The following transcript is intended to aid in your study. However, while we try to go through the transcript, our transcripts are primarily computer-generated and often contain errors. Please forgive the transcripts’ imperfections.
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[00:00:00] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Remember in the very first episode with our guest, Hillary Weeks, we talked about the theme for this year, which is. Anticipate Jesus. Now the people and prophets of the Book of Mormon, oh boy, were they anticipating his birth and resurrection and the people and prophets of the restoration, which is us. We are anticipating his return.
Today's discussion of Jacob chapters five through seven is all about anticipating Jesus. And we're going to anticipate him with a tree. Welcome to the Sunday on Monday study group, a Deseret bookshelf plus original brought to you by LDS Living, where we take the come follow me lesson for the week and we really dig into our scriptures together.
I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now, if you're new to our study group, follow the link in our description. It's going to explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your come follow me study. Just like my friends do. Debbie Bowman and Christine Hammerlin. Hello ladies. I loved meeting you. Now, my favorite thing and the best thing about this study group is each week we're joined by two of my friends.
So it's always a little bit different. And today I am so excited to introduce you to, okay, we have a regular Tamu Smith. Hey lady.
[00:01:09] Tamu Smith: Hey girl. Hey y'all. Oh, Sorry for my voice. It's a lot better than it was,
[00:01:15] Tammy Uzelac Hall: you didn't have a voice for what was it? A week ago? Is that how long ago I've seen you?
She had, I don't know if anyone, can you imagine Tamu without a voice? Cause that is exactly what happened. No voice at all. So I'm glad it's back.
[00:01:28] Tamu Smith: Did not stop me talking though.
[00:01:30] Tammy Uzelac Hall: No, it didn't. No, she practically was signing everything. It was awesome. Okay. Tamu and I are so excited to introduce you. We have a new guest.
It's her first time on and she is delightful. Our friend is Crystal Beezer. Hello, Crystal.
[00:01:43] Crystal Beazer: Hi, Tammy.
[00:01:44] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Oh, hi. Happy to be here. Oh, we're happy to have you here. Crystal, tell us a little bit about yourself. What do the listeners need to know about you?
[00:01:54] Crystal Beazer: I live in Orem, Utah. That's harder for me to say these days because I have been in California my whole life, but we just recently moved here. So I have to, right? Do I have to say I'm from Utah now? Yeah. I'm from Utah. I have three girls and a husband and played basketball in high school.
[00:02:16] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, how tall are you?
[00:02:19] Crystal Beazer: I'm five six. I was a guard. Oh, I was gonna say
guard. Sure. Sure.
Guard. Snooking guard. Mm hmm.
[00:02:26] Tamu Smith: I know a fact about Crystal that, um, her husband is from Canada and there's a community called Beezer named after their family.
[00:02:37] Crystal Beazer: That is, that is. Actually, funny. When we first were married, we were in my parents ward, I think, and they said, oh, and here's Crystal, you know, she's visiting, and she just got married, right Crystal? What's your new last name? And I'm like, I was so embarrassed of Beazer for a little bit that I couldn't say it.
I go, yeah, I was, I just got married, you know, I love him, but I didn't say his name. But after what, like 16 years now, I will proudly say Beazer.
[00:03:08] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh yeah.
[00:03:08] Crystal Beazer: I like it now, but it was a little hard for me at first.
[00:03:12] Tammy Uzelac Hall: That's fun. Well, shout out to all the people in Beazer, Canada. So that's pretty awesome. Yeah. Well, Crystal, we are so excited that you get to join us today because we're going to talk about some pretty like.
I mean, even you said at the beginning, allegory of the olive tree. Yes. And so I think this is going to be such a wonderful discussion because again, we're going to anticipate Jesus as we talk about him. So everyone who wants to know more about my guests, just go read their bios, which are in our show notes and you can find those at LDS living.
com slash Sunday on Monday. So grab your scriptures and something to mark your scriptures with. And let's dig into Jacob chapters five through seven. Okay. First things first. You too. What did the Holy Ghost teach you this week as you studied these chapters?
[00:03:59] Tamu Smith: Um, I'll go first. I think that, uh, for me, I always love the story of the allegory trees, the grafting and then also the burning down.
So for me, it is that if there are opportunities for even the plant. That are on this earth, then there's definitely going to be opportunities. We all have opportunities. We all have opportunities to change, to grow, and to be regrafted and to, um, to be reshaped. And for me, that was just, I saw the beauty in that.
And I, I don't know if I've ever really looked at it in those terms, but, um, You know, I guess with age comes, uh, perspective. And that was a perspective that I had not really ever considered.
[00:04:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Wow. Me neither. In fact, I just wrote that at the top of the page. I wrote allegory of opportunities and chances, and then I put your name, right?
Whoa. Thank you for teaching me that. I've never considered that, that the allegory in those terms before. So very beautiful. Thank you. What about you, Crystal?
[00:05:17] Crystal Beazer: Uh, so, I was a little intimidated about, you know, doing this chapter. And I don't think I've ever really like doven in and study this chapter. To be honest, I probably read through it or past it, or, but I changed like the perspective of having it be about the character of Christ.
And that was like a game changer for me. And I don't think there wasn't a specific verse, but there was a certain, um, Phrase that stuck out to me and, um, the first time it shows up is in verse seven and it says, and it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it and he said unto his servant, it grieveth me that I should lose this tree.
And it's just that phrase stuck out to me and I was overcome with how much the savior loves us. It doesn't say these trees. It says this tree, right? Our Savior's concerned about the one, concerned about, you know, this tree. And I just, and like grieveth, like that is such like tender wording. Like he's, he's, Distressed and sad.
And like, it's just big feeling. Like he, he like aggrieveth me that I should lose this tree. He doesn't want to lose his tree. Right. He doesn't. And I feel like that he, I can relate that to us. He doesn't want to lose any of us and it's so personal. And I just was, yeah, the spirit just really confirmed to me how much our savior loves each and every one of us and how he wants, wants, doesn't want to lose any of us.
[00:07:04] Tammy Uzelac Hall: That was beautiful. That idea, it grieve with me that I should lose this tree. That is so cool.
[00:07:13] Crystal Beazer: And I think it says it like eight times in that chapter. That phrase. Yeah. Says it a bunch. And
[00:07:20] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I like how you pointed out the emotion of the word grief. Like it doesn't say it bugs me that I'm going to lose this tree because that's something a parent might say.
Yeah.
[00:07:30] Crystal Beazer: Or I'm not sad or I'm not.
[00:07:32] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, and that the savior grieves us. He grieves our, he will grieve our loss. Oh, that's beautiful. Wow. That was so cool. Okay. So we're just going to dive in then to this allegory and look at some really cool things about this. And so in the next segment, I'm going to show you two Hebraisms, which always, they're Always teach me something and I appreciate how the Holy Ghost taught me with this one.
So we'll do that next.
