Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 12-13

INTRODUCTION

(Display various tools, or pictures of them: a magnifying glass, wire whisk, calculator, trowel, tuning fork, wrench, comb, thermometer, toothbrush, and a Swiss Army knife.)

What do all these items have in common? (They are all tools.)  We can use each of these tools to accomplish a specific purpose, if we have the understanding of how they are to be used.  The Swiss Army knife is unique on this table in that it can be used for many different purposes.  The Priesthood of God is even better than a Swiss Army knife because it can be used to accomplish every good purpose, if we have the authority to use it, and the ability to understand how.  It is the greatest all-purpose tool there ever was or will be.

(Ask the class to finish this sentence.)  The Priesthood is the power and authority (or the tool) by which:

(And here are some possible answers.)

• All things exist
• All things are governed
• The Plan of Salvation operates
• The Gospel is preached
• The ordinances of Salvation are performed
• We are sealed up unto eternal life
• The Lord will govern all nations of the earth.

The Priesthood operates by love.  It exists for the purpose of blessing and serving others.  By serving others, we are also blessed. We have another lesson coming up on the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, and how we should exercise Priesthood power, but the basic summary is that it must be done in love.

THE RESTORATION OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

Before the Book of Mormon was published, before the Church was organized and named, the priesthood was restored.  This had to come first, as the Priesthood was the tool for building the entire kingdom.  Only the First Vision, the tutoring by Angel Moroni, and most of the translation of the plates preceded the Priesthood chronologically.  All three of these things were necessary to prepare Joseph to receive the Priesthood.  Read D&C 84:18-21.

Joseph Smith wrote a simple factual account of the restoration of the Priesthood found in Joseph Smith-History 1:68-73, but let’s read Oliver Cowdery’s very poetic and emotional account of it.  You can find this in the very back of your Joseph Smith-History as a footnote.  (Read the last 3 paragraphs.)  This took place May 15, 1829.

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE

Think of your experiences with the Priesthood.  How have you seen the power of the Priesthood manifested in your life?  If you are a priesthood holder, what have your feelings been when baptizing someone, or performing another sacred ordinance?  What experiences have you had receiving blessings through priesthood leaders?

THE HISTORY OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

The ways in which the Aaronic Priesthood was administered has passed through several distinct periods in this dispensation:

1. 1829-1845: There were no age guidelines, but Aaronic Priesthood bearers were mostly adults.  Their primary duty was to visit members in their homes, to remember and nourish them as the Book of Mormon states.
2. 1846-1877: After the temple endowment was broadly available, more men were ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood in order to be sealed in the temple and to serve missions.  There were few men left in the Aaronic Priesthood.  So a lot of times men were called to be “acting” priests, teachers, and deacons, even though they held the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Deacons served as the meetinghouse custodians.
3. 1877-1908: By now the quorums were on a ward level, and the First Presidency instructed that all worthy young men be ordained to the Priesthood, and schooled in its use as teens.  Boys from 11-18 received the priesthood, and generally stayed as deacons until they received the Melchizedek Priesthood.  The deacons were still custodians, not involved in the sacrament.
4. 1908-present.  The Aaronic Priesthood was restructured to be a preparatory priesthood for boys.  A worthy boy was ordained a deacon at around age 12, teacher at 15, priest at 18, and elder at 21.  Teachers and priests began to serve as junior home teachers, an apprentice to the Melchizedek Priesthood.  In the 1930s, an adult Aaronic Priesthood program was begun for converts and those returning to activity.  The ages of advancement changed back and forth a little over the years, and the age of ordination to a deacon was reduced to as young as age 11 in 2018 (Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, Garr, et.al., p.1; Letter from First Presidency, December 14, 2018).

Our youth have tremendous priesthood opportunities and responsibilities that the youth of Joseph Smith’s day generally did not have.  As the youth have become more valiant, the priesthood ages have been reduced.  Or is it the other way around?  Elder James E. Talmage was in the early group of boys who were ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.  His recollection of his ordination as a deacon was printed in the 1914 deacons’ instruction manual: 

“It seemed scarcely possible that I, a little boy, could be so honored of God as to be called to the Priesthood … The effect of my ordination … entered into all the affairs of my boyish life … When at play on the school grounds, and perhaps tempted to take unfair advantage in the game … I would remember … 'I am a deacon, and it is not right that a deacon should act in this way.'  On examination days, when it seemed easy for me to copy some other boy’s work … I would say in my mind, 'It would be more wicked for me to do that than it is for them, because I am a deacon'” (Incidents from the Lives of our Church Leaders [deacons’ instruction manual, 1914], pp.135-36, quoted in Gospel Doctrine manual).

And so the priesthood offers a great opportunity to our young men to begin to become godly at a young age.  (Read D&C 20:46-47.)

THE RESTORATION OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD

The Melchizedek Priesthood was restored the same spring that the Aaronic Priesthood was.  They are actually the same priesthood; the Aaronic is just a part of the Melchizedek.

