Continuing along with the dissection of the gems found in Jacob 4, I find it worthwhile to analyze Jacob’s words when he said:

“Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old. (Jacob 4:13)

Jacob here is speaking about truth; specifically, truth revealed by the Spirit, which “speaketh the truth and lieth not.” The acquisition of truth has been humanity’s quest through the ages, and great mysteries have remained unsolved because what is often true in one situation can be false in another. Even so, Jacob seems to indicate that there are truths of an absolute nature amid those truths that are relative, when he mentions as “things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.”

One of the most poignant messages of Jacob has to do with “looking beyond the mark.” He explained that:

“…the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand.

“Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.” (Jacob 4:14)

While Jacob here refers to the historical Jews specifically, this scripture has an incredible amount of relevance and applicability to us today.

In Jacob’s address to the reader of his record, he makes a statement with profound implications:

“Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.”

His emphasis seems to imply that despite whatever light and knowledge we may have received, we are light years away from fully grasping the most profound depths of the concepts relating to the nature and works of God.

We now move beyond the writing of Nephi, and enter the writings of Jacob, Nephi’s brother, who became the next spiritual leader. The narrative of Jacob chapters 1-4, which accounts for the beginning of Jacob’s ministry, can be recapped as follows:

• Nephi charges Jacob with the record–keeping responsibilities.
• Jacob works hard to persuade people to believe in Jesus Christ.
• Nephi gets old, and a system for naming his successors as king is established.
• Nephi dies.
• Under the rule of their second king, the people get prideful and begin practicing polygamy.
• Jacob gives a sermon at the temple in response to his people’s pride and sins.
• Jacob writes to future readers of his record.

Most of these narrative elements are found it chapter 1, but the the majority of the text covered in this lesson comprises Jacob’s temple sermon, where he covers the issues of pride and polygamy.

In light of the fact that March is women’s history month, I felt it would be appropriate to have the next installment of “lists of ten” feature ten women in the Book of Mormon. It’s no secret that religious texts tend to have male centric themes, are often set in the framework of patriarchal lineages, and at times can be downright misogynistic. Women are often written off as mere footnotes, or else are ignored completely. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich articulated this when she noted that “well-behaved women rarely make history.”

In examining the Book of Mormon narrative, we learn of several women, some well behaved, and some not, who had a great deal of influence on those around them and had pivotal roles in the sequence of events in which they found themselves.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. The resurrection was the crowning element of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and is an essential and centric feature of the Gospel.

The people of the Book of Mormon, although far removed from the Holy land, were well aware of the promise of the Resurrection. Alma taught the Zoramites:

“…Begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead…” (Alma 33:22)

In addition to demonstrating understanding of the physical and eternal nature of the resurrection, the Book of Mormon also uses the resurrection in symbolic terms to illustrate the more abstract concepts of redemption and rebirth that are otherwise more difficult to grasp.