Segment 2
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[00:08:08] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Let's first off, we're just going to dive into some Hebraisms that are in this specific scripture block and they're in Jacob chapter five. And I think this is so awesome. So we're going to go to Jacob chapter five, verse two. That's what I want us to look at. And Tamu, can you please read verse two for us?
[00:08:24] Tamu Smith: Harken O ye house of Israel and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord.
[00:08:30] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Highlight the word hearken and then the word here. So this is so cool. The words right here, hearken and hear is called a word pair. Now word pairs exist in Hebrew grammar. Now here are some rules for word pairs though in scripture because it can't just be any two words.
So here's what you need to know. And we're going to put all of this in our show notes. The first rule is that the words must be of the same grammatical class. The second rule is they must occur in parallel lines. And then the third rule is they must occur frequently as a pair in the text. For instance, here are a couple of more word pairs that you're going to see in scriptures.
Lord God, or bless and curse, or mountain and valley. But there are three that are very familiar to you. In fact, the Old Testament has hundreds of word pairs. This is really interesting to me. You're going to find hundreds of them in the Old Testament, and so does the Book of Mormon. Here are three very common ones that you're going to hear a lot.
So let's go to second Nephi chapter nine, verse 52. I'm going to show you another word pair. Second Nephi chapter nine, verse 52. And when we get there, Crystal, will you read that for us, please?
[00:09:42] Crystal Beazer: Okay. Behold, my beloved brethren. Remember the words of your God. Pray unto him continually by day and give thanks unto his holy name by night.
[00:09:52] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, thank you. The word pair right there is by day and by night. Day and night. In fact, very rarely will you ever hear a word pair go night and day. It's usually always day and night. Another really common word pair is in Mosiah chapter 16 verse 11. We're going to look at one more and we'll put more in the show notes, but let's go to Mosiah chapter 16 verse 11 and I'll read this one.
And if they be good to the resurrection of endless life and happiness. And if they be evil to the resurrection of endless damnation being delivered up to the devil who has subjected them, which is damnation. So the word pair there is good and evil parallel lines. They occur as a pair and they are of the same grammatical class.
So that is a Hebraism right there. We have very common word pairs throughout the old Testament and in the book of Mormon. Now here's the second Hebraism and this one blew my mind. Okay, so it is called plural amplification. Plural amplification. And this is when in Hebrew, it often uses plural nouns to emphasize an idea when we would expect a singular form to be more appropriate.
So let me give you an example in our study today. Go back to Jacob chapter five, and we're going to look at verse 72. Here it is. And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mites. Did you hear that? You would expect it to say the servants did labor with their might, but we have right here this plural amplification with their mights, emphasizing how much might was required.
Let me show you another one. Let's go to first Nephi chapter 12 verse two, again, a time when a singular form would work, but it's plural amplified. So first Nephi chapter 12 verse two and Tamu, can you read that verse for us? Sure can.
[00:11:48] Tamu Smith: And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle one against the other, and I beheld wars and rumors of wars and great slaughters with the sword among my people.
[00:12:03] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay, there it is at the very end, and great slaughters. With the sort among my people, as opposed to our English would be in a great slaughter or many slaughters or met. So this idea with a, and great slaughters with the sort among my people. Okay, here's another one. Let's go to Mormon chapter one, verse 19.
And Crystal, will you read that for us? Mormon chapter one, verse 19. Verse 19.
[00:12:27] Crystal Beazer: And it came to pass that there were sorceries and witchcrafts and magics, and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi and also Samuel the Lamanite.
[00:12:41] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. Right there. We have sorceries. Okay. Witchcrafts. Yes. But magics, you would expect it to be sorceries, witchcrafts and magic upon the power of the evil one. So that's one. And then we have one more left. Go back to Jacob. And we're going to be in Jacob chapter four, and we're going to look at verse seven.
And Tamu, will you read this for us, please?
[00:13:05] Tamu Smith: Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weaknesses, 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.
[00:13:20] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Do you see the amplification in that verse? Is it condescensions? Yeah.
Yeah. Great job. That's a plural amplification. And that really fits in that verse. Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace and his great condescensions. You would expect to say his great condescension like it does in first Nephi. We're amplifying how great his condescension was, his condescensions.
He condescended below all things to be able to experience life. and know how to sucker his people. And so this is a Hebraism. And again, as I read these and I study him in the book of Mormon, it just becomes again, uh, more apparent how inspired Joseph Smith was and that he truly is a prophet of God. Full stop.
End of statement. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. There's no way he could have known these Hebraisms. Again, he wouldn't have studied Hebrew for at least five more years after the Book of Mormon was published. And so that's always what the Holy Ghost teaches me when I find these Hebraisms. Any thoughts you guys want to share about any of that?
[00:14:28] Tamu Smith: I, I guess, I don't know. I'm kind of just letting it sit with me. It makes it for me so much bigger. You know what I mean? Um, it just, I like that bigger, like a pouring in, uh, like, I love you so much. And you already know that. I have this big spirit, so to pour into me is to pour a lot.
[00:14:55] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I like that, Tamu.
And as I've studied Hebrew, it's been And you read these Hebrew verses, they are in plural. And that's what's so crazy is the translators took all of these out. They were removed. So when you go back and read it in Hebrew, you're like, Oh, there's the plural amplification. It really does exist.
And again, it's just to add emphasis to scripture. And we love, listen, I love hyperbole any, I probably speak in plural amplification. I'll add anything. I can't prove my point. So this is my spirit language right here, right?
[00:15:27] Tamu Smith: Right. And to amplify something means to make it, you know, bigger and look at my God showing up for me in my language.
[00:15:36] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I'll tell you. Same. I feel that way too. I always joke that I live in hyperbole, but maybe, you know what, so do the scriptures kind of.
[00:15:44] Crystal Beazer: So, yeah, I like. I just like that emphasis. Cause like, I feel like when I read or talk the way I try to emphasize or make things bigger is by the inflection of my voice.
Yes. So, so this is what, yeah, I don't know, like that, that's how they're doing it. But with it adding plural to these, anyway, it's just, I'm just kind of like, wow. Very cool.
[00:16:12] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I really like that. Oh, that's so awesome. I'm glad you shared that. Thank you to both of you. Okay. So in the next segment, then we're going to take everything we've learned and we're going to continue to look for these Hebraisms as we study the allegory.
So notice those and the ones we've also learned up to this point, because they're all over in scripture. And so what we're going to do then. Is in the next segment. We are gonna dive into Jacob chapter five, and we're going to anticipate Jesus with a tree.
Segment 3
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[00:16:44] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Let's all go to Jacob, chapter five, verse one. That's the verse we're gonna read. And Crystal, will you please read it for us.
[00:16:52] Crystal Beazer: Behold, my brethren doye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zeus. Which he spake unto the house of Israel saying,
[00:17:01] Tammy Uzelac Hall: okay, put a square around the name Zenos because people are like, now who's this Zenos character?
