Jarom, the son of Enos, didn’t write much in the record concerning his own prophesying or revelations because he felt like his fathers had already revealed the plan of salvation sufficiently.
But what he did write covered quite of bit of information that he only briefly touched on. One point of interest was what he said concerning his people and what some of their problems were.
He specifically mentioned four attributes that had associations with a part of the body:
- Hardness of their hearts
- Deafness of their ears
- Blindness of their minds
- Stiffness of their necks
Hardness of their hearts
In the Book of Mormon, there are 26 references to hearts being “hard.” We see this phrase originate with Nephi as he uses this phrase to refer to his brothers. It’s possible that this is where Jarom gets it from, but where did Nephi get it?
Nephi referenced Moses quite a bit during their departure from Jerusalem and associated their own journey with the traditional exodus.
In the book of Exodus, we read about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. In Jewish thought, the heart is the seat of the mind, not the brain. (source) The mind is something that resides in the heart which is where thoughts were believed to occur.
Even though this is not technically correct, it makes a lot of sense from a metaphorical standpoint. The heart is at the center of the body, at its deepest point, and is protected by a bony ribcage. (source)
A hard heart is a stubborn one, it is inflexible, and set in its ways.
Jesus taught a parable about a sower (Matthew 13) where there were different types of ground that the seeds (the word) fell upon. The ground had to be in the right condition to be able to receive the seeds and provide them room to grow. The uninhabitable grounds demonstrated a variety of ways that can prevent the word from sinking in and taking root.
Jarom seems to be indicating that his people were unwilling to allow their hearts to receive the word of God.
Deafness of their ears
The word “Deafness” only occurs once in the Book of Mormon and it is right here in Jarom’s record. Isaiah spoke of the “deaf” hearing the words of a book, (Isaiah 29:18) and Nephi taught “Wo unto the deaf that will not hear: for they shall perish.” (2 Nephi 9:31)
It’s possible that Jarom was inspired by both of these sources. Deafness is typically a condition that lies outside of one’s control. But the type of deafness that Nephi, Jarom, and perhaps Isaiah are referring to is a willing deafness.
But how can a deaf person hear? Jesus healed the deaf in his ministry and Isaiah prophesied of the deaf hearing (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, 42:18).
Perhaps there is a kind of spiritual deafness that only God can heal. A hearing person can become deaf in a number of ways; it could be from an infection, physical damage to the ears, or elevated sounds. But perhaps we can become deaf to some things because of the volume of others.
How many times have you missed a phone call because you were in a loud place or something else prevented you from hearing a notification or message. If our priority is not to listen, then we won’t hear. This type of deafness is reversible and depends on how willing we are to hear.
Blindness of their minds
It’s interesting here that Jarom uses the phrase “blindness of their minds” instead of “blindness of their eyes.” Right after mentioning the “deaf that will not hear,” (2 Nephi 9:32) Nephi says, “Wo unto the blind that will not see; for they shall perish also.”
But before that, Nephi chastises his elder brethren by saying, “how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds” (1 Nephi 7:8). Nephi mentions this combo of hard hearts and blind minds several times and even uses it to describe the effects of the mists of darkness in his vision of the Tree of Life. (1 Nephi 12:17)
He also uses this combo to refer to the children of Israel and their attitude toward Moses and God “…they hardened their hearts and blinded their minds, and reviled against Moses and against the true and living God.” (1 Nephi 17:30)
It’s easy to see how eyes can be blind, but how can a mind be blind?
I think it is one thing to not see something with your eyes, but it is another to not be able to perceive something with your mind.
We often use similar language when we are trying to describe something to someone and say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In order to “see” we must first be willing to hear and beyond that, willing to perceive. But this cannot all just be on the surface, we must let it sink deep into our hearts, to our core. Then, we must be willing to act and even change course if necessary which brings us to our last of Jarom’s four attributes:
Stiffness of their necks
The first reference we find to this phrase is in Exodus 32:9, “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.” Nephi also uses this phrase to describe Laman and Lemuel in 1 Nephi 2:11.
If you think about how domesticated animals are used, imagine how difficult it would be to steer an animal that refused to move its neck. You would refer to such an animal as stubborn as it resisting any kind of guidance would be seen as it asserting its own will above that of the person seeking to steer it.
This meaning may go back to the behavior of oxen being driven and the attitude that was observed in trying to drive them. (source)
Fourfold trouble
Jarom observes that his people are struggling from each of these attributes that are all closely related. It seems that they are all part of a feedback loop that has been almost totally corrupted.
Perhaps out of the four, the stiffneckedness is the most difficult to overcome. Jarom mentions it specifically in the next verse:
And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.
Jarom 1:4
Not being stiffnecked is associated with having faith and communion with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is through the Spirit that blindness, deafness, and hardness can be healed. We actually see Jesus doing each of these things in his ministry.
Here are just a few examples:
Healing the deaf
He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.
Mark 7:32-37
Healing the blind
He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.
Mark 8:25
Healing the hard-hearted
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
Jarom’s Solutions
Based on his record, we can see that there were interventions that made among Jarom’s people that seemed to have a positive effect.
- They observed to keep the law of Moses
- They kept the Sabbath day holy
- They profaned not
- Neither did they blaspheme
- The laws of the land were exceedingly strict
- Leaders were mighty men in the faith and taught the people the ways of the Lord
- They fortified their cities
- They multiplied exceedingly
These were the things that happened that made a big difference. They kept God’s law and his Sabbath day holy and I think this first and foremost showed respect for God above all things and put him as the top priority.
They also did not profane or blaspheme which meant that they further respected sacred things and treated them appropriately, further communicating respect to God.
The laws were strict, and it can be understandable for many to not like strictness, but the 1828 definition of “strict” includes the meaning of “exact” or “accurate.” Having exact and accurate laws is important, people were being given clear information regarding their actions and responsibilities.
They had mighty men of faith to lead and teach them. The people had powerful mentors and I think we could use more of those in today’s world.
They also fortified their cities and multiplied. They protected what they had, they did not allow corruption to sink in and they increased in numbers, they had more kids. It’s not hard to see why they prospered as a people.
How does any of this compare to us today? Even if it isn’t totally reflective of us collectively as a people, it can be reflective of our homes.
Interestingly, there were also prophets of the Lord that, “did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land.” (vs.10)
The people were reminded of what was at stake and it wasn’t whitewashed. They were told straight up what would happen if they chose to abandon their duties. The next verse is also very important:
Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.
vs.11
They seem to have taken the time to teach the intent of God’s laws and effectively persuade the people to believe. This seems to have worked and it was no one-and-done effort, it required continual “stirring.”
And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance.
vs.12
For a book with only 15 verses, there is a LOT packed in here. Jarom has given us an effective blueprint for a righteous and prosperous people. Here we have a simple, but detailed plan of something that actually worked and it can work for us again today, this is why Jarom wrote it.
Of everything he could have recorded, he didn’t try and rehash what was said in the past, instead he showed us the principles of how to bring a people in danger back to God.
