D&C 37-40 Quotes and Notes

D&C 37 Go to the Ohio

Though this revelation was given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, it was directed to the Church, which consisted of small congregations in Fayette, Manchester, and Colesville. Given in December 1830, it was the last of nineteen revelations received by Joseph Smith that year. It was also the first revelation in this dispensation to direct a gathering of the Saints. Constant harassment in upstate New York, contrasted with the warm reception the missionaries to the Lamanites had received in the Ohio Valley, precipitated the revelation.^[1]McConkie and Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations, Deseret Book, 2000, p. 271.

37:1 Translate. Joseph Smith was laboring on his translation of the Bible, known to us today as the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Much of the Doctrine and Covenants is related to Joseph Smith’s work on the translation of the Bible, which he will work on between June 1830 and July 1833. When Joseph received the revelation recorded in section 37, he had completed a few chapters of the book of Genesis and had just learned about Enoch and his city of Zion (see Genesis 5:18–24; Moses 7). Some of the principles the Lord taught Enoch are similar to those He revealed in section 38.

Go to the Ohio. Reference is to the Ohio Valley and more particularly to the city of Kirtland, where the first missionaries, Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson, had seen such incredible interest in the message of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon.

37:3 They should assemble together at the Ohio. Though unknown to the Saints at this time, it would be in Kirtland, Ohio, that some of the most important events of this dispensation would take place. Their gathering there was necessary for the construction of a temple and the subsequent appearance of Christ—to accept that edifice as his house—and then the appearance of Moses, Elias, and Elijah to restore the keys, powers, and majesties they held when on earth. It would be here that the Saints would be “endowed with power from on high” (D&C 38:32). Almost half of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants were given in Ohio. It was here that the school of the prophets was formed, the Lectures on Faith given, most of the work on the Joseph Smith Translation completed, and the Abraham papyrus purchased. It was also here that the law of consecration was revealed and revelations relative the establishment of Zion received. No period in the history of the Church equals the Ohio era for the outpouring of divine knowledge.^[2]McConkie and Ostler, p. 271-272.

Oliver Cowdery shall return. The reference is to Oliver’s return from his mission to the Lamanites (D&C 28:8).

37:4 Let every man choose for himself. There is no compulsion in the Lord’s Church. To sell all that they owned and move from upstate New York to Kirtland, Ohio, a distance of some three hundred miles in the midst of a bitter winter, would be very difficult and required considerable faith. It was necessary that it be their own choice to go, if for no other reason than that the kingdom of God rests upon the foundation of faith.

D&C 38

The Great I Am… the seraphic hosts of heaven

The word seraphim שְׂרָפִים is the plural of the word שָׂרָף saraph, which means burning or fiery serpent. The word ‘Seraphim’ is the name given to the beings singing the trishagion to -Yahweh as king in Isa 6:2-3 and carrying out an act of purification in vv 6-7. The Seraphim are now generally conceived as winged serpents with certain human attributes.

The word saraph has three occurrences in the Pentateuch (Num 21 :6.8; Deut 8: 15) and four in Isa (6:2.6; 14:29; 30:6). It is generally taken as a derivative of the verb sarap, to “burn,” “incinerate,” and “destroy.” Since the verb is transitive, sarap probably denotes an entity that annihilates by burning. While the etymological sense is thus “the one who burns (the enemies etc.),” the term refers several times to some serpentine being…

The study of the ancient Near Eastern evidence, esp. iconographic representations, has been instrumental in the attempts to clarify the meaning and background of the seraphim. While some scholars have hinted that the seven thunders of Baal and his lightning bolts or their iconography might provide illuminating parallels^[3]This reminds me of the statement of Joseph Smith, regarding his experience with Moroni when he was just 17 years old. He relates seeing Moroni, stating that “Not only was his robe exceedingly … Continue reading (cf. ANEP no. 655), there is now an emerging consensus that the Egyptian uraeus serpent is the original source of the seraphim motif (JOINES 1974; DE SAVIGNAC 1972). This interpretation was worked out by KEEL (1977:70-124) who was able to adduce iconographic evidence showing that the uraeus motif was well known in Palestine from the Hyksos period through the end of the Iron Age (on scarabs and seals). During the 8^th century BCE the two-winged and, in Judah especially the four-winged, uraeus is a well attested motif on seals, while six-winged uraei do not seem to occur. Friezes with uraei (without wings) are found in Egyptian and Phoenician chapels. The English term “uraeus” is a loan-word from Greek (οὐραῖος in the nominative)^[4]This word is the Greek word for the sacred asp worn by the potentates of Egypt. Traditionally a cobra in a threat posture, it represented the power and authority of the wearer. It can also mean … Continue reading which was in turn taken from the Egyptian word for the cobra figure worn on the forehead of Egyptian gods and kings, whom the cobra protects by means of her “fire” (poison). Among the Egyptian designations for the uraeus one finds the word for “flame.” The pre-eminent cobra deity in Egypt was the crown god Uto.

