Day 23 - Alma 38-43; D&C 89-92

[pam]

Discussion

[KeithLBrown]

The Word Of Wisdom

Doctrine and Covenants 89

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

President Boyd K. Packer, “Counsel to Young Men,” Ensign, May 2009, 49–52

When I was five years old, I became very ill. It turned out that I had polio, a disease that was completely unknown to the small-town doctor. I lay for several weeks on a World War I army cot in our front room beside a coal stove. Afterward, I could not walk. I remember very clearly sliding around on the linoleum floor and pulling myself up on chairs, learning to walk again. I was more fortunate than some. A friend walked with crutches and steel leg braces all of his life.

As I moved into school, I found that my muscles were weak. I was very self-conscious. I knew that I could never be an athlete.

It did not help a lot when I read about the man who went to a doctor to find a cure for his inferiority complex. After a careful examination, the doctor told him, “You don’t have a complex. You really are inferior!”

With that for encouragement, I set about through life and determined to compensate in other ways.

I found hope in my patriarchal blessing. The patriarch, whom I had never met before, confirmed to me that patriarchs do have prophetic insight. He said that I had a desire to come to earth life and was willing to meet the tests that would accompany life in a mortal body. He said that I had been given a body of such physical proportion and fitness to enable my spirit to function through it unhampered by physical impediment. That encouraged me.

I learned that you should always take care of your body. Take nothing into your body that will harm it, such as we are counseled in the Word of Wisdom: tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, or anything else that is habit-forming, addictive, or harmful.

Read section 89 in the Doctrine and Covenants. You will find great promises:

“All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

“And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

And then this promise: “And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.”

President N. Eldon Tanner, “Trusting the Lord’s Promise,” Ensign, Aug 1981, 2

Too often we think of the promise as pertaining only to observance of the Word of Wisdom, but if you will note the phrase in the first sentence, it states, “walking in obedience to the commandments,” which means that we observe not only the counsel in this revelation, but keep the other commandments in order to obtain the promise.

This revelation has such far-reaching effects on so many aspects of our lives, and on the social behavior of those in our communities, that I firmly believe most of the ills of society today could be cured by the acceptance and observance of the Word of Wisdom.

Consider, if you will, the spiritual, moral, physical, and economic problems caused by the use of tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol. Evidence is continually surfacing to show the harmful effects of these substances, not only on the user, but also on the unborn fetus. I need not go into detail about how much money we spend on welfare services, lawsuits, and other legal fees, as well as on vandalism, cigarette-related fires, and restoration of public and private property caused by the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.

How fortunate we are to belong to a church with a prophet to guide us who receives direction from our Heavenly Father! Throughout the ages God has revealed his will to man through his prophets, and when the people have followed the prophet, they have been blessed and prospered. We should be grateful for the principle of revelation and accept the word of the Lord without having to wait for science to prove its truthfulness.

Parental example is the greatest method of teaching youth what they must do to gain the promised blessings from the Lord. Young people are most fortunate if they live in a home where parents teach and observe the Word of Wisdom. They must carefully consider the consequences and the effect their teaching and example will have on the children who have been entrusted to their care.

No one would knowingly go into his garden or a forest of beautiful trees and pour a mixture of poisons at the roots of flowers or shrubs or other growth which have been cultivated for our pleasure. Yet there are those who make no effort to stop, but actually assist in getting people to use the habit-forming substances which eventually poison the bodies and minds of those who indulge, causing many forms of illness, and even death.