LYMAN WIGHT, THE FIRST HIGH PRIEST

The first man ordained as a high priest, after Joseph and Oliver received the priesthood, was Lyman Wight.  This took place at the fourth general conference of the Church, June 3, 1831, one year after the church was organized.  There were 2,000 members in attendance. (In just one year since its inception!)  John Whitmer, the newly appointed Church historian, recorded: 

“[Joseph] laid his hands upon Lyman Wight and ordained him [a high priest] after the holy order of God.  And the Spirit fell upon Lyman, and he prophesied concerning the coming of Christ … He said the coming of the Savior should be like the sun rising in the east, and will cover the whole earth.  So with the coming of the Son of Man; yea, He will appear in His brightness and consume all [the wicked] before Him; and the hills will be laid low, and the valleys be exalted, and the crooked be made straight, and the rough smooth.   And some of my brethren shall suffer martyrdom for the sake of the religion of Jesus Christ, and seal their testimony of Jesus with their blood.  He saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Father, making intercession for his brethren, the Saints.  He said that God would work a work in these last days that tongue cannot express and the mind is not capable to conceive.  The glory of the Lord shone around”  (History of the Church 1:175-176).

Lyman at times was an excellent example of a priesthood bearer and at other times he was a very poor example.  Let’s look at excellent first.  Read section heading to D&C 103.  Brother Wight had volunteered for this journey as a messenger, even though he only had three day’s provisions for the journey.  He knew the Saints needed the guidance of their Priesthood leader.  When he got to Joseph Smith, this is what the Lord told him to do.  Read D&C 103:30-34.  He then journeyed through Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan – everywhere that there was a little pocket of Latter-day Saints – mustering volunteers for Zion’s Camp.  Then he marched in the camp himself, second in command to Joseph Smith, walking from Michigan to Clay County, Missouri, without stockings on his feet.

Photograph of Lyman Wight's second cabin 

at Adam-Ondi-Ahman (BYU archives)

Lyman Wight was a powerful example of bravery in defense of the faith and the prophet:

"While Brother Wight served in the Adam-Ondi-Ahman stake presidency, he was taken captive by the mob militia and charged with treason and murder.  The leader of the mob, General Wilson, said to him, 'Colonel Wight, we have nothing against you, only that you are associated with Joe Smith.  He is our enemy and a damned rascal.  If you will come out and swear against him, we will spare your life.'

"Lyman defiantly replied, 'Joseph Smith is not an enemy to mankind, he is not your enemy, and is as good a friend as you have got.  Had it not been for him, you would have been in hell long ago, for I should have sent you there, by cutting your throat, and no other man but Joseph Smith could have prevented me, and you may thank him for your life.'

"Wilson responded, 'Wight, you are a strange man; but if you will not accept my proposal, you will be shot tomorrow morning at 8.' 

"Lyman said, 'Shoot and be damned.'” (Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who in the Doctrine & Covenants, Bookcraft, 342-3).

He was not killed, but he was imprisoned for about a year, first chained to the prophet in the squalor of Richmond Jail, and then present in the horrible confinement of Liberty Jail.

In 1841, he was ordained an apostle.  In this capacity, his assignments were to help build the Nauvoo Temple and the Nauvoo House hotel.  He successfully carried out these assignments, and in the process, baptized 200 individuals in Kirtland and brought them to Nauvoo.

10 years earlier, when Brother Wight was called on a mission, the Lord gave him some counsel.  Read D&C 52:7-9.  The Lord knew this would be an especial problem for Brother Wight, for he underlined his statement in verse 12.  Read D&C 52:12.  Brother Wight had a lot of difficulty with false doctrine, especially later in his life.  He tended to be extremely outspoken, as we have seen illustrated in the story above, and sometimes caused great difficulties for the Saints with the opposition because of his outbursts. After the death of the prophet, he lead a splinter group of the Church (150 people) to Texas where he expected to convert many Lamanites and establish Zion.  Eventually, his fellowship was withdrawn from the Church in order to stop what was being called “The Texas Epidemic.”  He ended up aligning himself with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (now known as the Community of Christ), believing Joseph Smith III to be the proper successor to his father.  He died of a sudden epileptic seizure in 1858.

Fortunately, Brother Wight is still alive on the other side of the veil, with more opportunities to learn about the power of godliness, and may well have advanced beyond any of us here.  The difficulties that those early Saints went through are impossible for us to imagine, but we might do well to learn from Brother Wight’s mistakes, as well as from his good works. Despite all the spiritual experiences and leadership opportunities we may have had, it is still possible for us to lose our commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ if we don't take care to follow the prophet.

CLASS SHARING

Ask the questions in “Invitation to Participate” again, and let class members share their feelings and stories.  If they do not take all the time, you can share the following story.

CHARLES W. ALLEN, A MODERN-DAY HIGH PRIEST

Brother Chuck Allen’s trade was woodworking, and his specialty antique reproduction.  He worked on Mark Twain’s boyhood home, among other places.  He was asked to build the 126 windows and the doors for the Nauvoo Temple in the original style.

When he was asked to do this, he was overjoyed; tears filled his eyes, and he rushed home to tell his family.  But the task was overwhelming.  He had to create windows that look historic, with the wavy glass and the square wooden pegs, while at the same time meeting the present-day building code.  There was no one for Brother Allen to ask for advice.  As he worked, he was enlightened, taught, and moved upon in so many small ways that he came to declare, “The Spirit knows woodworking.”

An example: One day, so overburdened and exhausted he had to clear his mind – he left the wood shop to drive to Keokuk to get some dog food.  He had been mulling over how to create the star-patterned windows at the top of the temple.  “And suddenly, in 1/100^th of a second, I saw it,” he said, “the picture of a poly wood ring about four inches wide that slips over five posts that I could use to mark the ends of my star points.” For the one interior and 126 exterior windows, 16,000 pieces were required with each piece taking an average of 25 steps.  These steps had to be accomplished in a tight, unyielding time frame.

