The
Influence of Lehi's Admonitions on the Teachings of His
Son Jacob John A. Tvedtnes Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1994. Pp. 34–48 The views expressed in this article are the views of the author and do not represent the position of the Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. | |
The Influence of Lehi's
Admonitions on the Teachings of His Son
Jacob
The teachings of Jacob are found in two sermons and a treatise recorded on the small plates of Nephi. The first sermon, delivered at the request of his brother Nephi and including passages from Isaiah 49–51, is found in 2 Nephi 6–10. The second, delivered after Nephi's death, is in Jacob 2–3. The treatise, including the parable of Zenos, is in Jacob 4–6. John S. Tanner, in an insightful 1991 article, presented evidence for internal consistency in the teachings of Jacob.1 He attributed the use of specific words and expressions to Jacob's peculiar style. I find, however, that Jacob owes much more to his father's example than to any style of his own. For example, in 2 Nephi 6:3, Jacob said, "I am desirous for the welfare of your souls," while in Jacob 2:3, he spoke of his "anxiety for the welfare of your souls." He also noted his "anxiety" for his audience in Jacob 1:5 and 4:18. Tanner's observation about Jacob's consistency in using these terms is well-taken. But he fails to note that it was Jacob's father Lehi who first used the word anxiety when addressing his family (2 Nephi 1:16). It seems clear that Jacob was following his father's example, as we note from Lehi's concluding words addressed in summation to Jacob and his other sons: "And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen" (2 Nephi 2:30; see also 2 Nephi 1:25). Tanner also noted Jacob's use of the term awake in both of his discourses (2 Nephi 9:47; Jacob 3:11). Jacob may have been influenced by the Isaiah passages he cited that employ this term (see 2 Nephi 8:9, 17, 24). But he may have remembered his father's use of the same expression in exhorting members of his family (2 Nephi 1:13–14, 23). This latter suggestion is reinforced by the fact that, in 2 Nephi 1:13, Lehi warned them to "awake from . . . the sleep of hell" and spoke of "the eternal gulf of misery and woe," thus tying the expression to the captivity of the devil, which is discussed below. In Jacob 3:11, Jacob told the people to "awake from the slumber of death, . . . from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil," as noted by Tanner. An examination of Jacob's two sermons and his treatise show that he was clearly influenced by the admonitions addressed to him by his father Lehi in 2 Nephi 2.2 Jacob was further influenced by the advice he heard Lehi give to other family members on the same occasion (2 Nephi 1, 3–4). For example, Jacob's use of plain and truth in both of his discourses (2 Nephi 9:40, 47; Jacob 2:11; 4:13–14) likely derived from his father's comments in 2 Nephi 1:26. Jacob's frequent reference to the heart (2 Nephi 9:33, 49; Jacob 2:10, 22; 3:1–3; 6:4–5) reminds us that Lehi, too, spoke of the heart (2 Nephi 1:17, 21; 2:7). Both Lehi (2 Nephi 3:9–10, 16–17) and Jacob (Jacob 4:5) spoke of Moses and the law of Moses. Jacob followed Lehi's example in using the term Holy One to denote the Lord.3 Jacob's comments about the "Creator of heaven and earth" (Jacob 2:5) may have been prompted by Lehi's remarks about the creation of the earth (2 Nephi 1:10). In 2 Nephi 9:53, Jacob says that their seed would not be utterly destroyed, reflecting what Lehi had said to Jacob's brother Joseph (2 Nephi 3:3). Jacob undoubtedly picked up some of Lehi's earlier teachings from his older brother Nephi (cf. 2 Nephi 5:6). As the guardian of the small plates after Nephi's death, he could review the teachings of his predecessors at any time (Jacob 1:1–4; 3:13–4:14). In his first discourse, Jacob stated, "I have taught you the words of my father" (2 Nephi 6:3). In his second discourse, he also made specific reference to the teachings of his father (Jacob 2:34). Lehi had noted that Jacob had suffered much because of his elder brethren (2 Nephi 2:1), but promised, "God . . . shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain" (2 Nephi 2:2). This may have influenced Jacob's thinking when he spoke of those who "shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them" (2 Nephi 6:11). "They who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God" (2 Nephi 9:18). In his second discourse, Jacob told his audience that God "will console you in your afflictions" (Jacob 3:1). Lehi promised Jacob that he would be blessed and told him, "thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi" (2 Nephi 2:3).4 The preface introducing Jacob's discourse stresses that he was "Jacob, the brother of Nephi" (2 Nephi 6:1). Jacob's first recorded words to the people were of "my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety" (2 Nephi 6:2). Lehi further promised that Jacob's days "shall be spent in the service of thy God" (2 Nephi 2:3). Indeed, he and Joseph had been consecrated as priests and teachers by Nephi (2 Nephi 5:26). In both of his discourses, Jacob spoke of his ordination by Nephi (2 Nephi 6:2; Jacob 1:18) and of his role as a teacher (2 Nephi 9:44, 48; Jacob 1:17–19; 2:2–3; 4:1). Jacob was particularly qualified to serve in this capacity because, as Lehi noted, he had seen the glory of the Redeemer and knew of his ministry in the flesh and of the salvation he would bring (2 Nephi 2:3–4; cf. 11:3; Jacob 2:11).5 Jacob bore testimony of this in his discourse to the Nephites:
