D&C 72:9-26

72:9-16 - The Lord begins the next part of the revelation after Newel K. Whitney was ordained, by outlining the duties of a bishop. They are to “keep the Lord’s storehouse; to receive the funds of the church… To take an account of the elders as before has been commanded; and to administer to their wants, who shall pay for that which they receive, inasmuch as they have wherewith to pay. That this also may be consecrated to the good of the church, to the poor and needy.” The IM says, “In this section the responsibilities of a bishop are primarily related to the law of consecration. Other duties of a bishop include presiding over the ward and presiding over the Aaronic Priesthood in the ward.” The Lord continues by explaining the ward vs. church funding, DJR says, “one of the things that we see in action, next, in verse 13 (which likewise is done in the Church today), is this: when a local ward or branch does not have sufficient funds to meet the needs of the poor and the needy among them, funds can be given from the general Church funds to assist the local bishop in meeting local needs.” The IM asks, “What was the relationship between Bishop Newel K. Whitney in Kirtland and Bishop Edward Partridge in Zion?” And answers saying, “Bishop Partridge was called as the first bishop of the Church. Later, when others were called, he became the equivalent of what today is called the Presiding Bishop. Newel K. Whitney thus was actually under the jurisdiction of Bishop Partridge. ‘The bishop in Kirtland was to ‘hand over’ to the bishop in Zion, the record of the stewardships, where the permanent records should be kept. For this responsibility Newel K. Whitney was called to act as bishop. He was to keep the Lord’s storehouse in Kirtland, and to receive funds in that part of the vineyard, and to take an account of the elders as he was commanded; to administer to their wants, all those who should pay for that which they received, inasmuch as they have wherewith to pay. These funds received were to be consecrated to the good of the Church, ‘to the poor and needy.’ If there were any who were unable to pay, an account was to be made ‘and handed over to the bishop in Zion, who shall pay the debt out of that which the Lord shall put into his hands.’ When Edward Partridge died in Nauvoo in May 1840, Newel K. Whitney became the Presiding Bishop.” I don’t have a lot to say about this subject, so I’m just going to keep trucking on.

72:17-26 - Now the Lord talks about a “certificate” from the bishop to settle from one place to another, or to partake in the United Order in Zion. This “certificate” is similar to a temple recommend today. Specifically, the Lord says, “let every elder who shall give an account unto the bishop of the church in this part of the vineyard be recommended by the church or churches, in which he labors, that he may render himself and his accounts approved in all things.” It makes sense that someone needs to be worthy in order to join in the saints who are practicing the law of Consecration. But what about those who are not able to get “certificates” from their bishop? DJR describes this saying, “As the Church grows and as converts are baptized in areas where an organized branch of the Church does not exist, such converts won’t have a branch president to give them a recommend for Bishop Whitney or Bishop Partridge.” The Lord says, “Let them carry up unto the bishop a certificate from three elders of the church, or a certificate from the bishop. Otherwise he who shall go up unto the land of Zion shall not be accounted as a wise steward.” The IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, “a certificate from the judge or bishop in Kirtland was to be made and it would ‘render every man acceptable and answereth all things, for an inheritance, and to be received as a wise steward, as a faithful laborer; otherwise he shall not be accepted of the bishop in Zion.’ From the very beginning of time the Lord has taken pains to see that proper records have been kept. This was one of the first commandments to the Church in 1830. The jealous care pertaining to the word of the Lord and other publications and documents, is shown forth in a number of revelations… All who were to go up to Zion from other parts of the Church, were required to carry with them certificates, showing that they were in full fellowship and worthy to obtain the blessings which, in Zion, awaited the obedient.” One thing that struck me as particularly incredible about the concept of a “certificate” was that it was open to any who were willing to obey. The certificate wouldn’t have contained birth right information, race, or nationality, the viewer of the certificate would only be interested in whether or not the holder was trying their best to be righteous, and that’s a characteristic that comes from choice and obedience, and can be obtained by any who so desire.