Lesson Highlights

• Jacob magnifies his calling from the Lord.
• Jacob warns against the love of riches, pride, and unchastity.
• Jacob testifies of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Scripture references for study:  Jacob 1–4
    Note: Underlined scripture references have been hyperlinked to the LDS Scriptures at LDS.org and will open in a new window.

Lesson 12 Handout (PDF format)

Jacob 1

1. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT JACOB?
• He was the oldest of the two sons of Lehi and Sariah born in the wilderness. Born sometime between 600 & 590 B.C.
• Jacob was probably between the ages of 44 and 54 when Nephi charged him to care for the plates.
• Lehi in speaking to Jacob said, "In thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren" (2 Nephi 2:1).
• Jacob saw the Lord because of his righteousness.
• After the death of Lehi, Jacob fled with Nephi and others into the wilderness.
• Jacob and his brother, Joseph, were consecrated priests over the people.
• Jacob said regarding his life: "...the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days" (Jacob 7:26).
2. Nephi's commission to Jacob.
• READ JACOB 1:1-4.
• Nephi's commission:  To write upon the plates a "few of the things which I considered to be most precious".
• WHAT INSIGHT DOES NEPHI'S INSTRUCTION GIVE US FOR KEEPING OUR OWN JOURNALS AND HISTORIES?
• Might we have both large and small plates? Certainly we need to keep a record of events within our lives and within our families.
• Might we consider "small plates" and write upon that, those things we consider "most precious."
• Jacob wrote about eighteen pages that which he considered of greatest value.
• Here is an interesting challenge to consider: Glean through your "large plates," consider your life and thoughts, and write in approximately eighteen pages those things which you consider of most value to your children and their posterity.
3. Nephi's death.
• Nephi anointed a man to be king and ruler over his people "according to the reigns of the kings" (v9).
• Jacob does not say who was anointed king. It seems unlikely that Jacob or Joseph were chosen as king due to their calling as priests and teachers to the people.
• Nephi dies and thus passes one of the great characters and heroes of scriptural history (v12).
4. Jacob distinguishes between the people of Nephi and the people of Laman (v13-14).
• He calls them Nephites and Lamanites.
5. Jacob to speaks to the people of Nephi.
• "And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
Yea, and they also began to search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride." (Jacob 1:15-16)
• READ JACOB 1:19, 2:2-3.
• HOW SERIOUSLY DO WE TAKE OUR CALLINGS?
• President Hugh B. Brown: "President John Taylor said on one occasion... 'If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those you might have saved, had you done your duty.' This is a challenging statement. If by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and doubtless, my loved ones with me. But...if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction..., then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as a result of our failure." (The Abundant Life, p37)
• It appears that Jacob's concern was two-fold. 
  • He was concerned about his own salvation and believed that it was necessary to teach repentance and the word of his God or he would be held accountable for the sins of the people. 
  • Even greater than that, he loved the people and was "weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare" of the people. Not only was he concerned about his own eternal welfare, but he felt deeply about the salvation of his people.
• HOW MIGHT WE APPROACH OUR CALLINGS IF WE HAVE THE PASSION OF JACOB?

