D&C 71:1-6

Section 71 brings up a new look at an old concept, conflict, contention, debate. The IM gives background information saying, “At the date of this revelation, 1 December 1831, the Saints did not yet have means of publicly defending the Church when it was under attack from critics and apostates. Those who were willing to listen needed to hear viewpoint other than those of the unbelievers. Ezra Booth, a former Methodist minister who joined the Church when he witnessed a healing, turned apostate and wrote nine letters against the Church. The letters, published in the Ohio Star at Ravenna, Ohio, were highly critical, and the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote that they, ‘by their coloring, falsity, and vain calculations to overthrow the work of the Lord, exposed (Booth’s) weakness, wickedness and folly, and left him a monument of his own shame, for the world to wonder at.’ Booth was not the first to apostatize, but he was the first Church member to write anti-Mormon literature and publish it. A Church conference was held 1 November 1831, during which it was decided to print and publish revelations, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon resumed work on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Meanwhile, the agitation caused by Ezra Booth had grown so serious that on the first day of December the Lord called Joseph and Sidney from their work of translation to proclaim the gospel to the world. They left in haste for Kirtland, Ohio. As Smith and Sjodahl observed, ‘Sometimes it is wise to ignore the attacks of the wicked; at other times it is necessary to meet them, fearlessly and with ability.’”  DJR painted this section as a rare instance of the Lord permitting contention, but after reading the IM’s explanation, I think that this is another way of teaching the same ideas, teaching by the Spirit and with courage.

71:1-6 - The Lord begins by addressing JS and SR, and tells them that “the time has verily come that it is necessary and expedient in me that you should open your mouths in proclaiming my gospel, the things of the kingdom, expounding the mysteries thereof out of the scriptures, according to that portion of Spirit and power which shall be given unto you.” The IM comments on “Expound the mysteries according to the Spirit” saying, “The Prophet, by this time, had learned many great and glorious truths, partly by the direct Revelations he had received, and partly by close study of the Scriptures. To the word, many of these truths were ‘mysteries.’ The time had come to reveal them, and when they were revealed, or unveiled, they would be mysteries no longer. When the gospel of Christ was first preached by Peter, Paul, and the other Apostles of their day, the doctrine of the Incarnation was a mystery; the doctrine of the resurrection, and the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church were mysteries. In our dispensation, the doctrines of the gathering and of the building of temples and the City of Zion are as great mysteries, until they are explained by the Holy Spirit of Promise. The Prophet Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were now to go forth and proclaim these and other truths to the Church and the world, for a season.’ A mystery is a truth that cannot be known except through divine revelation- a sacred secret… In our day such great truths as those pertaining to the restoration of the priesthood, the work for the dead, and the re-establishment of the Church are ‘mysteries,’ because they could not have been discovered except by revelation.” I think it’s interesting that JS received many truths by revelation, but many also were received because of his diligence in studying the scriptures that he already had. This is an excellent example that we can all enjoy increased learning and spiritual growth through our desires and diligence in seeking God with the tools that we’ve already been given. It’s like the Lord says in verse 6, “for unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly, even power.” Another point that I think is important to remember when studying the early history of the Church, and this is a point that I have not thought of for some time, was the sheer amount of knowledge that the people at that time just didn’t have, because of the apostasy. It should not only make us grateful for the knowledge that we have now, but also to appreciate the restored gospel. It also allows us to learn just how important having the gospel is, because imaging that we didn’t have it, what we would be missing, and how we would be set back in our hope, joy, and happiness.