LeGrand L. Baker

Jacob 2:18-22 — LeGrand Baker– pride is a dangerous illusion

Jacob 2:18-22
18   But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
19   And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good–to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
20   And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? (Jacob 2 :18-20).

In America, about the time the Declaration of Independence was written, there was a polite phrase which often appeared in private and professional correspondence. It was a softer way of saying “I know I am right,” or “I know I deserve this.” The words were “I flatter myself that [such and such is so]” It was a strange expression, for it asserted the reality of something based on the fiction of self flattery. Pride is that. Pride is pretending something is real, then acting on its “reality” as though one were not pretending. That is why pride is so dangerous. It distorts, even violates, our sense of reality. It is like living in a kind of “virtual reality,” but making real life decisions based of one’s interactions of things which do not exist.

Pride and vanity are much the same.

“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) and the preacher is correct, for, “Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” (Psalms 144:4) Strong defines the Hebrew word translated “vanity” as “vapour, breath.” That is, vanity is a variety of nothingness. Isaiah warns, “Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity…” (Isaiah 5:18) I think that means those who justify their iniquity with nothingness — figments of their own imaginations, but only pretense, and nothing real.

In the sentence, “For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. (Psalm 59:12), the Hebrew word translated “pride” is also translated, as “excellency,” “majesty,” “pomp,” “swelling,” and “arrogancy.” Excellency and majesty are good enough concepts when one is speaking of God or an anointed king, but otherwise they are like pomp and swelling – an assumed reality which is not fact, and not there.

It seems to me that the greatest danger of pride is that it causes one to live, act, respond, value, hate, and even love in a world that is only a fiction. And in that fiction, one’s life, actions, responses, values, hatreds, and love are also fictions. Let me give you some examples:

A great danger in pride is the way one perceives others: If one assumes a superiority as he interacts with others, his life (in that instance), actions, responses to those persons, attitude toward their value as people, love or hatred for them, all these are vanity – pretended realities which exist only in the mind of the person who is proud. But while his perceptions are fictions, his actions and attitudes as they impact the lives of others are real. So will God’s judgements be.

Jacob 2:12-17 — LeGrand Baker — Psalm 82

Jacob 2:12-17
12   And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully.
13   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.
14   And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.
15   O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust!
16   O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!
17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.

Jacob is taking this problem of an abundance of wealth, and the consequent inequality which results, very seriously. But it is clear that his message is not primarily economic. Neither is it about looking after the poor. It is much more serious than that. It is about the violence which those who are seeking wealth and status are doing to their own eternal nature. The accusation that some “persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they” can be read as a comment on the problems of evolving social orders, or of the widening disparity of the distribution of wealth, but I don’t think it is about either of these things. I think it is about the canker which is happening inside the people who have designated themselves as the upper class “better sort.”

Jacob’s words were spoken in the temple, so it is reasonable to place his words within a temple context. If we do that we position his concerns against some of the highest ideas spoken of in the scriptures, such as loving the Lord and his children — charity, or the law of consecration, which I suppose is simply a functional way of describing charity.

If one is going to place his comments in the context of the ancient temple-related ceremonies, then one must return to the pre-exilic Jerusalem from which Lehi left in order to discover the context in which he was speaking. Jacob himself had never experienced the great festivals at Jerusalem, but his father and mother and older members of the party had. And it is reasonable to assume that those great Israelite festivals were as much a part of Nephite worship as they had been a part of the worship at the Jerusalem temple.

If the occasion of Jacob’s speech had been the New Year’s festival, then the context of that speech was much broader, and the implications of his warnings much more severe, than they might have been otherwise. If they had just gone through ceremonies in which they had depicted the Council in Heaven, and implicitly, their part in that Council, then what Jacob is saying is if one seeks self-aggrandizement in this world, then one is violating the most fundamental command given at the Council.

