Friday, May 22, 2020

Jacob 2:10-13


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 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.

“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.
[2] Scriptural Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.
[3] Truth and Method: Reflections on Dan Vogel's Approach to the Book of Mormon, Reviewed by Kevin Christensen, Maxwell Institute.

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