Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

D&C 75 is 36 verses, but I'm anxious to get into section 76, so let's see how far we get with this one. The background for this section is that it was given during a conference held in Amherst, Ohio in which the Elders asked JS to ask the Lord what he wanted them to do, which makes sense because the previous revelation had given them instructions until the time the next conference was held, which is this one. The heading to thise section in the scriptures says, "The occasion was that of a conference previously appointed. At this conference Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained President of the HIgh Priesthood. Certain elders, who had encountered difficulty in bringing men to an understanding of their message, desired to learn more in detail as to their immediate duties. This revelation followed." 75:1-5 - The Lord commands that those who have "given your names" or in other words, asked for information from the Lord "should go forth and not tarry...

Section 74 is also very short and covers the subject of children. DJR gives background information as follows: “This revelation was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Hiram, Ohio, in January 1832. One of the great blessings that came out of the Prophet’s inspired translation of the Bible, in addition to the translation itself, was the fact that it caused many questions to come up in his mind. When such questions arose, he went to the Lord in prayer and received answers. Section 74 is one such occasion. Joseph gave the background as follows: ‘Upon the reception of the foregoing word of the Lord (section 73), I recommenced the translation of the Scriptures, and labored diligently until just before the conference, which was to convene on the 25 th of January. During this period, I also received the following, as an explanation of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 7 th chapter, 14 th verse.’ 1 Corinthians 7:14, which is the subject of this revelation, is an example of the need fo...

Section 73 is short, but has some interesting principles for our application. This revelation is basically a follow up from section 71, in which the Lord commanded Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to go set the record straight and do some damage control from the letters published in the newspaper by Ezra Booth.   The IM gives background saying, “Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were working on a revision of the Bible when, on 1 December 1831, the Lord called them to go on a mission for a season. The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: ‘From this time until the 8 th or 10 th of January, 1832, myself and Elder Rigdon continued to preach in Shalersville, Ravenna, and other places, setting forth the truth, vindicating the cause of our Redeemer; showing that the day of vengeance was coming upon this generation like a thief in the night; that prejudice, blindness and darkness filled the minds of many, and caused them to persecute the true Church, and reject the true light; by which   mean...

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 the...

Section 72 deals with the calling and duties of a bishop. The IM teaches, “Edward Partridge was called to be the first bishop of the Church in this dispensation on 4 February 1831 at Kirtland, Ohio (see D&C 41). In November 1831 the Lord revealed, ‘There remain hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other bishops to be set apart unto the church, to minister even according to the first.’ The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded that to learn their duty, and for edification, and after some time had been spent in conversing about our temporal and spiritual welfare, I received the following: (D&C 72).’ The Prophet received the first eight verses of section 72, and immediately Newel K. Whitney was ordained. Then the Prophet received the rest of section 72.” I didn’t understand, but it seems like this section was received in two parts on the same day, and DJR comments that “this section consists of two revelations, given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, on December 4, 1...

71:7-11 - The Lord gives interesting advice to the brethren concerning those who they are to teach, saying, “Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private;   and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest.” Remembering what we learned last time, that there were many truths that weren’t known to the population in general, and that the gospel was brand new and not very widely known. We’re talking about eternal truths that people needed to hear, and the Lord says that if they are faithful, they will be successful in their efforts to “confound” their enemies, and I think that that is because they will be seeking and worthy of the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost. The IM teaches, “Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the usual role of debates in the work of the Church as follows: ‘Except under very unusual circumstances, debates play no part in the approved system of presenting the message of salvation to the world o...

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 Ch...