Jacob 1

One of the evidences to the truth of the Book of Mormon is the change of language patterns. Joseph Smith did not have the education and no doubt the ability to change the style of speech when Nephi is no longer writing and Jacob is. When we leave the small plates and move to Mormon's translation of the new plates, you can see the consistency of Mormon's language as well as the change in speech patterns when other prophets are quoted directly.

Jacob says that he received his errand from the Lord so he undoubtedly was ordained and set apart for his calling as a prophet. Jacob was not one step behind Nephi as a great prophet. When Nephi passed the plates on to him, Nephi stressed the importance of only writing sacred teaching and revelation. Nephi and Jacob both had "great anxiety" over the need to teach the people because both of them had seen in vision what will become of them in the future. He points out that both he and Nephi had many revelations concerning Christ's coming, so Jacob says that they "labored diligently" to persuade the people to "come unto Christ and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest." His rest in this life is the peace and assurance that the gospel is true, to have the peace that comes with a spiritual certainty that helps us to be immune to the doubt and skepticism of the world.

One interesting thing is that Jacob talks of Nephi having wielded the sword of Laban. We have no record of the wars Nephi led the people in. But the sword of Laban was the pattern for all the swords they forged and created. It was also a symbol of the promise that the Lord would protect them and lead them in battle. The promises still hold true today. Oliver Cowdery saw the sword of Laban and he said that the words "This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of God and his Christ" were engraved on it. I'm guessing that those words were engraved on it after it had been taken from Laban.