Wherefore, my
brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any
man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
For I, the Lord God,
delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms
are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
Wherefore, this people
shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for
their sakes.
For if I will, saith
the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise
they shall hearken unto these things.
For behold, I, the
Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my
people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people,
because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
Jacob 2:2- 31
After chastising those that have wives and concubines, he
tells them to “hearken unto the word of
the Lord.” Jacob makes clear the
word of the Lord; each man should have only one wife and no concubines. Jacob will compare the Nephites to the
Lamanites. “Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their
filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous
than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was
given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines
they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them”
(Jacob 3:5).
The Lord delights in chastity of women. It’s not surprising Jacob would emphasize chastity. It is obvious that “chastity, honesty, and
keeping all the Lord's commandments were required and desirable characteristics
of Lehi's clan (2 Nephi 9:31–38; Jacob 2:28).”[1] Sexual sins are an abomination in the eyes of
the Lord.
Cynthia Hallan writes:
Delicate or delightful feelings are
pleasing to the Lord … If the Lord delight in us, then he will
bring us into this land (Numbers 14:8) and I, the Lord God, delight in the
chastity of women (Jacob 2:28) … In summary, the prophet Jacob teaches that
tender, chaste, and delicate feelings are pleasing to God. We can develop such
feelings in our hearts and minds by feasting upon the scriptures … Tender
feelings are intelligent as well as sensitive. Chaste feelings are fulfilling
as well as clean and pure. Delicate feelings are refined and delightful as well
as fragile and fragrant, like flowers in the Lord's garden.[2]
Remember, this is the Promised Land. The Lord made it clear from
the beginning of the consequences of turning away from His word to those who
dwell in the Promised Land.
Abridging the book of Ether, Moroni2 would write:
And
he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess
this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him,
the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his
wrath should come upon them.
And
now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land
of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they
shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them
when they are ripened in iniquity.
For
behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that
doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting
decree of God. And it is not until the fulness
of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.
And
this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that
ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that
ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the
inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.
Behold,
this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free
from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if
they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been
manifested by the things which we have written.
Ether 2:8-12
Hugh Nibley wrote comparing the Old World with the New
World.
The promised land is a testing
ground offering both great opportunity and corresponding risk: "Wherefore,
this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be
the land for their sakes" (Jacob 2:29). In the Old World are civilizations
which were ancient at the time Lehi left Jerusalem, and they still survive, but
of those in the land of promise we are told that when they are ripe in
iniquity, when the cup is full, they shall be swept off from the land. Compared
with other continents, this one has no history, no surviving cultures, though
far and wide civilizations whose identities remain a mystery have left their
ruins and their scattered descendants.[3]
Then, the Lord makes a qualification. Having more than one wife is acceptable in
the eyes of the Lord only if He commands His people. He will do so to “raise up a seed unto [him].” Should
that occur, then plural marriage is an acceptable practice among His church.
[1]
The
Rechabites: A Model Group in Lehi's World, Jeffrey P. Thompson and John W.
Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 8, 2014.
[2]
"Tender
and Chaste and Delicate" Feelings Are Pleasing to the Lord, Cynthia L.
Hallen, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 8, 2014.
[3]
Scriptural
Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh
Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed March 8, 2014.
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