Jacob 7:26

[pam]

Jacob 7Â*

26 And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.

Quotes for Discussion

“As it were unto us a dream”

How poetic and descriptive Jacob is in describing the fleeting moments and hours of our mortal probation! Moments blend into hours, hours into days, days into years, years into decades….Because the day of probation is over in an instant, …the prophets continually plead for the people of the earth to guard their time, to improve their time, and to make wise use of their time.

Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary, 2:92

“Mourning out our days”

That scripture has always fascinated me. It’s as if Jacob lets down his hair, and in one paragraph, gives us a candid, frank look at how he feels about his life, which is drawing to a close. He could have painted a rosy picture of things, but he tells us his life was one tribulation after another and that he and his people are “mourning out [their] days.” Life was no picnic for the descendants of Lehi who settled in the Promised Land.

I believe it is those types of candid comments in our journals that will be of most interest to our ancestors. They will enjoy reading about events and other things in our lives, but the glimpses into our deepest thoughts and innermost feelings will capture their attention because they will get to know who we really are.

Val Hale, “Publish or Perish,” LDSSA Devotional Address, Orem LDS Institute, 20 Jan. 2006

[lonetree]

This happens to be my favorite verse of the Book Of Mormon. The bittersweet beauty of it reminds me of some of Ecclesiastes  ie. 12-Especially 6 and 7.

Edited July 2, 2015 by lonetree