Previous attempts to take the two occurrences in Isa 6:2.8 as more or less distinguished from the rest of the attestations (BDB 977) have now been generally abandoned. In the Pentateuch we find Yahweh sending hannehasim hasserapim, “the fiery serpents” (RSV), among the people (Num 21 :6). commanding ….Moses to make the Nehushtan, “fiery serpent” (Num 21:8). The desert is the place of “fiery serpents” (Deut 8:15), the abode of “the flying serpent” (sarap me opep, Isa 30:6). In Isa 14:29 “the flying serpent” is used as a political metaphor for a new leader: “… for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.” That all five of the passages apart from Isa 6, understand sarap to be a serpentine being is clear from the terminology used in the contexts in question, and two passages explicitly mention a winged serpent.

In Isa 6, the seraphim appear in connection with the enthroned heavenly king, Yahweh Zebaoth. The following may be said about their position, form, number and function. Their position, ‘omedim mimlna’al lo, “standing above” Yahweh (v 2), lends itself to comparison with the raised uraei on the chapel friezes, where the uraei are however without wings. Whether their shape is serpentine or more humanoid is a matter of dispute. As for number, there are probably two seraphim in Isa 6 (cf. v 3a). Concerning their function Isa 6 displays a noteworthy mutation of the uraeus motif (KEEL 1977: 113): instead of protecting Yahweh the seraphim need their wings to cover themselves from head to feet from Yahweh’s consuming holiness; Yahweh does not need their protection. Isaiah thus uses the seraphim to underscore the supreme holiness of the God on the throne.

The seraphim occur a number of times in the pseudepigrapha and later Jewish literature…  The seraphim, cherubim^[5]See 2 Samuel 2.6, 2 Kings 19.15, Psalm 80.1, Psalm 99.1, and Isaiah 37.16, Ezekiel 10.1-17.and ophanim are described as “the sleepless ones who guard the throne of his glory” (l Enoch 71:7).^[6] T.N.D. Mettinger, as found in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, edited by Karel Van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. Van der Horst, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 742-743. … Continue reading

Kohler, Baumgartner, and Stamm give insight into the seraphim, relating them to serpents that fly, burn, shine, or glow. They state, “It is uncertain whether these creatures are to be understood simply as serpents… or as having human form.”^[7]Koehler, Baumgartner, and Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brill Academic, 2001, p. 2746 of the electronic version. The authors further explain, “It is uncertain … Continue reading

I find it very interesting that in this lexicon the authors make the connection between the seraphim and the idea of anointing a person with oil. Under 9242, the authors write,” מסרפו mesarphoo, “he who anoints the dead with oil.” The connection between the seraphim and the idea is intriguing because this is what we see in some of the Enoch literature, as well as the roots of this symbol as it is found in Egyptian artifacts.^[8]See: Koehler, Baumgartner, and Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brill Academic, 2001, p. 2745 electronic version. They also connect this to coating with resin, to anoint or … Continue reading

As to the Enoch literature, in 2 Enoch we read of Enoch’s ascent into the heavens as he is prepared to meet God. In 2 Enoch chapters 20-22 of the longer recension^[9]Translated by F. Anderson. See 2 Enoch, accessed 3.25.2021. we read the following:

From there they took Enoch into the 7th heaven. And those men lifted me  up from there, and they carried me up to the 7th heaven. And I saw there an exceptionally great light, and all the fiery armies of the great archangels, …forces and the dominions and the origins and the authorities, the cherubim and the seraphim and the many-eyed thrones; …and the shining otanim stations.^[10]This may be a misspelled word. Otanim could be ofannim, which are the wheels of the divine chariot in Ezekiel that perhaps was used to describe a class of angels. See Peter Schafer, … Continue reading And I was terrified, and I trembled with a great fear.

