10 But,
notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands
of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the
presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of
the piercing eye of the Almighty God.
11 Wherefore, I must
tell you the truth according to the plainness of the word of God. For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus
came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the
morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people.
12 And now behold, my
brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have
begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all *manner of precious ores,
in the which this land, which is a bland of promise unto you and to
your seed, doth abound most plentifully.
13 And the hand of
providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many
riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your
brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and
high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your
brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.
Jacob 2:10-13
Jacob continues to take the
Nephite men to task. He must complete
this task because he was commanded of God to “tell [them] concerning [their] wickedness and abominations.”
They are in the presence “of the pure in heart and the broken heart.” The piercing eye of God is watching as he
speaks.
This is similar to words used earlier in Jacob’s
sermon. “O, my beloved brethren, remember my words … I pray the God of my
salvation that he view me with his all–searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know
at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of
Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand
with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood” (2 Nephi 9:44).
Following his brother, Nephi’s example, he tells them he
will speak in plainness, giving them the word of God. He had been given the command to get to the temple
and speak God’s word to the people.
Was there any other source for Jacob’s words than the
Lord? S. Kent Brown addresses that
question.
One doctrine often overlooked as
being from Lehi is found in his son Jacob's teachings on fidelity in marriage
(see Jacob 2:23-33). At first glance Jacob appears to be repeating instructions
he received directly from the Lord, following the Lord's direction to declare
"the word which I shall give thee unto this people" (Jacob 2:11).
However, a more careful look at chapter two shows us that although the counsel
concerning one wife indeed came from the Lord, Jacob was not the first to
receive it. Lehi was the source for these directions.[1]
Jacob recounts how they had searched for gold, silver, and precious
ores. These were plentiful in the land
of promise. The Lord “smiled upon [them] most pleasingly.”
But pride has entered into the picture.
They have begun to “wear
stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of [their] apparel.” But, they don’t stop there. They persecute others because they think they
are better than they are.
Hugh Nibley explains the Nephite vices.
Just what are these vices, we begin
to wonder, and the answer is loud and clear: "This is the word which I
declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold"; they
have not been opposed in this, he tells them, for God means the riches of the
promised land to be enjoyed (Jacob 2:12). But what he does not like is the
invidious comparison of a competitive economy: "Because some
of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted
up in the pride of your hearts. . . . Ye suppose that ye are better
than they" (Jacob 2:13). It is inequality that the prophets deplore
throughout the Book of Mormon; pride stands at the head of every one of those
many lists of crimes that beset the society.[2]
Where did the Nephites get this costly apparel? Kevin Christensen explains.
The early description of economic
matters is enigmatic in the Book of Mormon unless we have the Mesoamerican
background. In particular, Jacob speaks against costly apparel (Jacob 2:13).
This is a situation that should not exist in a society where everyone makes
their own clothing from local materials and dyes. However, it fits into the
trade context of Mesoamerica, where clothing was one of the most obvious modes
of displaying wealth and social differentiation. Thus this Book of Mormon
emphasis on the evils of costly apparel has a direct explanation in the
cultural pressures of Mesoamerica at this time.[3]
[1]
Nephi's
Use of Lehi's Record, S. Kent Brown, Maxwell Institute, accessed February
26, 2014.
[2]
Scriptural
Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh
Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed February 26, 2014.
[3]
Truth
and Method: Reflections on Dan Vogel's Approach to the Book of Mormon, Reviewed
by Kevin Christensen, Maxwell Institute, accessed February 26, 2014.
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