Here's what you want to know about Zenos. Here's what we know. He is a Hebrew prophet whose writings appeared on the brass plates, but he is not mentioned in the old Testament. It is believed that he lived sometime after the prophet Abraham and before the prophet Isaiah. And we learn from first Nephi chapter 19 verse 10, as well as Helaman chapter eight, verse 19, where it says Zenos as well as other prophets testify of the savior Jesus Christ and of his redemption.
He believed in Christ. He was a prophet, but he wasn't the only prophet to teach this allegory. It is also believed that Ezekiel. taught this allegory. If you go read the book of Ezekiel, you're going to read all about the allegory of this tree. Yeah. I love that Tam was shaking her head. Yes. You know, this so cool.
So we have two prophets now that can attest to this allegory, but we have another one. So next to verse one, I'm going to give you a verse to cross reference. Let's write the verse, first Nephi chapter 10 verses 12 through 14. And I think that this source may have had more, may have played a bigger role in Jacob's testimony of the allegory and why he's telling it to us.
So in these verses, this is Lehi, the prophet speaking. And Crystal, will you read those verses for us when you get there?
[00:18:24] Crystal Beazer: Yeah. Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off, and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.
Wherefore, he said, it must needs be, that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. And after the house of Israel should be scattered, they shall be gathered together again. Or, and fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come together.
To the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord, and their redeemer.
[00:19:14] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. This is Nephi summing up what his father taught him. So Lehi testified of this allegory to his sons. He taught them about the allegory. So now we have three prophets that are teaching us the importance. We have Zenos, Ezekiel, and Lehi.
And now Jacob. So we know this allegory must be pretty important. And so we're going to dive into some things about this allegory. But before we do, my question to you guys was, why an olive tree? Like of all the trees or all the bushes of all the things we could have compared it to, why do you think they chose an olive tree?
And I asked my guest to do a little research, like any fun facts you found out about all of trees. Go ahead and share.
[00:19:56] Tamu Smith: Um, I actually just, I sent my, one of my relatives a text and asked, um, why do we consecrate with olive oil and why is there the symbolism of olive trees? And, um, his response was number one, when Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane and prayed, he was, uh, in a grove of olive trees.
I don't know how true or what that is because I didn't look it up afterwards. It's true. And, and another, uh, Is the stages that the olive goes through that we go through to get the olive oil. And that is symbolic of Jesus in the crucifixion and things that we will experience in our life. So the olive goes through, I guess, four stages.
[00:20:57] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Hmm.
[00:20:57] Tamu Smith: The pressing, the kneading. The extraction. The separation. He didn't tell me the stages. I, I knew that from previous sermons that I'd heard. But, uh. There are four stages and there's, there's actually a song that talks about it. I I'll send it to you, Tammy. You could put it in the show notes.
[00:21:23] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Yeah,
[00:21:24] Tamu Smith: It's called Greater is Coming.
[00:21:26] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Greater is Coming. Crystal jump in. What did you find out about the olive tree?
[00:21:31] Crystal Beazer: Um, so I was just looking up some. Facts about it. And some facts I found were that the average, like life of one is three to 600 years, the oldest is like 2000. That is still living and up. It said the root system of the olive tree is so robust that it is capable of regenerating itself.
Even when the above ground structure of the tree is destroyed by frost fire or disease. And I thought that was interesting because in these verses, there's parts of it that talk about, there's a strong root, but the branches up top are dead, right? Or dying. So I'm like, Oh, like, I don't know, related the fact with some of those.
So after I looked at. You know, these facts, this was probably the first thing I did. And then like, just two nights ago, I had a thought to like, look up facts again. I'm like, well, what more am I going to find? Anyways, I found this word about olive trees that I just loved. And it said that olive trees are ever bearing.
So they're always green, continuously producing or bringing forth. Now I just, I don't know if you relate that to our savior and what That is to us, our savior to us is ever bearing. He's always, he's giving us all he has. Right. And it's just like a life with Christ is just thriving and ever bearing. So, I don't know.
I just really liked that word for, for the tree too.
[00:23:14] Tamu Smith: I love that word for us ever bearing. He, well, he bears with us. He bears with us, our burdens. See, um, You know, I didn't, I didn't know that it was always green and it was, you know,
[00:23:28] Crystal Beazer: you might need a fact checked it, but I mean, that's what I don't want to like
well, that's kind of what I went with. I'm not going to, I like it. I just go with it.
[00:23:37] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well, that it can last for thousands of years, hundreds of years. And then even thousands, like there's no end that that teaches me that, that his ability to be everbearing is It's what we, it's what we preach.
It's what we believe that it's eternal. It's infinite. And that, wow, Tammy, I like how you connected it that he's ever bearing with us. Both of you. What you shared is so good. So we have that and we have these four stages of the olive tree and I want to connect all of this then to a quote from our prophet.
Here's what President Nelson had to say about this idea and why Zenos chose an olive tree. And it sums up a little bit of what we've already read or what we've already talked about. And so we're just going to read his words. He said this in 1989. He was not the prophet at the time. He was at a quorum of the 12 apostles.
And here's what he teaches. We'll just start. We'll go crystal, Tamu, and then me.
[00:24:31] Crystal Beazer: Olive trees are special in the Holy Land. The olive branch is universally regarded as a symbol of peace. This tree provides food, light, heat, lumber, ointments, and medicine. It is now, as it was then, crucial to life in Israel. It is not a deciduous tree, but ever bearing, always green.
Even if the tree is chopped down, life will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life. Jewish tradition often refers to the olive tree as the tree of life. To me, it seems to prefigure the resurrection.
[00:25:10] Tamu Smith: Jesus came to the base of the Mount of Olives to affect the first component of the atonement.
This he did at the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane comes from two Hebrew roots. Gath, meaning press, and shemin, meaning oil, especially that of the olive.
[00:25:32] Tammy Uzelac Hall: There olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the garden of Gethsemane was literally pressed under the weight of the sins of the world.
He sweated great drops of blood, his life's oil, which issued from every pore.
[00:25:52] Crystal Beazer: Remember, just as the body of the olive, which was pressed for the oil that gave light, so the Savior was pressed, from every pore oozed the lifeblood of our Redeemer. Throughout the joyous days of your mission, when your cup of gladness runs over, remember His cup of bitterness, which made it possible, and when sore trials come upon you, remember Gethsemane.
[00:26:16] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay, thank you. I mean, that part where it says the tree provides food, light, heat, lumber, ointments and medicine, that it was crucial to life in Israel, I made me question, I thought that moment, is the savior crucial to my life? Do I speak of him in that way? Do I act that way? I, I hope that I give off those feelings, but I don't do it as well as probably I immediately thought of you, Tamu.
Like, I think in all that Tammu says and does, I know that Jesus Christ is crucial to your life. I've known that since the day I met you and I've challenged people to be you. Every time we talk about Jesus, our goal is to talk about Jesus the way Tamu does. And that has been my own personal goal since I have met you to talk about Jesus that way.
