D&C 23

Section 23 is an interesting one, the IM gives introduction as follows: “In April 1830 at Manchester, New York, Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., and Joseph Knight Sr., came to joseph Smith to receive from him the mind and will of the Lord in their behalf. The Prophet consented to their request and received the revelation known as section 23. When this revelation was first published in the Book of Commandments, it was divided into five parts comprising chapters 17 through 21. In all later editions, however, they were combined into one section.” There is an interesting quote from JS explaining this section that is in DJR’s book, which says, “The hollowing persons being anxious to know of the Lord what might be their respective duties in relation to this word, I enquired of the Lord, and received for them the following: (section 23).” 23:1-2 – Oliver Cowdery is given the first two verses which say, “Behold, I speak unto you, Oliver, a few words. Behold, thou art blessed, and art under no condemnation.” I thought about this and why it might be significant for the Lord to tell him this, and I was thinking about how I often view myself as being unworthy or an unprofitable servant, and how much I would love to hear from the Lord that I am under no condemnation. The Lord continues, “But beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation. Make known thy calling unto the church, and also before the world, and thy heart shall be opened to preach the truth from henceforth and forever. Amen.” Concerning OC’s warning of pride, DJR quotes the CHM to give more explanation for OC’s excommunication, which says, “A much more serious matter was the case of Oliver Cowdery. He was charged by the high council for persecuting Church leaders with vexatious lawsuits, seeking to destroy the character of Joseph Smith, not abiding ecclesiastical authority in temporal affairs, selling lands in Jackson County, and leaving his calling as Assistant President of the Church and turning to the practice of law. Oliver refused to appear before the council, but he answered by letter. He denied the Church’s right to dictate how he should conduct his life and asked that his fellowship with the Church be ended. The high council excommunicated him 12 April 1838. He spent a decade outside the Church, but later humbly submitted himself for rebaptism in October 1848 in Kanesville, Iowa.” It’s interesting to see that the charge of practicing law was among those accusations that were facing OC when so many of our own Church leadership these days are lawyers, but taken in the whole view and accompanied with the phrase, “leaving his calling as Assistant President of the Church” it would seem that there was something of a forsaking of his responsibilities for the Church in order to pursue this law practice. The IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, “First the Lord spoke to Oliver Cowdery, informing him that he was to beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation. This was one of Oliver Cowdery’s besetting sins. If he could have humbled himself in the troubled days of Kirtland he would not have lost his place and membership in the Church. That which had been bestowed upon him was exceedingly great and had he been willing to humble himself, it was his privilege to stand with the Prophet Joseph Smith through all time ad eternity, holding the keys of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. However, at this particular time when this word was sought, he was free from condemnation. He was commanded to make known his calling to both the Church and also to the world, and while doing this his heart would be opened to teach them the truth from henceforth and forever. His great mission was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Prophet Joseph Smith holding the keys of salvation for this dispensation. It was also his duty to bear witness to all mankind of the restoration of the Gospel.” I remember when we first started with the D&C, one of the things I was reading said that If OC hadn’t apostatized that it would have been his privilege to be martyred with JS in Carthage. I hadn’t considered that martyrdom was a privilege, but I guess it makes sense, and I also hadn’t considered that it would have been him and not Hyrum, because I always assumed that it was a brother thing, not necessarily a church standing thing. I also want to point out here that God, as an all-knowing being, didn’t treat OC any differently because he knew that he would eventually apostatize then he did anyone else, giving him full opportunity despite knowing that he wouldn’t take it. 23:3 – The next person addressed is Hyrum Smith, to whom the Lord says, “Behold, I speak unto you, Hyrum, a few words; for thou also are under no condemnation, and thy heart is opened, and thy tongue loosed; and thy calling to exhortation, and to strengthen the Church continually. Wherefore thy duty is unto the church forever, and this because of thy family. Amen.” I had a thought while typing this, that Hyrum’s council is very short and kind of nonspecific, though in another revelation Hyrum is extolled by the Lord as having impeccable integrity, sure the Lord is pleased with Hyrum as he is faithful and diligent and steadfast. Human nature wants lofty praise and long letters of accomplishment or recommendation, but that’s not the Lord’s way. I know that of patriarchal blessings