A Love Story

Reading Jacob 5-7

When I was a missionary, my Mission President challenged us to read and interpret the allegory of the olive tree found in Jacob 5 and be able to discuss it's meaning in a group meeting.  I considered myself familiar with the stories in The Book of Mormon, but the 6-page chapter always intimidated me (a bit like the Isaiah chapters).  But, I took the challenge and am I ever glad I did.  I think that was the first time that I really appreciated the many layers of doctrine within the scriptures.  I also appreciated those who have studied before me and cross referenced and created footnotes to other scriptures.  In our mission we were only allowed a few reference books: Jesus, The Christ, Gospel Principles, Truth Restored and one other I'm forgetting that made up the "Missionary Library." So I couldn't get a reference book from Deseret Book that just told me the answers. Which was good.  I only used the scriptures.  Boy did I learn a lot.

For this reason, I am not going to give answers here.  First, because I don't know them all and second, because finding them yourself will be a much more valuable experience.  I will however, tell you some of my favorite things about Jacob 5.

My Mission President called this chapter "The Big Movie," because it is the story of the founding of the people of Israel, their wanderings, exile, scattering and gathering up to our day and the end of the world, covering the people of different continents.  An olive tree is used to symbolize the covenants, gospel and branches of peoples.  At different points in the history of the world, the branches, or peoples rebel against the gospel/covenant, symbolized by the roots and trunk of the tree.  The Lord, along with his servants, the prophets try pruning branches, in hopes that the roots will help good branches grow.  Or the try grafting in other branches, or planting branches in different parts of the vineyard to see if they would grow better somewhere else.  He prunes the tree, fertilizes the roots, gets rid of the dead branches and cared for the ground around it.  In short, the Lord tries everything he can to help his people receive nourishment from the gospel.  Some people do, and some people don't.

I called this post "A Love Story" because I really think that the allegory of the olive tree is the story of the Savior's love for the people of the world.  My favorite verse in the whole chapter is vs 41: "And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?"  He does all he can do, but if the people won't take what he gives, they don't grow.  Throughout time, people have either looked to His coming or have read about His coming. We have four books in the New Testament that testify of His mission, His atonement and His resurrection.  And then the rest of the New Testament that described how His church was set up, using apostles and prophets who receive revelation from Him.  Yet, there are so many people who don't listen, don't care, both within and without of His church. What more could He do than make it available and let them choose.

Since my first intense study of the chapter, I have always been impressed with how many times the phrase "go to" appears in the chapter.  This phrase generally refers to the work the Lord and the prophets do to nurture the tree, branches and ground.  While it refers to that group of people, it is always motivating for me to read. Get to work and do what it most important.  I think that phrase appears three times and the word "go" appears many more times.

I think my most favorite thing about this chapter is that is gives me a sense of security. It tells me that God knows and has always known the course the people of the world would take, but does not interfere with our own growth process, as painful as it may be.  I can choose to learn from my mistakes and have joy even though the current of the world may carry us in a general negative way and I can still say, "everything's gonna be OK."  And those who don't learn from their mistakes will still have a chance to someday.  In essence, the allegory of the olive tree offers eternal perspective and gets me out of my myopic perspective.  That is valuable.

Chapter 6 is a kind of follow-up to the allegory and should be read with it as it explains the end of the world.

Chapter 7 introduces the first anti-Christ we meet in The Book of Mormon.  Jacob is the perfect opponent for Sherem and seems to confront him with calmness and sound doctrine.  Some interesting things about the chapter:

Sherem is described as a flatterer in 7:4.  Most people today think that flattery is a good thing, but the kind of flattery Jacob is talking about is not just offering compliments.  This kind of flattery is offering compliments and embellishments to manipulate people for selfish purposes.  Grrrrr.  I despise this.  There are some movies that have mean characters that use flattery for selfish purposes and it just makes me feel distrustful and dirty, just to watch them.

Sherem asked Jacob for a sign to indicate the truths of the gospel were in fact true.  Jacob responds in vs 14: "What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign int he thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou will deny it, because thou are of the devil." But then invokes the will of the Lord, which was to give him, not a sign, but a witness.  The roundtable discussion that I listened to regarding this scripture said that the devil works in signs, but the Lord works by witnesses.  If fact, Sherem received a witness that the gospel was true and that he knew that all along, but was deceived by the devil.  If you want to know the gospel is true, look for witnesses, not signs.