Section 58
Background Information
Recall from section 57 of last week that JS and the elders of the church traveled to Jackson County, Missouri to proselyte. JS recorded the first evens in Jackson County as follows:
The first Sabbath after our arrival in Jackson County [ironically, the 24th of July], Brother W. W. Phelps preached to a western audience over the boundary of the United States, wherein were present specimens of all the families of the earth; Shem, Ham, and Japheth; several of the Lamanites or Indians—representative of Shem; quite a respectable number of Negroes—descendants of Ham; and the balance was made up of citizens of the surrounding country, and fully represented themselves as pioneers of the West. At this meeting two were baptized, who had previously believed in the fulness of the Gospel.
During this week the Colesville branch, referred to in the latter part of the last revelation [57:15], and Sidney Rigdon, Sidney Gilbert, and wife [Elizabeth], and Elders Morley and Booth, arrived. I received the following—section 58 (HC, 1:191).
We also learned that while he was there, he asked three questions of the Lord, as he was pondering about the land and the future of Zion. They were as follows: When will the wilderness blossom as the rose (Isaiah 35:1)? When will Zion be built up in her glory (Isaiah 60:1-2)? And, where will thy temple stand unto which all nations shall come in these last days (Isaiah 2:2)?
The Lord answered the third question in section 57. In section 58, he answers the first two question, starting with the second question. Section 58 was received on August 1, 1831.
As one commentator explained, "On August 2, following the the reception of section 58, [JS and SR] helped members of the Colesville Branch "lay the first log, for a house, as a foundation of Zion." This house functioned both a church and a school. It was located in Kaw Township -- 12 miles west of Independence, Missouri. SR, per the Lord's command in verse 57, dedicated the land of Zion in Jackson County for the gathering of the saints. According to Cowdery,
Brother Sidney Rigdon stood up and asked saying: Do you receive this land for the land of your inheritance with thankful hearts from the Lord? answer from all: ‘We do.’ Do you pledge yourselves to keep the laws of God on this land, which you never have kept in your own lands? ‘We do.’ Do you pledge yourselves to see that others of your brethren who shall come hither do keep the laws of God? ‘We do.’ After prayer he arose and said, I now pronounce this land consecrated and dedicated to the Lord for a possession and inheritance for the saints (in the name of Jesus Christ having authority from him). And for all the faithful servants of the Lord to the remotest ages of time. Amen (cited in John Whitmer’s Early Latter Day Saint History, 79).
On August 3, two days after section 58 was given, JS laid the cornerstone of the temple in Independence -- a mile and a half west of the new brick courthouse --- and SR consecrated the ground and dedicated to the Lord. On August 4, JS dedicated the temple site.
Section
1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give ear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you, and also concerning this land [Missouri -- Independence, specifically] unto which I have sent you. 2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. 3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes [fleshly eyes], for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things [those things = the blessings, see v. 4] which shall come hereafter [blessings follow tribulation], and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. 4 For after much tribulation come the blessings [not just slight tribulation, but much tribulation]. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory [implies that the saints will have to pass through much tribulation]; the hour is not yet [the hour of tribulation], but is nigh at hand.
- Verse 4: Faithful In Tribulation
- The Lord states things will follow after the saints pass through "much tribulation." What are those things? They are blessings and glory. In context of the revelation, the blessings that the Lord is referring to is an inheritance in Zion and a crown of glory.
- Zion has not been been established. The implication then is that if we want to establish Zion, we must pass through much tribulation. Why?
- First, trials test our hearts and character: Who we truly are is who are and how we act when faced with trials. It's easy to signal our virtue, to proclaim our goodness. It's another to actually be good. To be good means that we are good without fail. Christ was good because no matter what happened to Him, he always maintained his godly character.