One day, as he entered his wood shop, the enormity of the task hit him.  “Can I pull this thing off?”  he asked himself.  The Spirit answered, “You’re not pulling anything off.  You’re just a tool in the process.  This is the Lord’s program.”

This was not the first time in Brother Allen's life that he had to rely upon the Lord to tell him how to navigate an overwhelming mission. When Brother Allen and his wife were a young married couple with two babies, they discovered that their oldest, their first-born son who was 18 months old, had cystic fibrosis.  This is a horrible disease which coats the lungs in fibers.  The suffering is intense, and the expectation was that the baby would not live to see his fourth birthday.  It is a genetically-transmitted disease which Brother and Sister Allen had not been aware they carried.  They immediately made a decision not to have any more children, since there was the distinct possibility that they might pass on to them suffering and early death.

Brother Allen wrote, “Yet, as time passed, I came to realize that this mortal life is the time that my wife and I have been given to organize our eternal family, and we needed to reconsider our initial feelings and decision.  I felt that we needed to go forward with trust and accept whatever challenges the Lord had in store for us … I presented this priesthood understanding to my sweetheart and she readily agreed.”

Over the years, they had a total of six children.  The fifth one, a daughter, also was born with the disease.  For a 30-year period, they cared for and prepared their two terminally ill children for their passing. (See Charles W. Allen, Children of Promise, Allyn House Publishing)

 “That responsibility created an environment in our home that was unlike any I had ever known or been acquainted with.  Your normal and petty concerns don’t seem important … Every day in those thirty years that I left home for work, I wondered if a child would be gone by the time I returned that evening.  These experiences tend to get your attention…

“Our son progressed long past his fourth year with the blessings of new techniques and medication and passed away a few days short of his sixteenth birthday … Not long after my son’s passing, I was fearful that our sweet little six-year-old daughter would be passing away soon, so I felt that our family would be better off moving from Missouri, where we lived at the time, to the valley east of Spokane where I was raised and had numerous long-time family friends.  I made the trip to my boyhood area to check things out and felt convinced that we needed to make the move … Our [family] decision was unanimous [to move at the end of the school year].

“A little more than a month later, the stake president, Dell E. Johnson, called to say he wanted to meet with me after church the following Sunday … [He told me that he had heard about the pending move and thought it would be a mistake.  I replied that I was confident in my family’s decision, that I knew that I could serve the Lord wherever he lived.  [President Johnson] hesitated and looked down at the floor momentarily as I sat there with my arms folded, feeling good about the firmness of my stand and decision.  He then looked up and into my eyes and said, ‘Sometimes we make decisions that remove us from the blessings of our foreordination.’  I instantly realized that this visit went to a different level and it was a shock to my understanding.  I asked him, ‘Are you telling me by the authority you hold as the stake president and my High Priest Quorum president that it is the Lord’s will that I not move?’

“He softly answered, ‘Yes, I am.’  When he said that, I knew immediately there was no room for questions.”

The early Saints were often told where to move and what to do by their Priesthood leaders.  This seldom happens to us in the 21st century.

To continue in Brother Allen’s words, “I have my free agency, that is true, but the greatest thing I can do with my free agency is to make choices that will place me and my family in line for the greater blessings and to conform with the will of the Lord.”

Brother Allen was called as branch president, and later as bishop, and was able to help members with terminal conditions because of his experiences. The Allens’ daughter had the advantage of additional research, and lived to the age of 19.  Although it was difficult, Brother Allen chose to speak at her funeral so that he could teach his remaining children.  “I wanted them to know that when they are confronted with a choice, that they could not consider taking the path of least resistance, for there are no character-building opportunities and celestial rewards down that road.” (From an article by Meridian Magazine at ldsmag.com. The original article is no longer online.) Brother Allen passed away in 2013 (Obituary, Hancock County Journal-Pilot, April 17, 2013).

CONCLUSION

Joseph Smith might have been the only one of his day who actually viewed the enormity of the task that faced the early church.  He saw the vision, the whole scope of the project.  But he also saw the majesty of the Priesthood, the greatest tool that ever was.

It doesn’t matter whether we are men or women, we function in the church under the power of the Priesthood.  Through the Priesthood, all of us have the opportunity to be forgiven, all of us have access to the Holy Ghost, all of us fulfill our callings, all of us can make temple covenants.  All the blessings of the Priesthood are available to all of us, and as the Priesthood enhances our efforts, we become the most powerful tools in the Lord’s hands, able to accomplish anything, if we only remember, as Brother Allen stated, “This is the Lord’s program.”

For more on women's role in relation to the priesthood, see my sacrament meeting talk.

For more on Blacks and the priesthood, see my blog post and this BYU Studies article.

Doctrine and Covenants 10-11

Hearing the Voice of the Lord

It’s time to play “Jeopardy” again!  It will be like the American TV game show, except the questions are not trivial.  Here's how the game goes: You give an answer, and your family members or class members have to guess what the question is. If they can't figure it out, give them the reference so they can look it up. The first answer tells us our topic.

Answer: According to the Bible Dictionary, without it, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion.

Question: What is revelation?

“Continuous revelation from God to his saints…makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom… Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion.”  (Bible Dictionary, p. 762)

Answer: Quoting Joseph Smith, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even [this person] may know all things as he is able to bear them.”  (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149)

Question: Who is the least saint?

