How is it possible that the Jews, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it?

Jacob 4:17 And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner?

 Jacob 4:18 Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you.

Jacob says he will explain this, as long as he does not stumble.  He then tells the allegory of the olive tree.  He explains,

Jacob 6:5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.

He doesn't speak again about those who rejected the foundation stone, but he speaks to his bretheren and asks them to not harden their hearts and accept Christ.

Jacob 6:8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?

So I think he did get shaken from his firmness (he must have sensed he would.)  He did however show how everyone needs to not harden their hearts, and not reject Christ, but he neglected to relate it back to the Jews.  Perhaps he wanted to avoid pointing a finger directly at the Jews, and perhaps he was told by the Lord to explain that everyone, not just the Jews, need to accept the foundation stone.

Be Familiar With All

Jacob 2:17 says

"be familiar with all"

I know this is referencing to be shareful with your money, but perhaps you need to be know who people are to familiar with other's needs to be able to share, thus you must be familiar in order to give.

"and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."

So I am working on being familiar with all, (getting to know people and being friendly) and then as the Lord blesses me with substance, I try to be free with it.

The tree profiteth me nothing

In  Jacob 5:35 it says, the tree profiteth me nothing.  The tree in this allegory is not the important part.  What is important?  The fruit.  What is the fruit?  The sweet and tender love of God.  LOVE. 

Moroni 7:46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing.

So we need to focus on LOVE.  It is the goal.

Jacob has seen and heard something by the power of the Holy Ghost that proves all mankind would be lost without Christ.

In Jacob chapter 7 Jacob is telling Sherem that there must be a Christ.  He uses 2 proofs that there is a Christ.


First he proves there will be a Christ by the Scriptures.

  10 And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.

  11 And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.

Second he proves there will be a Christ by his own personal experiences.

  12 And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost.

Jacob must have seen and heard something that showed that all would be lost without Christ.  Perhaps he saw a world without Christ, or perhaps he saw the pre-existence.  We know he saw Christ.

2 Ne. 11: 2-3

  2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.

  3 And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him;

But just seeing Christ would not give you the knowledge that all mankind would be lost without him.  I wonder what he saw and heard.  The Lord definitely prepared Jacob to have this exact knowledge of Christ's atonement so that he could defend Christ to Sherem.  I wonder what we need to know to be able to defend Christ to those around us.

Jacob 5 - The Olive Tree

Zenos tells the story of the Tame Olive Tree which is like the house of Israel.

Tree Grows old and begins to decay (Israel stops growing toward God)
    Master gives it extra care
    A few new branches grow
    But the main top begins to perish

    Burns bad branches
    Grafts in wild branches
    Gives extra care
    Young branches taken elsewhere to be planted

• Last  - planted in choice land, Lord cut down that which cumbered the spot of ground where he planted the last young branch.  (cut down Jaredites, planted Nephites) 
• Last title suggests that the Nephites were the last group the Lord led away from Israel.

A long time passes away
   Main Tree, with wild branches grafted in, has good fruit
   Young natural branches - all nourished equally
         First - (had been planted in poorest spot) brought forth much good fruit
         Another - (poorer spot than first) much fruit
         Another - much fruit
         Last - (planted in a good spot) part of tree has good fruit, and part has wild (Nephites & Lamanites)
             Lord wanted to burn branches that didn't bring forth good fruit
             but servant suggest they nourish it a little longer
          
Servant and Lord nourish all the trees
At one point (referenced later)
    All the fruiit of the vineyard is corrupt
    except for the last natural branches.  (At one point the only righteous group on the earth was the Nephites.)
A long time passed away (The end soon cometh)
   Main tree had all kinds of fruit, none of which is good
         because it brought froth so much evil fruit it beginneth to perish
   Young natural branches corrupt also
        Last - wild fruit had overcome good part, so the branch withered away and died.
      
The Lord plans to burn all the vineyard, but his servant suggest he wait, and he takes the suggestion.
     Grafts Young Natural branches back into the Main tree.
     Plucks off the branches with the most bitter fruit and burns them.
          Don't clear away evil all at once, lest the roots should be too strong for the graft and it perishes.
          Clear away the bad as the good shall grow. v.66
     Grafts branches from the Main tree to the trees grown from the Young Natural branches.
         The last shall be first and the first shall be last. v. 63
         They (the various trees) shall be one. v. 68
Servant calls others (only a few come) and they labor diligently to prepare the way.
     This is the last time the Lord will prune the vineyard.
Bad branches are slowly cleared as the good grows.
They become like unto one body. v.74 (World wide church)
The fruit is good.
The vineyard is no more corrupted.
The bad is cast away.
For a long time they will lay up fruit. v. 76 (Millennium)
Evil fruit will again come in to the vineyard. (at the end of the millennium)
   The good an bad will be gathered.
       Good  - preserved
       Evil - cast away into it's own place
   The End - vineyard burned with fire (earth burned).

Continual themes:
       Lord is grieved to lose trees.
           However the tree and the roots profit the Lord nothing so long as it shall bring forth evil fruit.

           Needs to harvest fruit and lay it up unto himself against the season.

               The Lord has joy from the fruit of the vineyard.

               The servants have joy with the Lord.

       Lord weeps, and wonders what could he have done more?
       Lord keeps counseling with servant, and is willing to take servant's suggestions. (servant is Man)
       Who corrupted the vineyard?  The loftiness of the vineyard.
       Hope -  the good will overcome the evil. v. 59
    


  

Who wrote 1 Nephi & 2 Nephi? How much did they write?

I read all of 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi and marked down who wrote each chapter. Nephi often quotes Lehi and Isaiah. Jacob quotes Isaiah too. Interesting that Nephi only wrote half of the 2 books named after him. We really don't have much of Nephi's writings. I wish we could read the large plates of Nephi. I logged each writer by chapter. It would be another project to log by words, which would be more accurate since all the chapters are not uniform in length.

It took me about an hour to navigate Excell 2000 until I could get it to make this lovely pie chart with the labels. I am so pleased with it!