- Second, trials humble us. The degree to which we feel the Spirit is commensurate with our degree of humility. Consequently, the greater our humility, the greater our connection with the Spirit. Pride serves as a barrier to the Spirit, much like a damn that blocks the flow of water. And like water, the Spirit is energy that flows from God to us. We receive more of it as our thoughts become purer and more holy. We receive less of if our thoughts are impure and base. Trials humble us by further revealing our dependence upon God. They reveal to us what elements of life our beyond our control. They cause us to surrender, if we are willing, to God. This surrendering is an act of humility because we have elected to learn "not upon our own understanding" but to instead rely on God's wisdom.
- Third, trials qualify us for Zion. Those who are celestial, are those who are good -- at all times and all places. Zion is the abode of the good. Of those who are of one heart and one mind. This behavior is contrary to fallen man. It is acquired, not automatic. Zion will consist of people who have passed through the fires of tribulation and the city of Enoch. They will live in harmony and peace. And only those who can show that they've adopted a celestial character will inhabit Zion.
- I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions; Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels. Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified. (D&C 101: 2 -5)
- Conversely, those who don't qualify are purged and removed. Those who would corrupt Zion through their selfish actions will be removed.
- And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy, every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning. (2 Nephi 14: 3 -4)
- Fourth, trials cause us to know the Lord. Isaiah's prophecies declare repeatedly that despite the massive devastation that will tear through the world, the Lord's people will come to know the Lord. This is because it is through the trials that one has come the know the Lord. The trials of the last day will be so severe, that the only way to overcome is to rely fully and wholly upon the Lord (those who have taken the Holy Spirit as their guide). The trials will cause us to cry unto the Lord daily for our "daily bread" for our sustenance and health. In short, it will cause us to walk by faith. And to walk by faith requires righteousness. Combined, this lead to knowing the Lord personally, as our hearts become sufficiently broken and contrite.
- `Consider the statements made a member of the Martin Handcart company about coming to know the Lord: I was in that Company. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? No one of that company ever apostatized or left the church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities. I have pulled my hand cart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Hand Cart Company. -- Ensign, May 1979, 53.
- Those who come to Zion are those who led to Zion. In his depiction of the gathering to Zion, Isaiah likens it to the Exodus from Egypt. Except instead of us being led by angels or men, those being led out of "Egypt" are led by the Lord Himself!
- Knowing that tribulation is a prerequisite for Zion, we can either seek for the Lord to try us now or wait until the desolation sweeps across our world.
5 Remember this, which I tell you before, that you may lay it to heart, and receive that which is to follow. 6 Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause [what follows are the reason why the Lord sent the missionaries to Missouri] I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come; 7 And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand; 8 And also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail; 9 Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited [the sacrament]. 10 First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; 11 And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.
- Verses 6-13: For This Cause
- The Lord lists the reasons why he sent the elders to Missouri:
- 1) For them to show their obedience so that their hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come;
- 2) might be honored in laying the foundation of Zion;
- 3) bearing record of the land of Zion;
- 4) that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; and
- 5) that a testimony might for forth from Zion
- Verse 15: Blindness of Heart
- As one commentator explained:
- During their weeks in Missouri together, “Bishop Partridge several times strenuously opposed the measures of the Prophet, and was sharply reproved by the latter for his unbelief and hardness of heart” (Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 113). Bishop Partridge was a good man with a firm testimony of the gospel, and he eventually sacrificed all he had for the kingdom. But he also had some very firm opinions about how Zion was to be built—opinions which were at odds with the instructions he received from Joseph Smith
- Verses 16- 18: Bishop of the Church
- Edward Partridge, at the time, was not a ward bishop. This office did not exist during this time in the Church. He was the bishop of the whole Church (see D&C 41:9). Soon Newell K. Whitney would be called as bishop in Kirtland, and Edward Partridge would remain as bishop in Missouri (see D&C 72). Neither will preside over the other. The office of the Presiding Bishop was not created until later (see D&C 124:41).
- Verse 29: A Slothful Servant
- To be slothful is to be lazy or idle. A slothful servant is one who 1) doesn't do good until he is commanded; 2) when he is commanded, he receives it with doubt; and 3) then is lazy in keeping the commandment.