President James E. Faust, “The Enemy Within,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 44–46

Robert Louis Stevenson captured this constant struggle between good and evil in the classic novel about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The story tells us that in the beginning “Dr. Jekyll is a highly respected London physician, a good and kindly man, who in his youth had showed inclinations toward evil which, however, he succeeded in suppressing. Interested in drugs, the doctor now chances upon one which enables him to change his external form to that of a repulsive dwarf, the very embodiment of evil, whom he calls Mr. Hyde. A similar dose permits him to return to the form and personality of the benevolent doctor. Many times the doctor becomes Mr. Hyde, thereby giving this side of his nature more and more power. Jekyll finds it increasingly difficult to regain his virtuous entity and also finds himself occasionally becoming Hyde without the use of the drug.” 6 In the character of Mr. Hyde, he commits murder, and when the drug will no longer restore him to the kindly Dr. Jekyll, the truth is discovered and Hyde kills himself. The misuse of drugs destroyed his life. So it can be in real life.

Now the key to never turning into an evil, wicked Mr. Hyde is to determine not to yield to destroying temptations. Never, never experiment with any addictive substance. Do not ever use tobacco in any form or take any other enslaving substances. Stay away from intoxicating liquor. Addictions bring tragic consequences that are hard to overcome.

Blessings come from holding true to our principles. When I was the president of the Cottonwood stake, one of our stake patriarchs was Dr. Creed Haymond. He would occasionally bear strong testimony of the Word of Wisdom. As a young man he was the captain of the University of Pennsylvania track team. In 1919 Brother Haymond and his team were invited to participate in the annual Inter-Collegiate Association track meet. The night before the track meet his coach, Lawson Robertson, who coached several Olympic teams, instructed his team members to drink some sherry wine. In those days, coaches wrongly felt that wine was a tonic for muscles hardened through rigorous training. All the other team members took the sherry, but Brother Haymond refused because his parents had taught him the Word of Wisdom. Brother Haymond became very anxious because he did not like to be disobedient to his coach. He was to compete against the fastest men in the world. What if he made a poor showing the next day? How could he face his coach?

The next day at the track meet the rest of the team members were very ill and performed poorly or were even too sick to run. Brother Haymond, however, felt well and won the 100- and 220-yard dashes. His coach told him, “You just ran the two hundred and twenty yards in the fastest time it has ever been run by any human being.” That night and for the rest of his life, Creed Haymond was grateful for his simple faith in keeping the Word of Wisdom.

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Alma 38:12 bridle all your passions

Satan would like us to believe that to be religious we must “stifle” all our passions. He teaches that religion demands that we be monk-like, emotionless, boring, and incapable of any strong feelings. This, of course, is a typical twisting of the truth. A bridle is placed so that the horse’s direction can be controlled. A bridle does not slow the horse’s speed, it just points it in the right direction. So it is with our emotions and passions. The Lord does not expect us to stifle them. He does not expect us to be emotionless, impassionate robots. Rather, he wants us to express our passions and deepest emotions in the proper channels, within the bounds that are appropriate for their full expression.

Boyd K. Packer

“A bridle is used to guide, to direct. Our passion is to be controlled-but not controlled by extermination, as with a plague of insects; not controlled by eradication, as with a disease. It is to be controlled as electricity is controlled, to generate power and life. When lawfully used, the power of procreation will bless and it will sanctify (see Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977], p. 309).” (The Things of the Soul, p. 109)

Bruce R. McConkie

“The Lord has placed in our bodies certain passions and certain appetites; perhaps the strongest of these deal with what we call the sex urges. Now if we walk in an unbridled manner, after the way of the world, and are immoral and lascivious and unclean, then we are reveling in the basest sort of carnal existence. But if, on the other hand, we have the strength of character and the fortitude and ability to stand up like men and bridle our passions and control our lusts and use the sex urges in the manner in which the Lord has ordained that they should be used -- which is wholesome and pure and right -- if we walk without any form of sex immorality, then we are rising above the animal plane, and we are walking in the realm of spiritual things.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1958, p. 70)

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Alma 39:1 I have somewhat more to say unto thee

Corianton gets the dubious distinction of a long dissertation from his father. Shiblon was so righteous that he only needed a 15-verse lecture. Corianton, on the other hand, gets a 91-verse reprimand. This advice was spawned by Alma’s great love for Coriaton. Hugh Nibley said, “Corianton was a wild guy, but his father had a sneaking likeness for his youngest son.” (Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Lect. 55, p. 454)

We should be thankful for this length of Alma’s fatherly advice. In the next four chapters, Alma discusses fundamental doctrines about sexual sin, the spirit world, the resurrection, the punishment of the sinner, and the relationship between mercy and justice. Alma’s advice on these subjects is so filled with the spirit of revelation that it provides one of the great testimonies to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Finally, we realize that Alma not only had somewhat more to say to Corianton, but he also had somewhat more to say to us.