You and I are the least saints.  We are able to receive as much revelation as we can prepare for.  The topic of this game is one that we need to understand or we really will be in spiritual jeopardy! That topic is how to prepare to receive revelation.

Answer: In 1991, he said, “No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration.”  (Conference, Oct ’91)

Question: Who is Boyd K. Packer?

Our lesson outlines six steps to take us from confusion to revelation.

1. Study the matter in your mind

Answer: According to Joseph Smith, this man became “exceedingly anxious to have the power to translate bestowed upon him.”

Question: Who is Oliver Cowdery?

Section 8 is the Lord’s answer to Oliver’s request to translate.  He said yes.  Read aloud D&C 8:1, 10-11.  What happened with Oliver Cowdery and his desire to translate?  (He was not able to do so immediately, so he gave up and went back to being scribe.  The Lord then took away the gift from him, without his ever having learned how to exercise it.  The Lord did not criticize him, but used the incident to teach him about revelation.)

The Lord had told him that according to his faith it would be done.

Oliver had faith!  Oliver Cowdery had a testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet.  He knew that God had answered the question in a glorious way.  He had the faith to inquire of God himself.

He went to Pennsylvania to meet Joseph and found himself immediately acting as a scribe for him, having only known Joseph for a matter of days.  What he did not know about was the other half of faith: all the work Joseph had exercised along with his belief. 

In Joseph Smith-History, Joseph describes the prayer that initiated the Restoration in 2 verses (JS-H 1:15-16).  In 4 verses he describes the answer he received – the First Vision (JS-H 1:17-20).  But he spends 8 verses describing the time spent studying the problem in his mind (JS-H 1:8-15). 

Point out these words: serious reflection, great uneasiness, I attended…as often as occasion would permit, in process of time, at length…he even thought ahead about what place would be the best place to offer his prayer.

When it came to translating the golden plates, Oliver came into the picture at the point where Joseph was translating so fast that Oliver hardly had time to dip his pen in the ink.  It looked so easy.  But he had not been there to see the months that Joseph had spent learning to translate, poring over the characters, looking for similar ones, doodling with them on paper, struggling to learn what they meant. (More on that below.)  It’s like going to a concert and hearing a great violinist play a masterwork.  We may say, “I’d give half my life to play like that,” when that, in fact, is what the violinist has done.  We don’t see the preparation, the work, the frustration, the years of lessons.  We just see how easy it looks now.

Write THINK-STUDY-WORK. 

Read aloud D&C 9:7-10.

The Lord kindly took away the gift from him without his having learned how to use it, and left in its place a great lesson for him and for all of us.

The scripture said,“If you had known this…”  So why didn’t the Lord tell him when he started to translate?

To answer this question, I'll tell a story. When our daughter, Camille, was six, she wanted to use a Bible flannel board kit we had bought for her part of family night.  However, she wanted to use some of the pictures that had not been cut out yet.  And she wanted to cut them out herself.  I knew that those flannel board figures were really hard to cut out.  But I also knew Camille.  I knew that it would do no good to tell her that it was too hard for her.  So I just let go ahead and try.

She cut out about two or three little pieces and discovered for herself that it was really hard.  She was no longer anxious to do it.

When Oliver saw how hard it was, like Camille with the flannel board figures, like us with a great concerto, he decided he really didn’t want to do it that badly, and he went back to being a scribe.

Our manual tells us the Lord expects us to be active, not passive, as we seek revelation from Him.  We grow as we use the gifts and resources he has provided to help us study matters out in our minds.

2. Ponder on the scriptures and words of prophets

Answer: Dallin H Oaks said, “[It] may … lead to current revelation on whatever [subject] the Lord wishes to communicate to the reader at that time.”

Question: What is scripture reading?

Elder Oaks says further, “We do not overstate that point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation.

“Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again.  By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today.  That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study” (Dallin H. Oaks, "Scripture Reading and Revelation," Ensign, Jan. 1995, 8).

Answer: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given unto him.

Question: What is James 1:5?

Elder Boyd K. Packer says, “No message appears in scriptures more times, in more ways than, ‘Ask, and ye shall receive.’”  (Conference, Oct. ’91)

3. Inquire of the Lord in faith

Answer: The act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other (Bible Dictionary, 752).

Question: What is prayer?

“The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.  Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them.  Prayer is a form of work” (BD, 753).

4. Be obedient and serve God

Answer: Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that this is the way to revelation.

Question: What is righteousness?

He also said, “We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost – the medium of individual revelation – if we are in transgression or if we are angry or if we are in rebellion against God’s chosen authorities” (Dallin H. Oaks, "Teaching and Learning by the Spirit," Ensign, Mar. 1997, 9).

5. Be meek and humble

Answer: The state of mind in which Joseph found he could not translate “a single syllable.”

Question: What is anger (or pride)?

David Whitmer recalled that one morning when Joseph Smith was getting ready to resume translating the Book of Mormon, “something went wrong about the house and he was put out about it.  Something that Emma, his wife, had done.  Oliver and I went upstairs and Joseph came up soon after to continue the translation but he could not do anything.  He could not translate a single syllable.  He went downstairs, out into the orchard, and made supplication to the Lord; was gone about an hour – came back to the house, and asked Emma’s forgiveness and then came upstairs where we were and then the translation went on all right.  He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful” (B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:131).