- Verse 35: Martin Harris
- Martin Harris, a relatively wealthy man, is called to consecrate all his money to the bishop’s storehouse. Martin had previously been commanded to offer up his possessions to publish the Book of Mormon (see D&C 19:26, 34-35). Orson Pratt remarked that “Martin Harris was the first man that the Lord called by name to consecrate his money, and lay the same at the feet of the Bishop in Jackson County, Mo., according to the order of consecration. He willingly did it; he knew the work to be true; he knew that the word of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph was just as sacred as any word that ever came from the mouth of any Prophet from the foundation of the world. He consecrated his money and his substance, according to the word of the Lord. What for? As the revelation states, as an example to the rest of the Church” (JD, 18:160-61).
- Verse 44: Appointed Unto Them of the Lord
- Many of the Ohio saints disregarded the command to remain in Ohio and instead migrated to Jackson County, Missouri before being called to do so and without having entered into the covenant of consecration. Consequently, having been spiritually unprepared, disobedient to counsel, and unwilling to live the law of consecration, they eventually caused economic, social, and spiritual problems in Missouri that contributed to the loss of Zion there.
- Verse 51: Epistle and Subscription:
- As one commentator explained:
- The description of Zion—the “brochure”—commanded in verse 50 was to be accompanied by a cover letter to local leaders that included a sign-up sheet for the members to indicate their interest in contributing. Funds would then be received by local authorities, to be forwarded to Bishop Partridge or his agents in Missouri. The subscription, or sign-up sheet, would provide church leaders with a list of those willing to contribute or invest in the land described in the brochure.
- Verse 52: Purchase This Whole Region
- As one commentator explained:
- If the saints had been perfectly obedient to the Lord’s commands concerning Zion, he would have prepared the way for the legal purchase of most all of the land in Independence. He would have done this by opening the hearts, or influencing his “disciples” to raise the money and purchase the lands from “the children of men.”
- Verse 53: Shedding of Blood
- Here, the Lord lays out a condition to receive an inheritance in Zion: either purchase the land of Missouri with money or through the shedding of blood. The relevant question is, of course, whose blood will be shed? The shedding of the blood is the option to receive an inheritance if the first conditions fails. The first condition failed, as Zion remains unestablished.
- Verse 54: Not In Haste
- One historian noted:
- The Saints themselves may not have been totally without blame in the matter. The feelings of the Missourians, even though misplaced, were undoubtedly intensified by the rhetoric of the gathering itself. They were quick to listen to the boasting of a few overly zealous Saints who loudly declared a divine right to the land. As enthusiastic millennialists, they also proclaimed that the time of the gentiles was short, and they were perhaps too quick to quote the revelation that said ‘the Lord willeth that the disciples and the children of men should open their hearts, even to purchase this whole region of country, as soon as time will permit.’ (D&C 58:52.) Though the Saints were specifically and repeatedly commanded to be peaceful and to never shed blood, some seemed unwisely to threaten warfare if they could not fulfill the commandment peacefully. In July 1833 Church leaders reemphasized the importance of legally purchasing land, but by then a combination of factors was leading to confrontation.
- As some read Doctrine and Covenants, they may be surprised with the Lord's tone. It certainly is harsher and more direct than we are used to or comfortable with. One reason for this could be culture. But we have to keep in mind that the Lord was calling to early saints to live at a higher level than they currently were. If the saints were righteous enough, the Lord would have established Zion among them. The Lord's commands were therefore strict and his tone stern, because the saints were being held to a higher standard.
- Verse 60: Ziba Peterson
- As one commentator explained:
- Ziba Peterson was one of the missionaries called to preach to the Lamanites (see D&C 32:3). He had departed Fayette, New York, with Oliver Cowdery ten months earlier, in October 1830. In April 1831 he and Oliver Cowdery traveled to Lafayette County, Missouri, and preached to the people of Lexington, baptizing forty to fifty persons.
