship as a metaphor for the word of God we read, "there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord" (1 Nephi 16:29). All of us have equal access to spiritual knowledge and enjoy a direct conduit to God through prayer. We simply have to ask in faith in the same way that the directors within the ball "did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them" (1 Nephi 16:28). Again, like Lehi receiving further instruction after he "had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord," we enjoy greater understanding and peace the more we invest in our relationship with God.
When Lehi and his family "did follow the directions of the ball," they were led "in the more fertile parts of the wilderness." (1 Nephi 16:16). They still had to exert the effort and endure the discomforts of traveling in the desert, but within that context of trials, they enjoyed blessings along the way. These blessings were cumulative, and shaped the trajectory of their destiny in the promised land. Trying to keep God's commandments can have a dramatic impact in our lives in the same way that the Liahona showed Nephi that "by small means the Lord can bring about great things" (1 Nephi 16:29).
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 16
1 Nephi 17 - We Were Exceedingly Rejoiced
Despite their many trials, Nephi and is family felt blessed and grateful as they recognized the hand of the Lord. Even though they "did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness," God "did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 17:1,3). After describing how the women were strengthened and they were able to survive on raw food, Nephi repeated that "notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced" (1 Nephi 17:6). What was it about Nephi's attitude that allowed him to be "exceedingly rejoiced in the midst of so many trials?
They Did Not Believe That I Could Build a Ship
When Nephi asked Laman and Lemuel to help build a ship, the demurred. They were "desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord" (1 Nephi 17:18). From their response I take away that we lose resolve to work when we question our own abilities, or doubt the inspiration of the Lord. What thoughts most inspire self-confidence, and certainty in the Lord's instructions for you?
Furthermore, Laman and Lemuel blamed Lehi and Nephi for leading them into the wilderness (1 Nephi 17:20). Because of a lack of confidence and faith, Laman and Lemuel then spun a web of falsehoods to justify their position (1 Nephi 17:22). Blame and lies are symptoms that we are insecure in our own abilities, and uncertain of the Lord's direction and promises. When do you catch yourself trying to displace responsibility or bend the truth? This is a good indicator that unresolved fear lies beneath.
They Were Confounded and Could Not Contend Against Me
After initially refusing the help Nephi build a ship, Laman and Lemuel eventually acquiesced because "I, Nephi, said many things unto my brethren, insomuch that they were confounded and could not contend against me" (1 Nephi 17:52). Laman and Lemuel were not inspired, but confounded. They were motivated by fear, not faith. They were convinced by a sign, but not by the Spirit. While they were willing to offer their labor to help build Nephi's hip, their source of their conversion was not lasting.
When considering my own testimony and motivations, it is not enough to talk myself out of doubt, or provide counterpoints to an initial response of "no." My goal is to find a resounding "yes!" Only the Spirit can change our natures and fill us with certainty and sincere desire.
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 17
1 Nephi 18 - The Lord Showed Unto Me Great Things
In the process of building a ship to travel to the promised land, Nephi received intermittent instructions from the Lord, who"did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship" (1 Neph :18:1). Nephi was entitled to this insight because he tirelessly asked and sought the Lord in holy places. "And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things" (1 Nephi 18:3). Nephi prayed "oft," and received instructions "from time to time." This reinforces to me the importance of praying consistently and attending the temple with the acknowledgement that the heavens may not be opened every time we open the scriptures, and it may take many requests and multiple visits to the temple the receive the insight, direction, and comfort we seek.
Nephi also endured suffering at the hands of his brothers. When Laman and Lemuel bound Nephi, his parents, siblings, wife, and children all mourned, pled, and prayed in faith the he would be delivered. But God did not override Laman and Lemuel's agency, and "the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power" (1 Nephi 18:11). In a similar way in the New Testament when Christ heals the blind man and his disciples asked "who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind" (John 9:2). Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:3). Nephi was swollen and bound in cords for days, and a blind man had to endure half a lifetime of blindness before being released and healed. Eventually both received blessings held in store by God, but not without patience and suffering. As Nephi recounts, "I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm" (1 Nephi 18:22). It is interesting to note that even significant suffering is an acceptable trade-off for direct and miraculous experiences with the power of God.
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 18
1 Nephi 19 - Which Purposes Are Known Unto the Lord
Nephi models the importance of faith, and the iterative nature of revelation. After he had written a record of his father, he was commanded to make another record. He states "I had made these plates by way of commandment" (1 Nephi 19:3), but with the caveat "I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates" (1 Nephi 19:2). In my experience revelation illuminates the next best step, but does not always reveal the entire landscape. In Nephi's case, he knew this second set of plates would be "for the instruction of my people ... and also for other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord" (1 Nephi 19:3). He received just enough insight into the purpose of the record to find motivation to create it, but was not shown all the purposes of the Lord.
Nephi sought to record sacred things at the expense of all other, "that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred" (1 Nephi 19:5-6). I love to extrapolate this idea to how I set priorities in my life. What would it be like to write, but to think, say, and do only those things that are sacred.
Trying to live a sacred life makes you weird. When choices, priorities, and values are aligned with a desire to follow God, they will inevitably be misunderstood and possibly be mocked by others. Nephi recognized that "the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet" (1 Nephi 19:7). Perhaps it is because of that conflict and internal tension that Christ taught "No man can serve two masters: for either he. will hate the one, and love the other; or else. he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).