6. Focus on the things of God rather than the things of the world

Answer: According to Elder Boyd K. Packer, inspiration comes more easily in this type of setting.

Question: What is peaceful?

“[The] trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless …

“The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer.

“Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit” (Conference, Oct. 1991).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Divine guidance is so crucial … that we need to go out of our way to put ourselves in a situation in which such special help can be given” (Neal A. Maxwell, Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward, Deseret Book, 121).

A Timeline of the Marvelous Translation of the Book of Mormon

(Follow this link for a painting of Joseph Smith Translating by Anthony Sweat)

Joseph Smith had the spiritual gift of translation of an unknown language in order to give the world the gift of the Book of Mormon.  He was given the gift of translation when he was given the plates, but he had to develop that gift.  It is a fascinating and instructive example of the work required by the Lord of one who receives a spiritual gift. Oliver Cowdery came into the process of translation near the end. He didn't observe the year and a half of time and effort that had gone into the training of Joseph Smith's gift. Hence, he was surprised when he could not translate as easily.


Draw a timeline dating from September 1827 to June 1829, with individual months marked above the timeline.  As you read about each event below, mark an X on the timeline.

• Sept. 27, 1827: Joseph Smith received the plates.  For three months he almost daily dug them up and reburied them to keep them hidden from his enemies until he found a safe situation.
• Dec. 1827:  For the next three months, he practiced translating, until he finally had some characters figured out.
• Feb. 1828:  Martin Harris took the finished characters to Professor Charles Anthon in New York City for verification of the translation.
• Apr. 12, 1828:  The translation began in earnest with Martin as the scribe.  In two months and two days, the Book of Lehi was completed.
• June 14, 1828:  Martin Harris took the Book of Lehi (116 pages) to show his wife. They were stolen.  The gift of translation was removed from Joseph Smith, as were the plates themselves and the Urim and Thummim.
• Sept. 22, 1828:  After a three month period of repentance, all was restored to Joseph Smith, but there were no fruits to the effort so far.  Joseph started back at ground zero re-developing and relearning the gift for six months (twice as long as before).
• Apr. 7, 1829:  Oliver Cowdery began as scribe and translation once again began in earnest, probably at the Book of 1 Nephi. (Alternatively, he could have picked up at the Book of Mosiah, where he left off. Mosiah is obviously missing the first couple of chapters of the original record, since it does not start with a heading or an introduction, as do all the other books. This alternative chronology is noted in parentheses.)
• May 15, 1829:  Mosiah 18:8-10 (or 3 Nephi 11) was reached, and in answer to prayer regarding the passage, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph and Oliver and they were baptized.
• June 1, 1829:  Joseph had moved to Fayette, NY and reached Ether 5 (or if he started over, 2 Nephi 27) where he read about the importance of three witnesses, whereupon he prayed for witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and his prayer was answered.
• June 11, 1829:  The Book of Mormon was finished and the copyright was obtained.  Joseph had translated the entire book in 60-65 days, a rate of 3,100 words per day!  Although Oliver Cowdery had excellent penmanship, you can see from the photograph below that he had to write sloppily because of the great speed required as Joseph dictated.

Joseph Smith asked Oliver Cowdery to make him a copy.  It took Oliver three times as long to copy it as it took for Joseph Smith to dictate it.

(Sources: Bruce Woolley, lecture, Campus Education Week, Brigham Young University, August 19, 1999, personal notes 4:31; John W. Welch, Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations 1820-1844, chapter 3; Paul Wheeler, personal study notes given to author.)

We, Too, Can Hear the Voice of the Lord

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

Quoting Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Of all the great and wonderful and inspiring promises I have read, the most reassuring to me are the words of the Savior: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matthew 7:7) … Let us never forget to pray.  God lives.  He is near.  He is real.  He is our Father.  He is accessible to us’” (Ensign, Jan. 1994, p. 2).

President Russell M. Nelson has made the clarion call in his time as prophet to be that we learn to hear the voice of the Lord in our own lives. Here is his personal message to all of us: Hear Him!

Bonus Story: “Turn Here!”

This story from the February 2001 Ensign, pp. 35-37, illustrates how each of the steps (except scripture reading) were used by a police officer who was a member of the Church in his amazing rescue of an accidentally kidnapped infant.

Doctrine and Covenants 6-9

“A few years ago I was observing a bug as it moved across the floor.  From my vantage point I could see that approximately 15 feet ahead he was going to run into an obstacle that would cause him to lose quite a bit of travel time.  I wanted to say, ‘Little bug, if you will change your direction and go 25 degrees to the left, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble.’  But of course he continued his path and ran head-on into the obstacle.  He butted his head against it no fewer than 20 times as he first made a series of futile attempts to the right, then finally found his way around to the left.

“I thought, Is it not so with us and the Lord?  Is His vantage point not higher and greater than our own?”  (John B. Dickson, Ensign, Feb. ’01, pp. 21-22)

The problem with the little bug was not that there was no higher source who would have liked to help him; the problem was that he was unable to receive communication from that source.  Our lesson today is to assure us that we, as human bugs, are able to understand the communication that we receive from our Father’s higher and greater view!