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Alma 39:6 if ye deny the Holy Ghost

What does it mean to deny the Holy Ghost? If this is the worst possible sin, the answer to this question is crucially important. The Savior explained that anything spoken against the Son of Man would be forgiven, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come (Matt 12:32). However, it is impossible to deny the Holy Ghost without also denying the Christ. Therefore, in order to qualify as a son of Perdition, the individual must deny both the Holy Ghost and the Savior, Having denied the Holy spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame (DC 76:35).

Furthermore, we are to understand that in order to deny the Holy Ghost, the individual must have first had a strong testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost, ‘[The sons of perdition are] all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power (DC 76:31).’ Another key element comes from Alma. He states that the rebellion is a willful rebellion, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it.

The last element is that the sons of perdition must “endure to the end.” In other words, they continue in sin because it is impossible for them to repent (Heb 6:4-6). Then, at the last day, they are found filthy still, That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still (DC 88:35).

Joseph Smith

“All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against Him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it; and from that time he begins to be an enemy.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 358 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 333)

Joseph Fielding Smith

“All who partake of this, the greatest of sins, sell themselves as did Cain to Lucifer. They learn to hate the truth with an eternal hatred, and they learn to love wickedness. They reach a condition where they will not and cannot repent. The spirit of murder fills their hearts and they would, if they had the power, crucify our Lord again, which they virtually do by fighting his work and seeking to destroy it and his prophets.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 49)

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Alma 40:2 there is no resurrection…until after the coming of Christ

Some have been confused by the story of the raising of Lazarus (Jn 11). Obviously, Lazarus was brought back to life prior to the resurrection of Christ. However, Lazarus was not resurrected according to Alma’s definition, for he was brought back to a mortal state. His mortal body did not put on immortality, nor did his corruption put on incorruption.

Hence the term “firstfruits” does not mean that Christ was the first dead person to be brought back to life. Rather, it means that he was the first to be resurrected with an immortal body.

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Alma 40:11 the spirits of all men…are taken home to that God who gave them life

In Ecclesiastes, we read the same doctrine about death, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it (Eccl 12:7). The reader should not assume by these scriptures that the spirit will go back to reside with God on His celestialized throne, for this is not the case. What then does Alma mean by the phrase “taken home?”

Death is a time of judgment—not the final judgment—but a judgment nonetheless. Nephi tells us that the wicked will be taken to behold the face of God at the time of death, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face and remain in their sins (2 Ne 9:38). Nephi seems to be teaching that the wicked will behold the face of God in their sinful state. This is an unusual doctrine for those of us who are familiar with the scriptures which say, no unclean thing can dwell with God (1 Ne 10:21). But these wicked souls are not returning to God to dwell in his presence, they are beholding his face as a painful judgment against them and their wickedness. Brigham Young said, “If the wicked wish to escape from his presence, they must go where he is not, where he does not live, where his influence does not preside. To find such a place is impossible, except they go beyond the bounds of time and space.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 376-77)

Likewise, the righteous are also “taken home” to behold the face of God, presumably for judgment. Apparently, Joseph Smith thought that he would behold the face of God at the time of his death (DC 130:15-16). Nevertheless, these righteous souls do not have to be brought into the presence of God in order to see his face. Brigham Young explains how it is possible to behold the face of God without being ushered into his immediate presence.