Each year, during their New Year’s festival, the ancient Israelites had an 22 day endowment session. Part of that session was the 7 day Feast of Tabernacles. Apparently, on the second day of the Feast of Tabernacles they saw a play which included a depiction of the Grand Council at which Elohim presided as King/Father, and Jehovah as the president of the Council. The play would continue by also showing the war in heaven, the creation, and the Garden story. Scholars say that the first part of Genesis was either read, or enacted, or both, during that part of the play which depicted the creation and the Garden. It showed Adam and Eve in the garden and then havingtogoaway. Adam took with him two tokens of his priesthood and kingship–his garment and a branch of the tree of life which was his scepter. The play continued to show the passage of time from Adam to Abraham, to Moses, to David and to the present king. Demonstrating that the now reigning king was legitimate in foreordination, genealogy, regalia, and “righteousness.” (All that is in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord)

The part of the play I wish to call to your attention takes place in the beginning, in the Grand Council. The dialog of that scene is in the 82nd Psalm, and is divided into three parts. The words of the narrator (v. 1), the instructions given by Elohim (v.2-7), then the response of the Council of the gods (v.8).

Scholars usually read the 82nd Psalm to be a court trial where the King of the Gods is passing judgement on some evil gods who were worshiped by Egyptians and others of Israel’s neighbors, and who had led their worshipers down the wrong paths. That conclusion is drawn by the use of the words “judges among the gods.”But that Hebrew word which is translated “judges” can mean to justify or to choose, as well as to condemn. Since I know of no story in the scriptures where God condemned members of the council for judging the people unjustly, I presume the scholars have misread something. But I do know a story where God justified the gods, chose them, and said “these I will make my rulers.” So I presume it is in that story where the scene of the play which is the 82nd psalm takes place. As I read it, the 82nd psalm can fit into Abraham 3 without even breaking the cadence of thought.

Psalm 82 can also be read as the Father administering the covenant of the law of consecration to the members of the Council in Heaven.

If I am correct, then this is part of the story of the “noble and great ones” who are called “gods” in the Book of Abraham. When I first realized that and read it that way, everything changed. The 82nd Psalm became one of the most profoundly beautiful scriptures I have ever read. If I am correct in guessing that Jacob’s speech was given at the New Year’s festival, and that Psalm 82 was enacted as a part of that festival, then the context of Jacob’s speech suggests that Jacob is telling those people that if they continue on the path of self-aggrandizement, they will be violating the most fundamental of the instructions they received at the Council.

Jacob 2:7, 9 — LeGrand Baker — what are we teaching our children

7    And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God.
….
9 … to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds (Jacob 2:7, 9).

I wonder how he would have described today’s children as they watch violent cartoons and the evening sitcoms.

Jacob 2:5-6 — LeGrand Baker — meaning of ‘heart’

Jacob 2:5-6
5   But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.
6   Yea, 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.

The scriptures frequently attest to the fact that the Lord knows our thoughts, and because he does, he may tell the prophets. ( Luke 5:22; Alma 12:7; 18:20, 32 )

7   But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Communication by thought, rather than by word, seems to be a norm among the gods and angels, and it possible also among the prophets and between the prophets and others. So it is not unusual that Jacob could know the thoughts of the people.

That is not the thing which struck me about these verses. Rather it was the words, “I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.”

Some “code words” in the scriptures are that because they are used by the authors to represent ideas with great meaning (like “mountain” and “path”). Others are “code words” because the English language has changed, so we no longer read the word in the same way it was read when the translators put it into the Biblical text Since the Book of Mormon carefully uses words the same way the Bible does, that statement applies to Book of Mormon words as well. One of the most important of this latter kind is the word “heart.”

The scriptures speak of God’s heart, in much the same way it speaks of ours:

17   What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? (Job 7:17)

11   The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. (Psalms 33:11)

About our hearts, it says,

2   And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; (Deuteronomy 30:2)

The following is a sampling of the way the word “heart” is used in the Old Testament before 600 B.C. :

ABILITY TO WORK WITH ONE’S HANDS
…wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. (Exodus 35:35)

AFFECTION
Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. (2 Samuel 14:1)

APOSTASY
Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. (1 Kings 11:2)

APOSTATIZE
…whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to…. (Deuteronomy 29:18)

ARROGANCE
Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? (Esther 6:6)

AWARENESS
And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer… I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. (1 Kings 9:3)

BE DECEIVED
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; (Deuteronomy 11:16)

BRAVERY
whose heart is as the heart of a lion… (2 Samuel 17:10)

BROKEN
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)

CANNOT UNDERSTAND
They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. (Isaiah 44:18)

CHOOSE LEADER
so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6).

CLEAN
Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. (Psalms 73:1)

CLEAN
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10)

CONSCIENCE
And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. (1 Samuel 24:5)

CONSIDER
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deuteronomy 4:39)

CONSIDERS
And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say,… (Isaiah 44:19)

CONSPIRE
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together (Psalms 74:8)

CONTRITE
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalms 51:17)

CONTRIVE
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David (1 Kings 12:26)

CONVERSION
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord… (1 Kings 12:27)

COURAGE
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. (Psalms 31:24)

COVENANT BREAKERS
if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled… (Leviticus 26:41)

COVENANT MAKING
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. (Deuteronomy 10:16)

COVENANTS
…the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

DECEIVE BY A WOMAN
If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door; (Job 31:9)

DECIDE, IMAGINATION
and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. (Genesis 8:21)

DECISION
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing… (Exodus 35:21)

DESIRE
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king (2 Chronicles 1:11)

DESIRE TO PRAY
therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. (2 Samuel
7:27)

DESIRE
Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. (Psalms 21:2)

DESIRES
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalms 37:4)

DESIRES
Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king,

that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

DESPAIR
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten…(Psalms 10:11)

DETERMINATION
Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall

command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 32:46)

DEVOTION
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (Deuteronomy 11:13)

DISBELIEF
…saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. (Genesis 45:26)

DISCOURAGEMENT
And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? (Numbers 32:7)

DISQUIETNESS
I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. (Psalms 38:8)

DRUNK
Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken… (1 Samuel 25:36)

DRUNK, NOURISH
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart. (Psalms 104:15)

DUPLICITY
The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. (Psalms 55:21)

ERR
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways (Psalms 95:10)

EVIL
…neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. (Jeremiah 3:17)

FAITHFULNESS
And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. (1 Chronicles 29:19)

FAITHLESSNESS
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1 Kings 11:4)

FEAR
and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? (Genesis 42:28)

FEAR
our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. (Joshua 2:11)

FOOLISHNESS
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…. (Psalms 14:1)

FREE
And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. (2 Chronicles 29:31)

FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST
And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. (2 Kings 10:15)

GATHERETH INIQUITY
if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. (Psalms 41:6)

GENEROSITY
Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. (Deuteronomy 15:10)

GLAD
glad in his heart. (Exodus 4:14)

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (Psalms 16:9)

GLADNESS
Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; (Deuteronomy 28:47)

GREED
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. (Psalms 62:10)

GRIEF
Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? (1 Samuel 1:8)

GRIEVE
And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. (1 Samuel 2:33)

HAPPINESS
… he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people. (2 Chronicles 7:10)

HARD
And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17)

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness (Psalms 95:8)

HATRED
lt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. (Leviticus 19:17)

HOPE, THOUGHTS
My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. (Job 17:11)

HUMBLE
…that prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. (2 Chronicles 30:19)

HUMILITY
he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants. (2 Samuel 19:14)

HUNGER
I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on… (Genesis 18:5)

HUNGER IS REPRESENTED AS A CONDITION OF THE HEART
Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. (Judges 19:5)

HYPOCRITES
But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them. (Job 36:13)

IMAGINE EVIL THOUGHTS
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

INCLINE
and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. (Joshua 24:23)

INTEGRITY
And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments (1 Kings 9:4)

…integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. (Genesis 20:5)

This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 26:16)

INTENTIONS
Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. (2 Chronicles 29:10)

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. (1 Samuel 2:35)

INTROSPECTION
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. (Psalms 4:4)

JOY, SORROW
Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. (Isaiah 65:14)

JOY
and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. (Job 29:13)