Jacob 2 & 3 - Jacob's Temple Sermon

1. READ JACOB 2:4-6. The solemnity of Jacob's purpose.
• It is not an easy task to speak to the people regarding their sins. Jacob had a deep and abiding love for his people. We might assume that they were close friends, family and associates. He is so close to these people that when he goes before the Lord he says that "it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts" (v6).
• HOW DOES SIN BEGIN IN OUR LIVES?
• Jacob said that he could tell concerning their "thoughts" and the "wickedness of their hearts." Apparently, Jacob was so in tune with the Spirit, he could perceive the thoughts and intents of the people.
• Recall that Lehi in his dream beheld a "large and spacious building" which Nephi learned represented the "vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men" (1 Nephi 12:18).
• Sin does not begin with an action, but it begins in our thoughts, hearts, and imaginations. The power of our thoughts and imagination is great. If given fertile ground they can grow until they manifest themselves in physical deeds.
  • Consider the words of the Brethren in the pamphlet, For The Strength Of Youth:
    • "Whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you." (p17)
    • "Satan uses [negative] entertainment to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal and exciting.  It can mislead you into thinking that everyone is doing things that are wrong." (p17)
    • "Pornography in all its forms is especially dangerous and addictive. What may begin as a curious indulgence can become a destructive habit that takes control of your life. It can lead you to sexual transgression and even criminal behavior. Pornography is a poison that weakens your self-control, changes the way you see others, causes you to lose the guidance of the Spirit." (p17-19)
• Denis Waitley, in his book Seeds of Greatness, makes this observation: "Recent studies conducted by a Stanford University research team have revealed that 'what we watch' does have an effect on our imaginations, our learning patterns, and our behaviors. First, we are exposed to new behaviors and characters. Next, we learn or acquire these new behaviors. The last and most crucial step is that we adopt these behaviors as our own. One of the most critical aspects of human development that we need to understand is the influence of 'repeated viewing' and 'repeated verbalizing' in shaping our future. The information goes in, 'harmlessly, almost unnoticed,' on a daily basis, but we don't react to it until later, when we aren't able to realize the basis for our reactions. In other words, our value system is being formed without any conscious awareness on our part of what is happening!" (Seeds of Greatness, p55)
• As Mr. Waitley points out, our actions are a direct result of what we feed into our minds. As our minds dwell upon repeatedly upon a thought, we are ultimately motivated to act upon those thoughts, which is why the Brethren are so deeply concerned about the type of entertainment we view or listen to.
• HOW DO WE CONTROL THOSE THOUGHTS?
• Mr. Waitley indicates that our thoughts are being affected in a subtle manner. Mr. Waitley continues, "What if you and I could switch TV channels to one inside of our own head, in which our minds were cameras instead of receivers? What if we scripted, produced, casted, rehearsed, and broadcast our own programs...?" (Seeds of Greatness, p55)
• Mr. Waitley is counseling us to take an positive approach in directing our thoughts. There are so many influences in the world that are negatively affecting our thoughts and imaginations. What things can we do to script positive thoughts?
• Hold to the rod:  Become familiar with the teachings of the Lord through his prophets and then do them.
• Prayer:  What better way to script our thoughts than through He whom we are trying to become like.
• Good works:  When we are actively involved in doing good, vain imaginations are not being provided the space to flourish.
• President Ezra Taft Benson said that people who are "captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ.... Enter their homes, and the pictures on their walls, the books on their shelves, the music in the air, their words and acts reveal them as Christians." (Ensign, Nov 1985, p6-7)
2. Riches & Pride.
• WHAT HAPPENED TO SOME OF THE NEPHITES AS A RESULT OF THE WEALTH THEY OBTAINED?
• "And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they."
(Jacob 2:13)
• Lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
• Wore stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of their apparel.
• Persecuted their brethren because they felt that they were better.
• One of the cyclic aspects of the Book of Mormon story is that righteous people prosper.
• President David O. McKay: "Gold does not corrupt man; it is in the motive of acquiring that gold that corruption occurs." (Home Memories of President David O. McKay, p242)
• HOW CAN WE TEMPER UNRIGHTEOUS DESIRES CONCERNING THE OBTAINING OF MATERIAL WEALTH AND ITS UNRIGHTEOUS USE ONCE IT IS OBTAINED?
• READ JACOB 2:18-19. Seek first for the kingdom, then use your riches with the intent to do good.
• "Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!

    "Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men's goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!
    "But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs." (D&C 56:16-18)
• Remember the source of our riches: "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" (Mosiah 4:19)
3. Pride.
• President N. Eldon Tanner: "We find examples...so often where a person, forgetting who he is, wants to be popular with his peers and wants their praise. So often athletes get so carried away with their success and desire for praise that they forget their duty to God and the importance of his approval and as a result lose their way. This applies equally to politicians, members of fraternal organizations, professions, and business. This craving for praise and popularity too often controls actions, and as they succumb they find themselves bending their character when they think they are only taking a bow....