Brigham Young

“[Where does the spirit go after death?] I will tell you. Will I locate them? Yes, if you wish me to. They do not pass out of the organization of this earth on which we live. You read in the Bible that when the spirit leaves the body it goes to God who gave it. Now tell me where God is not, if you please; you cannot. How far would you have to go in order to go to God, if your spirits were unclothed? Would you have to go out of this bowery to find God, if you were in the spirit? ... It reads that the spirit goes to God who gave it. Let me render this Scripture a little plainer; when the spirits leave their bodies they are in the presence of our Father and God, they are prepared then to see, hear and understand spiritual things. But where is the spirit world? It is incorporated within this celestial system. Can you see it with your natural eyes? No. Can you see spirits in this room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that you might see, could you then see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see bodies, as did the servant of Elijah. [Elisha. See 2 Kings 6:17] If the Lord would permit it, and it was His will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world, as plainly as you now see bodies with your natural eyes.” (Journal of Discourses, 3:368)

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Alma 40:23

23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

Knowing this has always brought me great comfort. Even more so with the loss of my dad 4 months ago. He suffered from Alzheimers. It's such a comfort to know that he no longer lives in a world of confusion.

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Alma 41:9 do not risk one more offense against your God

Serious sin is like playing Russian Roulette. Brandishing bravado might inspire the participant to spin the barrel, raise the gun to the temple, and pull the trigger. But it doesn’t take a Russian rocket scientist to figure out that this sort of behavior is destructive and stupid. Yet, Russian Roulette is the game being played by the sinner who dares to risk another grave offense against God. It’s a game that no one wins and everyone who plays it long enough loses everything.

“Theodore M. Burton, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, was serving on a special committee. The assignment of that committee, he explained, was to ‘assist the First Presidency in bringing back into full Christian fellowship those individuals who have strayed from the fold and who now have reached a point in their lives where they feel a need to regain their full priesthood and temple blessings.’

“Elder Burton said he had been asked if he found it depressing to review the sins and transgressions of people involved in difficulties. He answered: ‘It would be if I were looking for sins and transgressions. But I am working with people who are repenting. These are sons and daughters of God who have made mistakes - some of them very serious. But they are not sinners. They were sinners in the past but have learned through bitter experience the heartbreak that results from disobedience to God’s laws. Now they are no longer sinners. They are God’s repentant children who want to come back to Him and are striving to do so. They have made their mistakes and have paid for them. Now they seek understanding, love and acceptance.

“I often wish that in the first place they had believed the words of the prophet Alma which he spoke to his wayward son, Corianton: ‘And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.’” (Church News, 07/06/96)

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Alma 41:10 wickedness never was happiness

Gordon B. Hinckley

“It is very important to be happy in this work. We have a lot of gloomy people in the Church because they do not understand, I guess, that this is the gospel of happiness. It is something to be happy about, to get excited about.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Happiness”)

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Alma 42:4 a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God

Two scriptures require our attention. The first comes from Lehi, And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents (2 Ne 2:21). The second comes from Alma himself, there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead (Alma 12:24).

“Time is a gift from the Lord, Alma also recorded, wherein His children can learn to become more like Him. ‘And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.’ (Alma 42:4.)

“Too quickly, lives can pass away ‘like as it were unto us a dream...’ (Jacob 7:26.) Each spent minute is gone forever. It should be invested more carefully than gold, one philosopher said, because a fortune lost can be reclaimed, but time lost cannot.

“There are different demands on peoples’ time at various stages of life. ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.’ (Ecc. 3:1.) But consistent throughout a person’s lifetime is the command: ‘Thou shalt not idle away thy time...’ (D&C 60:13.)” (Church News, 12/30/89)

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Alma 43:3 now I return to an account of the wars

“The morning was dark and cold, the children were half-asleep, and our reading in the Book of Mormon seemed endless. We were mired somewhere in the last half of the book of Alma and, frankly, we weren’t getting much out of it.

