In the prior chapter, Jacob told us that his people were guilty of two sins. In this chapter, we read the first part of a sermon he preached to combat these sins. All of God’s children are equal, so wealth doesn’t justify pride. Sexual immorality harms your spouse and children, so don’t misread the scriptures to justify adultery.
Chapter Outline
- Introduction: Jacob’s soul is burdened (v. 1-11)
- Pride: Treat everyone with respect. All are equal before God, regardless of economic status (v. 12-21)
- Sexual immorality causes sorrow. God delights in chastity (v. 22-35)
My Takeaways
- We need to be sensitive to the feelings of the people around us, particularly when those feelings are tender.
- Don’t confuse your worldly wealth with your eternal worth.
- Treat your closest relationships with the respect and care that they deserve
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Introduction – Jacob 1:1-11
“Tender and Chaste and Delicate” – Jacob 2:7
When the prophet Jacob called his people to repentance, he was keenly aware of the innocent people who would surely be emotionally wounded by this recitation of evil. “It grieveth me, ” he said, “that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings…
Ye Are Beginning to Labor in Sin – Jacob 2:5
5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God. (Jacob 2:5) As I’ve pondered these…
❖ Pride – Jacob 2:12-21
Stiff Necks and High Heads – Jacob 2:13-14
13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your…
Let Not This Pride of Your Hearts Destroy Your Souls -Jacob 2:16
16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls! (Jacob 2:16) Jacob is concerned about the growing wealth gap among his people, particularly as he sees the behavior of…
“All Flesh Is of the Dust” – Jacob 2:21
After creating the earth, dividing the light from the darkness and the water from the land, and populating the earth with living things, God created people in His own image. We look like Him, but whereas He is eternal, we are fragile—subject to disease, injury, and death. Underscoring the temporary nature of our current existence,…
❖ Chastity – Jacob 2:22-35
I, the Lord God, Delight in the Chastity of Women – Jacob 2:28
28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. (Jacob 2:28) Notice the active verb the Lord chooses in the first sentence: “delight.” Not “I am satisfied” or “I approve” or even “I am pleased,” but “I delight in the…
Ye Have Broken the Hearts…and Lost the Confidence – Jacob 2:35
35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word…
Old Testament Foundations
“Did He Not Make One?”
There are few things that prophets condemn more forcefully than unfaithfulness to your spouse. Here are the words of the prophet Malachi as they appear in a contemporary English translation of the Bible: You have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken…
One Father, One God
The prophet Malachi asks a rhetorical question: “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” Most people would agree that we are all children of God. But Malachi’s follow-up question is much more challenging: “Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?” (Malachi 2:10). In the next chapter, Malachi declares that when…
New Testament Parallels
Mammon
Jesus warned us not to become servants to “mammon” (an Aramaic word meaning money). But He also counseled us to use mammon to bless other people and to build enduring relationships. Temporary possessions can be used to accomplish eternal things.
Church History Connections
Equal
In 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation instructing church leaders to organize themselves more fully to ensure that the needs of all church members could be met. In that revelation, the Lord taught the following principle: If ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; Doctrine and Covenants 78:6 What…
Rich and Poor
How much wealth we accumulate doesn’t matter very much in the end, but our attitude toward wealth and the resulting actions matter very much. The prophet Jacob gave the following warning: Wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and…
“Marriage Is Ordained of God”
Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God established the institution of marriage: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24 During His mortal ministry, the Savior quoted that passage and then further emphasized its implications: So then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God…
“Lest Ye Become as the Nephites of Old”
Prosperity without pride is a worthy goal. After Lehi and his family abandoned their home in Jerusalem, leaving behind their gold, silver, and precious things (1 Nephi 2:4), the Lord promised them that, if they would keep His commandments, they would prosper in their new land (1 Nephi 2:20). After arriving on the American continent,…
“That Ye May Not Shrink” – 2 Nephi 9:46
Sometimes, in order to be successful in life, we must face difficult challenges head-on. Avoiding those challenges simply won’t work, and half-hearted participation will not produce satisfactory outcomes. The prophet Jacob used the word “shrink” to describe the natural instinct to recoil from painful experiences. “It grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with…
Wealth and Wisdom
In the book Predictably Irrational, Duke University professor Dan Ariely examines a number of situations where monetizing something cheapens it. For example, if you offered to pay your mother-in-law for preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, she would probably be insulted. Some things have intrinsic value which cannot and should not be measured in terms of money.…
All Posts Referencing Jacob 2
- Jacob on Economic Inequality (1/16/2026)
- Strengthening Families (12/20/2025)
- By Me or by My Word (11/14/2025)
- Fire, Snow, Sun, and Great Waters (10/3/2025)
- These Truths (7/4/2025)
- Esteeming Your Brother as Yourself (4/24/2025)
- Thy Calling, Thy Duty (3/18/2025)
- Wealth and Wisdom (2/6/2025)
- None Other Work (2/2/2025)
- Strictness (7/17/2024)
- Equal Rights, Shared Responsibilities (6/4/2024)
- Obtaining Hope (4/7/2024)
- “Their Delicate Minds” (4/3/2024)
- General Conference and the Welfare of Our Souls (4/2/2024)
- Godly Sorrow (9/17/2023)
- I Am a Man (7/19/2023)
- Mammon (5/6/2023)
- Abuse (4/20/2023)
- The Zeal of Thine House (4/4/2023)
- “Did He Not Make One?” (12/16/2022)
- One Father, One God (12/14/2022)
- The Creator (12/21/2021)
- Equal (7/14/2021)
- The Riches of Eternity (6/22/2021)
- Rich and Poor (5/23/2021)
- “Marriage Is Ordained of God” (5/14/2021)
- “Lest Ye Become as the Nephites of Old” (4/17/2021)
- “That Ye May Not Shrink” – 2 Nephi 9:46 (2/27/2021)
- “Inquire of the Lord” (1/7/2021)
- “I Inquired of the Lord” – Moroni 8:7 (12/13/2020)
- “When I Speak the Word of God with Sharpness” – Moroni 9:4 (12/12/2020)
- “Will Ye Persist in Supposing That Ye Are Better One Than Another?” – Alma 5:54 (6/4/2020)
- “I Have Spoken Unto You Plainly” – Alma 5:43 (6/3/2020)
- “That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood” – Mosiah 2:27-28 (4/17/2020)
- “The Pleasing Word of God” – Jacob 2:8, Jacob 3:2 (3/14/2020)
- “All Flesh Is of the Dust” – Jacob 2:21 (3/12/2020)
- “Tender and Chaste and Delicate” – Jacob 2:7 (3/10/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Refute? (12/29/2019)
- What Should I Do When Prophetic Teachings Are Difficult to Understand or Accept? (10/6/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- What Should I Think About? (8/24/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God? (7/30/2019)
- How Should I Deal with Anxiety? (7/10/2019)
- How Can I Be a Better Father? (6/17/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Fear? (5/8/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be Sober? (4/20/2019)
- What Should I Do About Economic Inequality? (4/5/2019)
- What’s Wrong with “Costly Apparel?” (4/3/2019)
- Ye Have Broken the Hearts…and Lost the Confidence – Jacob 2:35 (6/13/2018)
- Stiff Necks and High Heads – Jacob 2:13-14 (6/12/2018)
- Ye Are Beginning to Labor in Sin – Jacob 2:5 (8/29/2017)
- I, the Lord God, Delight in the Chastity of Women – Jacob 2:28 (3/31/2015)
- Let Not This Pride of Your Hearts Destroy Your Souls -Jacob 2:16 (3/29/2015)