KEEP SECRET
these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee. (Job 10:13)

KNOW WICKEDNESS
Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to… (1 Kings 2:44)

KNOW
and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all

the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you… (Joshua 23:14)

LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them. (Job 17:4)

LIFE
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. (Psalms 22:26)

LIFE
The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. (Psalms 69:32)

LOVE THE LORD
…to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:3)

LOVE THE LORD
thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thymight. (Deuteronomy6:5)

LUST
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:17) MAKE A DECISION David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines… (1 Samuel 27:1)

LUST
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. (Psalms 81:12)

MARITAL LOVE
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. (Song of Solomon 5:2)

MEDIT A TION
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)

MERRY
and let thine heart be merry. (Judges 19:6)

MISCHIEF
Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. (Psalms 28:3)

NEEDS
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. (Deuteronomy 24:15)

OBSTINATE
…made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. (Deuteronomy 2:30)

ORIENTATION
That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. (1 Kings 8:58)

P AIN
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Psalms 22:14)

Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. Genesis 27:41)

PLAN
And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. (1 Kings 8:17)

PRAYER
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. (Psalms 62:8)

PRESUME
Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? (Esther 7:5)

PRIDE
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left… (Deuteronomy 17:20)

PRIDE AND NAUGHTINESS
I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. (1 Samuel 17:28)

PURE
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalms 24:4)

PURPOSEFUL PRAYER
therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee. (1 Chronicles 17:25)

PURPOSEFUL ACTION
…to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and

all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. (2 Kings 23:3)

QUESTION
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Deuteronomy 18:21)

RECOGNIZE AS BEING LIKE ONESELF
…the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people…(1 Samuel 13:14)

RECTITUDE
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Psalms 37:31)

REJOICE
let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. (1 Chronicles 16:10)

REJOICETH
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. (1 Samuel 2:1)

REMEMBER
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart (Deuteronomy 6:6)

REMEMBER
David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21:12)

REMEMBER
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. (Job 22:22)

REPENT
David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly… (2 Samuel 24:10)

RESPECT
And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. (2 Chronicles 19:9)

SACRIFICE
every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. (Exodus 25:2)

SECRETS
Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. (Psalms 44:21)

And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. (1 Kings 10:2)

SEEK THE LORD
But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

SELF-ASSURED
…that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: (Deuteronomy 29:19)

SERVE
to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

SORROW
Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (Nehemiah 2:2)

SORROW
Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. (Psalms 69:20)

SPEAK FALSEHOOD
In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. (Isaiah 59:13)

SPEAK THE TRUTH
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. (Psalms 15:2)

SPEAK PRAYER
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. (Psalms 27:8)

STINGY
Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: (Deuteronomy 15:7)

STOUTNESS
…all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, (Isaiah 9:9)

STUBBORN
And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. (Exodus 11:10)

SYMBOL OF JUDGEMENT (BREASTPLATE CONTAINED THE URIM AND THUMMIM)
And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. (Exodus 28:29-30)

TAKE SERIOUSLY
…therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. (2 Samuel 13:33)

TENDER
Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD… (2 Kings 22:19)

THINK EVIL
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought… (Deuteronomy 15:9)

THINK
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land… (Deuteronomy 9:4)

THINK
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. (1 Samuel 1:13)

THINK
Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Genesis 17:17)

TREACHERY
they were not of double heart. (1 Chronicles 12:33)

TROUBLED
The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. (Psalms 25:17)

TRUST
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalms 28:7)

UNAFRAID
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. (Psalms 112:8)

UNAFRAID
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. (Psalms 112:7)

UNDERSTAND
Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. (Deuteronomy 29:4)

UNDERSTANDING TO JUDGE
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (1 Kings 3:9)

UNDERSTANDING TO JUDGE (KINGSHIP)
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. (1 Kings 3:12)

UNDERST ANDING
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? (Job 38:36)

UNITY OF PURPOSE
All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. (1 Chronicles 12:38)

UPRIGHT
O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalms 36:10)

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. (Psalms 97:11)

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. (Psalms 7:10)

And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. (1 Kings 3:6)