“Whenever we got into those detailed accounts of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, our enthusiasm for daily scripture study waned…And so, as the sleepy voices droned on, my mind began to wander. Why? Why did Mormon include so much detail about the wars? With all the wonderful spiritual events that must have taken place, why would he use so much valuable space on the plates to record military intrigue and battle strategy?

“The day’s reading session finally ended, but my search for an answer had just begun…the question continued to nag at me. It wasn’t until several weeks later that I found what was, for me, a key to the answer I sought. A friend was sharing her concern that perhaps her children would not remain righteous with all the worldly influences around them. ‘I’m really scared,’ she said. ‘It’s like a war out there.’ As she spoke, my mind filled with the unlikely scene of her children lined up on the front lawn in fierce battle against the heavily armed forces of the adversary.

“Then it hit me. That was it! This was the war that applied to me—not a war of swords and spears, but the eternal war for my soul and those of my family. Satan is waging an all-out war against truth and righteousness. His forces are everywhere, and we are involved in that war whether we like it or not. The danger is real, and the stakes are high. All around us we see the battle casualties, their lives ruined and their souls scarred. If we expect to avoid becoming casualties ourselves, we desperately need the Lord’s guidance—and there is no better place to find it than in that book of scripture prepared specifically for our day: the Book of Mormon!

“In great excitement I opened the book of Alma and began to read the main war chapters again. But this time, instead of skimming through the various battle accounts, I thought of the Lamanites, who were wicked at the time of these battles, as representing the forces of evil, with Satan at their head, and the Nephites, who were generally righteous at that time, representing the Saints of our day, struggling to protect themselves and their families. Suddenly the battlefield was no longer remote in time and place. This battle was my battle! The family under siege was mine!

“With this new insight, I found more than one hundred passages in the last twenty chapters of Alma alone that contain useful information about how Satan and his forces operate or that describe inspired strategies for defending ourselves against evil. Seemingly insignificant military details revealed valuable counsel when I simply asked the question ‘How does this apply to the war against evil today?’

“…No longer am I tempted to skip the war stories in the Book of Mormon or daydream my way through them. If I am to successfully defend my family in the great war with evil, I want to take advantage of every word of counsel from the Lord’s ‘combat manual’ for the latter days—the Book of Mormon.” (Kathleen S. McConkie, Ensign, Jan. 1992, “Defending Against Evil”)

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DC 89 Historical Background

“It is said that on the 22nd of February, 1833, the Prophet came to the room in which the School of the Prophets was being held, and upon opening the door found the room filled with tobacco smoke. Upon that occasion he left the room, closed the door behind him, and when he returned announced to the brethren a new revelation upon the subject of health.” (William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1956], 199.)

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DC 90 Historical Background

In general, the first few months of 1833 were a joyous time for the Kirtland Saints. Joseph completed his revised translation of the New Testament on 2 February 1833, but there had been some grumblings between the brethren in Kirtland and the brethren in Zion. Letters of reprimand were sent, first by the Prophet Joseph and second by Orson Hyde and Hyrum Smith, acting as representatives of a conference of high priests. (See History of the Church 1:316-321) The leadership in Zion, including Oliver Cowdery and William W. Phelps, responded in a conciliatory letter accepted by the Kirtland brethren. However, the trouble in Zion was not over.

At this early stage, the Church had been restored, but the organizational structure was still in its infancy. A quorum of High Priests had recently been established. The Quorum of the Twelve didn’t even exist. The First Presidency had not yet fully taken shape. Bishops in Kirtland and Missouri were trying to administer temporal affairs according to the principles of the United Order. No one had more than 2 ½ years experience as a member of the church. We must remember that to go from sectarian Christianity to celestial obedience and organization in only a couple of years was a tall order, even for the great souls who were drawn to the Prophet.

“25 January 1832… at the Lord’s direction Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained President of the High Priesthood of the Church (see note to History of the Church, 1:243). Six weeks later, on 8 March 1832, Sidney Rigdon and Jesse Gause were also called and ordained as counselors to Joseph Smith in the Presidency of the High Priesthood (see D&C 107:9, 21-22, 65-67,91-92). The Kirtland Revelation Book (10-11) contains the following brief statement of these events: ‘March 8, 1832: Chose this day and ordained brother Jesse Gause and Brother Sidney to be my counselors of the ministry of the presidency of the high Priesthood.’

“President Jesse Gause was excommunicated from the Church on 3 December 1832. Consequently, on 5 January 1833, Frederick G. Williams, who had served as a clerk to the Presidency since 20 July 1832, was called to replace Brother Gause as a counselor. However, it does not appear that the Presidency was officially reorganized in the modern sense at that time. Exactly one year after Joseph had chosen his original counselors in the Presidency of the High Priesthood, he received on 8 March 1833 at Kirtland Doctrine and Covenants 90, which revelation confirmed the callings of Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams as counselors in the Presidency. Doctrine and Covenants 90 also further defined their duties as counselors to Joseph Smith and for the first time declared that the President’s counselors were to be ‘accounted as equal with [him] in holding the keys of this last kingdom’ (v. 6). Ten days later, on 18 March 1833, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams were ordained counselors to Joseph Smith in the Presidency of the High Priesthood as defined in Doctrine and Covenants 90. Of this occasion, Joseph wrote, ‘Elder Rigdon expressed a desire that himself and Brother Frederick G. Williams should be ordained to the offices to which they had been called, viz., those of Presidents of the High Priesthood, and to be equal in holding the keys of the kingdom with Brother Joseph Smith, Jun., according to the revelation given on the 9th of March, 1833.’

“This new Presidency of the High Priesthood, or First Presidency, as it later came to be known was different from the previous Presidency in that it was organized as a quorum with Joseph’s counselors ’accounted as equal with [him] in holding the keys’ (v. 6) while the President lived and while they were in harmony with him. Since 1833, the term ‘Presidency of the High Priesthood’ has been used synonymously with the term ‘First Presidency of the Church.’” (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 3:155-156)

Orson F. Whitney

The original offices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were elder, priest, teacher, and deacon; all, except elder, callings in the Aaronic Priesthood. Other offices, pertaining to the Priesthood of Melchizedek, were evolved as fast as they became necessary. For instance, the first bishops were ordained in 1831, nearly a year after the Church was organized. There was no First Presidency until 1832, and no stake organization until 1834. The twelve apostles were not chosen until 1835, nor the first quorums of seventy. But all these offices and callings were inherent in the Priesthood, conferred upon Joseph Smith before the Church had any organization at all. They who find fault with the Church,—as some who have left it do,—on the ground that the Lord organized it with elders, priests, teachers and deacons, and that men have added such titles and dignities as high priest, president, patriarch, etc., would be no more inconsistent were they to criticize a human being for not remaining a child, for growing up to manhood or womanhood and fulfiling their measure of creation. (Gospel Themes [salt Lake City: n.p., 1914], 81 - 82.)

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DC 91 Historical Background

“On 8 March 1833, Joseph Smith received a revelation (D&C 90) concerning the First Presidency of the Church and its role in taking the gospel to the world. In that revelation, it was also indicated to Joseph that he was to continue his work on the Joseph Smith Translation by completing his inspired revision ‘of the prophets’ (D&C 90:13), that is, the Old Testament books. Accordingly, on the very next day, 9 March 1833, Joseph resumed work on the Joseph smith Translation in his quarters above Newel Whitney’s store. It appears, however, that a question soon arose concerning the exact definition of ‘the prophets.’ The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches include in their Old Testament a dozen or so books known as ‘the Apocrypha,’ which they consider to be inspired scripture and the word of God. Unfortunately, ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible do not include these books, so Protestants, following the example of Martin Luther, have generally excluded the Apocrypha from their bibles. However, the copy of the King James Bible that Joseph Smith used in his work on the Joseph Smith Translation did contain the Apocrypha t the end of the Old Testament, so naturally the question arose: Exactly which books belong in the Old Testament? Were the Apocrypha part of ‘the prophets’ and therefore part of Joseph’s translation obligation according to the instructions in Doctrine and Covenants 90:13, or were they later additions to the Bible and therefore beyond the scope of his translation of the biblical scriptures?” (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 3:165-166)

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DC 91 What is the Apocrypha?