some are short and some are long, and I think that there’s a misunderstanding in church culture, and certainly within my family, that the longer it is the more important that you are. In fact, in comparison to my sister’s patriarchal blessing, mine is tiny, and at first I was like “what the heck man?” But the more that I thought about it the more I realized that for me personally I’m glad that mine is shorter because I get to learn about God and about myself through personal revelation and I’m grateful for that opportunity. I’m not saying that my sister can’t because hers is longer, surely not, but for me personally, it’s incredible, because I know what the Lord wants me to know and I get to also search him out and the journey is the destination in this case. This also reminds me of Shiblon, Alma’s son who given only a few verses in the Book of Mormon, whereas his brothers Helaman and Corianton had lengthy instruction about different subjects. Yet Shiblon is incredibly faithful and diligent and steadfast and surely the Lord is pleased with his efforts. So I guess my point is that just because something is brief and possibly vague is not an accurate indication someone’s standing before the Lord. DJR gives his insight into this verse saying, “Next, the Lord speaks to Hyrum, who is five years older than his brother, Joseph. Perhaps you will remember, from section 11, that Hyrum Smith was very anxious to go forth and preach the gospel. At that time, he was told to wait. Now, in this brief message, he is told that the time has come for his tongue to be ‘loosed’ and that he can now ‘exhort’ and ‘strengthen the church.’ Imagine his gratitude and feelings as he realized that his obedience to the Lord’s instructions in section 11 have paid off and he can now begin preaching. There is also something in verse 3 which appears to be very prophetic, namely, ‘thy duty is unto the church.’ This would seem to be a reference to Hyrum’s later being called to serve as patriarch to the Church.” Interesting that all Hyrum really wants to do is to please God and share the gospel, he comprehends the value and desires that for all others. 23:4 – It is not the turn of Samuel Smith who is, as DHR explains, “Joseph’s younger brother by some three years, Samuel, who is considered to be one of the first missionaries of the Church. He traveled to Lima, New York in April of 1830, where he preaches the gospel. He was ordained an elder at the first conference of the Church held June 9, 1830. His missionary efforts included selling a copy of the Book of Mormon in April, 1830, to Phineas Young, a brother of Brigham Young. Brigham gave the book to his sister, Fanny Young Murray, who was the mother-in-law of Heber C. Kimball. All of these people were eventually baptized. Samuel also left a copy of the Book of Mormon with a minister named John P. Greene, whose wife, Rhoda, was Brigham Young’s sister. They, too, joined the Church. The Lord tells Samuel, “Behold, I speak a few words unto you, Samuel; for thou are under no condemnation, and thy calling is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church; and thou art not as yet called to preach before the world. Amen.” It’s interesting to note that the verse preceding this one told Hyrum that he was called to preach, but yet here Samuel isn’t, might have been pretty hard to hear for a man who also loved God and the gospel and anxiously wanted to share it. What I got from this message is that even though we might think that acting at a particular time or to a particular person is the right thing to do, but it isn’t always and that God knows all, and we need to be obedient to Him in order for us to participate in building his kingdom. The Lord wants everyone to accept the Gospel as soon as possible, for their salvation and happiness, he doesn’t withhold the truth or opportunity for the gospel from those who are ready for it, so when we are told “not yet” it is for the eternal benefit of not only other people but also for ourselves because we also have to be ready and prepared to preach or share the gospel. The Lord not only ensures our own preparedness but also that of the audience. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught of Samuel Smith, “To Samuel Smith the Lord said it was his duty also to strengthen the Church, although he was not yet called to preach before the world. It will be recalled that Samuel was the third person baptized in this dispensation. He was one of the first to be ordained to the office of Elder, and it was not long after this revelation when he was sent forth to teach, which he did with marked success, for beyond his own realizations.” So like his brother Hyrum, as he obeyed the counsel of the Lord, he was quickly given the desire of his heart, to preach the gospel. 