D&C 70

Section 70 deals more with printing the Book of Commandments. The IM gives the background saying, “At one of the four conferences of the Church held in Hiram, Ohio, from 1 to 12 November 1831, the brethren testified that the revelations were from God and should be published for the world. The Lord confirmed His approval by giving the preface (now D&C 1) and the appendix (now D&C 133) to the collection of revelations that were to be published, which would be called the Book of Commandments. Efforts began toward accomplishing this objective. W.W. Phelps obtained a printing press and type, which were set up at Independence, Missouri. Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer were commissioned to carry the manuscripts of some of the revelations from Ohio to Missouri for printing. At this time the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that certain individuals were to have a special commission in publishing the revelations. They were to be ‘stewards’ over the revelations, using proceeds from the sale of the Book of Commandments for their temporal needs and giving an account of their stewardship.” So basically, what happens in this revelation is that the Lord tells those who have spent so much time on the work and publication of the Book of Commandments, that they are to publish and sell the books and then the proceeds that come from the sale of the books are to be given to those who spent so much time on it, so that they can live, pay their bills, and take care of their families. If there is any money left over after everyone has been taken care of, then it is to go to the Bishop’s Storehouse.

70:1-6 - The Lord identifies whom he’s addressing, specifically Joseph Smith, Jun., Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, and Sidney Rigdon, William W. Phelps. He has “appointed them, and ordained them to be stewards over the revelations and commandments which I have given unto them… And an account of this stewardship will I require of them in the day of judgment.” The IM teaches, “Stewardship is not ownership. Stewardship is management with a responsibility to account to the owner of mater. The basic principle was taught by the Lord when He said: ‘I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine… Behold, all these properties are mine,… and if the properties are mine, then ye are stewards; otherwise ye are no stewards.’” It’s interesting, because the Lord tells them that the proceeds of the sales of the Book of Commandments “they shall not give these things unto the church, neither unto the world; Nevertheless, inasmuch as they receive more than is needful for their necessities and their wants, it shall be given into my storehouse… He who is appointed to administer spiritual things, the same is worthy of his hire, even as those who are appointed to a stewardship to administer in temporal things.” The IM says “The brethren who were given the stewardship of the revelations to be published were to receive their livelihood from the proceeds. The law of consecration included temporal needs as well as spiritual needs. Elder James E. Talmage wrote: ‘A system of unity in temporal matters has been revealed to the Church in this day; such is currently known as the Order of Enoch, or the United Order, and is founded on the law of consecration. As already stated, in the early days of the latter-day Church the people demonstrated their inability to abide this law in its fullness, and, in consequence, the lesser law of tithing was given; but the saints confidently await the day in which they will devote not merely a tithe of their substance but all that they have and all that they are, to the service of their God; a day in which no man will speak of mine and thing, but all things shall be the Lord’s and theirs. In this expectation they indulge no vague dream of communism, encouraging individual irresponsibility and giving the idler an excuse for hoping to live at the expense of the thrifty; but rather, a calm trust that in the promised social order, such as God can approve, every man will be a steward in the full enjoyment of liberty to do as he will with the talents committed to his care; but with a sure knowledge that an account of his stewardship shall be required at his hands.’” This was interesting to me because I don’t think that I’ve ever heard this before, so it was kind of surprising to me, but it makes sense, families still need to be fed.

70:7-18 - After the proceeds have been used to take care of everyone, the surplus is to be given to the Bishop’s Storehouse, but the Lord doesn’t say specifically how much is to go there, or how much each person is to get, it’s up to the people to decide how much is enough for them and their families. The IM quotes President J. Reuben Clark Jr. as teaching, “whatever a steward realized from the portion allotted to him over and above that which was necessary in order to keep his family under the standard provided… was turned over by the steward to the bishop, and this amount of surplus, plus the residues…, went into a bishop’s storehouse, and the materials of the storehouse were to be used in creating portions… for caring for the poor, the widows and orphans, and for the elders of the Church engaged in the ministry, who were to pay for what they received if they could, but if not, their faithful labors should answer their debt to the bishop.” In deciding how much each man’s family needs the Lord tells them “in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.” This concept of equality is defined differently in the Lord’s domain. The IM teaches, “The dictionary defines equal as being of the same quantity, size, number, value, degree, or intensity. The Lord, however, does not endorse such a definition in His gospel. President Joseph Fielding Smith explained; ‘To be equal did not mean that all should have the same amount of food, but each should have according to his needs. For instance, a man would receive in proportion to the number in his family, not according to the nature of his work. He was to have, ‘for food and for raiment; for an inheritance; for houses and for lands, in whatsoever circumstances, I the lord, shall place them, and whithersoever I, the Lord, shall send them.’”  I think that we can profitably use this definition in other aspects of our lives that use “equality.”