The Apocrypha is a group of books historically part of the Old Testament. Over time, their authenticity was questioned—leading Protestants to omit them from their Bibles. The Catholics, however, kept these books as canon.

“The Apocrypha formed an integral part of the King James Version of 1611, as they hade of all the preceding English versions from their beginning in 1382. But they are seldom printed as part of it any longer, still more seldom as part of the English Revised version, and were not included in the American Revision.

“This is partly because the Puritans disapproved of them; they had already begun to drop them from printings of their Geneva Bible by 1600, and began to demand copies of the King James Version omitting them, as early as 1629. And it is partly because we moderns discredit them because they did not form part of the Hebrew Bible and most of them have never been found in any Hebrew forms at all.

“But they were part of the Bible of the early church, for it used the Greek version of the Jewish Bible, which we call the Septuagint, and these books were all in that version. They passed from it into Latin and the great Latin Bible edited by St. Jerome about A.D. 400, the Vulgate, which became the Authorized Bible of western Europe and England and remained so for a thousand years. But Jerome found that they were not in the Hebrew Bible, and so he called them the Apocrypha, the hidden or secret books…

“Both British and American Bible Societies more than a hundred years ago (1827) took a definite stand against their publication, and they have since almost disappeared.

“Great values reside in the Apocrypha: the Prayer of Manasseh is a notable piece of liturgy; I Maccabees is of great historical value for its story of Judaism in the second century before Christ, the heroic days of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, when Pharisaism had its rise. The additions to Esther impart a religious color to that romantic story; Judith, Susanna, and Tobit while fascinating pieces of fiction, were meant by their writers to teach important lessons to their contemporaries. Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus are among the masterpieces of the Jewish sages.

“But to us this appendix of the Old Testament is important as forming a very necessary link between the Old Testament and the New; and if we had no Old Testament at all, the Apocrypha would still be indispensable to the student of the New Testament, of which it forms the prelude and background…

“The period of which the books in this volume are a significant monument, roughly the last two centuries B.C., is of central importance for the cultural history… It is very likely , for example, that the organization and discipline of the Essene-like community of Qumran near the Dead Sea were influenced by Pythagorean patterns; and the path from the Essenes to Christianity is straight and smooth.” (Edgar J. Goodspeed, translator, The Apocrypha, [Random House: New York, 1959], v-xiii)

In order, the books of the Apocrypha were scattered throughout the Old Testament. Their titles with a brief description are provided:

First Book of Esdras—similar in content to 2 Chron. 25-26 and the book of Ezra

Second Book of Esdras—apocalyptic tone; some chapters may have been written in the Christian era

Book of Tobit—an unspired tale of Tobit’s righteousness and his son’s quest for a wife. Story demonstrates Hellenistic influence of author

Book of Judith—similar to the story of Esther, Judith saves Israel from Assyrian attack with her beauty and deceit. It also evokes the romance of a heroine in the Greek style.

Additions to the Book of Esther—an interesting addition of detail and story line to the Old Testament version of the Book of Esther

Wisdom of Solomon—reads like the Psalms but lacks the prophetic power and Messianic content

Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Sirach—a long book filled with practical religious advice not unlike Proverbs in content and tone

Book of Baruch—discusses the Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon as a consequence of the Jews violation of the Mosaic Law and covenant. Purportedly contains a letter written by Jeremiah warning the Jewish captives to avoid the idols of Babylon during their captivity.

