2 Nephi 6-10: “O How Great the Plan of Our God!” (February 10-16)

nephites-jacob-478548-wallpaper

Nephi asked his younger brother Jacob to teach the people, using a passage from Isaiah as his text (2 Nephi 6:4). The sermon Jacob delivered is recorded in 2 Nephi 6-10. It focuses on two major themes: the gathering of Israel and the Savior’s Atonement.

Here is my overview of the sermon:

Jacob’s First Sermon – 2 Nephi 6-10

The sermon divides into five sections:

  1. Introduction: God will gather those who have been scattered (Isaiah 49:22-26) (2 Nephi 6).
  2. Isaiah 50: A “servant song” about the Savior’s endurance in the face of persecution (2 Nephi 7).
  3. Isaiah 51 and 52:1-2: God’s people can have confidence in His power to redeem them (2 Nephi 8).
  4. The Savior’s sacrifice provides a way to overcome both death and hell. But we must humble ourselves and repent in order to be prepared to return to God’s presence  (2 Nephi 9).
  5. The promises of God to the children of Israel also apply to Jacob and his people on the American continent (2 Nephi 10).

Key Concepts in Jacob’s Sermon


Blog Posts: February 11-16

“They Shall Not Be Ashamed That Wait for Me” – 1 Nephi 21:23, 2 Nephi 6:7

To the captive children of Israel, the prophet Isaiah made a promise. When it feels like God has forsaken you, like your covenant relationship with Him has been broken, you need only look up to see that He is still with you. Rescue is on the way. You may have to wait patiently and hopefully,…

“Do Not Spend Money for That Which Is of No Worth” – 2 Nephi 9:51

We all have limited resources, and we have countless ways to spend our time, money, and energy. Ironically, some of the most valuable things in life are relatively inexpensive, while many things which consume our resources have an extremely low ROI. That is the message of Isaiah in a passage which Jacob paraphrases in a…

“Fear Ye Not the Reproach of Men” – 2 Nephi 8:7-8

There’s an arrogance in our anxiety. When we allow ourselves to be intimidated by other people, we are assigning too much power to humans and underestimating or ignoring the power of God. This is a common theme in Isaiah, and it permeates chapter 51, which Jacob quotes in 2 Nephi 8: Hearken unto me, ye…

Death and Hell – 2 Nephi 9:6-26

Because of our fallen state, we are subject to two kinds of death. The prophet Jacob refers to them in a number of different ways: Death Hell The death of the body The death of the spirit Temporal death Spiritual death The grave The lake of fire and brimstone The first death Endless death Physical…

“According to the Flesh” – 2 Nephi 10:2

On at least two occasions, Nephi’s older brothers asked him if the scriptures were talking about spiritual things or about temporal things. Here’s how they asked the question after he read two chapters of Isaiah to them: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which…

Active, Aware, and Joyful

What does it mean to be alive? At the end of my post two days ago, almost as an afterthought, I identified three characteristics of livingness. All three are clearly identified in Jacob’s discussion of physical and spiritual death: When we are alive, we are active. We have energy. We are able to “live and move…

Leave a Reply

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑

Discover more from Book of Mormon Study Notes

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading