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Church History Matters
164 - D&C 121 CFM - Enduring Trials And Hardships In Life - E43 October 20-26
00:49:26
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- [00:00]
A
How on earth, Casey, did Joseph Smith write this in the midst of Liberty Jail? And to be able to write this kind of language, like, really shows you what's in the soul of that man. Joseph's a little different person when he emerges from Liberty Jail because he had all this time to reflect, to lament, and to basically rekindle his determination to teach the saints with clarity what God had given him.
- [00:24]
B
This is sort of a preview of what he's going to teach when he gets to Nauvoo.
- [00:29]
A
We also might be asked to endure months or even years long struggles, to be honest, but that suffering is just a small part of our existence, and all suffering is eventually going to come to an end. It's just meant to provide us with a hope and a perspective. I think that suffering will end.
- [00:42]
B
Hello, Scott.
- [00:43]
A
Hello, Casey.
- [00:45]
B
We are here talking about one of my very favorite sections, one of the most powerful sections of the Doctrine Covenants. In my class, I have students choose a section of the Doctrine Covenants and do the. The content, the context. I don't know if I have them. Do the controversies. They're young, but consequences of each section. And these sections are chosen more than any others. I think that they are the most emotionally moving sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, and that has to do with somewhat with the context in which they occur.
- [01:14]
A
Yeah. Sections 121 through 123 this week, folks. These are poignant sections written amidst some of the most difficult times in the entire history of the Church. Certainly one of the most difficult times in Joseph Smith's own life and ministry. And so, yeah, they are dripping with pathos. Right. They've got so much insight in them in the midst of one of the most challenging moments. And so I think we can all resonate to one degree or another as people who experience our own amounts of suffering that waxes and wanes for all of us. And these sections don't just have great nuggets for times when we're suffering, but they seem to have wisdom and insight for all elements of discipleship. Casey, don't you think?
- [02:03]
B
Yes. Elder Holland gave this great talk once called Lessons from Liberty Jail. And the line that resonates with me is when he says, each of us is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail, figuratively speaking, we won't literally go there. But being sort of imprisoned, being subject to unfair persecution, sometimes we're doing the right thing is something every disciple of Jesus Christ can relate to. That might be what makes these sections so powerful.
- [02:29]
A
Yeah, well said. So, yeah, we are going to look Liberty Jail today, everybody. We are going to Liberty Jail. And maybe we won't go into too much detail about the jail itself. We'll talk about it in as much as the context demands it. But Casey, we get a bonus episode this week where we're going to interview our good friend Alex Baugh, one of the, I think, world's experts, wouldn't you say, on Liberty Jail.
- [02:52]
B
I can't think of anybody that knows more than him about Liberty Jail. And so the details of the jail we're probably going to allow Alex to cover. The other thing is there's a lot going on when these revelations are written down, and the context is pretty heavy for this one, too. The other thing that we should mention also is that sections 121, 122 and 123 are all part of the same letter. You can find this on Joseph Smith Papers. It's Letter to the Church in Edward Partridge from April 1839. But what happened was, is there were excerpts taken out of this letter that were then canonized and became section 121, 122 and 123. So we're going to try and give you persp on the entire letter as well and fill in the missing bits that didn't get canonized, but that sometimes provide important context.
- [03:41]
A
Yes, well said. So this is going to be a little different than our typical format where we do context, content, controversies and then consequences per section, because the context for 121 through 123 is exactly the same. Right. It's all the same context. And so let's maybe just dive into that now, if that's okay. Casey. So the context for all three of these sections is what? I mean, set that up for us.
- [04:10]
B
This set of sections is a letter written from Liberty Jail that happens in the immediate aftermath of what is sometimes called the Mormon War, the Second Missouri persecutions, whatever title you want to use from it. Here's the background. So when Joseph Smith first arrives in Missouri, the climate is generally friendly and the Saints there are happy to have him. There's some difficult things that have to happen, like several key leaders of the church, like Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, are excommunicated. Setting that aside, things are fairly cheerful and harmonious when really, starting In August of 1838, tensions kind of boil over and violence between the Saints and their neighbors escalates in this part of northwest Missouri. That eventually leads to a pretty horrific series of events. So sort of the spark that lights the Fuse on. This is August 6, 1838, when a great group of Latter Day Saint men traveled to Gallatin, Missouri, where they attempted to vote but were barred from the polls. A fight breaks out and fortunately no one was killed. But starting there and then from August through September, Missouri vigilantes raided Latter Day Saint settlements with increasing frequency and severity. And some Latter Day Saints also organized their own vigilante forces, informally known as the danites. So on October 1 through 10, for instance, there are 300 mobbers who surrounded the Latter Day Saint community of DeWitt, effectively holding them siege. And when Lilburn Boggs, the Governor of Missouri, was asked to intervene, they asked the governor to put a stop to this. He replied that in his words, the quarrel was between the Mormons and the mob and they must fight it out. So, expecting to find little resistance, these mob forces started making plans to expel Latter Day Saints from all of northern Missouri. In response to these plans, Latter Day Saints moved to halt additional incursions into their territory, switching from passive to active resistance. And on October 18, three latter day Saint companies from Adam Ondiamond launched offenses at Millport, Gallatin and the area known as Grindstone Fork. The situation continues to escalate after the Battle of Crooked river, where David Patton, who's the president of the quorum of the 12, is killed along with two others in a Latter Day Saint led rescue party, while one Missourian on the other side was also killed.
- [06:34]
A
Yeah. And when Governor Boggs receives word of the battle at Crooked river, he respond by issuing his infamous extermination order. It was October 27th. The order read in part, the Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace. Their outrages are beyond all description. And this leads to, on October 30, a contingent of Missouri militia attacking a group of Latter Day Saints in what's come to be known infamously as the Haun's Mill massacre, in which 17 Latter Day Saints were killed and several others were wounded. Meanwhile, following the orders of the governor, Missouri militia began amassing outside of church headquarters at Far West. And less than three days after the extermination order was given, around 2,500 state troops have assembled now south of Far west, preparing for an all out assault on the Saints in the city. And when word reached the city of the massacre at Hans Mill, church leaders sought to find out a way to end the conflict without further bloodshed. And so then George Hinkle, who's the commander of the Far West Militia, a Latter Day Saint was chosen to then go and negotiate with the state militia outside the city. Hinkle actually arrives back in the city and asks for Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and other church leaders to accompany him to the enemy camp for further negotiations. Now, when Joseph and others actually arrive in the military camp, Hinkel betrays them and offers them up as prisoners to the militia. The commanding general on the scene was Samuel D. Lucas. He held a hasty court martial and he actually sentenced the captured church leaders to be executed the following morning in the town square of Far West. Now, we know that doesn't happen, so why not? Well, because this friend of the Saints, Alexander Doniphan, he was a militia commander who was ordered by Samuel Lucas to carry out the executions. He refused the order. Instead, Doniphan sent a letter to General Lucas saying, quote, it is cold blooded murder. I will not obey your order. My brigade shall march for liberty tomorrow morning at 8 o'. Clock. And if you execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God. That's a beautiful moment in our church's history. I love Alexander Donovan. So intimidated by Donovan's bold stand, Lucas ordered his soldiers to take Joseph and his companions to a jail in Independence, Missouri. For the next few weeks, they were shuffled between jails and Independence and Richmond, Missouri, before they finally arrived at Liberty, Missouri on December 1st. 5 Latter Day Saint prisoners in total, you got Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McCrae and Lyman White are all incarcerated together in jail there from December 1, 1838 to April 6, 1839. Sidney Rigdon was also kept in Liberty Jail, though he's released early in February 1839 because of concerns over his health. So the men in Liberty Jail were kept as judicial hostages held to ensure that the Latter Day Saints actually left the state.
- [09:46]
B
Yeah, and as we mentioned, section 121, 122 and 123 are all excerpts from a letter written in late March 1839. It was written in two parts by Joseph and his companions in the jail. The letter was addressed to the Church of Latter Day Saints at Quincy, Illinois, and scattered abroad, and to Bishop Edward Partridge in particular. So the first part is 18 pages long and was sent on March 20, 1839, which is near the end of the prisoner's time in Liberty Jail. Joseph sent the letter to his wife Emma, because he wanted her, along with his mother and father, to have the first reading of it. He said Emma then shared the epistle with the Church. The second part of the letter that was sent just a few days later is 10 pages long in both parts. Joseph Smith wrote to the saints directly, but the writings also include revelatory language in which the Lord spoke to Joseph, offering counsel and solace. And in many ways, the letters mirror the epistles written by Paul in the New Testament. Now, these were added into the Doctrine and covenants in 1876 by Orson Pratt, who's acting under the direction of Brigham Young. And Orson chooses multiple excerpts from the letter to be placed in three sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. We don't know anything about his process, about how or why he chose to include or why he chose to exclude what he did. The letters written from Liberty Jail constitute these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, and they contain some of the most sublime writing of Joseph Smith anywhere. Like beautiful, beautiful writing here. There's the context, but there's still more we have to share, but we'll kind of share it as we go because there's so much going on in the church at this time.
- [11:23]
A
Okay, good. All right, let's head into the content. So because, as you mentioned, Casey, these sections are simply Excerpts from Joseph's March 20th letter, we're going to try to indicate the seams of those excerpts as we go along. Like, for instance, verse 1 here of Doctrine Covenants 121 is not actually the beginning of Joseph Smith's letter. It's the verse that contains the poignant questions, oh, God, where art thou? Where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? Like just a powerful beginning here to section 121. Let me just read a portion of the material that precedes verse one, which I think sets up verse one to be even more poignant. So here's a couple paragraphs earlier where Joseph says, we have no need to say to you, meaning the saints now gathered over in Quincy, Illinois, that we are held in bonds without cause. Neither is it needful that you say to us we are driven from our homes and smitten without cause. We mutually understand that if the inhabitants of the state of Missouri had let the saints alone and had been as desirable of peace as we were, there would have been nothing but peace and quietude in the state unto this day. We should not have been in this hell surrounded with demons, if not those who are damned, they are those who shall be damned, he says in parentheses. And where we are compelled to hear nothing but blasphemous oaths and witness a scene of blasphemy and drunkenness and hypocrisy, and debaucheries every description. And again the cries of orphans and widows would not have ascended up to God against them, nor would innocent blood have stained the soil of Missouri. But, oh, the unrelenting hand, the inhumanity and murderous disposition of this people. It shocks all nature. It beggars and defies all description. It is a tale of woe, a lamentable tale, yea, a sorrowful tale, too much to tell, too much for contemplation, too much for human beings that a man should be mangled for sp hurt women be robbed of all that they have, their last morsel for subsistence, and then be violated to gratify the hellish desires of the mob and finally left to perish with their helpless offspring clinging around their necks. Oh, the writing here is just overwhelming. They practice these things upon the saints who have done them no wrong, who are innocent and virtuous, who loved the Lord their God and were willing to forsake all things for Christ's sake. These things are awful to relate, but they are verily true. It must needs be that offenses come, but woe unto them by whom they come. O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? So you see, right there, that's the seamless transition right into those questions, like, he's just been recounting some of the most awful things that have been done to them as a people. And then comes the spontaneous cry, right, where is your pavilion, God? Pavilion, Right. This is a large movable tent, similar to, like, the tabernacle of the ancient Israelites. King David uses this imagery and his pleas to God. The point is, he's asking, when will you come out of your hiding place? When will you show yourself and intervene on our behalf?
- [14:26]
B
Yeah. And then the questions continue on that same vein. How long shall thy hand be stayed? And thine eye, yea, thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants. And thy ear be penetrated with their cries. Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions before thine heart shall be softened toward them? Them and thy bowels be moved with compassion towards them. So if you're looking at it in context, Joseph's questions here in verses 13 don't seem to be coming from a lack of faith in God. In fact, earlier in the letter, he writes this. Our circumstances are calculated to awaken our spirits to a sacred remembrance of everything. And we think that yours are also, and that nothing, therefore, can separate us from the love of God. So if he doesn't seem to be questioning the power or goodness of God, or even if God would intervene on his saints, his questions are, when are you going to do this? When are you going to intervene on our behalf? And then in verses 4 through 6, he directly asks for the intervention on their behalf, picking it up in verse 4. O Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven, earth and seas, of all things that in them are and who control us and subject us the devil and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol. Stretch forth thine hand, let thine eye pierce. Let thy pavilion be taken up. Let thy hiding place no longer be covered. Let thine ear be inclined, let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us. Let thine anger be killed against our enemies, and in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs. Remember thy suffering saints, O our God, and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever. So it seems like the prophet is pleading for deliverance for the saints and vengeance for his enemies. And there's another big seam here between verses 6 and 7. In doctrine and Covenants 121, the thought seems to flow together nicely. So verse 6 ends Joseph's plea, and verse 7 begins God's response. But in the letter there's several paragraphs between these two verses. We won't read them all. But here's the paragraph in the letter that comes just before verse seven. He writes, we received some letters last evening, one from Emma, one from Don C. Smith, and one from Bishop Partridge, all breathing a kind and consoling spirit. We were much gratified with their contents. We had been a long time without information. And when we read those letters, they were to our souls as the gentle air is refreshing. But our joy was mingled with grief because of the sufferings of the poor and much injured saints. And we need not say to you that the floodgates of our hearts were lifted and our eyes were a fountain of tears. But those who have not been enclosed in the walls of a prison without cause or provocation can have but little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is. One token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling. It brings up in an instant everything that has passed. It seizes the present with the avidity of lightning. It grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger. It moves the mind backward and forward from one thing to another until finally all enmity, malice and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagements are slain at the feet of hope. And when the heart is sufficiently contrite, the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers, my son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment. So you'll notice that in the original letter, the Lord's answer did not follow Joseph's earlier pleas in verses one through six. But Orson Pratt arranged the two excerpts in section 121 so that they would be next to each other and form a continuous thought which goes on without break until the next seam in the letter, which is around verse 25.
- [18:24]
A
And that's so interesting that the principle that he was talking about that leads to the voice of inspiration coming to him was friendship. Like getting a letter from friends, the voice of a friend is so consoling, it gets rid of the hatred, the malice, the enmity, stills the soul long enough that the spirit of inspiration can come along and whisper, boom. That's so good. So let's walk through these verses of the Lord's response in the midst of this stillness of soul in prison. Verse 7 Again, my son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine affliction shall be but a small moment. And then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high. Thou shalt triumph over all thy foes, thy friends. There's that principle. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands. Thou art not yet as Job. Thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression as they did Job. So again, this powerful principle of friendship, undergirding the stillness of soul that led to the inspiration and a reaffirmation that your friends are still with you. In addition to that, the Lord, I think, is teaching two really important principles about suffering that we often like to highlight, and I think they're worth highlighting. The first one here is that our sufferings on earth are just a small moment in the scale of eternity, right? Even a multiple months long stay in the terrible circumstances of liberty jail, what Joseph called hell, right? Being surrounded by demons was but a short period in the Lord's view of time. We also might be asked to endure months or even, you know, years long struggles to be honest, right? Like. But that suffering is just a small part of our existence and all sufferings eventually going to come to an end. The Lord is saying here, here. And so in the full measure of our existence, the suffering we endure here can be kept in, in perspective of eternity. I don't think the intent of this teaching was to belittle or diminish the sufferings that Joseph was then enduring or that any of us would endure. Right. It's just meant to provide us with a hope and a perspective. I think that suffering will end. Like as Elder Holland once said, all things ultimately work out in the end. And so if they haven't worked out yet, then it's not the end, but it's going to, right? There is peace waiting for us on the other end, end of our suffering. That's powerful. And then secondly, the Lord teaches Joseph that if he endures suffering well, God shall exalt the on high, verse eight. That's interesting, right? Suffering endured well can be exalting. All of us are going to suffer, right? Obviously, that's a truism. We all suffer. But it doesn't sound like the Lord saying everyone will suffer well. It's almost like suffering is not a choice, but suffering well is a choice. Which reminds me of Ann Morrow Lindbergh's quotation, I love this quote. She said, I don't believe that sheer suffering teaches. Like, we hear that all the time, right? You learn by your suffering. Suffering is a good teacher, good mentor, or whatever she says. I don't. I don't believe that. I don't believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, then all the world would be wise. Since everyone suffers to suffer well. Ann says we must add to our suffering. Mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable. That's her list. But I love that idea that to suffer well is a choice. All your suffering is not necessarily going to educate you and teach you anything unless you suffer it well, which is this openness of soul, of mourning, understanding, patience, love, and openness. So good. Now, we do know that the time that the prophet spent in Liberty jail was a sanctifying experience for him. Like near the end of his time in jail, he wrote a letter to Presendia Huntington Buell where he actually reflects about this and what's happened to his own soul in the midst of his suffering. Here's what he wrote to her. He said, quote, no tongue can tell what inexpressible joy it gives me to see the face of one who's been a friend after having been enclosed in the walls of a prison for five months. It seems to me that my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before. And then near the end of the letter, he said, for my part, I think I never could have felt as I now do, if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered. All things shall work together for the good to them that love God, he says, quoting Romans 8:28. This principle of the Lord's teaching in verse 8 Joseph says, that totally happened to me during that five months of incarceration.
- [22:44]
B
Then the Lord in verses 11 through 16 sort of turns to talk about the fate of those who attacked and abused the saints so severely. So if you pick it up in verse 11, they who do charge thee with transgressions, their hope shall be blasted their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun. And I should mention the term hoar frost here refers to the morning frost that's quickly swept away under the sun's light and warmth. Then he goes on and says, and also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the time and seasons and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings, that he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness, and also because their hearts hearts are corrupted and the things which they are willing to bring upon others and love to have others suffer may come upon themselves to the very uttermost that they may be disappointed also, and their hopes may be cut off and not many years hence that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, and that not one of them is left to stand by the wall. Cursed are they that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry, they have sinned, when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that which was meet in my eyes, and which I commanded them. So these verses contain a lot of severe curses upon the saints persecutors, which are direct but probably appropriate for the crimes that they committed in Missouri. And as for the not many years hence prophecy in verse 15, you'll remember that back in our discussion of section 103 awful destruction does come to the inhabitants of Jackson county and the adjoining counties in 1863. This is during the American Civil War, when General Thomas Ewing and his Jayhawkers, that was their name, absolutely decimate that region after the Lawrence Massacre. So a lot of this is fulfilled. It just takes a couple years and the saints to leave the area before it occurs.
- [24:45]
A
Then verses 17 through 25 are addressing those who swear falsely against my servants, or in other words, the apostates who turned against Joseph Smith and the saints during the persecutions in Missouri, like those who could Be included in this group are, like apostles, Thomas B. Marsh, orson Hyde, William McClellan, as well as close associates like W.W. phelps. Thomas B. Marsh, for instance, he actually swore out an affidavit claiming that the plan of said Smith, the Prophet, is to take this state, Missouri. And he professes to his people to intend taking the United States and ultimately the whole world. World that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Holy smokes, right? Like Marsh, what's happening? Orson Hyde swore out a similar affidavit against the Prophet. And in response to this apostasy, the Lord declares here that they are cut off from the ordinances of my house. Verse 19. That they have lost their right and that of their posterity to the priesthood. That's verse 21. And that it had been better for them that a millstone had had been hanged about their necks and they drowned in the depths of the sea. Verse 22. You recognize that as something that the Savior said about those who hurt innocent children in the New Testament. This is the sternest of language to those who have apostatized. And we should remember that many of those who apostatize in Missouri, such As Orson High, W.W. phelps and Thomas B. Marsh, will later repent and return to the faith, which is amazing. Sadly, on the other hand, others like William McClellan, Sampson Avard, and George Hinkle, never do return.
- [26:20]
B
Yeah, there's another seam in the letter between verses 25 and 26. In fact, there are multiple paragraphs in the letter between these two verses which touch on a variety of things, including Abrahamic trials, practical counsel about determining where the saints should now live, warnings about pride, haughtiness, flattery, and what he calls a fanciful and flowery and heated imagination. In fact, he says says a fanciful and flowery and heated imagination. Beware of. Because the things of God are of deep import and time and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. So this is starting the transition to the subject that's going to pick up in verse 26. So the lead into verse 26 reads as follows. Thy mind, O man, if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss and the broad expanse of eternity. Thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God than the vain imaginations of the human heart. None but fools will trifle with the souls of men. Therefore, we beseech of you, brethren, that you bear with those who do not feel themselves more worthy than yourselves, while we exhort one another to a reformation with one and all, both old and young, teachers and taught, both high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female, female, let honesty and sobriety and candor and solemnity and virtue and pureness and meekness and simplicity, crown our heads in every place and in fine become as little children without malice, guile, or hypocrisy. And now, brethren, after your tribulations, if you do these things and exercise fervent prayer and faith in the sight of God always this is where verse 26 begins. He shall give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit. So Note that verse 26 is actually mid sentence in the original letter. This is some good editing. It's the consequence of carefully pondering the things of God and humbly engaging in reformation towards honesty, sobriety, candor, virtue, pureness, meekness and simplicity. If you do these things, Joseph writes, then pick it up in verse 26 God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost that has not been revealed since the world was until now, which our forefathers have awaited an anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as he held in reserve for the fullness of their glory. A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest. All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens, or the seas, or to the dry land, or the sun, moon, or stars, all the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months and years, and all the days of their days, months and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times, according to that which was ordained in the midst of midst of the counsel of the eternal God of all other gods before this world was that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.
- [29:52]
A
Now there's another small little seam here that exists between verses 32 and 33. There's just one additional paragraph between them in the letter which I actually find really helpful to understanding the language of verse 33. It reads like this. But I beg leave to say unto you, brethren, that ignorance, superstition, and bigotry, placing itself where it ought not, is oftentimes in the way of the prosperity of this church. Like the torrent of rain from the mountains that floods the most pure and crystal stream with mire and dirt and filthiness, and obscures everything that was clear before, and all rushes along in one general deluge. But time weathers time. And notwithstanding we are rolled in the mire of the flood for the time being, the next surge, peradventure, as time rolls on, may bring to us the fountain as clear as crystal and as pure as snow, while the filthiness, floodwood and rubbish is left and purged out of the way. Then verse 33, how long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? That's so good, right? The imagery here is like, you have clean water and there's a torrent that makes it all muddy again, but over time it's going to, like, work itself out. It's going to become pure again. How long can rolling waters remain impure if there's a constant stream coming into them? That's really helpful context. And then what power will stop the heavens from pouring down? Revelation, he says, as well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it upstream as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter Day Saints. That's so good. Like, from the confines of Liberty Jail, you start to see, and you see in some of his letters, too, that Joseph longed so much to, like, be back with the saints and to be. To be teaching them. Like one letter that he wrote from Jail, one of my favorites, he said this. He said, I want the blessing once more to lift my voice in the midst of the saints. I would pour out my soul to God for their instruction. It's been the plan of the devil to hamper me and distress me from the beginning, to keep me from explaining myself to them. And I never have had opportunity to give them the plan that God has revealed to me. And we know that after Joseph does escape Liberty Jail, he goes to Nauvoo, and he's going to unload for the next five years as he's there. He's going to just try to get all of it out, right? He doesn't need Sidney Rigdon anymore as his spokesman. He doesn't need Oliver Cowdery there to, like, help him out. Wordsmiths like W.W. phelps, he just basically clears the way and he says, I'm now going to, like, try to give you the plan that God has revealed to me. Joseph's a little different person when he emerges from Liberty Jail because he had all this time to reflect, to lament, and to basically rekindle his determination to teach the saints with clarity what God had given him as the revelation continued to pour forth. In fact, you saw a little hints of Nauvoo doctrine right here in these verses, right? Like the counsel of the eternal God of all the other gods before the world was whether there are many gods or just one God. Like that language here. Joseph's going to unfold that in Nauvoo, isn't he? He's going to talk about gods in the plural sense. You could argue he started doing that ever since the first vision when he said, there's a father and a son son that are separate and distinct. Those are two gods. But he's also going to expand that in the book of Abraham. We see that in Kirtland a little bit, but that's going to again, mature in Nauvoo. He's going to talk a little bit in more detail about that. That council of the gods, for instance, like in the King Fallet discourse, he explains, quote, in the beginning, the head of the gods called a council of the gods, and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. When we begin to learn in this way, we begin to learn the only true God and what kind of a being we've got to worship. Isn't that a fascinating paragraph? A council of gods came together to concoct a plan, and that teaches us about the only true God. Well, which is it? Is it a council of gods? There's only one true God. For Joseph, there was no contradiction here. There's one God that we worship, but there are many gods, actually. And boy, so you see those seeds right here, and we're going to watch them germinate and flourish in Nauvoo, aren't we?
- [34:08]
B
Yeah, Nauvoo is where those ideas kind of come to full flower. But it's interesting that this is sort of a preview of what he's going to teach when he gets to Nauvoo. And it's also a good breaking point because verses 34 through 46 in section 121 actually come from the second letter that they compose while they're in Liberty Jail. And I mean, in many ways it's a continuation of the first letter, but it does bring in a couple interesting thoughts. For instance, the material that immediately precedes verses 34 to 46 reads as follows. It says, we have a fervent desire that in your general conferences everything should be discussed with a great deal of care and propriety, lest you grieve the Holy Spirit, which shall be poured out at all times upon your heads, when you are exercised with those principles of righteousness that are agreeable to the mind of God, and are properly affected towards toward another and are careful by all means to remember those who are in bondage, and in heaviness, and in deep affliction for your sakes and if there are any among you who aspire after their own aggrandizement, and seek their own opulence, while their brethren are groaning in poverty, and are under sore trials and temptations, they cannot be benefited by the intercession of the Holy Spirit, which maketh intercession for us day and night, with groanings that cannot be uttered. We ought at all times to be very careful, that such high mindedness shall never have place in our hearts, but condescend to men of low estate, and with all long sufferings bear the infirmities of the weak. This is where verse 34 comes in. Behold, there are many are called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men men that they do not learn this one lesson, that the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness that they may be conferred upon us. It is true. But when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves. The Spirit of the Lord is grieved, and when it is withdrawn, amen. To the priesthood or authority of that man. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. We have learned by sad experience, that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen. So doctrine and covenants 121, 34, 40 gives the true origin of power in the priesthood. Priesthood offices and priesthood authority are bestowed on Church members through the laying out of hands by one with proper authorization. But power in the priesthood. Priesthood comes from personal righteousness. Using priesthood office to cover our sins, to gratify our pride, or to exercise unrighteous dominion. These things all diminish the power of the priesthood holder to do good and carry out God's work. And when Joseph Smith declares that these teachings about the priesthood came through sad experience, that's in verse 39. He's drawing on the events of the previous few months. Joseph and his companions. Companions are there in liberty jail precisely because their enemies inside and outside the church were guilty of these same sins.