In chapter 19 Nephi paraphrases long passages of prophesies by a prophet named Zenos, who is not recorded in the bible. Per the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, "Zenos is one of four Israelite prophets of Old Testament times cited in the Book of Mormon whose writings appeared on the plates of brass but who are not mentioned in the Old Testament." Zenos gave grand insight into the work of gathering and redemption of the House of Israel, and himself embodies the extent to which God has reveled truth to various groups of people throughout time. I love to think of all the prophets that preached to peoples that are unknown to us, and all the scripture and revelation that we do not have. To me it is a testament of God's engagement with all of His children, not just those that we know about. In addition, Nephi taught that "The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power" (1 Nephi 19:11). Ultimately, all of God's children will have opportunity to be gathered in. The Lord said, "then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord" (1 Nephi 19:16).
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 19
1 Nephi 20 - He Caused the Waters to Flow out of the Rock for Them
Signs, miracles, and revelations are intended to inspire faith, and ensure we do not place undue confidence in our own abilities or other earthly powers. Christ revealed His hand and performed miracles to persuade a skeptical people: "I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them" (1 Nephi 20:5). "And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them ... lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them" (1 Nephi 20:6-7). God allows ignorance to make faith-building enlightenment possible, and allows hardship to prompt our reliance on Him. Summarized another way by the prophet Ether, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble" (Ether 12:27).
"For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another" (1 Nephi 20:11). Christ gives an example of acting in perfect integrity. His motivation for loving and serving His people is based in his own sense of purpose, and it totally independent of our actions or worthiness. To let the behavior of others influence our values and decisions is comparable to "giving my glory [or power] unto another." Despite the rebelliousness of His people, "The Lord hath loved him; yea, and he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them" (1 Nephi 20:14). In a similar way, we get to choose who we want to be regardless of how others respond.
I love the beautiful metaphors recorded in 1 Nephi 20:18-21 that Isaiah used to describe the blessings in store for those who flee wordiness and follow God, and consider how God has "led me through deserts," and made me "thirst not":
- peace as a river
- righteousness as the waves of the sea
- seed as the sand
- offspring like the gravel thereof
- they thirsted not
- he led them through the deserts
- he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them
- he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 20
1 Nephi 21 - We Should Waste and Wear out Our Lives
Nephi quotes Isaiah, who tells of a servant, Israel. Israel says, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain" (1 Nephi 21:4). I believe this passage is saying essentially, "I have sinned." But the speaker addressing Israel goes on to say, "though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength" (1 Nephi 21:5). I interpret this to mean that even though Israel was rebellious and idolatrous, God would still save them for his own purposes and glory.
While it might be an erroneous extrapolation, I like to think of this verse in another way, too, and imagine the Lord saying that is efforts do not seem to have the desired result. I see parallels to the allegory in Jacob chapter 5 when the lord of the vineyard says,"notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit" (Jacob 5:46).
In a revelation received by Joseph Smith he addresses the members of the church saying, "we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven" (D&C 123:13). My interpretation is that "the hidden things of darkness" are secret combinations, or organizations of people to do wrong. He is instructing the saints to unmask injustice. But I like reading it another way as the mysteries of God and interpret the verse more generally that I should waste and wear out my life in building the kingdom of God.
The word waste is an interesting one, because it implies that the effort is in vain and there is no result from the input. What does it mean to waste you life? I understand that wearing out my life implies using it to it's fullest for its intended purpose the way I would wear out a pair of shoes. But to waste it? Maybe it means to destroy it, the way a city could be laid waste. Or wasted in the way my children waste food when they don't finish their dinner.
Christ wasted his life in both senses. He allowed his body to be destroyed with the foreknowledge that his atoning sacrifice would not accepted by all. I sometimes hesitate to serve or do good because I don't think it will matter or make a difference, but Christ submitted to the will of the Father and sacrificed everything not only wondering if it would make a difference for some, but knowing that it would not be accepted by all. Knowing that our efforts to share the gospel will not always succeed can be liberating because it shifts our motivation from seeing a specific result to doing the right thing.
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 21
1 Nephi 22 - By the Spirit Are All Things Made Known
When Laman and Lemuel asked Nephi if the teaching of Isaiah were to be interpreted literally or spiritually, Nephi prefaced his response by saying "they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets" (1 Nephi 22:2). Isaiah's teaching were both literal and figurative, which means the Spirit not only reveals spiritual things, but can impart temporal knowledge as well.
I have had this experience studying math, creating works of art, and developing an organizational design at work. I attribute moments of enlightenment and the quickening of my faculties to the Spirit. Mental breakthroughs, whether they occur while reading the scriptures or taking the derivative of an equation are gifts of God rendered through the power of the Holy Ghost.
In explaining the prophesies oof Isaiah and summarizing the gathering of Israel, Nephi states that "the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless [Christ] shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations" (1 Nephi 22:10). While Isaiah was speaking on a global scale, I believe this is also true on a micro scale in each of our lives. We cannot achieve our righteous desires and intended purpose on this earth unless God "makes bare his arm" in our lives, and he has promised that "he will preserve the righteous by his power," and "the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people" (1 Nephi 22:17, 20).
As Calves of the Stall
Nephi explained that "the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall" (1 Nephi 22:24). What does it mean to be a calf of the stall? In contrast to a wild calf, a calf of the stall is nourished, sheltered, and protected by the herdsman in the way a sheep is cared for by a shepherd. Speaking of Christ Nephi testified that "he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture" (1 Nephi 22:25). Reading these scriptures I was struck my the metaphor of domestication. In the sense that we all have base and carnal natures due to the fall of Adam we are like wild animals. Christ bridles our worldly natures, and as we transition from untamed to domesticated creatures we enjoy the shelter and nourishment afforded calves of the stall and sheep of the fold.
Click on the link to read my previous post on 1 Nephi 22
Image Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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