And those men picked me up and led me into their (midst). And they said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! Don’t be frightened!”

And they showed (me) the LORD, from a distance, sitting on his exceedingly high throne. For what |is on the 10th heaven, since the LORD is present there? And on the 10th heaven| is God, and it is called in the Hebrew language Aravoth. And all the heavenly armies came and stood on the ten steps, corresponding to their ranks, and they did obeisance to the LORD. And then they went to their places in joy and merriment and in immeasurable light, singing songs with soft and gentle voices, while presenting the liturgy to him gloriously…

And on the 10th heaven, Aravoth, I saw the view of the face of the LORD, like iron made burning hot in a fire |and| brought out, and it emits sparks and is incandescent. Thus even I saw the face of the LORD. But the face of the LORD is not to be talked about, it is so very marvelous and supremely awesome and supremely frightening. |And| who am I to give an account of the incomprehensible being of the LORD, and of his face, so extremely strange and indescribable? And how many are his commands, and his multiple voice, and the LORD’s throne, supremely great and not made by hands, and the choir stalls all around him, the cherubim and the seraphim armies, and their never-silent singing.

Who can give an account of his beautiful appearance, never changing and indescribable, and his great glory? And I fell down flat and did obeisance to the LORD. And the LORD, with his own mouth, said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! Don’t be frightened! Stand up, and stand in front of my face forever.” And Michael, the LORD’s archistratig,^[11]Commander of the Heavenly Armies of God. See Raoul N. Smith, The Holy Archangel Michael and Scenes of His Deeds, A Contemporary Icon. Accessed 3.25.21. lifted me up and brought me in front of the face of the LORD. And the LORD said to his servants, sounding them out, “Let Enoch join in and stand in front of my face forever!” And the LORD’s glorious ones did obeisance and said, “Let Enoch yield in accordance with your word, O LORD!”

And the LORD said to Michael, “Go, and extract Enoch from |his| earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory.” And so Michael did, just as the LORD had said to him. He anointed me and clothed me. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance myrrh; and it is like the rays of the glittering sun. And I looked at myself, and I had become like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable difference.^[12]2 Enoch, [Longer recension] translated by F. Andersen, chapters 20-22. Accessed 3.21.21.

Everlasting Burnings – Joseph Smith

The text of Deuteronomy has Moses describing God as a “consuming fire” (Deut. 4.24), his glory consuming everything corrupt and unholy (D&C 63.34;101.23-24). The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “God Almighty Himself dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire,” but a resurrected being, “flesh and bones quickened by the Spirit of God,” can.^[13]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 326, 367; See Luke 24.36-43; 1 Cor. 15.50. Heaven is the realm of everlasting burnings, a kind of burning that is holy and unlike anything mortals now experience or understand. This conception of Heaven as a place of everlasting burnings (Matthew 13.43 has the righteous shining as the sun) may go against common and popular conceptions, especially since hell is oftentimes portrayed as a place of fire, brimstone, and searing heat (Matthew 13.42). Heat is a characteristic of God’s glory (D&C 133.41-44).

Only those cleansed from physical and moral corruption can endure immortal glory (3 Ne. 27:19; Moses 6:57; TPJS, p. 351). Hence, Isaiah rhetorically asked, “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isa. 33:14). Joseph Smith taught, “All men who are immortal (i.e., resurrected beings in any of the degrees of glory) dwell in everlasting burnings.”^[14]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages. 347, 361, 367. Resurrected bodies are qualitatively different according to their glory (1 Cor. 15:39-44; D&C 88:28-32).