Both Lehi (2 Nephi 2:12) and Jacob (2 Nephi 9:12, 19, 25–26, 46, 53; Jacob 4:10; 6:5, 10) spoke of the "power" and the "mercy" and the "justice" of God. Each spoke of God as creator (2 Nephi 2:14–15; 9:26) and noted that those who "believe" in him will be saved (2 Nephi 2:9; 9:18). Lehi spoke of God's "arms of love" (2 Nephi 1:15), while Jacob spoke of his "arm of mercy" (Jacob 6:5). But the similarity does not end there. Boldness of Speech Truth and Error Opposition in All Things Lehi noted that "if . . . there is no law . . . there is no sin. If . . . there is no sin . . . there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth" (2 Nephi 2:13). Jacob reflected these ideas when he said, "Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation" (2 Nephi 9:25). All of this was, according to Lehi, part of the plan by which "there is an opposition in all things," allowing men to choose between good and evil (2 Nephi 2:11). The first of these choices was made in the garden of Eden, where the "forbidden fruit [was] in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter" (2 Nephi 2:15). Jacob reflected these concepts when he declared, "Reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh" (2 Nephi 10:24). The Fall Jacob followed Lehi's example in contrasting the joy God intends for mankind with the misery Satan wishes to share with us (2 Nephi 9:18–19, 26–27, 43, 46). Of the righteous, he said, "And their joy shall be full forever" (2 Nephi 9:18). He noted that, without the atonement, all mankind would "remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself" (2 Nephi 9:9; cf. verse 46). The fall of Adam, Lehi declared, was "done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things" (2 Nephi 2:24; cf. 2:12). Jacob, too, spoke of the "wisdom" and knowledge of God (2 Nephi 9:8, 20; Jacob 4:10) and declared: "Death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator" (2 Nephi 9:6). Lehi taught that "if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever, and had no end" (2 Nephi 2:22). Jacob, too, drew attention to this, saying, "And the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression" (2 Nephi 9:6). "All men . . . were lost, because of the transgression of their parents" (2 Nephi 2:21). Lehi tempered this dismal view with a promise: "The Messiah cometh . . . that he may redeem the children of men from the fall" (2 Nephi 2:26). This became one of Jacob's principal themes:
The plan of God, therefore, was for Adam and Eve to become mortal or imperfect, in order that they and their offspring might gain experience unavailable to them in their perfect condition. But there was a problem to be overcome. Since the penalty for dis obedience is death, it was necessary to forestall the judgment in order to give mankind the opportunity to repent. In the eternal plan, this meant (1) providing a savior whose death would satisfy the demands of justice, and (2) establishing a probationary period during which Adam's family could be tested and learn obedience to the plan of mercy. Lehi put it this way:
Jacob, too, discussed these matters:
Temporal and Spiritual Death
Atonement The Messiah, according to Lehi, "offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (2 Nephi 2:7).7 Jacob declared, "And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature" (2 Nephi 9:21). "For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them" (2 Nephi 9:26). So important is the mission of Jesus that Lehi declared that "there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). Jacob similarly admonished, "remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved" (2 Nephi 10:24).8 He elaborated on this subject in these words:
Resurrection
Jacob's teachings on resurrection derive directly from what he learned from his father. Lehi had spoken of the "power of the Spirit . . . the resurrection" (2 Nephi 2:8), and told him that, with out the resurrection, the body would "have been created for a thing of naught [and] there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation" and would have destroyed "the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes" (2 Nephi 2:12). Jacob, too, referred to the "power of the resurrection" (2 Nephi 9:6, 12; 10:25; Jacob 4:11; 6:9) and reflected other thoughts of Lehi in his discourse:
Lehi declared to Jacob, "The Holy Messiah . . . layeth down his life . . . and taketh it again . . . that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise" (2 Nephi 2:8). In his discourse, Jacob discussed the role of the Savior in laying down his life that we might be resurrected (e.g., 2 Nephi 6:9; 9:12–13, 22):
Judgment
Jacob, like Lehi, spoke of the judgment in connection with the resurrection:
For the wicked, said Lehi, the judgment results in a "punishment which is affixed . . . in opposition to . . . the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement" (2 Nephi 2:10). Following his father's example, Jacob spoke of the punishment of the wicked and the reward of the righteous (2 Nephi 9:16, 18, 25, 48).9 Captivity and Liberty
