2 Nephi Chapters 6-10 are a discourse from Jacob, Nephi's brother, at Nephi's request. Jacob begins chapter 6 by telling us that he has authority to speak. In 6:1-2 he tells us that he is called of Nephi, ordained to the Priesthood, and consecrated by Nephi. Then, with the small space of the plates he's been given, he chooses to record some of the words of Isaiah. He records a few verses in chapter 6, then complete chapters in 7 & 8. The prophecies and doctrine from Isaiah give Jacob a spring board to help the Nephites understand what Isaiah talks about, specifically the mission of the Savior and the purpose of life.
It is easy to be intimidated by the prophet Isaiah because he speaks in symbols that are familiar to his day and also records things he has seen and understands by the gift of revelation and the will of God. When we don't see the same things, it's harder for us to understand. But there are some of the words of Isaiah that are easy to understand, that are plain and are beautiful. 2 Ne 8 contains many plain and beatiful words of Isaiah, and here is an example (compare to Isaiah 51):
1 aHearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the brock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.
2 Look unto Abraham, your afather, and unto bSarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him.
3 For the Lord shall acomfort bZion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her cwilderness like dEden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a alaw shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a blight for the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my asalvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall bjudge the people. The cisles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
Words like, comfort, law, light, joy and gladness are all tied to the Savior. Reading words like these make it worth reading all the other symbolic language that is hard to understand at first, but will be understood with repetition and study.
At the end of chapter 8, the Lord, through Isaiah gives this invitation to the house of Israel:
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the abands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.In other words: Get out of the dust and come back into My house and sit down with me. Choose to loose yourself from the bands you've put on your neck through your ill choices.
Then Jacob tells them how to do this in Chapter 9
I will not go over all of Chapter 9, there is just too much doctrine. Here are some highlights:
Jacob tells the Nephites where to get information to help them turn to the Lord:
In the past:
· Covenants (The Lord has already promised things to you – are you going to respond to those covenants? A covenant is like a promise, which means it will be fulfilled at some future time, which means you have a purpose in fulfilling those covenants)
· Spoken unto the Jews (scriptures)
· By his holy prophets
Because there are covenants from the Lord, there is a future and a purpose:
· There will be a restoration
· There will be a gathering
You need these resources for the basic questions of life:
2 Ne 9:3-4
· What’s in the future?
· Why do we die?
· God has a purpose and blessings for you and your children
How can we find our purposes and blessings?
2 Ne 6-9
The right beginning – beginning of the world (Joseph Smith:
It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, we may go wrong, and it be a hard matter to get right. STPJS pg 387) ·
Death is part of the plan (a merciful plan!), necessitates a power of resurrection, both came because of the fall, fall came because of a transgression, which distanced Adam and all men from the Lord. (This is the right beginning to know about-the beginning of us).· Jacob wants to put into perspective, what life would be like without an atonement in verse 8 and 9.
·
2 references regarding the importance of the body and the spirit together:
D&C 93:33-34 For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.
· Elder Holland: If the flesh (body) were not to rise neither would the spirit, and thus the spiritual fate of all mankind would be subject to the devil, “indeed to “become devils, angels to a devil to be shut out from the presence of God.” (meaning we would not have a body like him) see v 9. (If we choose to distance ourselves from God)
· An infinite atonement:
Extremely important concept in verse 7 – an infinite atonement
IN WHICH RESPECTS IS THE ATONEMENT INFINITE?
Elder Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement” Gen. Conf. Oct, 1996: "In preparatory times of the Old Testament, the practice of atonement was finite—meaning it had an end. It was a symbolic forecast of the definitive Atonement of Jesus the Christ. His Atonement is infinite—without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope—it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension. Jesus was the only one who could offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite Being."Heb 5:9 – And being made perfect, he became the author (ftnt: Jesus Christ, authority of) of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Dictionary: “becomes respinsible for.”
Tad R. Callister, in his book, The Infinite Atonement discusses eight ways the atonement is infinite: in Divineness of the Chosen One, power, time, coverage, depth, suffering, love and blessings it bestows.
Elder Maxwell thoughts about infinite atonement: "The infinite Atonement is so vast and universal, but finally, it is so very personal!"
READ 2 Ne 9:14
14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed (Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.) with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
Notice the words in opposition:
Guilt – enjoyment
Uncleanness – righteousness
Nakedness – clothed with purity
Elder Holland:
In the Resurrection we will have “perfect knowledge” of our guilt and uncleanness, or of our repentance and righteousness.
I love how Elder Holland includes that the righteous will have a recollection of their repentance. This means that the righteous were imperfect people who repented! It means that instead of seeing what we did wrong, we will see how we corrected it! And we will actually feel enjoyment because of we repented instead of focusing on the wrongful act, which we now have a tendency to do! This is really good news! Doesn’t it make you want to repent?!?!
Repentance mean making a change of heart and where necessary, asking for forgiveness of either sin of commission or sins of omission. Or it may just mean changing to make your life better. In any of these instances, the Savior can help you do it and makes it possible for you to do it with great hope for a better life and a better world. Because:
O how great the aholiness of our God! For he bknoweth callthings, and there is not anything save he knows it.
21 And he cometh into the world that he may asave all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the bpains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of cAdam.
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.
23 And he commandeth all men that they must arepent, and bebbaptized in his name, having perfect cfaith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Ne 9:20-23)
Jacob continues his remarks with information about some of the characteristics of the righteous. He also lists characteristics that prevent us from receiving the blessings of the atonement
Jacob ends his remarks with this cheerful admonition in ch 10:
23 Therefore, acheer up your hearts, and remember that ye arebfree to cact for yourselves—to dchoose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