And so I thought of you and I saw that crucial to life in Tamu's life. So,
[00:27:06] Tamu Smith: yeah, well, thank you with the part that stood out to me and I feel even emotional reading it and I don't know why I had not read this before, but, um, even if the tree is chopped down. Life will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life.
And I just think of times in my life where I have felt chopped down. I have felt, uh, unseen and I felt forgotten. And I have been in the garden of Gethsemane, but for Jesus, an angel came forth. To get him through it. And for me, Jesus came forth because I knew that he had done it first. I knew that he had had been in truly in a garden of Gethsemane, but to me, it just solidifies to me what Crystal said that it bears this olive tree is bearing and is constantly bearing because even if it's chopped down, life will spring forth.
Suggesting everlasting life that just the imagery of that and the beauty of that. And, um, because I do think that in life, no matter what our socioeconomic or cultural standings, there are times in our life, we just feel chopped down. And in that chopping, there is everlasting life. And just to hold onto that, that's beautiful.
[00:28:41] Crystal Beazer: That's good.
[00:28:44] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thanks for bearing witness of that Tamu.
[00:28:46] Crystal Beazer: We just say amen to that.
[00:28:49] Tamu Smith: Amen, girl. I like to say amen. Amen.
[00:28:53] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I liked it when Crystal got excited about the everbearing.
[00:28:57] Tamu Smith: You guys go read this. It's beautiful. There's so much there.
[00:29:01] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah. That you could take every part of it. Mm hmm. There's a sermon in every paragraph.
[00:29:08] Tamu Smith: So the, the song that I, I was referring to, um, Greater is Coming in it. She says the olive tree has three stages, the oil, um, to run the oil for its oil to run. It has to go through the shaking, the beating and the pressing and so in order for its oil to run. And so, um, part of her lyrics are I feel the shaking in the spirit.
I feel the beating in the spirit, and I feel the pressing in the spirit, preparing me for greater.
[00:29:45] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Beautiful. Thank you, ladies. Thank you for coming prepared to talk about the olive tree. And what we've just learned and what the spirit has witnessed to us is just so profound. So thank you to both of you for sharing that.
And so here we are, we're talking about Jesus and we haven't even dove into the allegory yet. Just focusing on why it's a tree, why it's an olive tree of all the trees that could be used. We can see how significant this allegory is going to be in our lives and why so many prophets have prophesied about it.
So in the next segment, we are then going to Go past verse two, get into some really cool symbolism found in the allegory.
Segment 4
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[00:30:36] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Let's label all the parts of the vineyard. So I'm going to recommend grabbing a green highlighter. Cause you know, it's a tree green, olives are green, all of that good stuff, but get whatever you want. We're going to mark some words in these first eight verses that you're going to want to know as you study this allegory.
So let's do this first. We're going to go to chapter five of Jacob. Verse three. I'm going to tell you what to mark. We're going to put squares around these and then label them off to the side. So in chapter five, verse three, it says for behold, the say at the Lord, I will like in the Oh, house of Israel, like into a tame olive tree.
So right there, it gives the answer. The tame olive tree in the story is the house of Israel, or another way to phrase that is the Lord's covenant people. So, those of us who have been baptized and have entered into covenants, the baptismal covenant makes you the Lord's covenant people. Hey, the next thing you want to know is in verse four, it says, it came to pass that the master of the vineyard put a square around that.
And that is Jesus Christ in our story. If you continue to read in that verse, it says he went forth and he saw that the, his olive tree began to decay. And he said, I will prune it and dig about it and nourish it that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches and perish not put a square around the word branches.
You also see branches in verse six. And the branches mean groups of people. Okay. Then verse seven, it came to pass that the master of the vineyard, who we now know you in your mind, you should have said, Oh Christ. Sought, and he said unto his servant, put a square around servant. That word means his prophets or others who are called to serve.
So his servant, and then this is the verse you shared with us, Crystal. It grieveth me that I should lose this tree, wherefore I go and pluck the branches from a wild olive tree. So put a square around wild olive tree. And in this pot, in this allegory, the wild olive tree means the Gentiles or people who have not yet entered into covenants.
Or people not born into the house of Israel. And then we come to verse eight. And it says, and behold, say it the Lord of the vineyard. I take away many of these young and tender branches and I will graft them wither. So I will. So put a square around graft. And the word graft in this story is a process of spiritual rebirth.
It's where one is joined into the covenant. So grafting in is a process of spiritual rebirth. And continuing in verse eight, it says, I will graph them in with or so I will. And it mattereth not if it so be that the root of this tree will perish, that I may preserve the fruit thereof unto myself. Put a square around the word fruit and fruit means the lives or works of the people.
And then he says, wherefore I will take these young and tender branches or groups of people and I will graph them spiritual rebirth, whether so ever I will, you can just see it all playing out now. So when you know these key principle words, the allegory comes alive. Now if you have not already done this, I recommend a deep dive into this allegory with these new terms and what they mean.
And the Institute Manual is such a great place to start. So we've included a link in our show notes so you can go right to the Institute Manual if you want to do just a really, really deep dive into this allegory. We don't have time to do that today. We're going to focus on one of the terms and that term, let's go back to verse four.
It says, and it came to pass that the master of the vineyard, okay, without even looking at your notes, you guys, who's the master of the vineyard? Jesus. He says, good job. You passed the quiz. Let's read a couple of verses about the master of the vineyard. And as we read these verses, my question to you is what do these verses teach us about Christ or the master of the vineyard?
So here's the first verse we're going to read verse five and Tammu, can you please read verse five?
[00:34:39] Tamu Smith: Sure can. And it came to pass that he pruned it and dig about it and nourished it according to his word.
[00:34:47] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. There's one verse about the master of the vineyard. What does that verse teach us about him?
[00:34:53] Tamu Smith: That he will not give up. He does not give up on us. Wow. I mean, when you read pruned and digged and nourished, definitely nourished is a big action word because, I mean. Like to prune something you're putting in work. Um, and then you're digging about it. I mean, and this is just coming from somebody who has a whole lot of weed.
Especially if it's springtime and who is trying to garden, but sometimes I'm like, I guess we're just going to eat these weeds. So I'm just not going to prune, dig and nourish the way that I need to.
[00:35:34] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I'm imagining like melt some butter, everybody. Bring those weeds. It'll be great with butter.
[00:35:41] Tamu Smith: Yeah. Yeah.
Everything there was better. A little salt.
But just to nourish and um, and nourish is patience. It takes time to nourish.
[00:35:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I'm going to put patience next to that.
[00:36:00] Tamu Smith: Like looking after and checking on and, and they care that just this symbolism of nourishing something or someone. I think of a, I really think of a nurse, you know.
[00:36:15] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah, he has such patience.
Oh, that's awesome.
[00:36:18] Crystal Beazer: So with that, I love that verse, but when I go back to like verse four, right. And he's like, he saw that his tree began to decay, which I learned means like turning away. And he said, and then he said, right, I will prune it and dig about it and nourish it. And I just feel like he's like giving a course of action for this turning away tree, right?
