David Journal

Tag: Jacob

  • Think of the children

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    by

    David
    in

    Jacob challenges his people to curb their own sinful behavior in order to set a righteous example for their children. He asks them not to get comfortable in their own righteousness but to be ever vigilant to stay righteous or repent whenever they begin to embrace sin.

  • Polygamy

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    by

    David
    in

    Polygamy when practiced long enough in any imperfect society will devolve into consistently breaking the hearts of wives and losing the confidence of children. There have been times and places where the Lord has commanded it and I think it has consistently been practiced and accepted after it was commanded in those societies but it…

  • How we treat wealth makes all the difference

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    by

    David
    in

    Jacob illustrates the difference in attitudes between those who use wealth well when they have it and those who abuse it when they have it. Those who abuse it are described in verse 13: Because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of…

  • Context

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    by

    David
    in

    Without these opening words of Jacob we could only guess at the transition from the writings of Nephi to those that followed him. His voice is his own but those that follow him are under instruction.

  • Before the allegory started

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    David
    in

    I’ve never thought before how the earlier part of the history of the covenant people would have been told in the allegory of the olive tree. Could Zenos have said things about how the tree was selected as the choice plant in the vineyard?

  • Place no more for the enemy of my soul

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    by

    David
    in

    While the issue isn’t pornography and lust isn’t really accurate either I have to acknowledge entertaining thoughts that weren’t in keeping with righteousness. Until I reject such thoughts I can’t expect clarity from heaven in sorting through my emotional scarring.

  • Laboring in sin

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    David
    in

    I have to ask myself truthfully if I am beginning to labor in sin mentally. I don’t think I am and I certainly don’t want to be but at the same time I can’t clearly identify a line where I maintain boundaries separating my relationship with Laura from all other relationships with other women. I…

  • All boiled down

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    by

    David
    in

    Jacob boils down our practical responsibilities to received blessings of salvation as being that we should labor in the vineyard with all our might once we are called to labor in the vineyard and we should recognize the great mercy of the Lord in always remembering both root and branch of the olive tree.

  • Polygamy among the Nephites

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    by

    David
    in

    How did the Nephites in the very generation after Nephi died turn to practicing polygamy? I would have thought that such an obvious reversal of what they had been taught would take longer than that to set in among them.

  • Spiritual olive trees

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    by

    David
    in

    Jacob occupied a unique place in Nephite history. He was among the last of the people who sailed from the old world and had firsthand knowledge of that journey and he lives and taught the people after their first leader had died. In fact he had been teaching them at the request of Nephi even…