When
those familiar with the Book of Mormon are asked to share the essence of
Jacob’s message, they often talk about the stern warnings he proclaims to the
Nephites regarding marital infidelity and how impure thoughts can lead very
quickly to destructive actions. And this is correct. But I’m not sure it
provides a fair picture of the hope Jacob offers alongside the warnings.
The
first two verses of this chapter are emblematic of how Jacob shares a vision of
great promise with his people even as he unfolds unto them the “awful
consequences” of “fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin” (verse
12).
Jacob
admonishes these men to pray in faith, and to look “unto God with firmness of
mind.” In return, their blessings will include:
- Consolation in afflictions
- The Lord will plead their cause
- They can receive the “pleasing word of God”
- They can “feast upon His love”
These
blessings are addressed specifically to those who are “pure in heart.” Jacob, I
believe, is trying to elevate these men, to appeal to their desires to have
purer hearts by showing them the vision of inexpressible comfort and joy.
Jacob
then tries to give the Nephites added motivation to reach for these promised
blessings by showing them the dangers of self-justification. One of the age-old
snares of evil is to flatter people into thinking that their sin is not so bad
because at least they are not as bad of sinners as “those other people.” This
was precisely the snare Jesus pointed out time and again, often to the
Pharisees of His time who mistakenly thought themselves superior to publicans
(corrupt tax collectors) in their midst, when some of these sinners turned out
to be humbler and more prepared for the kingdom of God than the Pharisees (see
the parable in Luke
18:10-14).
In
the case of the Nephites in Jacob’s time, “those other people” are the
Lamanites. And Jacob systematically dismantles the Nephites’ case for
self-justification. He tells them that even if the Lamanites have been “cursed”
because of the consequences of their fathers’ rebellion against God, the
Lamanites are “more righteous than you” (verse 5) and shall “scourge you” and
“possess the land of your inheritance” (verses 3-4).
In
verses 7-8, Jacob explains that the Lamanites’ main problem was being raised
improperly (the “iniquity of their fathers”). However, unlike many of the
Nephites, the Lamanites “love their wives” and “their children,” and Jacob adds
that despite the darkness of their skin, that skin will be “whiter” than the
Nephites’ before God if the Nephites do not repent.of their sins. His ringing
admonition to them is “remember your own filthiness” (verse 9). This admonition
has just as much application to each of us today as it did to the Nephites.
But
there’s more. Jacob has a great talent for focusing his audience’s attention
less on the sin itself than on the far-reaching destructiveness it will cause
if not abandoned. He points out that sin’s reach, its trajectory, is not
limited to the destiny of the individual who commits it, but that it has
potential—and even likelihood—to “bring your children unto destruction” (verse
10). Because of the terrible consequences that lie in store, Jacob wants to
make sure the Nephites’ eyes are wide open. When we are in paths of error, one
of the worst tragedies is our inability to recognize how far we're off track.
It’s with that in mind that Jacob insists “shake yourselves, that ye may awake
from the slumber of death” (verse 11). Otherwise, it may be too late. We may
already have become “angels to the devil,” having allowed ourselves to come
into the grasp of evil from which we will have great difficulty getting free.
As
I think of Jacob’s anguish as he encounters the corrupt hearts of his people
and seeks to do all in his power to motivate them to seek purification, my mind
is turned to two things.
First,
there is a mighty Christian
hymn that has the power to stir the soul and inspire men to become better
versions of themselves through God’s help. Here are two of its signature lines:
Rise up, O men of God. Have done with
lesser things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of
Kings…. Rise up, O men of God. In one united throng. Bring in the day of
brotherhood and end the night of wrong.
Second,
the immortal Victorian English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson penned this dialogue
for Gareth, one of King Arthur’s knights of the Round Table, who was in the
process of discovering that he needed to leave the idle pursuits of his youth
in favor of that which was of supreme importance:
Follow the deer? Nay, follow the
Christ the king. Live pure, speak true, right wrong. Follow the king—else
wherefore born? (Tennyson, “Gareth and Lynette,” Idylls of the King, 1859-1885)
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