So he's like, this tree is, is going away. I'm going to have this course of action, right. To correct the situation or to rejuvenate the tree. And, and how beautiful that is. And then I, I came across this quote. Is it okay if I read it?
[00:37:07] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Please do. I would love it.
[00:37:08] Crystal Beazer: It says, digging about suggests the divine structuring of one's environment for individual tutorials.
Just that line right there. I was like, Whoa, that is good. Okay. Like dunging suggest spiritual nourishing. As to pruning, we might understand those painful experiences in which we feel stymied as the divine will operates against our own. And I just, I don't know, I love that. And just, you know, again, relating it to Christ and like, that's what he does in our life, right?
He's, he's pruning, he's digging, he's nourishing. And I'm just like, it's his work within us. And that just stood out to me.
[00:37:56] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Right I am struck with that line when you said his divine will against our own. I mean, how often are we that that's, you just summed up my life right there. His divine will against my own.
Right. Yeah. Wow. Oh, thank you. Crystal. Okay. Let's read two more verses then that tell us about the master of the vineyard versus 40 and 41. Let's go there. Tamu, can you read those for us?
[00:38:21] Tamu Smith: And the wild fruit of the last had overcome the part of the tree, which brought forth good fruit. Even the branch had withered away and died.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept and said unto the servant. What could I have done more for my vineyard? Tell me about that verse. Um, a few years ago, I bought a book. I was so overzealous. I got this book called The God Who Weeps, and it was, it's written by, uh, Terrell Gibbons, Terrell and Fiona Gibbons.
[00:39:02] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Such a good book.
[00:39:02] Tamu Smith: And yeah, I, I loved the title. The book, it was really, uh, beyond my capacity to grasp. And I just don't have that much time to really sit with a thesaurus, you know, Terrell's this, this theologian and he's this academic. And I was like, I just really just needed, it's like reading Isaiah.
Like you, you read it cause you. You got to read it. But then you're just like, I don't even really know what I just read. He
[00:39:35] Tammy Uzelac Hall: and Fiona are brilliant.
[00:39:37] Tamu Smith: The idea of this God who will weep with me and for me and over me, it just felt so, so good. And I'm sure at some point in my life, I will reread that book and better understand it.
Um, when I bought the book, I just like the title got me that he wept over the vineyard and he wanted to know what more could I have done for my vineyard.
And you say that when you feel like you've poured into and you've done all that you can do.
[00:40:22] Crystal Beazer: And I never even saw that it said that. Like, I just, I don't know. I just went straight to what could I have done more for my vineyard? I didn't even see that the lord of the vineyard wept. So thank you for putting that out to me.
That was very, I like that.
[00:40:36] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Let's do two more verses then. This is such a cool discussion. We're going to do 46 and 47. I will read these. And then I want to know what your thoughts are. What does it teach us about the master of the vineyard? And now behold, notwithstanding all the care, which we have taken of my vineyard, The trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit.
And these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season unto mine own self. But behold, they have become like unto the wild olive tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire, and it grieve with me that I should lose them. Oh, there's that right there, Crystal.
There's your line. But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it, and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long. And the end draweth nigh, and it grieveth me that I should hewn down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire, that they should be burned.
Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard? Okay, tell me about that verse. What did it teach you about the master?
[00:41:42] Crystal Beazer: He's like recounting, like, what have I done? Right? Like, have I slackened my hand that I have not nourished it? He's like, no. I have nourished it, right? I have digged about it. I have pruned it, and I have dunged it, and I have stretched forth my hand almost all the day long.
And then you go to 49, the last line or so, and it says, For I have done all. It's almost like he's recounting all that he's done. Like, okay, did I do it all? Did I do all that I could? He's like, I have. I have done all. What more could I have done for them? I If I've done all, what more could I have done? It's just, I don't know.
It's, I, and I feel like that's so relatable to, if you're thinking about, you know, your kids or family members that have fallen away or, people that you serve. You know, what more could I do for these young women? You know, what more do they need from me or what more do my kids just shows his involvement in our lives, right?
His involvement and how, again, how much he loves us and that he's willing to give all and do all for us.
[00:42:55] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Hmm. I love how you just connected that verse to the, to verse 49. I have done all I'm drawing a line now and putting all of those things to that word, all that was so cool. That was really great, Crystal.
Thank you. All right, Tamu, what about you?
[00:43:11] Tamu Smith: I mean, I'm, I'm with Crystal. I could not help but read this and think of those that I love, especially my children and feeling like I've done all that I can do. And, and you see this, it just humanizes our relationship with heavenly parents, even that we. Feel their presence, but we do not see with our human eyes.
You know what I mean?
[00:43:40] Crystal Beazer: Yeah, I love that. You said that, humanizes it really does
[00:43:47] Tamu Smith: for someone. I used to really struggle with scriptures that, um,
that talk about, honoring their parents, even though my grandparents were my parents. But I mean, my mom was 13 years older than me and my dad was 15 years older than me and they were kids and childish and they did childish things. And, and there were times where, you know, even until, um, My mother's death, I had to parent her.
And so, um, I would, I would read scriptures that talk about people in human form. And it would really aggravate me because I'm like, well, damn God, I mean, you just doing a jacked up job because you sending kids down here to kids. And, um, Um, and then you're saying that this is what we chose. And like me and God had some really hard conversations.
And, um, but
when I'm, I'm reading about, you know, the wheat and the tear and the allegory of the olive trees, it really is something that my heart can embrace because it shows me that I have parents on the other side that I cannot see that are working with me and pleading for me and for my, and I have somebody on the other side that is a mediator that's saying, you know, to the master of the vineyard, Hey, you Let's just wait a little bit longer.
She's going to get it together. Let's just like, cause you go to, um, to verse 50, but behold, the servant said to the Lord of the, of the vineyard spirit, a little longer, just a little bit longer. And the Lord says, okay, I'll spare it because it grieves me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard. And that just, I feel that on so many different levels.
I feel that as a child, um, for parents that did not have the capacity to parent me, and I also feel that as a parent for children that I don't feel like I have
[00:46:20] Tammy Uzelac Hall: the
[00:46:21] Tamu Smith: capacity to parent. And, um, And just knowing that I'm not in this by myself and my, I'm not in it by myself with my husband because he don't know what he's doing either.
I mean, if I'm being honest, but, um, but just knowing that there is, we have loving parents that are saying, Hey, and we have a loving brother that's saying, okay, let's just give him a little bit more time. Just a little bit more time, they're going to get it together. It's not all bad. The roots are good.
[00:46:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: That makes me so emotional, Tamu. Thank you for sharing that.
[00:47:01] Tamu Smith: Girl, me too. You got me crying like Oprah. I know. Tammy is the Moprah.
[00:47:07] Tammy Uzelac Hall: There you go. The Moprah. Well, and when you said that last line in verse 50, when it says, I will spare it a little longer. And there's so much mercy in that verse. And I feel like every one of us today are living in that fate.
