Jacob 2:19-21

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?

21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh?  And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other.  And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.

22 And now I make an end of speaking unto you concerning this pride.  And were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you.

Jacob 2:19 - 22

After telling the Nephites to cease searching for riches but to seek for Christ, he continues talking about riches.  “[A]fter ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches if ye will seek them for the intent to do good.”

The responsibilities we have are to “clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry … and administer relief to the sick and afflicted.”  King Benjamin underscored the importance of taken care of the poor. 

And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.

Mosiah 4:26

Christ taught the Nephites to “[g]ive to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away” (3 Nephi 12:42).

During the almost 200 years of peace, the Nephites “had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift” (4 Nephi 1:3). 

Marilyn Arnold, quoting Hugh Nibley, writes, “God has given us our gifts and talents to be placed freely at the disposal of our fellowmen (Jacob 2:19), and not as a means of placing our fellowmen at our disposal.”[1]

Hugh Nibley writes about seeking after riches.

God recognizes only one justification for seeking wealth, and that is with the express intent of helping the poor (Jacob 2:19) … [Quoting Brigham Young] “Elders of Israel are greedy after the things of this world. If you ask them if they are ready to build up the kingdom of God, their answer is prompt—‘Why, to be sure we are, with our whole souls; but we want first to get so much gold, speculate and get rich, and then we can help the church considerably. We will go to California and get gold, go and buy goods and get rich, trade with the emigrants, build a mill, make a farm, get a large herd of cattle, and then we can do a great deal for Israel.’”

I have heard this many times from friends and relatives, but it is hokum. What they are saying is, "If God will give me a million dollars, I will let him have a generous cut of it." And so they pray and speculate and expect the Lord to come through for them. He won't do it.[2]

Lindon Robinson writes about the dissension that not taking care of the poor brings.

The result of hardheartedness is division and dissension. The wicked Lamanites were divided and desired to rule because of their greed. The righteous Nephites were united in their love for God and man, which led them to serve. The wicked Lamanites loved gold and silver and sacrificed the well-being of others to get it. So, to get material gain, the wicked murdered, plundered, stole, and bore false witness against their neighbors (Helaman 7:21). Meanwhile, the righteous fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and cared for those in need so there would be no poor among them (Jacob 2:19).[3]

Jacob speaks about the pride of the Nephites, and how they are not only ignoring the poor among them, but they are persecuting them as well.  All this over the things the Lord has given them.

“Jacob gives us some rules … it is not the wealth but the inequality that does the damage. Of unequal distribution he says, ‘Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other’ (Jacob 2:21).”[4]

We are to keep the commandments of God and glorify Him.  The Lord told Joseph, “Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength” (D&C 11:20).

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[1] "Words, words, words": Hugh Nibley on the Book of Mormon, Marilyn Arnold, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 2, 2014.

[2] What Is Zion? A Distant View, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 2, 2014.

[3] Economic Insights from the Book of Mormon, Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 2, 2014.

[4] Last Call: An Apocalyptic Warning from the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 2, 2014.