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.
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.
[2]
"Tender and Chaste and Delicate" Feelings Are Pleasing to the Lord,
Cynthia L. Hallen, Maxwell Institute.
[3]
Scriptural Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh
Nibley, Maxwell Institute.
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