We're living in that spirit a little longer. space. And we're going to take a look at what that looks like for all of us who are in this spirit, a little longer space. And I can't wait to discuss this with you guys.
Segment 5
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[00:47:47] Tammy Uzelac Hall: We are still in Jacob chapter five, and we're going to go to two more verses and mark two more symbols in this allegory that we need to understand. Let's go to Jacob chapter five, and I want you to highlight verses 70 through 72. One of the phrases that I want you to mark is in verse 70. It says, and it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant and the servant went and did as the Lord commanded him and brought other servants.
And they were few highlight other servants in this allegory. That means us. So, going back to what Tammu ended with, spare it a little longer. We're getting a little more time and now we've been invited into this story. And as we continue to read in verse 71, And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them, Go to and labor in the vineyard with your might.
For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard. Highlight last time. And last time means now. Now, Tamu, why are you laughing?
[00:48:49] Tamu Smith: I am so sorry. Y'all please forgive me. I'm not. Um, because when I read that, I was like, Oh, the church is tricky. Like with the show, I started thinking about when was the last time I went to go minister?
Like when was the last time? I did my work. I was like, this is tricky. I don't really, I don't like it no more. I don't like the story.
[00:49:17] Tammy Uzelac Hall: You're out. You're done. No, that's so great. Because here's the other word I want us to mark in this verse. And I wanted to get your, I just want to get your immediate reactions to this one.
Okay. So he says, this is the last time, but then he tells us, how do we go forth? Go to and labor in the vineyard with your might. And then he says that again, for the end is nigh at hand and the season speedily cometh if you labor with your might, which me you shall have joy in the fruit, which you shall.
And then again in verse 72, labor with your, here it is, here's our hyperbole. And they labored with their mites, like so much might. What do you think of when you hear when you have to do something with all your might? What does that tell you? Not even all your might. It doesn't even say all year. It just says with mights
[00:50:04] Tamu Smith: that you are putting in work. This is a marathon. You're at the last stretch of the marathon and you better run hard. And then just like that. So I was, you know, it takes the sisters,
[00:50:19] Tammy Uzelac Hall: but good for you. I'm glad that's back in the game,
[00:50:25] Tamu Smith: judged God laboring with your mites. Like if you've been laboring with your might, it's like, it made me start, like, even sitting here saying it again, I started sweating.
[00:50:47] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah. Well, and when you just said it that way, have you been laboring with your might? Now this is the first time I've ever connected this to childbirth. Like, you can't, you can't go, you can't go into childbirth only willing to give half of your might. Like, you can't go into it thinking, I don't really want to do all that I got to do.
I've never worded it that way. Labor with all your might. You bet you're laboring with your might, with your, laboring with your mites. There it is. That, that, you know, plural amplification. Wow. And so, okay, we, let's read this quote from our prophet. Okay. Here's what he has to say about this, speaking specifically of this last time, which means right now.
Crystal, can you read this quote for us, please?
[00:51:32] Crystal Beazer: The Lord told the prophet Joseph Smith that now, meaning our day is the 11th hour and the last time that he will call laborers into his vineyard for the express purpose of gathering the elect from the four quarters of the earth. Would you like to be a big part of the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on the earth today?
[00:51:55] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Now he said that in 2018 to the youth at the Hope of Israel Worldwide Youth Devotional. Maybe he said it to youth and not us, Tamu. Does that make you feel a little better?
[00:52:05] Tamu Smith: Because then I'm just like, so now I'm just going to be getting outworked by a, a 90, what 99 year old man.
[00:52:12] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah. Well he did tell us to take our vitamins.
He's out here
[00:52:15] Tamu Smith: laboring with his mights and I'm over here just eating a bowl of Cheerios and looking out my window like, I should probably go help that sister.
[00:52:23] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well and then it brings in that word, yeah, yeah, labor with your mites, like that word. So, he also told us in 2020 what that could look like. So here's this quote, Tam, we read this one from our prophet.
[00:52:43] Tamu Smith: When we speak of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil, we are referring of course to missionary temple and family history work. We are also referring to building faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live, work, and serve anytime we do anything that helps anyone. On either side of the veil to make and keep their covenants with God.
We are helping to gather Israel.
[00:53:11] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. Now I want to show you this piece of artwork that I found because it fits in perfectly with what you just described. Look at this piece of artwork with the allegory of the olive tree. Tell me what you think. Can you guys describe what this piece of artwork is by Hannah Allen?
And it is a picture of an olive tree. What do you see?
[00:53:32] Tamu Smith: People.
[00:53:33] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Faces. People.
[00:53:35] Crystal Beazer: Yeah.
[00:53:35] Tammy Uzelac Hall: And where are the people?
[00:53:37] Tamu Smith: In the roots. In the roots. Intertwined together.
[00:53:42] Crystal Beazer: Intertwined. Yeah.
[00:53:45] Tammy Uzelac Hall: And I think it's what you talked about, Tamu, that the roots are good. Yeah. That is our family tree right there, connected to Christ, connected to this allegory, all of this.
And that maybe the most important work, the most important labor you're going to do with your mites. Is within your family. I mean, have you experienced that in your own life?
[00:54:12] Tamu Smith: Um, I, I have experienced it in my life, but I just, um, for me, because, um, I have converted from one, um, denomination of Christianity into another, it did, um, create some hardships on my relationships with my family and with the family that I was born to.
And so, um, I've had to. I've been blessed in, in this community to connect with people who have embraced me as family. And, um, I live very close to the Provo River Trail. And so my husband and I would go out there. Often in walk the river trail. And there's a family that I met this family when I first moved to Utah, the Dickinson's, um, Tom and Bonnie Dickinson.
And, and they were just, she was just so refreshing and, and they just embraced us, like, I, I loved her and I was just like, you're going to be my friend. I don't even care what happens. We're going to be friends. From the first time that I met her, we were speaking at an event together and I met her husband and he, they run along the river trail sometimes.
So when we see each other, of course, we stop, we talk. My kids call them grandma and grandpa. And one time my husband and I were walking along the river trail. We were bickering back and forth, bickering back and forth. Comes up and we're having this conversation and he said something that really, not only struck me, but, um, it just let me know how much my heavenly parents looked out for me because of people like him in my life.
He said, what can I do to help you? Because ultimately the goal is for us all to make it back home and I can't do it without you guys. And anything I can do to help, I want to do to help because I want us all to get back home to our parents and our heavenly parents. And so just to know that, you know, I met this family when I was in my twenties and they have become such a integral part of my life.
Ensuring that not only I make it back, but that my kids make it back and to know that he was willing to like, he was just like, what do I need to do? Tell me what I need to do to help. And to see him invested in me and in my family like that, somebody that does not look like me, we do not have similar backgrounds, you know, he's a doctor.
He just was so has been so important in my life and making sure. that I get back. And so I look at this tree and if this were my family, of course, him and his family would be intertwined with mine.