23:5 – Even shorter than the counsel given to both his sons, the Lord’s words to Joseph Smith Sr. is brief, but as we know from history, again no indication of this humble and faithful man’s standing before God. The Lord tells him, “Behold, I speak a few words unto you, Joseph; for thou also are under no condemnation, and thy calling also is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church; and this is thy duty from henceforth and forever. Amen.” DJR comments that Joseph Smith Sr. is 59 years old at the time. President Joseph Fielding Smith commented that this man “was so faithful and devoted to his son in the commencement of this marvelous work.” 23:6-7 – Here we come to the big exhortation by the Lord to Joseph Knight Sr., who is told by the Lord, “Behold, I manifest unto you, Joseph Knight, by these words, that you must take up your cross, in the which you must pray vocally before the world as well as in secret, and in your family, and among your friends, and in all places. And, behold, it is your duty to unite with the true church, and give your language to exhortation continually, that you may receive the reward of the laborer. Amen.” DJR makes an interesting observation noting that the Lord comforted the other four men with the words, “thou are under no condemnation,” but he didn’t not say that to Joseph Knight. DJR says that “the reason is that the other four have already been baptized, but Father Knight has not yet agreed to be baptized. Thus, he is under ‘condemnation,’ which is a word that basically means ‘stopped from progressing farther.’ Also, he apparently has not brought himself to pray yet. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught of Joseph Knight, “It is quite possible that Joseph Knight, before he joined the Church, was not given to prayer to any great extent. He was a Universalist with very liberal views. This revelation was given before he had untied himself with the Church. He was baptized at the time the enemies destroyed the dam in Colesville, following the first conference of the Church.” Some good insight there into the different sects at the time and how their different teachings shaped the lives of their subscribers. I was wondering why it was important for the Lord to tell Joseph Knight to pray, not only vocally in public, alone in private, in his family, with his friends, and no matter where he is. There are a couple of different viewpoints that I can see coming from this, first is that he seems hesitant to make the commitment to get baptized, even though apparently he is just as concerned about his duty before God as the rest of the men who received parts of this revelation. He was already doing the work, but still wanted to have his out. So the Lord is not only telling him that he needs to be baptized in order to receive his reward for the work that he is doing, but that he also needs to make it known. The Lord told OC to make his appointment in the Church known to everyone, and it seems like the Lord is asking Joseph Knight to do the same thing, make the commitment and then make the commitment known. It also seems to me that the Lord is asking him to build a personal relationship with God through individual private prayer, he’s asking him to lead his family as the righteous head of his household by leading his family in prayer, he’s asking him to set the example of the believer for those who know him by praying with his friends, and to not be ashamed of his commitment and be willing to seek the Lord’s guidance no matter where he is or what he’s doing, that’s the personal, powerful relationship that the Lord is asking Joseph Knight to seek. Interesting. Concerning the phrase “take up your cross” the IM teaches, “the term take up your cross is found in both ancient and modern scripture, including at least three references I the Doctrine and Covenants. In Matthew 16:24 the Savior says, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ The (Joseph Smith Translation) of the Bible provides the meaning of this term as given by Jesus Christ himself: ‘And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.’ Elder James E. Talmage wrote: ‘The cross to be taken up may be heavy, perhaps to be dragged because too burdensome to be borne. We are apt to assume that self-denial is the sole material of our cross; but this is true only as we regard self-denial in its broadest sense, comprising both positive and negative aspects. One man’s cross may consist mostly in refraining from doings to which he is inclined, another’s in doing what he would fain escape. One’s besting sin is evil indulgence; his neighbor’s a lazy inattention to the activities required by the God of Jesus Christ, coupled perchance with puritanical rigor in other observances.” I love that this again emphasizes our individual salvation, struggles and needs. The term “take up your cross” conveys the image of a regular person suddenly becoming burdened down, and pained by the acceptance of the gospel, which of course we know it to be the exact opposite. Elder Talmage’s description of the “cross” we bear more fully coveys the all-encompassing nature of our acceptance of the gospel. He gives examples of both doing things we don’t want to do and not doing things that we do want to do, but really, isn’t that the struggle of all of us, don’t we all deal with issues on both sides of that example? It’s transformative in all aspects. Taking up the cross doesn’t mean giving up what we want and replacing it with a rough, heavy, burdensome death machine, as this phrase might be interpreted, but changing our lives in all aspects so that we can die as to the things of the world and be resurrected as to the things of God. One last point I want to make is that when Christ gave this analogy, he was still in his mortal state. Perhaps, this is foreshadowing of what was to come. In the situation of the listener, Christ was still alive and very much mortal, while him dying by crucifixion was technically possible, I don’t think anyone thought that it was likely to happen. Just some interesting foreshadowing there.