- [37:51]
A
Yeah, he's not just philosophizing here. He's like we have just learned by sad experience that it's the nature and disposition of almost everyone who gets some office in the church, some authority, they start to aggrandize themselves. Right? That's the paragraph right before verse 34 begins is about self aggrandizement. It's about high mindedness, it's about pride. The warning against seeking to gratify our own Pride in verse 37 I think is particularly important. Like you remember President Ezra Taft Benson. He taught a lot about pride. He said some great things. One of the things he said is this. He said the proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C.S. lewis, Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. It's the comparison that makes you proud. The pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone. Close quote from C.S. lewis. President Benson continues. In the pre earthly council, Lucifer placed his proposal in competition with the Father's plan as advocated by Jesus Christ. So pride in priesthood office is super interesting, right? To think about how, how those who had been in positions of authority, even apostles, some of them are the ones who turned against Joseph. They're some of the ones who tried to gratify their own position, tried to escape persecution by turning against the prophet, by joining with their enemies. This is sad, sad stuff. When we seek authority for our own personal aggrandizement, our personal gratification, or for the purpose of dominating somebody else. I'm hearing these verses say we will lose true power, we will lose true authority when we try to do that. Priesthood office and authority in the priesthood comes with its own safety protocols. Like the moment a person attempts to use it for the wrong purpose, like it ceases to function for them. Right. Anyone who seeks to use their priesthood office for the wrong reasons is essentially. I like his language here. Kicking against the pricks, right? This idea, this comes from that language In Acts chapter 9, when Saul is on the road to Damascus and he's told about kicking against the pricks. The image of an animal kicking against the sharp stick behind it meant to kind of goat it in the right direction. Like it's self destructive. That's the idea, right? I remember Elder Maxwell saying selfishness is really just self destruction in slow motion. Like it's, it's just, it's self inflicted harm. But in the moment you don't always sense that. So those who misuse their position in the priesthood in the ways described here are eventually going to self destruct. It's, it's spiritual death coming from self inflicted wounds. And by the way, this is not just good stuff for priesthood officers. This is good stuff for anyone who's ever in a position of authority or power over anybody else. This is parents, teachers, government leaders, doesn't matter. Like, these principles are so beautiful.
- [40:36]
B
Other sections of the Doctrine and Covenants outline responsibilities of church leaders. But this is probably the best practical advice for all church leaders. Like, I find myself constantly thinking about, about the council in the next few verses in any calling I'm in and any calling that any person, regardless of what their background is.
- [40:58]
A
I think about it as a parent all the time too. I have ultimate authority, right? Me and my wife have ultimate authority in our home. It's like, how are we going to use that? Here's what the lord says. Verse 41. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood. That's interesting. In other words, words, you don't appeal to your priesthood office as to why someone should obey you. Only he says by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness and meekness and love unfeigned. In a church setting, it's not, you obey me because I'm the bishop. You obey me because I'm an apostle. You obey me because I'm the Relief Society president. That's, don't, don't do it with your office. Use persuasion. Joseph Smith didn't say obey me because I'm the prophet. He engaged. Now he's not perfect, but he engaged, engaged in persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love, unfeigned. I'm thinking in a parent setting, you will obey me because I'm the parent. You will honor my authority, right? When you do it, when you do it like that, you might get short term gains, but long term you're going to start to lose power and influence. But if you use persuasion, long suffering gentleness, meekness, unfeigned love, unfaked love. Don't fake it. Verse 42. Kindness. Pure knowledge which shall greatly enlarge the soul. Without hypocrisy and without guile. Reprove betimes with sharpness. If you need to, like early on, like as you know when moved upon by the Holy Ghost. But then always make sure you show forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy, that he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death. That's so good. Like, the reason I'm correcting you is because I love you. I love you. I love you to death. Verse 45. Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, all humanity, and to the household of faith, that is, to the church, to church members. Right? And let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly. Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. And the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. And the Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion. And thy scepter, an unchanging scepter, that's a symbol of leadership, isn't it? A scepter. Your scepter will be an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth. And thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion and without compulsory means. It shall flow unto thee forever and ever. That is so good. If you want true, lasting leadership, the kind that flows to you without compulsory means, where you don't have to force people to do your will, but they are drawn to you. They're drawn to your leadership. They want to follow you, right? They kind of think about Jesus, right? The kind of. It's like I just. I want to follow. He's not demanding. He's not pummeling me with consequences. It's gentleness, it's meekness, it's love unfeigned, it's kindness, it's pure knowledge that draws my heart out to him. Like, we can be like that for other people if we'll do it in this way. And by the way, I just got to say, like, how on earth, Casey did Joseph Smith write this in the midst of liberty jail, when he had received, he'd been on the receiving end of the exact opposite of all of these qualities, right? By the Missouri mobs. Talk about compulsory means. He's in jail, right? And to be Able to write this kind of language, like, really shows you what's in the soul of that man. You know, like, if you want to know what a person's really like, put them under really stressful situations. Right. It just shows you what's inside heart of this incredible prophet.