[00:57:16] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh gosh. As you were telling your story over in my mind, kept playing late. He is laboring with his mites.
Wow. Because now this tree has become the house of Israel. This tree has become your ward family. It has become your neighborhood. So I recommend everyone going and seeing this piece of artwork. It's beautiful. I'd love to know from you, Crystal, how does this piece of artwork apply to your life and the idea of laboring with their mights?
[00:57:45] Crystal Beazer: So until, yeah, I love Tamu, what you had to say and that you brought in like your ward family and you know, friends and whatnot, and it, um, something got brought to my mind and so I should probably share that, but there was a time where, um, my ward family, uh, fasted for me, um, and I remember the bishop, um, getting up and he said.
In the Bible dictionary under prayer, it says that prayer is a form of work. Let's get to work on Crystal's behalf. And they prayed and they fasted and they worked tirelessly on my behalf and serving and praying and fasting for a long time. And I don't know, you shared that and that just brought me back to that Ward family that literally has my whole heart. That Ward saved me in so many ways. And I knew they taught me, you know, how to serve. They taught me what it looked like to pray for somebody and to fast for somebody and to be with somebody in really hard times. And I just have a great, deep love for this Ward family. And I felt that what that, what those branches are showing, that intertwining of the people and the love and Christ all together.
They were laboring with all their mights and I could say that with all assurity, I know they were. And I am grateful. I will forever be grateful for that time.
[00:59:45] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Crystal. That's a powerful story. That's right. We just have to amen with that. Yes. You know, I appreciate you being vulnerable. And being willing to share that with us.
[00:59:57] Tamu Smith: Thank you.
[00:59:58] Crystal Beazer: It wasn't on my mind to share. Tamu brought it up with the word family. I'm like, Oh yes, that's what that is. Like, that's what it shows me. I love that. And I could even relate it to my own family too. I know my family got to work as well, you know? Anyways, that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
[01:00:18] Tamu Smith: And so I, I love the idea of it's, It's not only the responsibility of the, our birth families, but that we are supposed to labor for each other, for one another and with one another. And that intertwines us and connects us to Christ. Someone that we never laid eyes on, but we have this strong faith and, and, um, and because of that we can.
We can mingle together and become rooted,
[01:00:59] Tammy Uzelac Hall: rooted, rooted in Christ. And to think how important our role is in this allegory, because so often, right? You go into it thinking it's about the master of the vineyard and the servants, and then it hits you at the end, like, Oh, by the way, and you like all y'all listening.
Like you're part of the allegory too. And so I just, and we saw a beautiful example of that with both of your stories. So thank you. I really appreciate you sharing those stories. That was really perfect. And so continuing with this idea then, especially what the prophet said. And the quote that we read, he says, referring to the building of faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live and work and serve is how we can gather, is how we can gather Israel.
And I think that's exactly what happened in the next following chapters. And so I'll show you what that means in the next segment,
Segment 6
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[01:01:57] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Jacob finishes telling the story of the allegory of the olive tree. And then we go to Jacob chapter six. He's going to sum it all up now. In a very nice, succinct way with verses seven through nine, let's just read these verses. And then I have a question that came into my head after I read these verses and the allegory.
So here we are, Jacob chapter six, verses seven through nine. We'll each take a verse. We'll start with Crystal, then Tamu, then me.
[01:02:24] Crystal Beazer: For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?
[01:02:36] Tamu Smith: And behold, will ye reject these words?
Will ye reject the words of 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 in 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.
[01:03:04] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Know ye not that if you will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God. Okay. So I read those verses. I got done with the allegory. I read these verses and in my mind, my question was, so we have the doctrine and now we have chapter seven, which boom, we get this story.
And I don't think it's coincidence. I think Jacob is sharing this personal experience to say, let me show you what this looks like. Let me actually apply everything I've just done teaching you into real life story. So I've asked Tamu to come and share this real life story. And when I saw her a week ago, she's like, what are we reading?
And I said, well, we're going to be going over Jacob five through seven, but I want you to retell the story in chapter seven. So I am so excited about this. Tamu, tell us the story and, and it just, it just blows my mind that it connects so perfectly to everything we've just studied. Hit it.
[01:04:03] Tamu Smith: So Sherem denies Christ.
And um, so then him and Jacob get into, you want me to tell it like I tell it to my, to my, um, parents. People who may not know this story. You know I do. That's why
[01:04:16] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I asked you to do it.
[01:04:17] Tamu Smith: Let me, let me, let me, let me bring this alive for y'all. Thank you. So it was two dudes. They standing on the corner and they talking about Jesus Christ.
And one of 'em is like, yeah, but Jesus Christ is real. And like, this is what God does for me. And the other one is like, yeah, I, it's not happening. But not only does he say it's not, he's not real, but he starts to preach against it. He starts to tell other people, yeah, it's Jesus isn't real. And I'm trying to find the verse.
At one point he says, if your God is so real. Show me what he can do.
[01:04:50] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, this is when Sherem asks for a sign. Verses 13 and 14.
[01:04:55] Tamu Smith: First, I've been woe be unto the person that asked for a sign. And this is just a reminder to me, actually, because I am always asking for a sign. But, uh, so Sherem matched for assignment first 13 says it came to pass that he said unto me, show me a sign by this power of the Holy ghost in which he should use in which he knows so much.
Can you imagine the. Arrogance, like I could see, you know, I know how he was dressed. I know this dude, I honestly know this dude right here. So he's like, show me a sign of what the power of the Holy Ghost in which he knows so much. So then, you know, okay, you want me, you want to sign? I'm going to show you a sign.
You don't want me to show you a sign. It was like, I kind of almost, you remember that, that when vines were out and they were like, do it for the vine. I ain't going to do it. Do it for the vine. I ain't going to do it. Do it for the vine, literally doing it for the vine. So, uh, he was like, show me a sign. And so he says that it basically, if you want a sign, you're going to get a sign, but it's not going to be good for you.
And it came to pass that when I, Jacob had spoken these words. So the words that Jacob spoke was, what am I, that I should tempt God. And show unto thee a sign and the thing which thou knowest to be true. So you already know it's true, but you, you plan right now, you're going to play with God and I'm like, he going to get you yet.
That will deny it because thou art the devil where I come from. If you call somebody a devil or Satan, those are fighting words when you call somebody a devil. So nevertheless, not in my will be done, but. If God shall smite thee, let that be the sign. So that's the words that he spoke. So in 15, it says, and it came to pass that when I, Jacob spoke these words, the power of the Lord came upon him and so much that he fell to the earth.
And it came to pass that he was nourished. Remember we were talking about nourished a few chapters ago. In different type of nourish, it was nourished for the space of many days and it came to pass that what he said unto the people gathered together on the morrow. So now he goes from, I'm not testifying and nothing except for God is not real.
Jesus is not real. And then he goes from that to he is struck for the space of many days, and now he got a testimony all of a sudden, and he tells the people gather, and this is the worst of the worst of, can you even imagine, you get a testimony of something that you didn't claim you didn't have a testimony of, but after you burial testimony, you die.
