D&C 38:31-42

38:31-42 - Ok back on track tonight. The Lord gives the reasons why he’s telling them to move to Ohio, “that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless… and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power on high. And from thence, whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations.” There are 5 reasons why the Saints will be able to progress spiritually while in Ohio. The Lord recognizes that there are going to be problems and concerns with the property that is owned by the Saints when they leave, so he gives “a commandment, that certain men among them shall be appointed, and they shall be appointed by the voice of the church; And they shall look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief that they shall not suffer; and send them forth to the place which I have commanded them; And this shall be their work, to govern the affairs of the property of this church. And they that have farms that cannot be sold, let them be left or rented as seemeth them good. See that all things are preserved; and when men are endowed with power from on high and sent forth, all these things shall be gathered unto the bosom of the church. And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.” Those who are to be left in charge of the property are not going to be called, but “appointed by the voice of the church,” this is different than jobs appointed by God. It’s a really big deal to give up your home and livelihood, and travel and face terrible hardships, all for the name of religion, I love that the Lord is giving them some perspective, that if he choose to, all “the riches of the earth are mine to give.” It’s like the concept of tithing, I tell people, if the Lord wanted to, he could turn all the rocks on the ground into solid nuggets of gold and use that money to fund his church. If he wanted, he could have his angels come down, even incognito, and build his temples and preach his gospel, he is capable of that, and honestly it might be a little bit more effective than trying to convince us to do what he says. But he doesn’t do that, he commands us to pay tithing, so that we can grow in faith and he can bless us openly. He could have had his angels come and pick up the goods of the Saints and move the people to Ohio himself, but he didn’t do that, so it begs the question, what’s the lesson? He’s demonstrating multiple times in this revelation that he has all power to do whatever he wants, so if he’s choosing to let them suffer, then it’s for a reason and for their own growth. And let’s just add in there that by allowing us to go through sorrow so that we can be benefited, he made the atonement just that much harder on himself. The IM comments on the Lord’s warning of pride by quoting Elder George Q. Cannon saying, “there is something in the human heart of that character that when human beings are prospering they are apt to be lifted up in pride and to forget the cause or the source of their prosperity; they are apt to forget God, who is the fountain of all their blessings, and to give glory to themselves. It requires a constant preaching of the word of God, a constant pleading with the people, a constant outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the people to bring them to a true sense of their real condition… Is it right that we should be prudent, that we should take care of those gifts and blessings which God has given unto us, that we should husband our resources, that we should be economical, and not extravagant? Certainly; this is right, this is proper, we should be culpable if we were not so. But with this there is also something else required, and that it, to keep constantly in view that the management and care of these things is not the object God had in sending us here, that is not the object of our probation… I have been in reduced circumstances; been on missions when I did not know where to get a mouthful to eat; turned away by people who dare not entertain me because of the anger that was kindled against us. I could stand by and weep, being a boy and away from all my friends. But I, nevertheless, was happy. I never enjoyed myself in my life as I did them. I know that happiness does not consist in the possession of worldly things. Still it is a great relief when people can have the means necessary for the support of themselves and families. If they possess these things and the Spirit of God with them, they are blessed.” Pride, I think, is a very difficult thing to deal with, personally. Even though I might not get all high and mighty because of my things or good job, I surely act a fool about other things like respect or my attitude, it’s really terrible and I hate it about myself, so it’s definitely not just a wealth issue. Finally the Lord finishes up with a charge to “go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” The IM teaches, “In ancient Israel, certain vessels (bowls, urns, vases, and other containers) and utensils were used in religious feats and ceremonies. The vessels that were to be used in the temple had special significance and were handled only by those who were worthy and authorized and who had properly prepared themselves. In a somewhat similar manner, the Lord has indicated that his saints should come ‘out from among the wicked’ and leave the worldliness of Babylon so they will be worthy to ‘bear the vessels of the Lord.’”