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9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

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...
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2 Nephi 28 - Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept

Nephi prophesies of the priestcraft and hypocrisy that would affect churches of our day. While he likely referred to churches specifically, his words apply to all organizations, institutions, and philosophies that run counter to the kingdom of God. Of the criticisms he levies, the one that stands out the most to me is the belief that God is finished, the heavens are closed, and the canon of scripture complete.  "Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men ...  i f they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work" (2 Nephi 28:5-6). When I read this passage, I think of the frequent rejection of the Book of Mormon on the grounds that God has already spoken to His children through the Bible. But I see similar sentiments creeping ...
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2 Nephi 27 - I Am Able to Do Mine Own Work

Nephi continues his prophesy of our day, and foresees the translation of the Book of Mormon. As part of this  revelation, Nephi sees an exchange between Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and a professor of Linguistics at Columbia College in New York, Charles Anthon.  Martin Harris showed professor Anthon a copy of the characters engraved on the gold plates from which Joseph Smith translated, and professor Anthon refused to certify the authenticity of the characters (The full account it recorded in Joseph Smith History  JSH 1:64-65 ): "Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them ... Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to ...
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2 Nephi 26 - Thy Ways Are Just

In response to my post on the wrath of God (2 Nephi 23), a missionary I served with in Taiwan reached out with the following question: "I struggle with the passages that make god sound petty. It would seem to me that an omniscient deity who had created a perfect plan of happiness would allow free agency to abound. If the gospel is true regardless of whether or not you or I believe it, then why does god need to destroy those who don't throughout history? And why does he reserve that destruction for a lack of faith when there is true evil in the world?" Again in 2 Nephi 26, Nephi prophesies of Christ and the destruction that awaits the wicked. "The day that cometh shall burn them up ... mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder. And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the f...
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2 Nephi 25 - Unto Them Will I Speak Particularly

After quoting Isaiah, Nephi reaffirms the value of Isaiah's words:  "Wherefore, they are of  worth  unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly" (2 Nephi 25:8). He is particularly interested in helping those who do not understand or value Isaiah's words to come to know and appreciate them.  Perhaps that is why Nephi gloried in "plainness." He said, " I shall prophesy according to the  plainness  which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in  plainness  unto my people, that they may learn" (2 Nephi 25:4). In chapter 25 Nephi simplifies and summarizes many of the themes from Isaiah's words about the scattering of the Jews, the mission of Jesus Christ, and His second coming and redemption of Israel. He invites readers to use his plain, or straightforward words as a reference to better understand Isaiah, but mai...
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2 Nephi 24 - As I Have Purposed, so Shall It Stand

A big part of what makes God God is His integrity. In all cases he does what he says, and has the power to bring about his promises. As Isaiah described, " The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand ...  For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (2 Nephi 24:24, 27). God's greatest desire for His children is that they progress to become like Him. By extension He invites us to aspire to His level of integrity.  A man or woman of integrity fulfills what he or she promises, and demonstrates consistency between thoughts, words, and actions. Unfortunately, I can think of many instances where I have let promptings fall by the wayside, overcommitted when I was not really willing, abandoned a righteous goal, or failed to act on a virtuous impulse. These are challenges that God has overcome, and he invites us to...
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2 Nephi 23 - I Will Cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to Cease

The God I know is filled with kindness, mercy, and patience. His most enduring characteristic is love and he has shepherded me through my wanderings with a watchful and gentle hand. Even His corrections and chastisements have been filled with encouragement and hope.  Maybe that is why I have such a hard time appreciating God's justice. The wrath of a vengeful God seems antithetical to the loving Father I have experienced. But in too many instances for me to ignore, the scriptures record this dimension of our Heavenly Father.  Yesterday I was reading in Exodus with Bren and noticed for the first time that after Aaron created a golden calf for the children of Israel to worship in the wilderness, Moses slaughtered the unrepentant. "As soon as he ... saw the calf, and the dancing ... Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, an...
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2 Nephi 22 - With Joy Shall Ye Draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation

After prophesying of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the church, Isaiah praises the Lord with a two psalms of rejoicing.  He describes the Lord as " my  strength  and my  song ; he also has become my salvation" (2 Nephi 22:2). Strength How is Jesus Christ our strength ? The enabling power of His atonement increases our capacity. As we try to live righteously we are sanctified by the Holy Ghost and the nature of our spirits is changed. Our old behaviors and ways of thinking wither on the vine as we are made new creatures. In Christ's power we can find deeper wells of resilience, patience, and love. We can find deep and lasting sources of energy and personal commitment.  Our faith in him can quiet fear and build our confidence to act according to His will. Lastly, h e has promised to protect us and pave the way before us (1 Nephi 3:7). Not only do we become stronger, but at time Christ will remove obstacles before us.  Song...
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