Jacob 6-7

(August 17, 2013)
There are a number of reasons to read the scriptures (gaining strength to avoid sin, conditioning ourselves to live righteously, learning how better to love and serve God), but it is always edifying when your scripture reading seems to serve as a direct line of revelation with the Lord.  This happened today, as I was reading through chapter 6.  I had been thinking over a proper course of action, and had taken the matter to the Lord.  The first verses of this chapter could have easily been spoken aloud as a direct answer to that prayer.  And, at the end – when Jacob counsels that we must obey today, if we will hear His voice – I realized that there was no time for delay in the actions that I contemplated.  I immediately set out to obey that guidance.  That is a wonderful and fulfilling experience that I would not have received had I not read the scriptures.

The other thought I had as I read was on how our faith gets shaken.  Sherem contended with (and, presumably, led away) many people who likely thought of themselves as firm in the faith.  Why was Sherem able to get them to abandon their faith?  Rather than look to them (and Jacob give some reasons they fell away), I think it is more productive to look at why Jacob resisted.  Jacob’s faith was not based upon reason.  While reason can support faith, a faith based upon reason is vulnerable to sophistry.  You risk being led astray not by superior reason but rather by better argumentation.  As a lawyer, I realize more than anyone that the right side does not always win in an argument – that is why people hire lawyers in the first place.

So while using reason to support our testimony is fine, if we ever find that reason is the substantial support of our testimony we had best be concerned.  Revelation, not reason, is the only sure foundation upon which to build our lives.