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[This print
hangs in front entrance hall of our home. We
bought it 35+ years ago at the Springville Art Museum, where we saw the
original on display. Without taking it
out of the frame, I cannot tell you the artist or the title. And a Google search has failed to find
either. If YOU KNOW who drew this - it
is done in pastels - please let me know.]
This week you
will get my ramblings and random thoughts as I read through these three
sections. Some of the very earliest
revelations that Joseph received, and yet great insights. My notes will be in this typeface: quotes
will be in other typefaces.
I love how each
of these revelations BUILDS upon the previous one: be sure to read them all, in
order from 3 to 4 to 5 at one sitting.
Doctrine and Covenants 3
Amazing to me that D&C 3, the EARLIEST revelation written
down by (or for) Joseph, is severely critical of his mistakes. Only about 24 years old at the time and
living in poverty, Joseph appears to have felt he needed the moral and
financial support of the (relatively) wealthy Martin Harris in order to get the
Book of Mormon translated and published. And so, he handed over the 117 pages.
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At the same time that Martin took the 116 pages, Emma gave birth to Smiths’ firstborn, a son. “Sophia Lewis reportedly
said that she was present at the birth and that the baby was stillborn. Lucy
Mack Smith, not present at the birth, wrote that the baby “was very soon
snatched from her [Emma’s] arms and borne aloft to the world of spirits.”
Although the birth and death of this baby are recorded in JS’s family Bible
under the name of “Alvin Smith,” this information was recorded in the Bible
decades after the event by someone other than JS or Emma. The baby’s gravestone
does not give him a name but reads, “An Infant Son of Joseph and Emma Smith.” “  Headstone : Photo, George Anderson, 1907 The childbirth and loss of the baby almost killed Emma. It was only 3 weeks later that she encouraged Joseph to go find Martin Harris and the irreplaceable translation she had write down. D&C 3:2 . . . his paths are straight. . . Many times in scripture, the straight (or strait) path seems
to refer to the path through the Israelite temple taken by the high priest as
he carries the blood of the sacrifice from the altar in the courtyard, through
the holy place and, through the veil, into the holy of holies on the Day of
Atonement. These three regions of the
temple can symbolize the three degrees of glory seen in D&C 76. Christ walked that path, offering his own blood as the
telestial sacrifice and, dying, he entered the terrestrial spirit world, a copy
of Eden, where he set the prisoners of death free and organized the work for
the dead. Then, Easter morning, after speaking with Mary in the garden, he
returned to his celestial home to report to his heavenly parents. D&C 3:2 . . . and his course is one eternal
round. And so is ours. With
Christ, we were first spirits in the celestial world with our heavenly
parents. At birth, we take upon
ourselves physical bodies, which spend the first years in terrestrial
innocence, not being held responsible for sin.
At baptism, we are born again into a telestial world where we come to
know – and learn to choose – good over evil. At death, we reverse the path, following Christ back home,
completing the eternal round. D&C 3:6 And
behold, how oft you
have transgressed the
commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men. 7 For,
behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at
naught the counsels of God, and despise his words— 8 Yet
you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all
the fiery darts of
the adversary; and he
would have been with you in every time of trouble.
Words for all of us.
D&C 3 : 9 Behold,
thou art [insert your own name here] and thou wast chosen to do the work
of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou
wilt fall. 10 But
remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which
is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and
art again called
to the work; 11 Except
thou do this,
thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men, and have no more gift.
Just like Joseph Smith, we have each been chosen to
come to earth in this day and accomplish a great work as a part of God’s
kingdom on earth. Refer to your
patriarchal blessing for detail of your own responsibilities.
And, at times, we each fail to live up to our callings.
When that happens, remember verse 10: God is
merciful. Just repent and get back on
the path you were chosen to follow. The
only alternative is to give up on the work we are called to do, give up on our
covenants, give up on one another, give up on the dream and become like
everyone else.
D&C 3 : 19 . . . that the promises of the Lord might
be fulfilled, which he made to his people; 20 And that [all humanity] might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that
they might know the promises of
the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of
Jesus Christ, and be glorified through
faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen. The reason YOU were called to do God’s
work was that His promises might be fulfilled:
That ALL people might hear and hearken and be saved by their merciful
Savior. D&C 76: 40 And
this is the gospel, the
glad tidings, which
the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us— 41 That
he came into
the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and
to cleanse it
from all unrighteousness; 42 That
through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him; 43 Who glorifies the Father, and
saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son
after the Father has revealed him. 44 Wherefore,
he saves all . . . .
Doctrine and Covenants 4 Six months after receiving D&C 3, and after recovering the plates and Urim &Thummim which had been taken because Joseph disregarded God’s counsel, Joseph Knight, Senior, felt prompted to help. [NOTE: the Knights were later the third family to join the church and are among my ancestors]. “ Joseph
Knight Sr., another early supporter of JS, wrote that Joseph Sr. and
Samuel Smith stopped at his home in Colesville, New York, in January 1829
before going on to visit JS and Emma Smith. “I told him [Joseph Smith Sr.]
they had traviled far enough,” Knight wrote, “[and] I would go with my sley and
take them Down [to Harmony] to morrow[.] I went Down and found them well and
the[y] were glad to see us[.] we conversed about many things. in the morning I
gave the old man a half a Dollar and Joseph a little money to Buoy [buy] paper
to translate.” JS had apparently not translated since June 1828, and
Knight’s provision of paper may have allowed him to resume translation. Within
weeks of Knight’s visit, JS began translating again, with Emma, Samuel, and
Martin Harris each acting briefly as scribe.” [from Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and
Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/church-historians-press/jsp-revelations/dc-004-1829_02_01_005?lang=eng ]
And this brings us to D&C 4 : words of counsel, originally
to Joseph Smith’s father, but, also to all who are called to the work.
D&C 4: 1 Now
behold, a marvelous work is
about to come forth among the children of men. 2 Therefore,
O ye that embark in the service of
God, see that ye serve him
with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the
last day. 3 Therefore,
if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; 4 For
behold the field is
white already to harvest; and lo,
he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth
not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; 5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. 6 Remember faith, virtue ,knowledge,
temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility,
diligence. 7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
We do not know how extensive J.Smith, Snr.’s missionary
efforts were, but we do know that after returning home from his visit with his
son and the reception of this revelation, Father Smith finally began to tell
Oliver Cowdery about his son’s visions and the project of translating the gold
plates. This one convert changed
everything : the translation resumed and was finished in only a couple of
months.
 Harvesting in France, James Harwood Doctrine and Covenants 5 Great blessings are offered to those who will hear the
words of dedicated servants:
D&C 5: 16 And behold, whosoever believeth on my words, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit; and they shall be born of me, even of water and of the Spirit. |
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