    "How much more satisfying it is when we receive the praise of God, knowing that it is fully justified and that his love and respect for us will persist, when usually the praise of men is fleeting and most disappointing." (CR, Oct 1975)
• President Ezra Taft Benson: "In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride. It is always considered a sin. We are not speaking of a wholesome view of self-worth, which is best established by a close relationship with God. But we are speaking of pride as the universal sin.... Especially, pride is a 'my will' rather than 'thy will' approach to life." (CR, Apr 1986)
• President Benson: "...as we cleanse the inner vessel, there will have to be changes made in our own personal lives, in our families, and in the Church. The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change. But we can do it." (CR, Apr 1986)
• ARE WE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE CHANGES?
4. Moral Cleanliness.
• Jacob concludes his teaching against pride and says, "And were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you" (Jacob 2:22).
• WHAT IS THE GROSSER CRIME THAT JACOB SPEAKS OF?
• Adultery.
• WHAT WAS THEIR RATIONALIZATION FOR INDULGING IN SUCH SIN?
• "...they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son" (Jacob 2:23).
• WHAT DID JACOB TEACH AND PRONOUNCE AS THE WORD OF THE LORD?
• "Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.
Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none." (Jacob 2:26-27)
• Jacob did not mince words. Pure and simple: the acts they were indulging in were adultery and considered whoredoms.
• "For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." (Jacob 2:30)
• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BE CHASTE?
• The Lord commanded it.
• BUT WHY IS IT A COMMANDMENT?
• WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MIND AND HEART THAT INDULGES IN SUCH SIN?
• It leads one away from doing that which is good.
• It betrays the trust in marriage.
• One's thoughts do not dwell on righteousness.
• "And verily I say unto you, as I have said before, he that looketh on a woman to lust after her, or if any shall commit adultery in their hearts, they shall not have the Spirit, but shall deny the faith and shall fear." (D&C: Section 63:16)
• HOW CAN IMMORALITY AFFECT THE SINNER'S FAMILY & FRIENDS?
• "Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds." (Jacob 2:35)
• "Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day." (Jacob 3:10)
• WHAT IS THE LORD'S PROMISE TO THOSE WHO ARE MORALLY CLEAN?
• READ JACOB 3:5-7.
• According to Jacob, the Lamanites would not be destroyed and would, one day, become a blessed people.
• There is great love in their families.

Jacob 4

1. READ JACOB 4:10. Seek not to counsel the Lord.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COUNSEL THE LORD?
• HOW MIGHT WE SOMETIMES ATTEMPT TO COUNSEL THE LORD?
• HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE WILLING AND ABLE TO RELY ON HIS COUNSEL?
2. READ JACOB 4:14. Blindness comes from looking beyond the mark.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOOK BEYOND THE MARK?
• Elder Dean L. Larsen: "Jacob speaks of people who placed themselves in serious jeopardy in spiritual things because they were unwilling to accept simple, basic principles of truth. They entertained and intrigued themselves with 'things that they could not understand.' They...obviously failed to stay within the circle of fundamental gospel truths which provide a basis for faith. They must have reveled in speculative and theoretical matters that obscured for them the fundamental spiritual truths....

    "There are other ways in which many of us often look beyond the mark. Sometimes we focus too much of our attention and energy upon our temporal wants.... Too often we permit the narrow demands of our daily routine to dull our appreciation of the beauty of God's creations and the refining influences that are all about us. We fail to experience the fulfillment that comes from developing the gifts and talents with which we have been endowed. We do not draw close enough to the Lord to know him and feel of his redeeming love." (Ensign, Nov 1987, pp11-12)

Gospel Doctrine Notebook

1. Record your thoughts on the teachings of Jacob as recorded in this lesson. What principles do you need to improve on? How can you do that?

Resources Used In This Lesson

• Conference Reports (CR).
• Ensign.
• For The Strength of Youth.
• Home Memories of President David O. McKay by Llewelyn R. McKay.
• Seeds of Greatness by Denis Waitley.
• The Abundant Life by Hugh B. Brown.

Next Lesson

Lesson 13:  Jacob 5–7