VENGEFUL
lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him… (Deuteronomy 19:6)

WASH (ORDINANCE IMPLIED)
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? (Jeremiah 4:14)

WILLINGNESS
a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, (Exodus 35:5)

WISDOM
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. (1 Kings 10:24)

WISE
Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart. (Job 37:24)

WISH
Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. (Psalms 73:7)

WORDS
…before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came… (Genesis 24:45)

WORK INIQUITY
For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. (Isaiah 32:6)

WORRY
Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. (1 Samuel 4:13)

Jacob 1:9-16 — LeGrand Baker — Nephi as king

It is useful, before we look at this passage, to examine the Book o f Mormon use of the phrase “according to.” In my everyday life, I usually use those words to point to a source: “According to such and such a person…” They are used that way in Alma 3:27 & 4:20, but the Book of Mormon authors tend to use the words according to their other meanings, which are: in agreement, or corresponding with; in compliance with; in conformity with; and in proper relationship or proportion; in harmony with. Thus we have Lehi saying, “And not choose eternal death, according to [in compliance with] the will of the flesh…”(2 Nephi 2:29) And Alma reporting that “Amlici… was executed according to [in conformity with] the law-” (Alma 2:1)

I think the most powerful use of the phrase is this: “But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people.”(Alma 13:18) Here, I don’t know what “according to” means. It probably means in the proper relationship, proportion, or harmony with. The reason the phrase and its idea are is so awesome is that I do not know the laws, prerequisites, powers, or ordinances associated with one’s receiving “the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God.”

Jacob uses the phrase three times in today’s verses, and always within the same larger phrase, “according to the reigns of the kings.”

The second and third instances of the three are:

11    Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would (Jacob 1:11).
and
14   But I, Jacob, shall not hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I shall call them Lamanites that seek to destroy the people of Nephi, and those who are friendly to Nephi I shall call Nephites, or the people of Nephi, according to the reigns of the kings (Jacob 1:14).

In these two instances the phrase seems to be a kind of historical footnote, drawing a parallel time line between the reigns of the kings, and their names or their wars; thus the meaning is probably: “corresponding to the reigns of the kings.”

It is the first time Jacob uses that phrase which is by far the most interesting to me. It reads, Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings. (Jacob 1:9)

In this instance, Jacob is telling us about the anointing of the first Nephite king. So, unless he is using the phrase incorrectly to suggest precedent (in accordance to the way kings will be anointed thereafter), he is saying that Nephi anointed the king in accordance to the way kings had been anointed in the past. The past, in Nephi’s case, can only refer to the coronation ceremonies in Jerusalem from which he came. “According to” is not a wishy washy idea, but suggests careful compliance. So if we can take Jacob to mean what he seems to be saying, it means that Nephi anointed his successor king in the same way, and within the same ritual context, in which kings were anointed in ancient Jerusalem. If that is so, Jacob’s statement is another evidence that the Nephites practiced the rituals and ordinances of the ancient Israelite New Year’s festival. (The most dramatic part of the New Year’s festival was the 7-day Feast of Tabernacles and the “Great Feast” with which the festival was concluded. The most famous evidence that the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated by the Nephites is in the story of King Benjamin, where the people gathered in tents [rather than the temporary structures called tabernacles in the Old Testament] to hear the old king and to acknowledge the legitimacy of the new king.)

If Nephi anointed his successor according to the pattern by which Israelite kings had been anointed since the time of David and Solomon, then the events surrounding that first Nephite coronation were probably as follows (This is discussed if full in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord):

First day: Blowing of horns and sacrifices in celebration of the new year. Days 2 – 9: fasting and prayer in preparation for the Day of Atonement

Day 10: The Day of Atonement, when all the sins of the nation were transferred to a goat which then was driven from the community. Thereafter the people were ceremonially clean, so they could participate in the rituals and ordinances, and enter the temple.