Describing a vision of the Celestial Kingdom, Joseph Smith reported, “I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son” (D&C 137:2-3). In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland temple, Joseph made reference to these ideas when he said, “O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name; And also this church, to put upon it thy name. And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb! And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen.”^[15]D&C 109.78-80. Note the connection between the following motifs: petitioning God, the temple, receiving “the name,” bright, shining (burning) seraphs (plural in Hebrew would … Continue reading

All things came by me 38.3

Under the direction of the Father, Christ has created worlds without number. “By the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:32-33). When Christ says, “all things came by me,” as he does in this text, he is speaking by divine investiture of authority. That is, he is speaking in the first person for his Father. Although the great labor of creation rested with Christ, he is not the father of the spirits of men, nor did he create himself. In the premortal realm Christ was the firstborn of all the spirit children of our eternal Father. In mortality he is the Only Begotten of the Father, meaning the only Son begotten of God in the flesh, or with blood.^[16]McConkie and Ostler, p. 278.

The City of Enoch 38.4

Garrett and Robinson share the following:

From the beginning to the end of this temporal world, one of God’s purposes and a main objective of his Saints has been to establish Zion. The term Zion refers to a society of Saints who have successfully gathered together to live the laws of the celestial kingdom among themselves here on the earth, who have actually succeeded in making God’s will “be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Moses 7:18 explains some conditions that must be met for the Saints truly to establish a Zion: (1) they must be of “one heart and one mind,” (2) they must dwell “in righteousness,” and (3) there must be “no poor among them.” According to the scriptures, Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, was able to establish a Zion with those he converted to the gospel. It is called the City of Holiness in the scriptures but is often referred to as the City of Enoch by Church members (see Moses 7:16–21).^[17]This is not to be confused with the other city of another Enoch in Genesis 4.17; Moses 5.42.

Between Enoch and the Flood those who accepted the gospel were gathered to Zion, and eventually Enoch’s Zion itself was physically taken up from the earth into heaven, or “into mine own bosom.” According to Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 14:32–36, Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham and accepted his tithing, was also able to establish Zion with his people. The people of Nephi were able to establish Zion after the visit of the Savior among them. In time to come, the Latter-day Saints will establish Zion on the American continent, which Zion will be called the New Jerusalem (see Articles of Faith 1:10; Ether 13:1–12). Then, at or near the beginning of the Millennium, God will bring the Zion of Enoch physically back to the earth to be joined together with the “New Jerusalem” Zion of the Latter-day Saints (see D&C 133:24; Moses 7:62–64).

These references to Enoch and Zion in Moses 7, received in mid-December 1830, and in Doctrine and Covenants 38, received a couple of weeks later on 2 January, clearly anticipate what the Saints themselves did not really know yet—that they were going to be invited to establish Zion, the New Jerusalem, in Missouri in their own lifetime.^[18]H. Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, Deseret Book, 2001.

The building up of Zion was a focal point in Joseph Smith’s mind. Joseph stated the following:

As the place for the New Jerusalem was revealed and the Saints began to gather in Missouri, what must have been their anticipation, not just of building up Zion, but of the Savior’s second coming? The bishopric of Kirtland issued this decree: “…it is after the Lord has built up Zion that He will appear in His glory. We all look for the appearing of…our Savior Jesus Christ, but we shall look in vain until Zion is built, for Zion is to be [his] dwelling place…when He comes… How then is the Lord to dwell in Zion, if Zion is not built up? This question we leave the Saints to answer. – The salvation of the saints one and all depends on the building up of Zion; for without this there is no salvation; for the deliverance in the last days is found in Zion, and in Jerusalem.”^[19]Joseph Smith, Messenger and Advocate, 3, no. 36 (Oct. 1836-Sept. 1837), p. 563. See also: History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 516.

All flesh is corrupted, eternity is pained, a thing in secret chambers 38.12-13

All flesh is corrupted. By its very definition, a universal apostasy, like the darkness of night, leaves nothing unaffected. This is not to say, for instance, that there was no truth or goodness to be found in the Dark Ages or in the churches of the world. It is, however, to say that there was no truth or goodness that was not affected by that darkness. To flourish, the flowering plant requires the light of the sun, without which it will wilt away. Likewise, every good thing needs heaven’s light to grow and is hindered by the lack of that light.^[20]McConkie and Ostler, p. 281.

