As Many As Are Not Stiffnecked

As Jarom began his short contribution to the small plates, he gave this as a way of introduction: “As these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written?” (Jarom 1:2) Out of humility he chose not to include his own revelations or prophecies, but he did follow this with an important teaching on how each of us can, like him and his fathers, receive revelations for ourselves. He wrote, “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). In this we have an important recipe for having “communion with the Holy Spirit”: we must not be stiffnecked and we must have faith.

            So what does it mean to be stiffnecked? Interestingly, this was an idea that Nephi, Jacob, and Enos all wrote about—thus including all the “fathers” that Jarom mentioned having revelations. Nephi lamented, “And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you” (2 Nephi 25:28). Jacob wrote how “the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets” (Jacob 4:14). He also more generally suggested that the house of Israel “are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people” (Jacob 6:4). Enos spoke of his own people in these words, “The people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand.” He explained in more detail what that meant: “And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord” (Enos 1:22-23). With this description, perhaps we can say that to be stiffnecked is to not fear the Lord or respect Him as we should. It is to put our will before His and to not be afraid to do wrong in His sight. It is quite literally to have a neck that won’t bend in humble prayer but instead to always hold one’s neck straight up without lowering it before Him. But if we want revelation, we must recognize that His ways are higher than ours and that He is the source of the light and truth that we seek. We must be willing to humbly bow our heads before Him and ask in faith, believing that we can indeed have communion with His Spirit. Then we can be like these Nephites of Jarom’s day who had “many revelations” when they were not stiffnecked and had faith.