D&C 59:1-6

Section 59 has a really interesting background, the IM says, “Polly Knight, mother of Newel Knight, was a member of the Colesville Branch and was determined to go to the land of Zion with other members of the branch. ‘Polly Knight’s health had been failing for some time, according to a statement made by her son, Newel. She was very ill during her journey from Kirtland to Missouri. ‘Yet,’ says her son, ‘she would not consent to stop traveling; her only or her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion, and to have her body interred in that land. I went on shore and bought lumber to make a coffin in case she should die before we arrived at our place of destination- so fast did she fail. But the Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and she lived to stand upon that land.’ The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: ‘On the 7^th, I attended the funeral of Sister Polly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight, Sen. This was the first death in the Church in this land, and I can say, a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection. I also received the following: (D&C 59).” But this section only references Polly Knight briefly and then it goes into other really interesting topics: Sabbath day observance.

59:1-3 - The Lord begins with words of encouragement and even though he doesn’t say her name specifically, the but instead references “they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments.” This is definitely Sister Knight, she traveled hundreds of miles in terrible health, which I’m sure means that she suffered immensely during the process, all to be fully obedient to the Lord and to see with her mortal eyes the land of Zion, that is commitment. This is all pertinent especially considering what the early saints are going to be facing in terms of persecution and suffering in the coming years. The Lord promises, “for those that live shall inherit the earth,” perhaps referencing those who “live” in Him, spiritually, not necessarily temporally, “and those that die shall rest from all their labors, and their works shall follow them.” So what they experience in this life and the choices that they and we make will be the basis of who we are much more than what we have or what happens to us. The IM teaches, “verses 1-2 seem to refer to Polly Knight, who had come up to the land with an eye single to God, although the blessings apply to all who come in a similar fashion. President Joseph Fielding Smith explained: ‘Today, with the earth subject to Satan’s rule, it is quite generally the selfih, self-centered, proud and haughty people of the earth who apparently inherit it. This is in harmony with the spirit of unrighteousness which has prevailed on the earth since the fall of man. When Christ come to take possession of the earth and rule in his right as King of kings, he will keep his promise and the meek shall come into their own. If they die, even then their inheritance shall stand, for the earth is to be the eternal abode of those who inherit the celestial kingdom… This earth eventually… will be prepared for the righteous, or the meek, and it is their everlasting inheritance.’”

59:4 - The Lord continues that the righteous won’t only inherit the earth, but “they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time- they that are faithful and diligent before me.” This is a really interesting statement because it says that the righteous will be reward with blessings, revelations, and commandments. To most of us, this statement seems counter-intuitive, because to us, commandments are not a blessing, they are a hardship. It is a rather advanced spiritual state to see commandments as blessings. DJR gives some excellent insight into this concept, saying, “Perhaps you’ve heard someone complain that there are too many commandments and that there doesn’t seem to be much freedom in living the gospel. People who think this do not understand freedom. They fail to recognize that it is the breaking of God’s commandments that limits freedom and reduces options. Verse 4, next, is a clear lesson on the fact that commandments are great blessings. In effect, they are the ‘instruction manual’ for true human freedom and happiness. They bring us form spiritual darkness and confusion into the light of eternal perspective and understanding. They enable us to exercise our moral agency in ways that lead to the highest blessings and most satisfying lifestyle in the universe, namely, godhood. The truly wise seek the commandments of God. The foolish reject them until they are bound by consequences.” I think that it’s quite profound to note that the atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to break the bands of consequence, in that we can be forgiven of our guilt in breaking them, and we can also become more Christ-like, from where ever we are in the pit of despair, and therefore be able to live new lives, be new people. This is a difficult concept for me personally, to believe that God knows what’s best for me, that God gives me commandments and that there will be reward at some point along the journey. Logically, I know that this is true, but sometimes, emotionally it is more difficult to remember all the time. But it should be at the forefront of my mind, especially right now as so many of my dreams are being realized as blessings.

59:5-6 - With reference to commandments being a blessing, the Lord continues with the two great commandments “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” These commandments are what give us joy and freedom, let’s look at that for a second. What emotions do you experience when you love God? Love is a positive and empowering emotion. When I love God I feel peace, not that everything is perfect, but that everything will be alright. I feel gratitude and joy, I think that these two terms are quite related, the more I think about it, and they are both liberating and uplifting emotions. I feel cared for, because I recognize who God really is and who I am to Him, this makes me feel valued. With positive feelings and energy, I am empowered, enabled to do hard things, energized to undertake spiritual growth, this allows me to stretch and reach beyond my limits, which seem to me to be the ultimate definition of freedom. When I’m angry with God or contemptuous towards Him, I feel suspicious, which exhausts all my energy evaluating motives, I feel tired and downtrodden, like I can’t take anymore. This sends me into a downward spiral of self-loathing and wallowing in self-pity, I definitely take on a “woe is me” stance on life, which is the opposite of empowered, it is entrapment. Anger, rage, and hatred and all consuming, they are like a fire that eats up all the oxygen in the room, then suffocates out, but when it’s extinguished you aren’t left with the same room that you started in, you are left with a room that is charred, smoky, filled with ash, and that has been made unstable as the foundation and beams of the building were compromised with the heat of the fire. If we start in a room, love of God and fellow man allows us to see the beauty in something we otherwise would have overlooked. We would feel empowered to make the space our own, decorate it, open the windows, live in and love it. But when we have a anger towards God or fellow man, we set that same room on fire, compromise the very stability of the structure, leave a mess, and destroy anything that might have been for our good. So really, looking at it from that perspective, who has the most options, the person with the intact room and the vision to make it incredible? Or the person standing in the middle of a smoldering pile holding a shovel and watching for ceiling collapse? Who has the freedom in that situation? The IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, “so important is this commandment that the Latter-day Saints have had their attention called to it in a number of revelations. It is plain to be seen that on these commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If a person observes these commandments as they are given in verse 5 and 6 of this section (59) he will keep the full law of God. We cannot love our Heavenly Father, and worship him in the name of his Only Begotten Son, our Redeemer, with all our ‘heart, might, mind, and strength’ without keeping all other commandments. It naturally follows that we will love our neighbor as ourselves and have sympathy and love for all men who are the children of God. There would be no occasion for us to be constantly reminded that we should keep the Sabbath holy, or pay our honest tithes, or keep our bodies clean by observing the Word of Wisdom, or that we should not neglect our prayers, secret and in the family circle. (We) would observe all of these things and all else that we are instructed to do, IF we love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. To the extent that members of the Church observe the laws of the Lord may their love for him be measured.’”  The Lord adds a little addendum to the end of verse 6 saying, “Thou shalt not steal, neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.” Concerning that “like unto it” part, DJR comments, “A most important principle is taught in the last phrase of verse 6, above. It is that we must avoid ‘anything like unto it. This is the answer when someone says, in effect, that the scriptures do not mention a specific sin, and therefore it is not forbidden. For example, a student once said to me in class that there is no specific mention in the scriptures of certain types of sexual physical intimacy other than adultery or fornication; therefore, they must be permissible. The simple answer to him and the whole class was to quote D&C 59:6: ‘nor do anything like unto it.’ He was somewhat started and disappointed and exclaimed, ‘Oh, so there is something in there about it!’”