Jacob 2

First I have to say that just because I haven't posted in some time, it doesn't mean that I haven't been reading or studying the scriptures. I just don't always have something to say that is an original thought or better than all other commentaries.

But in Jacob, chapter 2, I love his commentary about the sins. I love how he shows how much he struggled to even address his people, and hated to have to say thing things he knew that they were doing. He hated to have to call them to repentance, and hated to bring to light the sins they were guilty of. He was surely a loving leader!

I have pondered which sin is the first that he is saying they are guilty of. He leads up to stating it by saying, "For as yet ye have been obedient unto the word of the Lord........   But know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator.... I can tell you concerning your thoughts....ye are beginning to labor in sin...."

Then he goes on about how much he hates to have to talk about it, but then says, "I must do according to the strict commands of God.....

"This is the word which I declare unto you that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and precious ores...."

Is he saying their first sin was that they were searching for gold? He goes on to talk about how with the gold they have begun to wear costly apparel and feel that they are better than those who don't, and then talks of the evils of pride.

But which was the first sin? Was it mining for gold? Or was it pride?

After pondering this for a while I've decided the first sin was the search for gold. The problem is that we all search for gold in our lives. We call it 'making a living'.

Surely it isn't a sin to support yourself and your family. We don't live in a society where we can just grow what we need; we have to work for the sole purpose of being able to buy food and clothing. We all love to make enough money to be able to buy good, nutritious food, a 'nicer' house, and pretty clothes. But somewhere in there we have to learn to do that without becoming guilty of 'searching for gold' in the way the Nephites did at that time.

Of course it goes back to the popular teaching about the difference between having money and loving money, but i think it is a fine line and one we very easily cross many times in our lives. I believe Jacob, chapter 2 is our warning. We need to ask ourselves what we seek to do with the money we earn.

He goes on to finally talk about the really sins that he hated most to bring up, but I think it's interesting that he seems to only know about their grosser sins because the Lord has revealed them to him!

One thing that bothered me about his statement regarding polygamy, "I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old." and he describes it as "abominable before" God.

So I was wondering why the saints might have been commanded to practice polygamy in the early years of the Church.  But then it clears it up in verse 30: "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."

So it sounds to me that polygamy is 'abominable' if God hasn't commanded us to practice it. If men decide through lust that they need more women, then it is abominable; if God commands us to practice it, it is sanctified and accepted. The most important part of all that is whether it is the will of the Lord.