We Knew of Christ. Do you still know?
For myself, I've thought much on the beginning of chapter 4. As I read the verses about engraving things on the plates, I kept thinking about how this could apply to my own life.
"1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;
2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—
3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents."
My eyes kept falling on the words plates and I tried to think how you might be able to replace the word "plates" with "our lives" or something similar.
Go back and read it again with the replacement. It's not perfect, but it works for me. It can be difficult to engraven God's words upon our lives. "We know that the things which we write upon our lives must remain."
The scripture about where your treasure is there is your heart also comes to mind. Am giving effort to my feelings and allowing my beliefs to write themselves into my life?
"And we labor diligently to engraven these words upon our lives, hoping that our beloved brethren and children will receive them with thankful hearts."
Do I labor diligently to "engraven" the Word of God upon my life? Engraven implies work, maybe repetition. Perhaps patience. If someone looks at my life, is it clear that I love God and that I want to live for Him? Has his word become a part of me?
And then comes verse 4.
"4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us."
For some reason the premortal life came to mind as an added "liken" layer. All of us who come to this earth to experience mortality "knew of Christ". These could be the words of any of us. We KNEW of Christ and had hope in his glory since the plan was presented to us.
These verses are incredible thinking of them in the historical context. They knew about Abraham and Isaac and the symbolism, and they knew the name that Christ would be called, etc. hundreds of years before He came to earth.
"5 Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son."
"6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea."
"7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things."
We knew of Christ and in this life we must come to know of him again. I hope that as I search the prophets, and as I receive more revelation that my faith will become unshaken. With God's power we do anything.
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