As you read all commentary in General Conference about Jacob 4:14, you will notice that they focus on our part of the relationship with God - our role and how we have ’looked beyond the mark’ in rejecting the Christ. Jacob 4:14 provides details on God’s part in the relationship that causes our ‘stumbling’, which offers insight about God’s work with each of us. It helps us understand ‘stumbling’ within the complexity of partners in a relationship.

Jacob 4:14 states;

But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.

Jacob 4:14 explains elements of God’s interaction with us as it says, ‘The Jews sought for things that they could not understand. God delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand that they may stumble.’ This verse seems to state that God responds to our desires and that He will grant our desires even if it makes us ‘stumble’ or fall away from Him. Jacob 4: 10-18 sets us up as readers for the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees in Jacob 5. It is also connecting Nephi’s simple gospel of Isaiah with Jacob 5. His connection with Jacob 5 and Isaiah’s words help us discover the meaning of the ‘stumbling’ reference.

What did Isaiah say about stumbling?

Matthew L. Bowen in “God Hath Taken Away His Plainness” helps us see how Jacob is connecting his phrasing to Isaiah.

The phrases “they must needs fall,” “that they may stumble,” (Jacob 4:14), “the stumbling of the Jews” (4:15), and “stumble because of my anxiety for you” (Jacob 4:18), all refer to Isaiah 8:15 (“And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken”) and Isaiah 28:13 (“But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall [and stumble, wĕkāšĕlû] backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken”)

I have found the book of Isaiah to be a wonderful message of God’s lament about his bride - the people of Isreal. His anxiety about losing her to other lovers. Jacob uses this phrase of ‘stumbling’ from Isaiah to provide context about God’s lament and then deepens our understanding by presenting the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees.

How does stumbling connect to Jacob 5 and the allegory?

Jacob 5 is a masterpiece on the relationship of God with his people (Israel). It shows a God that is intimately involved in nurturing the relationship but ever aware that he cannot force His partner’s love. Listen to the questions God poses;

• 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?
• But what could I have done more in my vineyard?
• Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it?
• Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

We see an ever-present God that will not force us to love Him if we want to leave. We see a God that will try everything and sacrifice His dignity, manhood, even His Omnipotence to give us the space to choose Him in authentic love. Yes, he will give us the ‘stumbling’ we request, but He will persist in mending the relationship without pointing a finger and saying, “I told you so.” Zenos and the allegory demonstrate that ’the Lord of the vineyard labors also’ after we have ‘stumbled’ away.

Authentic love grants our request to fall away or stumble

Too often, we look at verses like these and think of God as a grand vending machine that returns food based on our requests. We read verses about Him giving us stumbling as if it was one of the candy bars in the machine that responds to our currency of agency. We clicked C-9, and boom drops the stumbling bar. We push B-12, and out falls a bag of hugs and kisses. Thinking of agency and God as a cosmic vending machine removes the give and take in authentic relationships.

God doesn’t want us to stumble, but He does want an authentic, loving relationship with us. He will not force his hand as a domineering spouse that can’t be embarrassed by divorce. He will grant us our request and ‘do it that we may stumble’ or fall out of love with Him. If we desire to leave, He will always grant that request. But, as Jacob 5 shows, He will be ever-present, striving to show us that His love is real and that His path is peace.

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