What Happens
"Jacob explains that the Jews will crucify their God—They will be scattered until they begin to believe in Him—America will be a land of liberty where no king will rule—Reconcile yourselves to God and gain salvation through His grace."
2 Nephi 10 Chapter Heading
Commentary
In our last episode, Jacob was preaching to the people of Nephi, and teaching them about the Atonement and the Judgment.
At the very beginning of this chapter, Jacob says this: "it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored" (verse 2). Reading that, it really strikes me how hard it must be to be a prophet, or to have that foreknowledge.
We've seen it already, with Lehi knowing that two of his sons would go astray and lead countless others to do the same. Nephi seeing his people throughout history, including dwindling in unbelief for many generations, and here Jacob, probably having seen the same thing or something very similar. And yet, he holds on to hope, which must seem tiny after witnessing so much. He knows that some of them will find the truth again, and he hangs on to that, knowing that God will someday make everything alright, even if it can't be alright now. That seems to be a strong lesson for all of us: hold on to the hope, no matter how small, and trust that God will cause light and truth to prevail, no matter how unlikely it can seem at times.
Risking a spoiler, but this is a re-read, not a first read after all: It reminds me of Abinadi, who could have felt that it was pointless to preach to the evil priests of Noah, and who was then killed. And yet, from that seemingly hopeless instruction in the gospel came Alma who changed everything. Similarly, here, Jacob is looking forward to the portion of his posterity who will find the gospel again, and giving the people additional information about what is to come.
He explains that Christ will come, and that he will be crucified, and the people at Jerusalem scattered, but that someday they will be restored. This is parallel to what he had just said about his own people, and then the two different prophecies converge, as he explains that those people will be restored to the lands of their inheritance, and that this land will be for the inheritance of Jacob's people, and also blessed to the Gentiles.
A significant statement in these verses is "he that fighteth against Zion shall perish" (verse 13, repeated more strongly in 16). The idea here is that Zion will triumph, and that no one should get in God's way, but it seems even more strong because in context, Jacob is prophesying the future.
Another strong statement in verse 16 is "They who are not for me are against me, saith our God." I think that is something that can be hard to hear, but just like so many other things in our lives, inaction and indecision are not neutral. They are negative. To move forward, we have to make decisions and actually do something. If we aren't actively following God, then we are working against him, even if it is just by letting our spiritual batteries run out. For instance, if we don't go to church, it is easier not to go the next week, and if we don't listen to the spirit, it is easier not to listen next time. Our spirituality and our relationship with God require maintenance, and when we aren't taking action to do good, it is similar to not using our physical bodies. Our spiritual muscles, like our physical muscles, can atrophy and shrink, eventually becoming unusable. We have to work to grow closer to God, rather than just trying to sit on the fence or make up our minds over and over again every time we face a challenge, which results in negative progress.
As the chapter continues, God reaffirms that he will keep his promises to the house of Israel, and I think verse 20 is interesting in that context. It was really important for these people to know that this new land was a land of promise for them, because the land they had *left* had been a land of promise as well. That had to be part of what made leaving so hard in the first place, and why they might have felt "cast off" (verse 20). If God led your ancestors to Jerusalem, then leaving Jerusalem probable felt like backsliding or at least losing something precious, but here God confirms that he remembers them (verse 22).
The last few verses are gold, and applicable to us as well. Cheer up, remember that we can choose death or life, so let's choose life. :) I like the phrase "reconcile yourselves to the will of God" (verse 24), which basically means to bring ourselves into harmony with God's teachings. The choice here is between harmony with God and harmony with the devil and the flesh... again, no neutral ground. And if we choose life, then we will be resurrected and received into the eternal kingdom of God. An excellent ending, to life, to the chapter, and to the words of Jacob.
Tune in next time as we return to Nephi's narrative.
"Jacob explains that the Jews will crucify their God—They will be scattered until they begin to believe in Him—America will be a land of liberty where no king will rule—Reconcile yourselves to God and gain salvation through His grace."
2 Nephi 10 Chapter Heading
Commentary
In our last episode, Jacob was preaching to the people of Nephi, and teaching them about the Atonement and the Judgment.
At the very beginning of this chapter, Jacob says this: "it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored" (verse 2). Reading that, it really strikes me how hard it must be to be a prophet, or to have that foreknowledge.
We've seen it already, with Lehi knowing that two of his sons would go astray and lead countless others to do the same. Nephi seeing his people throughout history, including dwindling in unbelief for many generations, and here Jacob, probably having seen the same thing or something very similar. And yet, he holds on to hope, which must seem tiny after witnessing so much. He knows that some of them will find the truth again, and he hangs on to that, knowing that God will someday make everything alright, even if it can't be alright now. That seems to be a strong lesson for all of us: hold on to the hope, no matter how small, and trust that God will cause light and truth to prevail, no matter how unlikely it can seem at times.
Risking a spoiler, but this is a re-read, not a first read after all: It reminds me of Abinadi, who could have felt that it was pointless to preach to the evil priests of Noah, and who was then killed. And yet, from that seemingly hopeless instruction in the gospel came Alma who changed everything. Similarly, here, Jacob is looking forward to the portion of his posterity who will find the gospel again, and giving the people additional information about what is to come.
He explains that Christ will come, and that he will be crucified, and the people at Jerusalem scattered, but that someday they will be restored. This is parallel to what he had just said about his own people, and then the two different prophecies converge, as he explains that those people will be restored to the lands of their inheritance, and that this land will be for the inheritance of Jacob's people, and also blessed to the Gentiles.
A significant statement in these verses is "he that fighteth against Zion shall perish" (verse 13, repeated more strongly in 16). The idea here is that Zion will triumph, and that no one should get in God's way, but it seems even more strong because in context, Jacob is prophesying the future.
Another strong statement in verse 16 is "They who are not for me are against me, saith our God." I think that is something that can be hard to hear, but just like so many other things in our lives, inaction and indecision are not neutral. They are negative. To move forward, we have to make decisions and actually do something. If we aren't actively following God, then we are working against him, even if it is just by letting our spiritual batteries run out. For instance, if we don't go to church, it is easier not to go the next week, and if we don't listen to the spirit, it is easier not to listen next time. Our spirituality and our relationship with God require maintenance, and when we aren't taking action to do good, it is similar to not using our physical bodies. Our spiritual muscles, like our physical muscles, can atrophy and shrink, eventually becoming unusable. We have to work to grow closer to God, rather than just trying to sit on the fence or make up our minds over and over again every time we face a challenge, which results in negative progress.
As the chapter continues, God reaffirms that he will keep his promises to the house of Israel, and I think verse 20 is interesting in that context. It was really important for these people to know that this new land was a land of promise for them, because the land they had *left* had been a land of promise as well. That had to be part of what made leaving so hard in the first place, and why they might have felt "cast off" (verse 20). If God led your ancestors to Jerusalem, then leaving Jerusalem probable felt like backsliding or at least losing something precious, but here God confirms that he remembers them (verse 22).
The last few verses are gold, and applicable to us as well. Cheer up, remember that we can choose death or life, so let's choose life. :) I like the phrase "reconcile yourselves to the will of God" (verse 24), which basically means to bring ourselves into harmony with God's teachings. The choice here is between harmony with God and harmony with the devil and the flesh... again, no neutral ground. And if we choose life, then we will be resurrected and received into the eternal kingdom of God. An excellent ending, to life, to the chapter, and to the words of Jacob.
Tune in next time as we return to Nephi's narrative.