- [44:20]
B
Yeah, beautiful stuff. And I will note that usually when we talk about leadership, we talk about people that have, like, dominating personalities or are kind of overbearing, like somebody that sort of shapes the people around them to their will. But the leadership model that's laid out Here in verses 41 to 46 follows a different way. The way of the Gospel, the way of Jesus Christ. It means you serve in meekness and humility. And instead of. Of dominating others. The Savior taught, this is from Mark, Mark 10:43, 44. Whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, and whosoever you will be the chiefest shall be the servant of all. He demonstrates that leaders who act in the Lord's way are like rivers that multiple smaller streams flow into. The river places itself in a lower position than its tributaries, and then the water just kind of flows down to it. Naturally. The Savior never put himself above his disciples. Instead, he loved and served them in. It puts to mind one of his last acts, which is he washes the feet of his apostles and then teaches, if I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. But in an uncanonized part of the letter from which section 121 was taken, Joseph Smith taught, a frank and open rebuke. Provoketh a good man to emulation, and in the hour of trouble, he will be your best friend. But on the other hand, it will draw out all the corruption of a corruption heart. So there is a little bit in there about being direct and reproving people, even with sharpness, which my understanding is not being mean, it's being precise. But he's also adding this. After you do that, if you have to rebuke somebody, you show an increase of love afterwards. You don't cut them off, you don't shun them. You go to them and you let them know the reason why you had to do what you. You did is because you care, not because you hate them or despise them or anything like that. So, I mean, just some of the best, most poignant passages of the entire Doctrine and Covenants are found here. And some of the best advice for good leadership, for good stewardship, for just good relationships, frankly.
- [46:31]
A
Yeah, 100%. Those are some of my favorite passages and like UKCI, my mind goes to them often because of relationships that I'm in as a parent or in church callings. It's like, how, how do we do this again? Because I feel all those natural impulses to, you know, just like, let's, let's, let's do this quickly. Let's cut to the chase. Let's. If my, if my kid doesn't see, you know, the, the reasoning behind a thing, it's like, don't worry about it, just do it because I said so. Like, let's come on, like, stop challenging my authority. You know, Like, I feel, I feel those impulses, but it's like, slow down, slow down, slow down. Like, do you want long term leadership? Do you want long term influence? Or do you want, do you just want a quick win? Like, think about that. Do you want the kind of leadership that flows into you forever? Or as soon as they're out of the house, they're like, man, I never want to be around that guy again. Section121 makes me think carefully about that kind of thing. So love it. Love it so much.
- [47:24]
B
Yeah. And sometimes Latter Day Saints are characterized as being authoritarian and we can be guilty of that. But these passages have been so instructive me, to me, especially when I've served in leadership colleagues to basically say, no, it's your job to build consensus and to use meekness and kindness and love unfeigned to get people that. Honestly, if you're just trying to dominate people. The phrase unrighteous dominion appears in this section. You're missing the point. That's not how we lead. And I think most people would be surprised if they appeared in a word council, council meeting or a presidency meeting. That there is so much of this meekness and kindness and just trying to love people into doing the right thing and not as much dominating. Do this or you will suffer sort of rhetoric that I just don't see very often in the church, to be honest.
- [48:22]
A
Hopefully the lessons of Section121 here are sinking deep into our hearts. If not, I know for me they can go deeper. All of us will be better if we apply those verses on leadership 100%. I am convicted in my soul that that is true. Well, Casey, with that, that's the end of section 121 as we have it. Incidentally, there is no break in the letter between section 121 and 122. But we are going to put a little pause here in our recording. Let's end episode one of this week here because we've gone on almost an hour here. And then why don't you join us in our next episode where we'll go through sections 122 and 123, continuing right where we left off. And we'll wrap this. These revelations up. How's that sound, Casey?
- [49:03]
B
Yeah. So, second part of the Liberty Jail letters. We'll see you then.
- [49:19]
A
Ra.