Nephi shares a sermon he directed Jacob to give to the
Nephites.
Chapter 6
Jacob recounts Jewish
history: Their Babylonian captivity and return; the ministry and crucifixion of
the Holy One of Israel; the help received from the gentiles; and their Latter-day
restoration when they believe in the Messiah. About 559–545 B.C.
1 The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he
spake unto the people of Nephi:
2 Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been
called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been
consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector,
and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you
exceedingly many things.
3 Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous
for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye
yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all
diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto
you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.
4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning
things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words
of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should
speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and
glorify the name of your God.
5 And now, the words which I shall read are they which
Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened
unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which
have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the
house of Israel.
6 And now, these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God:
Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the
people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be
carried upon their shoulders.
7 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their
queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces
towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I
am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these
words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were at Jerusalem, from
whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive.
9 Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me that they
should return again. And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy
One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he
should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to
the words of the angel who spake it unto me.
10 And after they have hardened their hearts and
stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold, the judgments of
the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they shall
be smitten and afflicted.
11 Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus
saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be
suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be
scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto
them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall
be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.
Nephi gave Jacob a command to preach to Nephites, giving him
the topic of Isaiah 50 and 51. This was
not the first time Jacob had preached to the Nephites. “[Y]ou know I have spoken unto you
exceedingly many things” (2 Nephi 6:2).
Jacob begins by declaring his authority to preach to the
people. “I, Jacob, having been
called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been
consecrated by my brother Nephi” (2 Nephi 6:2).
Then, he adds an interesting statement about Nephi’s kingship. He said they looked to Nephi “as a king or a
protector, and on whom ye depend for safety” (2 Nephi 6:2). According to Noel Reynolds, Jacob tells us
Nephi was not a king.
“Another sentence that might seem to be an indication of
Nephi's kingship occurs in Jacob's first recorded address to the Nephites.
Jacob provides bona fides for his sermonizing by citing his
own ordination and his ‘having been consecrated by ... Nephi, unto whom ye
look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for
safety’ (2 Nephi 6:2). But even here Jacob does not say Nephi was king, only
that he was looked upon as a king. The ambiguity of the
characterization is further emphasized by Jacob's provision of an alternate
characterization—'or a protector.’”[1]
Jacob preaches to them for the welfare of their souls. He has, with all diligence, taught them the
words of Lehi and “concerning all things
which are written from the creation of the world” (2 Nephi 6:3).
Jacob tells them that, as they hear the words of Isaiah,
that he spoke many things “which may be
likened unto you, because year of the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 6:5). Here, he was following the example of Nephi –
“did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I
did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning”
(1 Nephi 19:23).
At the beginning of his discourse, Jacob stated that he read
to his people the words of Isaiah that "they may be likened unto you, for
ye are the house of Israel" (2 Nephi 6:5). Today, the same advice could be
given of Jacob's speech. Though separated by 2,600 years, we can liken his
words to us and in so doing "cheer up" our hearts, remembering that,
thanks to the Divine Warrior, we too "are free to act for ourselves."[2]
Jacob reads the following words of Isaiah:
“Thus saith the
Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my
standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy
daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
“And kings shall be
thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down
to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet;
and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait
for me” 2 Nephi 6:6–7 (See also Isaiah 49:22-23).
Jacob added his testimony to that of Lehi that Jerusalem had
been destroyed (see 2 Nephi 1:14). Nephi
would later add his testimony that he people had been carried captive into
Jerusalem (see 2 Nephi 25:10). But, the
Jews will return to Jerusalem (2 Nephi 6:9).
The day would come when the Savior would appear to them, but they would
reject him, scourging and crucifying him.
The Jews will be scattered throughout the world as a
consequence of their actions. They will
suffer afflictions and be hated by the people.
The day will then come that they will be brought to a knowledge of their
Redeemer and gathered again “in the
land of their inheritance” (2
Nephi 6:11).
The Lord will bless then gentiles if they repent and not
fight against Zion. Jacob was referring
back to Nephi’s vision.
“AND it shall come
to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day
that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very
deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—
“And harden not
their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of
thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they
shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more
brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be
confounded.
“And that great
pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which
was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of
men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction
of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction,
saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting
of it into that hell which hath no end.
“For behold, this
is according to the captivity of the devil, and also according to the justice
of God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before him.
And it came to pass
that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the
Gentiles repent it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning
the covenants of the Lord unto the house of Israel; and thou also hast heard
that whoso repenteth not must perish” (1 Nephi 14:1-5).
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