“Our Heavenly Father wants to communicate with us even more than we want to communicate with him.  He wants us to be able to recognize his answers.”  (Gaylen Hinton, Ensign, Oct.’93, p. 61)

The difficulty of recognizing personal revelation

When my friend was a student at BYU, she was sharing an elevator with a young man.  Now, this can be dangerous in any situation, but most especially at BYU, because the young man turned to her and said, “I have just received a revelation that you are to be my wife!”  Now, knowing how beautiful my friend was, I can imagine that it might have been quite easy for many young men to have had a “revelation” about her.  Unfortunately, this particular young man found out quickly that his revelation was false, as she told him, “I’m sorry; I’m already married.”  Apparently, his love was truly blind and he didn’t see the ring on her finger.

               

So how do we tell whether we are receiving revelation from God, or whether we are getting a message from our own desires, or even from an evil source?  Or maybe we don’t recognize that we are receiving revelation at all.  Jesus said of the converted Lamanites, “at the time of their conversion, [they] were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they know it not.”  (3 Nephi 9:20)  How many of us are in that boat?  President Boyd K. Packer said, “It is not unusual for one to have received the gift [of the Holy Ghost] and not really know it.”  (Conference, Apr.‘08; and Ensign, May ’00, p.8)

This year in class we are having the blessing of studying the marvelous occurrences relating to the coming forth of the restored church.  After the First Vision, the heavens were opened and there were many other great and glorious visions, which we will learn about.  In light of this, it is very fitting that we have this lesson today, at the beginning of the year, so that we can recognize that the heavens are also open to us.

In the Munich Germany Area Conference in 1973, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “The burning bushes, the smoking mountains, … the Cumorahs, and the Kirtlands were realities; but they were the exceptions.  The great volume of revelation came to Moses and to Joseph and come to today’s prophet in the less spectacular way—that of deep impressions, without spectacle or glamour or dramatic events.

“Always expecting the spectacular, many will miss entirely the constant flow of revealed communication.”  (Quoted by Graham W. Doxey, Ensign, Nov.’91, p. 25)

Brother Doxey continues, “Even at the highest levels of responsibility in this kingdom of God, which is being built up upon the earth, the [still, small] voice is still small.”

“Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, ‘every common bush [is] afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes.’  (Aurora Leigh, book 7, lines 822-3)

“The questions are not, ‘Does God live?  Does God love me?’ … The critical question is, ‘Are you listening to him?  Have you removed your shoes?’”  (Ibid.)

Ways in which the Spirit works

Visions and great spiritual manifestations still do occur in among the faithful today.  Voices are heard from beyond the veil.  Angels do appear.  But, as Elder Dallin H Oaks says, ”These experiences are exceptional … Most of the revelation that comes to leaders and members of the Church comes by the still, small voice or by a feeling rather than by a vision or a voice that speaks specific words we can hear. I testify to the reality of that kind of revelation, which I have come to know as a familiar, even daily, experience to guide me in the work of the Lord. “ (Ensign, Mar.’97, p.14)

D&C 9:8 – The Spirit Causes Our Bosoms to Burn

This is one of the most familiar scriptures regarding revelation.  When this feeling occurs, it is a tangible manifestation confirming truth or answering prayers.  We need to be aware, however, that this is not the only way in which the Spirit speaks.  We would miss many, many revelations and and inspirations if we expected each of them to be accompanied by a powerful burning in our chest.  One of the Apostles is quoted as having said, “As I have traveled throughout the Church.  I’ve found relatively few people who have experienced a burning of the bosom.  In fact, I’ve had many people tell me they’ve become frustrated because they have never experienced that feeling even though they have prayed or fasted for long periods of time.”  (Jay E. Jensen, Ensign, Apr.’89, pp.21-2)

There are many different ways in which the Spirit speaks to us, and we are going to go over those today.  I got a great deal of help in preparing this lesson from Ensign articles, especially one by Jay E. Jensen, who was at the time Director of Scriptures Coordination for the Church Curriculum Dept., entitled “Have I Received an Answer from the Spirit?”  in April 1989. 

If class members have experiences to share after each scripture, forego the stories I have written and use theirs instead.  Put up wordstrips or write on the board each of the headings as it comes up.

D&C 6:23 – The Spirit Speaks Peace to the Mind

The most common manifestation of the Spirit is a feeling of peace, of calmness, of tranquility – or a departure of anxiety and fear.

One night when two of my brothers, both young adults with their own cars, were out late and my mother was home alone reading, the phone rang.  It was about 11:30 at night.  When she picked up the phone, the voice on the other end was very garbled.  The only words she could understand were “accident” and “hurt.”  This was in the days before cell phones, and she had no way to contact my brothers and make sure that they were okay.  Needless to say, she became flooded with an intense worry.  She was overcome by a terrible, dark feeling.  She fell to her knees and said a prayer.  She asked the Lord to tell her if there was something she was to do if one of the boys was in trouble, and if there was nothing she could do, or if there was no trouble, that he might please take away this horrible feeling.  She closed her prayer and stood up.  Immediately, as she stood, the fear left and she was wrapped in a feeling of peace.  She returned to her reading, and less than ten minutes later, my brothers both drove in at the same time, one into each of our two driveways.  She heard them call to each other across the lawn, and then they came in the house together laughing.  There had been no problem and she never knew whether the phone call had been a prank or a wrong number.

D&C 11:13-14 – The Spirit Enlightens Our Minds

The Prophet Joseph Smith indicated that at these times you may “feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.151)

How do you know that it is the Spirit and not just your own idea?  After the words “enlighten your mind,” the Lord adds the phrase “which shall fill your soul with joy.”  The feeling of understanding in the mind given by the Spirit is always accompanied by some type of positive emotion.  Brother Jensen says, “Not only is our understanding affected, but our souls seem to expand – the whole experience is delicious to us.”