Day 11- 14: preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles

Days 15 – 21 The feast of Tabernacles. During this time a dramatic presentation (perhaps in appearance, something like our Hill Comorah pageant) was presented by the priesthood leaders (including the king), and viewed by the people. This pageant portrayed the king and queen’s role in the Council in Heaven; the War in Heaven; the creation; the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden (scholars guess that the Genesis account was either read, enacted, or both); then followed history through the expulsion of Adam and Eve, the covenants of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David, to the then present king. After that the pageant showed the human struggle with the forces of evil in this world. In that struggle Jerusalem (in this case it would be the city of Nephi) and its temple were symbolically destroyed to be restored again three days later. During those three days the king, who had been killed in the struggle with evil, remained in death and hell until Jehovah himself descended into hell and brought the king out again. On the morning of the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles (day 21 of the festival) the king is restored to his people. Then there was a great procession in which the king, the Arc of the Covenant [one would suppose the Nephites also had a box in which they kept their sacred things], and the people returned to the restored city and temple. There the veil of the temple was opened, the king was dressed in sacred robes and anointed. Some scholars suggest it was a dual anointing, in which the king was formally adopted son of

God, and he was also anointed king of the people. As the legitimate son, he could then sit upon the throne in the temple and deliver a lecture on the law (probably drawn from Deuteronomy). That day ended with sacrificing and a feast.

Day 22, the final day of the festival was the “Great Feast.” It was a day full of joyful sacrifice, feasting, and celebration that all was right again with the world, and all of the covenants were restored, and everything in its proper order.

If that is what Jacob meant when he wrote that Nephi “anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings,” then Jacob has told us a great deal about the religion and customs of the people of Nephi.

A second evidence that the Nephite notion of kingship was in accordance with that of the other Israelites, is Jacob’s observations about what a good king Nephi had been, implying he was both just in his judgments and diligent in defence of his people.

10   The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare–
11   Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. (v.10-11a)

In the ancient world, a king (even God as King) had two major responsibilities: 1) To act as the general of the armies and defend the people (this included his responsibilities in international relations), and 2) to act as judge and establish and maintain internal peace and justice in the land. Theoretically, for both king and God, when the enemies were all subdued, then his responsibility as general of the armies would no longer be necessary, but his responsibility as judge (being responsible for the welfare of others) is an eternal responsibility. (I suppose that is the reason that the quality of being a righteous judge is so frequently associated with the eternal nature of sacral kingship. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”)

Jacob’s testimony seems to be that Nephi was a great king when judged by both of these standards.

“All at once the circumstances seemed to change, the scene remaining just the same. Instead of before, it was after the crucifixion, and the Savior, with those three Apostles, now stood together in a group at my left. They were about to depart and ascend into Heaven. I could endure it no longer. I ran out from behind the tree, fell at his feet, clasped him around the knees, and begged him to take me with him.

“I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped and raised me up and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real, that I felt the very warmth of his bosom against which I rested. Then He said: ‘No, my son; these have finished their work, and they may go with me, but you must stay and finish yours.’ Still I clung to him. Gazing up into his face — for he was taller than I — I besought him most earnestly: ‘Well, promise me that I will come to you at the last.’ He smiled sweetly and tenderly and replied: ‘That will depend entirely upon yourself.’ I awoke with a sob in my throat, and it was morning.”

“That’s from God,” Elder Musser said, when he heard the story. “I don’t need to be told that,” Elder Whitney replied, and then he told the vast MIA congregation:

“I saw the moral clearly. I had never thought that I would be an Apostle, or hold any other office in the Church; and it did not occur to me even then. Yet I knew that those sleeping apostles meant me. I was asleep at my post — as any man is, or any woman, who, having been divinely appointed to do one thing, does another.

“But from that hour all was changed — I was a different man. I did not give up writing, for President Brigham Young, having noticed some of my contributions in the home papers, wrote advising me to cultivate what he called my ‘gift for writing’ so that I might use it in future years ‘for the establishment of truth and righteousness upon the earth.’ This was his last word of counsel to me. He died the same year, while I was still In the mission field, … laboring then in the State of Ohio. I continued to write, but it was for the Church and Kingdom of God, I held that first and foremost; all else was secondary.”