Jacob spoke of "the foolishness of men," which makes them think "they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God" (2 Nephi 9:28). Those who misuse their free agency, after being exposed to the truth, will have an eternal state that is "awful" (2 Nephi 9:27). His reference to the captivity of hell (2 Nephi 9:12) apparently derives from some of Lehi's comments to the rest of the family (2 Nephi 1:13, 18, 21; 3:5). Lehi noted that "Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life . . . or to choose captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:27). "Eternal death . . . giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom" (2 Nephi 2:29; cf. 2:18, 21). Jacob instructed, "Remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23). He evidently had his father's teachings in mind when he wrote, "Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal" (2 Nephi 9:39). Like his father, he spoke of the captivity that comes from surren dering one's agency to Satan:
But, he noted, "the God . . . of Israel . . . delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil" (2 Nephi 9:19; cf. verse 26), while the wicked "shall be thrust down to hell" (2 Nephi 9:34, 36; cf. verse 37). He further declared that one can be "freed from sin" (2 Nephi 9:47) and exhorted his audience to "shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast" (2 Nephi 9:45). These are the same words addressed by Lehi to his family just before he turned to admonish Jacob (2 Nephi 1:13, 23). A Choice Land The land, Lehi said, would be cursed if the people were wicked (2 Nephi 1:7). Jacob repeated the idea (Jacob 2:29) and, like his father (2 Nephi 1:22; cf. 1:18), used the expression "cursed with a sore cursing" (Jacob 3:3; cf. 2:33). Preservation of the People The Branch of Israel It is clear from some of Lehi's comments that he, like Jacob, was aware of the parable of the olive tree.11 It is equally clear that Jacob was acquainted with Lehi's tree of life vision (1 Nephi 8) and that he tied it to the Zenos parable.12 Conclusions Notes 1. John S. Tanner, "Jacob and His Descendants as Authors," in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne, eds. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and F.A.R.M.S., 1991), 52–66. Other elements found in both of Jacob's discourses are warnings to the rich (2 Nephi 9:30; Jacob 2:12–19), the earthy nature of the flesh (2 Nephi 9:7; Jacob 2:21), and the "all-searching" or "piercing" eye of God (2 Nephi 9:44; Jacob 2:10; cf. Jacob 2:15). In both discourses, Jacob tries to rid himself of the sins of his audience by teaching them (2 Nephi 9:44; Jacob 1:19; 2:2, 10, 16). In his first discourse, Jacob spoke of the guilt felt by the wicked at the judgment (2 Nephi 9:14, 46); he mentions this in his treatise as well (Jacob 6:9). 2. For example, the latter part of Jacob's first sermon, in 2 Nephi 9, bears such a similarity to Lehi's discussion of the atonement in 2 Nephi 2 that the one is almost certainly dependent upon the other. We shall examine details below. 3. 2 Nephi 1:10; 2:10; 3:2; 6:9–10, 15; 9:11–12, 15, 18–19, 23–26, 40–41, 51. The expression appears frequently in the Isaiah passages quoted by Nephi and Jacob. 4. Earlier, Lehi had stated that his righteous descendants "shall dwell safely forever" (2 Nephi 1:9). 5. Lehi also told his family, "I have beheld his glory" (2 Nephi 1:15). 6. Truth is defined in the scriptures as that which is always the same, and is hence a fitting title for the Lord. See my article "Faith and Truth" in the Notes and Communications section of this volume for more details. 7. Jacob also spoke of broken hearts in Jacob 2:10. 8. The grace of God is also mentioned in 2 Nephi 10:25, and the mercy and grace of God are mentioned in 2 Nephi 9:8, 53. 9. See also the list of "woes" in 2 Nephi 9:30–38. 10. Jacob noted that those who follow Satan become "angels to a devil" (2 Nephi 9:9; also Jacob 3:11; cf. 2 Nephi 9:16). Tanner, "Jacob and His Descendants as Authors," 60, notes that this expression is unique to Jacob; but it seems likely that he was influenced by Lehi's comments on the devil as a fallen angel (2 Nephi 2:17–18). Jacob's comments on the lake of fire and brimstone are found in both of his discourses (2 Nephi 9:16, 19, 26; and Jacob 3:11; 6:10). 11. For a discussion of this and related topics, see my article, "Borrowings from the Parable of Zenos," in The Allegory of the Olive Tree, Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, eds. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and F.A.R.M.S., 1994), 373–426. 12. Even in the minutest terminology, Jacob reflects his father's description of the vision. Both, for example, speak of the strait gate and the narrow way (1 Nephi 8:20; 2 Nephi 9:41; Jacob 6:11). Remembering those who mocked people who ate the fruit of the tree (1 Nephi 8:27), Jacob spoke of those who mock the plan of redemption (Jacob 6:8). 13. Tanner, "Jacob and His Descendants as Authors," 52–66. 14. For further reading on this subject, see E. Douglas Clark and Robert S. Clark, Fathers and Sons in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991). |