Story of Susanna—story about two Jewish elders who lust after a beautiful married woman, try to seduce her, then when she cries out, accuse her of adultery with a young lover. She is saved by the wisdom of Daniel’s judgment.

Song of the Three Children—claims to be the prayers, conversation, and praise of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego while they were in the fiery furnace

Story of Bel and the Dragon—story of Daniel demonstrating to the Babylonian king that his god, Baal (Bel), has no strength or life

Prayer of Manasseh—claims to be “the prayer which Manasseh is reported (in 2 Chron 33:18) to have recited while he was captive in Babylon.” (Apocrypha introduction, xxii)

First Book of Maccabees—a reliable and important historical account of the Maccabean uprising of 167-134 BC

Second Book of Maccabees—a second more propagandistic account, by a different author of the same time period and conflict. “Two texts from the Apocrypha, 1 and 2 Maccabees, help illuminate some of the historical shadows of this period and give us valuable New Testament background.” (Gaye Strathearn, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Dec. 1998, 49)

[Seanette]

Read this on 7/30.

Alma 37 – Alma passes custody of the records to his son Helaman. Scriptures are preserved to bring souls to salvation. Keeping the commandments is necessary to gain God’s protection and to have a claim to His promises. The Jaredites were destroyed for wickedness and refusal to repent. Their oaths and covenants are to be kept secret. Prophets were murdered for preaching to the Jaredites. We are to counsel with the Lord in all things. Alma discusses the Liahona, saying it is a type of the words of Christ.

Alma 38 – Alma’s commandments to his son Shiblon. Alma praises Shiblon’s faithfulness and his patience in persecution. Christ is the only means of salvation, the light and life of the world, and the word of truth and righteousness. We are to bridle our passions and be diligent and humble.

Alma 39 – Alma’s commandments to his son Corianton. Alma reprimands Corianton for pride, sexual sin, and failing to fulfill his duties as a missionary. Sexual sin is abominable to God above all else except shedding innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost. Alma commands his son to repent. The Zoramites, seeing Corianton’s behavior, would not believe his preaching of the Gospel. Alma tells Corianton to turn to the Lord and do not seek the things of the world (good advice for all). He speaks of Christ and redemption.

Alma 40 – Christ brings to pass resurrection for all. Between death and resurrection, the righteous go to paradise while the wicked go to spirit prison (outer darkness). All will be restored to its proper and perfect state at resurrection. Nothing unclean can inherit the kingdom of God.

Alma 41 – At Judgment, those who do good will be restored to that which is good, and those who do evil works shall have those works restored to them for evil. Wickedness never was happiness. Those in a carnal state are without God and have gone contrary to His nature. Restoration is according to the nature of the person as developed during mortality.

Alma 42 – Mortality is a probationary state, and the time to repent. The Fall brought both temporal and spiritual death. Redemption comes through repentance. God brings about His purposes, salvation and redemption, by the Atonement. Mercy is granted for repentance, while the unrepentant are subject to God’s justice.

Section 89 – The Word of Wisdom. We are told what we should not be consumed and given guidance on a healthy diet. Obedience brings health, wisdom, knowledge, and protection from the destroying angel.

Section 90 – The keys of the kingdom are committed to the Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The First Presidency is called and instructed to set the Church in order. The Gospel is to be preached to all nations and people in their own tongue. Counsel is given to various individuals to walk uprightly and serve in the kingdom.

Section 91 – The Apocrypha (I presume this, in this case, to mean those items that appear in the Catholic Bible but not in the Protestant canon) are mostly translated correctly, but there are some interpolations by man. It is not needful for the Apocrypha to be included in the translation of the Bible. This material is beneficial to those enlightened by the Spirit.

Section 92 – Frederick G. Williams is to be received into the United Order.

Abraham 5 – Creation is brought to pass according to the plans made in the previous chapter. Adam and Eve are created and married, and Adam names the animals.

JS-Matthew – Jesus tells the disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem, the Second Coming, and the destruction of the wicked.