Eternity is pained. One often hears the ignorant blame God for the way things are, but God is more pained than we are at the evil of this corrupt world. The cause of the evil is not God, but us—and the powers of darkness we allow to prevail over us. Both individually and collectively, humanity insists on the right to disobey, the right to exercise their agency for evil. And then humanity generally blames God for the terrible consequences of human disobedience.^[21]H. Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, Deseret Book, 2001. Enoch has this experience as it is found in the Book of Moses:

“And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?” “And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?” (Moses 7.28-29). This is an idea that is established in the text of the Old Testament, that God is a person with a deep and emotional connection to Israel, typified with words associated with kinship ties. But due to the thinking of many ages of philosophers and theologians, the God of the Bible was transformed into an unmoving mover, an entity that is neither human nor feeling, therefore unable to experience connection and emotion.

God’s emotions are well-established in the Bible, Daniel C. Peterson argued during an Education Week session held in 2009. And while theologians have now “belatedly recognized” the agonizing God as “genuinely biblical,” acknowledging emotions in deity is problematic for anyone who doesn’t accept what Latter-day Saints believe — that God has a body.

“Just like Enoch, modern commentators have been virtually unanimous in being astonished at the sheer notion that God might weep,” Peterson said. “So they simply reject it.”

Mainstream theology depicts God as “absolutely simple” — a distant, dispassionate and apathetic being unmoved by emotion, Peterson said.

“The unmoved mover doesn’t weep,” Peterson summarized. “He moves, he is not moved. No thing can have any impact on him.”

The Pearl of Great Price account of Enoch, however, “offers a spectacular instance of a suffering and weeping God, far clearer than anything in the Bible,” Peterson said.^[22]Aaron Shill, A God of emotion — ‘How is it that thou canst weep’? Deseret News, August 27, 2009. So while many in Joseph Smith’s day debated on the nature of God, Joseph was working to show both God’s nature and his invitation to the Saints to enter into a sacred connection to him by covenant.

A thing in secret chambers. Multiple attempts had been and yet would be made to destroy Joseph Smith. Of his enemies the Lord said, “Their bounds are set, they cannot pass.” To the Prophet he said, “Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever” (D&C 122:9).

The Lord is no respecter of persons, he sees the poor 38.16-17

The Lord will institute a law to help the Saints to take care of each other and to help build Zion. Though the Saints will not completely fulfill this commandment, today the Saints are invited to participate in the building up of Zion and to live the law of consecration. It is the doing of the Lord’s will that will enable the Saints to behold the things of God.

The importance of our hearts and our eyes

In this podcast, Bryce talked about the inner workings of the Law of Consecration. How we view others is important and has everything to do with how God will build us up and create a Zion society. So much of these sections have Moses 5-7 as a contextual background that it is important to read these sections in connection with these revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Scriptures used in teaching the inner workings of consecration:

D&C 38.16 All flesh is Mine. By this the Lord is emphasizing his right to lay claim on his children: their work, wealth, time, all things.

D&C 38.39 The riches of the earth are Mine to give.

Deuteronomy 8.17 The Lord makes us rich, and it is by his power that this is done.

D&C 104.17 The earth is full, and there is enough.

D&C 38.24-27 Esteem your brother as yourself.

D&C 79.5 Be equal in the bonds of heavenly and earthly things.

D&C 38.35 I am my brother’s keeper.

D&C 38.40 I must work. Zion is not built without it!

An article in U.S. News & World Report entitled “10 Billion for Dinner, Please” states that the earth is capable of producing food for a population of at least eighty billion, eight times the ten billion expected to inhabit the earth by the year 2050. One study estimates that with improved scientific methods the earth could feed as many as one thousand billion people…The Lord said, “For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare.” That settles the issue for me. It should settle the issue for all of us. The Lord has spoken. ^[23]James E. Faust, “Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil,” Ensign, Sept. 1995, 5. See: Stephen Budiansky, “10 Billion for Dinner, Please,” U.S. News & World Report, 12 Sept. … Continue reading

You shall have no king, a land flowing with milk and honey 38.18-22

McConkie and Ostler relate the following:

The prophetic word declares that with the return of Christ there will be “a full end of all nations” (D&C 87:6), meaning all man- made governments will surrender their authority to the Lord of lords and King of kings, who “will reign personally upon the earth.”^[24]Article of Faith 10. Joseph Smith explained that “Christ and the resurrected Saints will reign over the earth during the thousand years. They will not probably dwell upon the earth, but will visit it when they please, or when it is necessary to govern it.”^[25]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 268. Having lost the glory of David’s day, Israel took great solace in the prophecies that such glory would be restored to her. For instance, Zechariah testified, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that [millennial] day shall there be one Lord, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9). Describing that day, Zephaniah wrote: “The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. . . . I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:15-17, 19-20). And again Hosea wrote, “I am the Lord thy God . . . for there is no saviour beside me. . . . I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?” (Hosea 13:4, 10).^[26]McConkie and Ostler, p. 284-285.