I just want y'all to know that I would be the, it would, I would still today, if I'm Cheryl, I would be bearing my testimony right now. Cause I will be trying to live like every time I felt life leaving from me, I would be like, Oh, one more thing. Let me say one more thing about God is so good, but he bears his testimony and then he died.
But this is the part that got me. And it came to pass that when he said these words, he could say no more. He's going to die. Like, this is a movie that I would watch. It would be a little bit comedy at the end, though. And he gave up the ghost, so now he's gone. Like, you bury a testimony, you're out. The multitude had witnessed that he spake these things, um, as he was about to give up the ghost.
They were astonished exceedingly in so much that the power of God came down upon them and they were overcome that they fell to the earth. And what does my brother Jacob do? Jacob says, now this thing was pleasing unto me. Why was Jacob? Jacob was like, Oh, you want a sign? You want to sign father? He wants to sign.
Remember what I said? Father?
[01:09:03] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I mean, verse 23, look all of this, what happened. So read verse 23 because it's so good.
[01:09:09] Tamu Smith: And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again amongst the people among the people. And they search the scriptures and hearken no more to the words of this wicked man.
[01:09:22] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah. I mean this. Okay. First of all, kudos. You did a phenomenal job. I mean, that was the best retelling. Every seminary class in the world needs to hear the retelling of Tamu and Sherem because that was so good. Okay. Can you even relate with that for real? Well, okay. So we read this story and I'm like, why was this story told?
And then I realized, oh, it's, it's our version. Like, this is happening today. all the time where people are going against the church and not believing in it anymore. Now, I don't know that they're dying. I don't think God's killing anybody today because they're preaching against the church. Maybe the president thinks that hasn't requested it.
Well, there you go. It could be. We don't know that. But I put next to verse 23, it's the result of mites. It's the result of Jacob who is laboring with his mites. And then it made me think like, what is the result of someone of me laboring with my mites? And I was drawn to this quote from our prophet. And he said this in 2020, and it made me think, because I'm telling you right now, if a Sherem came up to me, and I really did write this down, Tamu, if a Sherem came up to me and wanted to debate and battle, With doctrine and words, I would run and say, talk to my friend Tamu because I am not good at this kind of stuff.
I don't like any type of conflict. It scares me. I don't want to debate people, but my friend Tamu does, and she'll, she's got words for you. And then I would be in the background shaking my head. I'd prompt you maybe, or you could ask me like, where does it say this and I'll tell you. We'd be a great team that way, but I, I am scared of that.
That's, that's a, that's. That part of mights I'm scared of. And so this quote by the prophet really kind of emboldened me a little bit to have a little more courage to do what Jacob did and to stand up against the sherams in the world. And we know that they are everywhere. And this story is very real. And so let's just read this quote because it's so powerful.
[01:11:31] Crystal Beazer: Do whatever it takes to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by increasing your understanding of the doctrine taught in his restored church and by relentlessly seeking truth. Anchored in pure doctrine, you will be able to step forward with faith and dogged persistence and cheerfully do all that lies in your power to fulfill the purposes of the Lord.
You will have days when you will be discouraged, so pray for courage. Not to give up. Sadly, some whom you thought were your friends will betray you, and some things will seem simply unfair. However, I promise you that as you follow Jesus Christ, you will find sustained peace and true joy. As you keep your covenants with increasing precision, and as you defend the church and the kingdom of God on the earth today, the Lord will bless you with the strength.
and wisdom to accomplish what only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints can accomplish.
[01:12:37] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. And that verse to me, that is Jacob. That is Tamu. That is all of us who come up against the sherams in our life. Do whatever it takes to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by increasing your understand.
I just thought that was so powerful and I just a great way to connect this quote to the story of Jacob and Sharon. And then you look at this. This is the classic ending. Jacob chapter seven. Verse 27 at the very end, he says, I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, I do.
And if anyone's wondering what, why of all words to put in the book of Mormon, add you, which is a French word. I thought this was pretty cool that in the 1828 Webster's dictionary, which is the dictionary you want to use when you study the book of Mormon, because it would be the language that Joseph Smith would have chosen from.
But the word I do is in that Webster's dictionary, and it means a commendation to the care of God. Isn't that beautiful? We're Jacob saying, I'm commending you to the care of God. This is all I have left to say at you. And so there we have it. So I say adieu to you guys who are here. I commend you to God and to his work.
Beautiful. That's the end of our discussion. Thank you. Ladies. That was so good. Okay. Take a minute. Gather your thoughts. And what is your takeaway from today's discussion? Ooh, I know I got a lot. I know me too. I'll go first. Cause I know what mine are. Mine is what Crystal, when you taught us in verse seven, how the Lord says so often in this allegory, it grieveth me.
I mean that hit me hard and I love that you shared that. Well, then there's a couple of things. I mean, I love that you went back and looked up what an olive tree is and you taught us how powerful that idea was that it's ever bearing. Oh my gosh. Two great things. And then Tamu, when you and finished out by talking about how he says, I will spare it a little longer.
I mean, that whole conversation was so emotional for me. So thank you. It was good. And I would just
[01:14:41] Tamu Smith: say, um, when Crystal was talking about it grieveth me, she said something about divine will and going against my own. And I just, I wrote that down because I thought that that was just a beautiful, you know, contrast to make.
[01:14:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Boy, I did love that too.
[01:15:00] Crystal Beazer: Well, I love the Tammy. The plural amplification. Yeah, that was very cool. I really like that and just like how, what that means and just the discussion around it and what Tamu had to add with like the, you know, the power behind. You're delivering and, or the words, I loved Tamu when you, when we were talking about laboring and you said labor with and for others, and you correlated that with the picture.
I really loved that. I love that Tamu said that this is an allegory of opportunity and chances.
[01:15:38] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, I love that too. Yeah. Yeah. That's my new title for this allegory of the olive tree slash opportunities and chances. Yeah. That was great. So good. Wow. Thank you. Thanks for joining me. You too. I love you both so much.
This was a great discussion. Thank
[01:15:53] Crystal Beazer: you. Thanks for letting me be a part of this. You guys are amazing. Thank you.
[01:15:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Great. Okay. What was your takeaway? Go join our group on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to share what you have learned and ask questions too. If there's anything you're curious about and anything you want to share in the middle of the week, just go and share it.
And then at the end of the week, usually on a Saturday, we're going to post a question from this episode. So comment on the post that relates to this lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for for this episode at ldsliving. com slash Sunday on Monday, and it's not a bad idea to go there anyway.
It's where we're going to have links to all the references and a transcript of this whole discussion. So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday study group is a Deseret Bookshelf Plus original brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall. And today our Awesome. Study group participants were Tamu Smith and Crystal Beezer, and you can find more information about my friends at LDSliving.
com slash Sunday on Monday. Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week. And please remember, oh, please remember that you are God's favorite.