Tag: Jacob
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Arrogant Sharem
Sharem was arrogant in his ignorance. He was so confident in what he thought he knew while being completely blind to what Jacob knew. Of course, not all who fight against the truth are that ignorant. Some of them come to the fight armed with some understanding of what faithful people may have experienced and…
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Not just a story
The prophecy of Jacob after sharing Zenos’s allegory of the olive tree is to tell the people that this allegory isn’t just a parable—a story designed to convey a message or truth to learn from—but is actually a prophetic description of things that are happening from a spiritual perspective and will spiritually happen.
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Not giving up
I never thought before of the fact that the tame olive tree was already old before the lord of the vineyard began his extraordinary efforts to preserve the tree. It’s another reminder of the factory of life that the Lord of the vineyard doesn’t simply say “it’s been a good run but this tree is…
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Noticing nuances
Somehow I had always read the words of Jacob warning his people against their pride and thought that their pride was a result of seeking for riches. I realized today that he never suggested that seeking for riches caused their pride, he said that their pride came because some of them received more assistance than…
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Dual records
Regardless of how much or little Nephi and Jacob knew of what would happen with these records they understood that there would be efforts to destroy the records and so they worked to ensure that the two sets of records would be separated. One would follow political lines of authority and the other would follow…
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Social stability
Over the course of many years after Jacob had recorded his words of counsel to posterity there was only one incident that he felt deserved to be recorded in the sacred record. It’s no wonder that Nephi would declare shortly before the coming of Christ “oh that my day could have been in the days…
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Last testimony
Like chapters 4 and 5, Jacob 6 is written to the reader, not a record of a live sermon. It’s clear that Jacob wrote all 3 as a final testimony. It was probably late in life when he expected to pass the record on. That actually makes the allegory of the olive tree recorded in…
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The branches overcame the roots
The strong roots of the olive tree were able at first to bring natural fruit from the will branches but then the branches grew and took strength to themselves into they were stronger than the natural roots. In the church the Lord is busy picking only the most bitter of the wild branches while allowing…
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Dear reader…
I just realized that Jacob 4 (and 5) are not recordings of Jacob teaching the Nephites like Jacob 2 and 3 were. They are written to future readers who will receive this record that he is now keeping. He wants to ensure that the readers know why this record is being kept. It might also…
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“He will plead your cause”
I have often chuckled at the fact that when Jacob said he would speak to the pure in heart he only had 2 verses before he was talking again to those who were not pure in heart but today, rather than chuckling, I am considering how desirable his promises were to the pure in heart.…