D&C 14

Sections 14,15, and 16 go together, in that they are to the three Whitmer brothers. DJR gives the background information as follows: “Sections 14-16 go together, in the sense that they are given to three brothers, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, and Peter Whitmer, Jr., all of whom desired to know what the Lord wanted them to do at this point in the restoration of the gospel. These three brothers were sons of Peter Whitmer, Sr., and Mary Whitmer, of Fayette, New York, who would play a prominent role in enabling the Prophet to complete the translation of the Book of Mormon. It is interesting to see how the Lord prepares things in advance, in order for His work to proceed. Joseph Smith had previously become acquainted with the Whitmer family. Oliver Cowdery had become especially good friends with David Whitmer, after having met him in Palmyra, and had developed a special interest in David’s sister, Elizabeth, whom he will later marry. As Joseph and Oliver continued the work of translating the Book of Mormon, in Harmony, Pennsylvania, persecution began to increase. As a result, Oliver wrote to David Whitmer requesting that he come and take him and Joseph to the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette, where they could continue to translation in peace. The Whitmer family gladly responded to this request. David came and picked up Joseph, Emma, and Oliver and transported them back to Fayette in his two-horse wagon. The translation was thus rapidly, under peaceful circumstance, at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr., in Fayette, New York… The Prophet gave the background to this section as follows: ‘…in the beginning of the month of June, his (Peter Whitmer, Sr.,) son, David Whitmer, came to the place where we were residing, and brought with him a two-horse wagon, for the purpose of having us accompany him to his father’s place, and there remain until we should finish the work. It was arranged that we should have our board free of charge, and the assistance of one of his brothers to write for me, and also his own assistance when convenient. Having much need of such timely aid in an undertaking so arduous, and being informed that the people in the neighborhood of the Whitmer’s were anxiously awaiting the opportunity to inquire into these things, we accepted the invitation, and accompanied Mr. Whitmer to his father’s house, and there resided until the translation was finished and the copyright secured.” The thought occurred to me when it said that OC was the one to reach out to David Whitmer when needing a new place to live, I wondered why he would have picked the Whitmers. But it occurred to me, and it’s something that I would do, that maybe OC was impartial to the Whitmers because he wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth, if he could. Maybe he figured, “we need a place to stay and they have room, so…..” It also occurred to me that this was probably the time when Moroni carried the plates to Cumorah for safe keeping until JS was settled and ready to begin again. IM and DJR both give the same account from JS, which continues, “Upon our arrival, we found Mr. Whitmer’s family very anxious concerning the word, and very friendly toward ourselves. They continued so, boarded and lodged us according to arrangements; and John Whitmer, in particular, assisted us very much in writing during the remainder of the work. In the meantime, David, John, and Peter Whitmer, Jun., became our zealous friends and assistances in the work; and being anxious to know the respective duties, and having desired with much earnestness that I should inquire of the Lord concerning them, I did so, through the means of the Urim and Thummim, and obtained for them in succession the following revelations: (D&C 14-16).” Here is a picture of Whitmer home, imagine all the people living in that house during the time of the translation. Because OC and JS and Emma were given free room and board which meant that their physical needs were placed squarely on the shoulders of the Whitmer family. In the book “Heroic Mormon women,” we learn that Mary Whitmer, the matriarch of the Whitmer home and family at the time “was the first and only woman to see the gold plates from which the Prophet Joseph translated the Book of Mormon. One morning after Joseph Smith, his wife Emma, and Oliver Cowdery came to live with the Whitmers in Fayette, New York, to complete the translation of that Nephite record, Mary Whitmer was going out to the shed to mild the cows. She was met by Moroni, the angel who delivered the plates to the Prophet, who said to her: ‘You have been very faithful and diligent in your labors, but you are tired because of the increase of your toil; it is proper therefore that you should have a witness that your faith might be strengthened.’ The angel them showed her the plates. He turned the leaves one by one. They were held together with three rings. David Whitmer, her son, reported: ‘My father and mother had a large family of their own; the addition to it of Joseph, his wife Emma, and Oliver, very greatly increased the toil and anxiety of my mother. And although she never complained, she had sometimes felt that her labor was too much. This circumstance, however, completely removed all such feelings and nerved her up for her increased responsibilities.’” This time when the Smith’s and OC changed residence from Emma’s parent’s realm in Harmony, Pennsylvania to the Whitmer’s realm in Fayette, New York was pretty eventful for all involved, the Smiths, OC, and the Whitmers, especially when considering all that was required of them to make the Book of Mormon translation and publication happen. 14:1-6 – DJR says, “Again, verses 1-6 may seem quite familiar to you, because very similar wording was used by the Lord at the beginning of sections 4,6,11, and 12.” Going back to the idea that these revelations were given to individuals at the beginning of the restoration and who were experiencing great trials because of their dedication to the work, it would be important for them to know that this indeed was the most important task they could have undertaken. They didn’t really have much of an organization or a legacy of prophets to guide them and all that that we have, so putting forward the importance of the work and the power of God would be important to motivate focus, teaches, and instruct the new Saints and early Church leaders. I’m going to go into these verses, but DJR’s explanations will be in parenthesis, I think that he has some pretty great insights. “A great and marvelous work (the restoration of the gospel) is about to come forth unto the children of men. Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick (alive; living; continuing revelation) and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder (separating; symbolic of cutting through false philosophies and doctrines, separating truth from error) of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word. Behold, the field (the world) is white already to harvest (the time for the final gathering of Israel has arrived); therefore; whoso desireth to reap (to join in the harvest) let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts (while the opportunity is still available), that he may treasure up for his souls everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God (that he may save his own soul in exaltation in celestial glory).” I like that the more we go through this idea, the more reinforced in different ways it is, that doing work in the gospel is for our eternal welfare. If anyone is helped or served along the way, then that’s an added bonus, but working in the vineyard isn’t just about benefitting the grapes, it’s about building up your own strength and knowledge and love of the Master. 14:7 - DJR points out that verse 7 is Doctrine, saying, “Exaltation, obtained through keeping the commandments, is the greatest of all God’s gifts to us.” Verse 7 says, “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” I’ve thought about this a lot lately, because we are so busy with our daily lives, we are so caught up in survival mode, so preoccupied with things that ultimately have very little eternal value, I’ve realized that if the greatest of all the gifts of God is exaltation, if salvation is the most important thing in all of our eternal existence, then shouldn’t the focus of everything we do be with the idea of eternal salvation in the forefront of our minds? When we go to work, should not our goal be to behave in such a manner as to ensure our salvation? When we talk to others or interact with our family, should we not do so in a manner that not only encourages us in the way of salvation but leads those we associate with towards it as well? I guess that’s the ultimate feat then, to focus on salvation and work to make our lives congruent with what salvation entails. It’s slow, it’s a process, but it makes sense. I’ve been struggling for the last several weeks with pride, with being hard hearted and it’s really been hurtful to me. I’ve acted selfish and like a crazy person and when I finally went to the Lord and asked Him for help to break this vicious cycle, he poured out his love and teachings to me. He gave me a most beautiful sunset, and I just happened to see it as I exited the elevator at work at just the right time. It was so unlikely and such a miracle, and I knew in that moment that that sunset was for me, he was telling me that he loves me and that he’s proud of me for wanting to do better. We have a talk about things that I don’t understand, and it was incredible, and today he taught me through the Ensign a lesson on this very topic, the change of heart, the enduring and perfecting so that we can become Christ-like and happy. In the February 2015 Ensign article entitled “Changing our Hearts Through Charity,” we learn “through study and with the help of the Spirit, we can invited the pure love of Christ to change our hearts through seeking the gift of charity.” We have been given the tools to not only know the commandments, but to keep them as well. As we desire to keep them, the way is opened up for us to do so, and as we follow further on the path of the Savior, we endure to the end and we become more Christ-like and happier, and that’s the way that we keep our salvation, and it’s the light that calls to others to come be partakers as well. The IM says, “In order for David Whitmer or any of God’s children to have eternal life they must endure to the end, that is, remain faithful throughout their mortal probation. The scriptures are replete with this doctrine (see Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; 1 Corinthians 13:7; 1 Nephi 13:37; 2 Nephi 9:24; 31:20; 3 Nephi 15:9; 27:16-17; D&C 10:69; 53:7; Articles of Faith 1:13.)” I usually don’t include all those references but I wanted to here because there were so many of them, and I thought that it was significant to show that this is a very well taught principle and that the Lord teaches to all and teaches repeatedly that which he wants us to do. 14:8-11 – Verse 8 says, “And it shall come to pass, that if you shall ask the Father in my name, in faith believing, you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see, and also that you may declare repentance unto this generation.” I’m running short on time so I’m just going to wrap it up here. DJR defines the “repentance” portion of this verse as saying, “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, which leads to repentance and cleansing through the Atonement.” I had an interesting insight into the whole “preach repentance” and “miracles don’t convert” concept today. As a family we were reading the account of Abish, who excitedly told her neighbors that the king, queen, Ammon, and the servants had all fallen to the ground overcome with the Holy Ghost. As the people came, they argued amongst themselves what the real reason was for all the people to be unconscious on the ground. They weren’t overcome by the Spirit as well, they didn’t see it as a glorious miracle because all those on the ground were being taught by the Savior, they saw it as a bad omen or some other superstitious thing, they disputed and one man even tried to kill Ammon. When he lifted his sword to slay him, the man fell to the ground dead, and even that didn’t convince the people that something amazing was going on here. When Abish took the queen’s hand and she woke up and they all woke up and prophesied and saw angels and had incredible spiritual experiences, it would reason to believe that all were converted to the Lord, but many were not because they would not hear. When I heard this I thought that it was a great example of why miracles don’t convert, the foundation of repentance and faith have to be built first.