D&C 15-16

Sections 15 and 16 will be considered together because they are identical, except for one word and that is the name of the recipient, 15 is John and 16 is Peter. Concerning the inclusion of personal revelations in to the D&C the IM quotes Elder John A. Widtsoe as teaching, “The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of the revelations received by Joseph Smith to individuals and for the guidance of the Church. From the first years of the work the Prophet kept every scrap of paper pertaining to the progress of the work. In fact this care of things that must have seemed trivial is one of the evidences of the sincerity of the man. For example, when John and Peter Whitmer asked for help, he received for each of them a revelation, substantially the same: (D&C 15-16). This simple revelations is directed to the individual and at first sight has no permanent value for the Church. Yet as a revelation from God it was preserved and published. An insincere man could have eliminated this and other similar revelations as of little consequence. Not so with Joseph. The Lord had spoken. The words were part of the building of the kingdom of God, and the same advice would be useful to many men then and now.” I’ve attempted to read the D&C before, but stopped because I felt that it was too much of the same, or that they were individual revelations and didn’t apply to me, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, these two sections clarify some of the questions that I had in the beginning, especially concerning the concept of reaping while the day is long to save souls. DJR gives a couple of explanations as to why these two sections might have been similar, saying, “Since this section is exactly the same as section 15, except for the name “Peter,” the question comes up as to why the Lord would use the same wording for two different people. While we don’t know the answer for sure, there are many possibilities. One likely answer is simply that they were both wondering the same thing and that the answer was exactly the same for both, namely, that the preaching of the gospel in missionary efforts would be of most worth to them personally, at this point in their lives. This same answer could be given to thousands of potential young missionaries today, as well as to many thousands of potential senior missionaries.” I would have to say that this applies to all members as missionaries, the greatest benefit to us personally is to share the gospel, it grows us personally, as we’ve learned in the many lessons on this subject thus far. 15:1-6 - DJR defines a few terms that I thought were helpful, in verse 1 the word “hearken” is defined as “listen carefully,” which I guess is pretty straight forward but I think that this definition implies careful consideration and attention. Verse 2 defines “sharpness” as “pointedly, with a specific answer to your question.” I liked this a lot because I took “sharpness” to me rebuke, and I’m always a little bit sensitive to that, but it’s not that he’s rebuking us in these sections, it’s that he’s giving us straight forward, easy to understand answers. In IM asks, “What does the phrase ‘mine arm is over all the earth’ mean?” and answers, “A person’s arm represents that person’s strength and power. Similarly, the phrase ‘arm of God’ demotes His power and authority.” When I heard this, I thought of the law of gravity, you can dispute it all day long, you can resent it and do your best to disobey is, but in the end, on this earth, gravity is the law, we are all bound to it, and we can’t do anything to make ourselves exempt from its dominion. Likewise, I consider the authority of God to be non-negotiable, we can pretend that it doesn’t exist, but ultimately we can’t break his laws, we can only break ourselves against them. Similarly, God’s powerful is all consuming, all obey him, so he not only has the power to do anything and everything but he also has the authority to do so. Verse 3 has an interesting concept which DJR describes as doctrine “Only members of the God head can know the deepest thoughts of your heart. See also D&C 6:16.” As a family we just finished reading about Ammon protecting the flocks of King Lamoni, and when Ammon came to tell him that his horses were ready, Lamoni didn’t speak but a servant asked him to stay. Ammon was able to know the thoughts of Lamoni’s heart and began to address these issues. It would seem here to be contradictory, but it reasons to believe that if anyone else is able to know our thoughts or desires or intents, is must come to them through the power of God, so it would be totally controlled by him and ultimately for our benefit. I think one of the biggest lies Satan tells us is that he’s in our head, that he can hear what we are thinking, and we believe it. I believed it for a really long time, but it’s not true, only the Godhead can know our thoughts and anyone else who can has been given specific information just from God. The IM reminds us that OC had a similar revelation in section 6. Finally, verse we learn the meaning of all those verses that we discussed so many times in our study of the D&C already. The Lord says, “And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my father.” DJR comments “Sometimes we worry that it is too selfish to ask what will be of most benefit to us, personally, in doing the work of the Lord. While it is true that we must avoid becoming self-centered, verses 4-6, next, suggest that within proper limits, it is appropriate to consider the benefits to ourselves, that come from participating in the work of the Lord.” I kind of cringed when I heard this because I thought “I’m always wondering how the gospel is going to make my life better,” I want to help others too and give them the happiness that the gospel brings me, but I know that I can’t control their choices or their actions, so I try to only focus on myself and what I can do because it’s the only thing that I can control, myself, my own reactions. The IM quotes Elder Rudger Clawson as teaching, “Cast your minds back to the early days of this Church, and there stood this man John Whitmer, recently come into the Church of Christ. Various occupations in which he might engage were before him. He had the opportunity to labor upon the farm, to engage in merchandising, to follow mining, to study the profession of medicine or law, or to adopt one of the many other occupations in which men employ themselves. The question he asked himself at that time was, What would be of the most worth to him? By his industry and thrift he might acquire the wealth of a Gould or a Vanderbuilt; He might obtain a beautiful home, well furnished in every detail, and most desirable for the comfort and convenience of himself and family; he might obtain worldly renown in one of the professions, and by study and reflection become a skillful practitioner in medicine or a wise and able lawyer. I say, these opportunities were before him, because the country was before him, and this country is full of opportunities, which are within the reach of all. We live in a free country, and the way is open to you and to me, as it was to this man. He stood there in this situation, not having been trained long in the gospel of Christ, and I say unto you- for it is on record here- that a voice came to that man from the eternal worlds, and that voice set at rest in him every doubt, every dubiety, every fearful anticipation. At a critical time in his life, when he must choose which way to go, that voice said unto him that that which would be of most worth unto him was to declare repentance unto the people and bring souls unto Christ. The message was of such importance that it came to him with ‘sharpness and with power.’ It was the voice of Jesus Christ.” I loved this, I love that he makes it so personal to all. We all have decisions to make, we are all constantly at a cross roads, we have the opportunity to material gain in our face and we have the opportunity for spiritual gain on the other side, and he says here that God himself has told us that we will be far happier and far more successful in the eternal realm by pursuing the spiritual, and that is beautiful, pointed, explicit instruction.