D&C 11:12 The Spirit Leads to do Good

“Have you ever learned of someone in need, perhaps a close friend, and felt strongly impressed to help?  Have you ever talked with someone and been led to say the right thing?  Have you ever suddenly felt a need to fix something in the house or to weed the garden?  This is how the Spirit can work – he leads us to do good.

“Have you ever felt that you should forgive someone?  Have you ever been prompted to pay tithing before you pay certain bills?  Have you ever seen a child learn to share his toys?  These are a few times in which the Spirit can prompt a person, even a small child, to do justly. “ (Ibid., p.24)

I saw the Spirit work upon my daughter Savannah in this way when she was six or seven.  She was on the back patio and accidentally knocked over a really cute flowerpot which I had made from a kit a friend had given me as a gift.  Like most little kids, she was afraid for having made such a mistake, but she felt moved to come right in the house and confess to me.  She was upset as she told me, but knowing that it was just an accident, I thanked her for letting me know and we cleaned it up.  A few minutes later, she came back in the house and said, “Mom, I have such a strange feeling.  It’s like I’m all warm right here,” and she rubbed her chest.  Because she followed the first prompting of the Spirit to confess, she then received a confirmation that she had done the right thing.

D&C 128:1 – The Spirit Occupies our Minds and Presses upon our Feelings

How many times does this type of revelation come to the leadership of the church?!  This is how Joseph Smith was prompted many times.  The fact that the subject of baptism for the dead pressed upon Joseph’s mind at the particular time that it did is a remarkable manifestation of the Spirit, when we  realize that at the time Joseph was being pursued by enemies and was facing numerous difficulties and distractions.  This is how President Spencer W. Kimball was prompted to seek for priesthood blessings for worthy members of every race.  Another irony is that in his conference talk on revelation, Elder Graham Doxey stated that this subject, revelation, had been on his mind since the speaking assignment came.  He obviously had received revelation that he should give a talk on revelation.

President Joseph F Smith’s great vision recorded in D&C 138 was precipitated by the thoughts of the deaths of beloved family members, his own imminent death, and deaths of millions worldwide, due to the Spanish Influenza and World War I.

D&C 8:2-3 – The Spirit Tells us in our Minds and our Hearts

Elder Richard G. Scott explained this scripture very specifically in an address at the annual Church Educational System Religious Educators Symposium at BYU, August 11^th, 1998: “I would explain that an impression to the mind is very specific.  Detailed words can be heard or felt and written as though the instruction were being dictated.”

Here is an amazing experience Elder Russell M. Nelson had with this type of revelation:

“Many of us have had experiences with the sweet power of prayer. One of mine was shared with a stake patriarch from southern Utah. I first met him in my medical office more than 40 years ago, during the early pioneering days of surgery of the heart. This saintly soul suffered much because of a failing heart. He pleaded for help, thinking that his condition resulted from a damaged but repairable valve in his heart.

“Extensive evaluation revealed that he had two faulty valves. While one could be helped surgically, the other could not. Thus, an operation was not advised. He received this news with deep disappointment.

“Subsequent visits ended with the same advice. Finally, in desperation, he spoke to me with considerable emotion: ‘Dr. Nelson, I have prayed for help and have been directed to you. The Lord will not reveal to me how to repair that second valve, but He can reveal it to you. Your mind is so prepared. If you will operate upon me, the Lord will make it known to you what to do. Please perform the operation that I need, and pray for the help that you need.’

“His great faith had a profound effect upon me. How could I turn him away again? Following a fervent prayer together, I agreed to try. In preparing for that fateful day, I prayed over and over again, but still did not know what to do for his leaking tricuspid valve. Even as the operation commenced, my assistant asked, ‘What are you going to do for that?’  I said, ‘I do not know.’

“We began the operation. After relieving the obstruction of the first valve, we exposed the second valve. We found it to be intact but so badly dilated that it could no longer function as it should. While examining this valve, a message was distinctly impressed upon my mind: Reduce the circumference of the ring. I announced that message to my assistant. ‘The valve tissue will be sufficient if we can effectively reduce the ring toward its normal size.’

“But how? We could not apply a belt as one would use to tighten the waist of oversized trousers. We could not squeeze with a strap as one would cinch a saddle on a horse. Then a picture came vividly to my mind, showing how stitches could be placed—to make a pleat here and a tuck there—to accomplish the desired objective. I still remember that mental image—complete with dotted lines where sutures should be placed. The repair was completed as diagrammed in my mind. We tested the valve and found the leak to be reduced remarkably. My assistant said, ‘It’s a miracle.’ I responded, ‘It’s an answer to prayer.’

“The patient’s recovery was rapid and his relief gratifying. Not only was he helped in a marvelous way, but surgical help for other people with similar problems had become a possibility. I take no credit. Praise goes to this faithful patriarch and to God, who answered our prayers. This faithful man lived for many more years and has since gone to his eternal glory.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, Conference, Apr.’03; and Ensign, May ’03, pp.7-8)

To continue with Elder Scott’s words: “A communication to the heart is a more general impression.  The Lord often begins by giving impressions.  Where there is recognition of their importance and they are obeyed, one gains more capacity to receive more detailed instruction to the mind.  An impression to the heart, if followed, is fortified by a more specific instruction to the mind.”

