LDS Scripture Journal: Jacob
Jacob 1:19
And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.
Here is the goal of all the prophets. They know they are responsible for the stewardship of the people they are in front of. They know, just as parents, trusted with the raising of a child; they are trusted with the spiritual progress of the people. They know this requires much work from them. Crying repentance; baptizing; leading; judging and helping guide through the process of repentance; warning; communicating with God and teaching the people; instructing local leaders to ensure this architecture of the Lord’s is held to a high standard. This full-time work never stops. It is to their benefit to do it as they have a surer knowledge of the Father and the Son than do others; they must do it so they can feel comfortable with their contribution to the plan. When they are judged for their lifetimes and their responsibilities, they will desire to be held spotless.
It puts into perspective what each of the apostles and each prophet must go to sleep each night that is weighing down upon them. It gives perspective to me: such that, if I can only take care of myself and my family, perhaps they would not need to worry about the responsibility they have for me and can instead focus on helping others in more need, to progress. Maybe this is my contribution to the Prophets and apostles and local leaders. But even more than that it is my contribution for my own accountability for myself and my family.
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Jacob 2:2-3
2 Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God.
3 And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been.
Jacob explains that he loves those he is speaking to.
Jacob makes it clear he is a prophet. That he has made a commitment to God to magnify his calling as a prophet, and will not remove the responsibility that comes with that position. He knows that as part of his agreement with God that he might be able to remove the sins from spotting his garments (though it is figurative, it is powerful). He gives them a precursor of what is to come by stating that he will be declaring the word of God.
Later, he reminds the congregation that he has been truthful and honest in his prophetic work. But Jacob also makes it clear that he know how far away from salvation these people are. He explains how heavy his heart is.
Jacob 2:5
5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.
Jacob explains that through God he can tell that many of the people there have been getting more comfortable with sin and that sin is not what God wants, and by extension, not what Jacob wants.
Jacob 2:6-10
6 Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.
7 And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God;
8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.
9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.
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.
This is one of the most beautiful passages of scripture I have ever read. I cannot believe I have never seen this and had it stick out to me. This is some impressive stuff. There are just layers and layers of beauty and peace and hope and warning in this. It is such an all encapsulating bit of scripture when it comes to the feelings one (a prophet or leader) can have about people they are stewards over.
It is a beautiful bit of scripture because of what it is implying, not what it is saying, though it is poetic and well said just on that facet alone.
Here is a prophet, racked with guilt and sorrow for these people who he clearly loves, dearly, yet he knows he is responsible for them. It’s like a parent who has a child doing things they know are wrong. Or the Father knowing that His son must do the difficult things he had to do in the Garden and on the cross. It is pure love and charity; mixed with perfect foresight and Divine commandment.
There are hundreds of inferences, scores of lessons, eternities of truth in these scriptures.
Jacob is so sad that he has to come before the Lord and the Father and tell them of the shortcomings of the people. These same people, who he is so hurt to have to chastise and rebuke, because some of them are of tender countenances. He is sad to tell these lovely women and children such harsh words, because of the poor choices of the others in the congregation. He knows they all struggle. Men, women and children. Of course he wants to fix them, sooth them, comfort their aching hearts steeped in their poor choices.
Instead, our God, knowing that these people will only make changes if they are dealt with directly and harshly, commands His servant to do such.
Such divine wisdom that God would know that the directness of His prophet’s words witnessed by the pure in heart in front of these wretched sinners would be the only remedy. He knows this can fix the hearts of these wicked men.
It shows the ultimate sacrifice of our Savior hard at work. It shows the Love and wisdom of God. It shows the power of the Spirit. It shows the dedication and focus of His prophet. I seriously love these words.
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Jacob 4:10
10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.
To “counsel the Lord” means to try to tell the Lord how things should be. We should, instead do our best to heed His counsel and understand His way. Too many try to be councilors to the Lord and many even try to be Counselors to the Lord. Both presumptions are ridiculous. The Lord reigns above all.
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Jacob 4:15-16
15 And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation.
16 But behold, according to the scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build.
The Lord is that rock. The Jews are not the only group of people who will reject that rock and that salvation. But the Jews do it such that it is seemingly so obvious. The restoration of the Gospel of Christ and the vision of the Father and the Son, beside each other, single in purpose but dual in physicality is so important a part to the grand picture. It’s sad to me that so many do not understand that plain and simple truth. This truth, above many others, would open the hearts and minds of so many who have closed their hearts to Jesus of Nazareth.
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Jacob 6:7
7 For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?
Even after being give the right way, and the true teachings and the map to return to our heavenly Father, there will still be those who will be destroyed because they will continue to ignore the saving opportunities of the atonement and the plan of salvation.
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Jacob 7:8
8 But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words.
The spirit can refine words and actions, such that they cannot be disproven. The Spirit can teach through the heart and the mind and the soul all at once and the worldly ways of learning and understanding cannot compete with the power of the spirit.
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Jacob 7:18
18 And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.
At some point all will deny Satan. There will be none who can stand on the back of Satan at the time when he has been diminished and conquered. All will have to champion Christ or be lost forever. All will know the truth of those things which they had previously been deceived in.
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(*note: this journal will continue to be edited and added to as I read these scriptures again and again)