- Following this pointed rebuke by the Lord given August 1, 1831, Ziba confessed his sins at the conference held August 4, and he received forgiveness. One week later, on August 11, he married Rebecca Hooper, one of the Lafayette County converts. Ziba Peterson later became disaffected, and when the saints fled Jackson County in 1833, he and his family remained behind. Later Ziba moved to Dry Diggins, California, where he became the local sheiff. He never re-joined the church.
Section 59
Background Information
On Sunday, August 7, 1831, JS attended the funeral of sister Polly Knight -- the wife of Joseph Knight, Sr, mother of Newel Knight, and the first church member to die in the land of Zion. Prior to arriving in Missouri, Mrs. Knight's health had been in decline and she became very ill on the route from Thompson, Ohio to Missouri. Yet, according to her son, Newel, "she would not consent to stop traveling. Her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion and to have her body interred in that land.” Despite her fast declining health, the Lord granted her desire and she died shortly after arriving in Missouri.
JS received section 59 after the funeral. The revelation instructed the saints "how to keep the sabath & how to fast and pray.” Section 59 was specifically addressed to saints who migrated to Missouri. When the saints had arrived, much of the population of oMissouri consisted of southerns, many who, according to JS, had fled from the face of civilized society, to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice, in their midnight revels, their sabbath breaking, horseracing, and gambling." The JS' Papers suggest that "Perhaps because of the general nonobservance of the Sabbath among the inhabitants of Jackson County, the 7 August revelation emphasized the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy, outlining what church members should do on that day."
In any case, section 59 fills the a gap that neither the Articles and Covenants" and "Laws of the Church of Christ" addressed -- how to honor the sabbath day. It thereby serves as a significant guide for how we can honor the sabbath day in our lives. OC served as the scribe for this revelation.
Section
1 Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land [Independence, Missouri] with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments. 2 For those that live shall inherit the earth, and those that die shall rest from all their labors, and their works shall follow them; and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them. 3 Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion [those who live], who have obeyed my gospel; for they [those who live] shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in its strength. 4 And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time—they that are faithful and diligent before me.
5 Wherefore, I give unto them [saints in Missouri] a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him [quoting the Shema, Deut 6;4]. 6 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it. 7 Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. 8 Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world [The purpose of the sabbath is to keep us “unspotted” or separate from the world. When we obey the sabbath, we are increasing out apartness from the world], thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; 10 For verily this is a day [the sabbath] appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; 11 Nevertheless thy vows [1828: promises made to God] shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; 12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. 13 And on this day [the sabbath] thou shalt do none other thing [Sabbath day is devoted to offering our oblations and sacraments], only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart [sole devotions that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full [Receiving a fullness of joy is connected having a perfect fast]. 14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.
- Verse 10 Devotion: Devotion (1828): A solemn attention to the Supreme Being in worship; a yielding of the heart and affections to God, with reverence, faith and piety in religious duties, particularly in prayer and meditation; devoutness.
- Verse 12: Sacraments and Oblations:
- Oblation (1828): An offering, a sacrifice
- Sacrament (1828): An outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace; or more particularly, a solemn religious ceremony enjoined by Christ, the head of the christian church, to be observed by his followers, by which their special relation to him is created, or their obligations to him renewed and ratified. Thus baptism is called a sacrament for by it persons are separated from the world, brought into Christ's visible church, and laid under particular obligations to obey his precepts. The eucharist or communion of the Lord's supper, is also a sacrament for by commemorating the death and dying love of Christ, christians avow their special relation to him, and renew their obligations to be faithful to their divine Master.
- Verse 13: Perfect Fast
- Although fasting means to abstain from food, abstaining from food is one component. In other words, to merely abstain from food, does not equate to a perfect fast. A perfect fast is achieved when we offer our our oblation and sacraments, doing all things with an eye single to God. Doing these things leads to a perfect fast, which leads to a fullness of joy.
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