It is important to note that Elder Scott, another time, counseled that we may miss further revelation if we do not record in our personal scriptures, our journals, those that we do receive.  Writing down promptings received helps us to recognize them even better the next time.  (See Richard G. Scott, Helping Others, p.11)

Alma 14:11 – The Spirit Constrains

When the wicked inhabitants of Ammonihah were about to burn the believers, Amulek suggested to Alma that they exercise their priesthood power to save the innocent.  But through the Spirit, the Lord held Alma back from doing something contrary to His divine plan.

Wilford Woodruff related a constraining encounter he had with the Spirit.  He was bringing some Saints from New England and Canada to the West.  They had scheduled passage on a boat, but the Spirit spoke to President Woodruff, “Don’t go aboard that steamer, nor your company.”  He obeyed the voice.  The boat departed and some fifty yards downstream caught fire and sank (A Story to Tell, p. 320).  I wonder how many times the Spirit constrains us to do something and we never get to see what might have happened had we disobeyed.

John 14:26 – The Spirit Brings Things to our Remembrance

This happened to Enos as he went hunting.  The Spirit brought the teachings of his father back into his mind.  They sunk deep into his heart, and he was moved to pray.  (See Enos 1:3-4.)  Had he not followed that prompting through remembrance by meditating and praying, he would not have received the testimony he did.

How many of us at key moments have had the Spirit bring to our remembrance the words of our parents, teachers, a conference address, or the scriptures?

As we keep putting the words of Christ and our testimonies into the memories of our children and those we teach, the Spirit will be able to call their attention to those when the time is right.  Hopefully, they will then follow the Spirit when it prompts them to remember those words they have been taught by us.

D&C 98:12 – The Spirit Gives Revelation Line upon Line

In his Conference address of October 1989, Elder Scott also taught: “When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings.  These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act.  Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once.  More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight.”

This is in keeping with President Joseph F. Smith’s account of how he received his testimony.  Having had the Prophet Joseph as his uncle, and Hyrum Smith as his father, he was, no doubt, accustomed to hearing of marvelous manifestations of the Spirit.  As a young teen, he served as a missionary, and these are his words about how he gained his testimony.  I suspect many of us received ours in the same way.

“When I as a boy first started out in the ministry, I would frequently go out and ask the Lord to show me some marvelous thing, in order that I might receive a testimony.  But the Lord withheld marvels from me, and showed me the truth, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until He made me to know the truth from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and until doubt and fear had been absolutely purged from me.”  (Gospel Doctrine, 5^th edition, p.7)

D&C 43 – The Spirit Prompts According to our Stewardships

This is not just one way in which the Spirit prompts – this is a rule that governs revelation.  The prophet holds the keys of revelation for the entire church, the bishop can receive revelation for the ward, and you can receive revelation for your own family.  You cannot receive revelation for something or someone over which you have no stewardship.  (See Dallin H Oaks, “Revelation,” New Era, Sep.’82, pp.45-6)

In addition, any revelation we receive in our own capacities must be in harmony with truth received through the prophet.  The First Presidency has said, “When … inspiration conveys something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the Church or contrary to the decisions of its constituted authorities, Latter-day Saints may know that it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear”  (Messages of the First Presidency, 4:285).

This is the same reason why the young man in the elevator was mistaken in his revelation about my friend.  He had no stewardship over her.

What if revelation does not come?

“Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer.  What could be wrong?  It may be that you are not doing anything wrong.  It may be that you have not done the right things long enough.  Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.

“Put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives.  Ponder and pray quietly and persistently about them.”  (Boyd K. Packer, Oct.’79 Conference)

Remember, it took three Church presidents pondering and praying before the revelation was given that all worthy males could receive the Priesthood.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has also counseled on this subject.  “We do not always receive inspiration or revelation when we request it.  Sometimes we are delayed in the receipt of revelation, and sometimes we are left to our own judgment.  We cannot force spiritual things.  It must be so.  Our life’s purpose to obtain experience and develop faith would be frustrated if our Heavenly Father directed us in every act, even in every important act. We must make decisions and experience the consequences in order to develop self-reliance and faith."  (BYU Devotional, Sep. 29, 1981; and Ensign, Oct.’94, p.13) (See also D&C 8:10, second half)

Conclusion

It may appear that Joseph Smith died prematurely, before the work of the Restoration was complete.  But he was allowed to exercise revelation from the other side of the veil in order to give counsel to his successor, Brigham Young, many times.  It’s ironic that it was at one of these appearances when revelation was obvious and grand that he gave counsel to Brigham Young on how to encourage the Saints in receiving the less obvious revelations:

“Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right.  Be careful and not turn away the still small voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom.  Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it.  [And here is where he gives the best overall guide for recognizing revelation:] They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good.”  (Juvenile Instructor, 8:114 (1873); Quoted in Apr.’89 Ensign, p.21)

Image from ChurchofJesusChrist.org Media Library

These times are no less troubled than Brigham Young’s time.  Although we are minuscule human “bugs” in a universe of obstacles, being able to receive and recognize revelation makes us open to the Lord’s help from his vantage point high above us.  This is one of the greatest blessings given to members of the Restored Church.  As Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

“We need not live in fear of the future.  We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear.  If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds.  We will be shown what to do.”  (Boyd K Packer, Apr.’00 Conference; and Ensign, May ’00)