Nephi decides now to include
a sermon to the people from his brother Jacob, whom he had recently ordained as
a priest. It once again shows Nephi’s understanding of the power of multiple
witnesses. Earlier, he had previously relied heavily on the words of their
father Lehi to bolster his own, and now turns to Jacob for this help. At the
same time, we imagine Jacob growing into this role as another strong representative
of God to the Nephite people.
A few things tell us of how
closely Jacob has paid attention to Lehi and Nephi. In verse 3, Jacob mentions
that he has taught the people his father’s (Lehi’s) words. And, in verse 4, he
indicates that he is going to share the words of Isaiah because Nephi has
instructed him to do so. Here, we learn that Jacob is deferring to Nephi as the
overall spiritual leader. Jacob’s use of Isaiah’s teachings adds yet another
powerful witness to his message to the people, and builds upon the pattern we
have already seen Nephi use of going back to Isaiah again and again to
reinforce important points about the coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and
the scattering and gathering of different branches of the house of Israel as
part of God’s plan under Christ.
The specific teaching Jacob
shares (in verses 7-8) is from Isaiah 49:22-23, which is something Nephi
previously shared with his family just after their arrival in the New World (in
1 Nephi 21:22-23). This shows us the importance of periodic repetition in our
teaching. Just because we’ve already heard something before doesn’t mean that
we don’t need to hear it again. Sometimes we don’t catch the full meaning the
first time we hear it. Other times, the meaning changes for us depending on
where we are in our lives. In any event, important truths bear repeating because
we need to recognize that they don’t change. Here, Jacob is teaching the people
of a new generation, about 30 years on from Nephi’s earlier mention of the
teaching, and much has happened in the intervening time.
In this case, Jacob shares
and expounds upon Isaiah’s prophecy that the Gentiles will play an important
role in helping scattered portions of the people of Israel regather and regain
their strength. It seems pretty clearly to refer to the days in anticipation of
the Lord’s Second Coming. We sense that whatever the prophecy’s significance to
the Nephites 2,600 years ago, it is very significant to those of us who read it
today with the perspective of events that have taken place since then. For this
reason, I surmise Nephi felt inspired to include this chapter in his record, knowing
it would come forth to the people of our time.
As referenced in earlier
chapter summaries, the whole story of the discovery and colonization of
America, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and restored gospel out of
these historical events, are directly responsible for opening the door to the
gathering of scattered Israelites. Particularly the descendants of the Nephites
and Lamanites on the American continent, who have in all likelihood forgotten
their heritage.
The imagery of Isaiah’s words
is meant to show how the Lord’s power eclipses that of what men and women can
do by themselves. It is interesting that Jacob alludes to the fact that the
Nephites now look upon his brother Nephi as a king or protector (verse 2), and
just a few verses later uses Isaiah to demonstrate that earthly kings and
queens will be nursing fathers and mothers to the lost people of Israel when
they are rediscovered. The message seems undeniable: a person’s earthly title
and power (including Nephi’s) are much less important than the roles they play
in carrying the Lord’s plan forward.
In expounding upon Isaiah’s
words, Jacob is not merely interpreting them based on conjecture. He boldly
states that the Lord has shown him in vision how the prophecy will be realized.
Having demonstrated that he has sought a direct witness from the Lord of the
truth of these things, Jacob shows himself to be very much a kindred spirit
with Lehi and Nephi. In fact, you may remember that Lehi alluded to Jacob’s
direct experience with revelation in the parting words he shared with him in 2
Nephi 2:3-4. With the forceful authority of this direct knowledge, Jacob talks
of the capture of Jerusalem, the eventual return of its people, the coming of
the Messiah and His rejection and crucifixion, and another scattering and
eventual regathering of Israel.
Jacob goes on to describe the
role of the Gentiles in this process. The implication is that once Israel (the
Lord’s covenant people) is scattered, the Gentiles exercise a certain degree of
control and dominion over these covenant people. But lest the Gentiles
mistakenly think that their control over Israel is permanent, Isaiah and Jacob
warn them that the Lord will look after his people and regather them. The Gentiles
can choose whether to aid this process or to resist it. Aiding it means to be
able to partake in the very same blessings that the Israelites are entitled to.
Resisting it is a dead end that leads to frustration and misery. The key here
seems to be humility and openness to the idea that we don’t know everything and
should look for ways to help our fellow men and women, especially the
downtrodden.
Jacob goes back to Isaiah’s
own words to put an exclamation point on the message in the chapter’s final verses
(verses 16-18, which are very similar to Isaiah 49:24-26). In addition to words
of woe for those who oppose God, Isaiah powerfully insists that the Lord can
deliver His people out of any plight in which they find themselves. It doesn’t
matter how strong their captors or tormentors may seem. This is both abundantly
hopeful to those of us who at times feel lost or burdened, and a warning to
those of us who may be tempted to get ahead in life on the backs of others.
There’s a good chance that each of us has found himself or herself in both
situations at different times in our lives.
You can read the entire
chapter at the following link: https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/6?lang=eng
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