Elder McConkie put it this way:

“When the Lord reigns, how will he do it? John says: ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron.’ (Rev. 19:15). What is the rod of iron? Nephi says: ‘I beheld that the rod of iron . . . was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life.’ (1 Ne. 11:25). Thus, Christ reigneth in and through and by means of the gospel. There is no other way. Men will be subject to him because they believe the gospel. The gospel is his law. He has no other…”^[27]Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 590-91.

Esteem your brother as yourself 38.24-27

This same idea is emphasized by the apostle James, who wrote: “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2.2-9). These passages are all in preparation for the Lord to institute his law (meaning the Law of Consecration, see D&C 42.29-42) among the Saints. They will be asked to consecrate their time and talents to the building up of the Kingdom of God. This same invitation is given to the Saints today.

Wars in your own land 38.29-30

This is an oblique reference to the Civil War, something that will be spoken of again in Section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants. We can see throughout the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants and through history, that the Lord is working to push the Saints eastward. In so doing, they will manage to escape many of the difficulties of this conflict, a war that eventually will result in the loss of almost a million lives.^[28]Approximately 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the Civil War. This number comes from an 1889 study of the war performed by William F. Fox and Thomas Leonard … Continue reading

To me, the context to this entire revelation is the text of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. The Civil War in America, and the political and military conflicts throughout the world in the 20th century, are very much a reflection of the ideas in D&C 38.24-29. The inequality of man, whether through slavery in the United States, or the oligarchic systems in Europe and Asia, where a vast amount of wealth was held by a minority of powerful people, has contributed to the wars and death experienced in the last 200 years. Whether we discuss the Civil War, where almost a million souls perished, or the conflicts associated with the Communist Revolution in Russia in the early 20th century, the principle is the same: we are to esteem our brother as ourselves (D&C 38.25-26). The context of Moses 5-7 plays a role in this revelation, and I propose the idea that Section 38 is way bigger than just a few hundred Saints in Ohio- rather it is global.

In Moses 5.33 we are introduced into the Mahan Principle^[29]The Mahan Principle is “that great secret” of converting life into property- your life for my property.” See: Hugh Nibley, Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless: Classic Essays of … Continue reading, where Cain converts his brother Abel into property. We see this idea carried over throughout the next two chapters. In Moses 7 we read about God’s weeping over this problem: his own children hate each other (Moses 7.33). Through wars and bloodshed (Moses 7.16), the curse in the land continued. This idea is also alluded to in Section 38, where the Lord encourages his children to treat each other with fairness and to help those in poverty to be in a better place (D&C 38.24-27). Section 42 will help the Saints to work through these issues, and the command to consecrate what we have to the Lord so that Zion can be built is still in force today.

Go to the Ohio, there you will be endowed with power 38.32

The endowment is an ordinance of protection and blessing normally given in a temple. A partial endowment was given in the Kirtland Temple, but the full endowment was not revealed until the Saints were in Nauvoo.

The elders of Israel—like their ancient counterparts—were not to go to the nations of the earth until they had received this heavenly endowment (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8; D&C 95:8-9).

Sell your farms, if you cannot sell them, rent them, if you cannot rent them, leave them 38.37

Many of the Saints left their lands in New York and traveled to Ohio. Some, however, retained claim upon their lands and rented or leased them, to sell at a later date. An example of the latter was Joseph Knight Sr., who did not sell his land when he moved to Ohio, but did so later when he got a better price.^[30]Larry Porter, Study of the Origins of the Church, 296–322.

Promise of riches- with a warning 38.39-42

Garrett and Robinson give this counsel:

Wealth in itself is not evil, and the Lord is not automatically displeased with the wealthy, for he himself has blessed them with their riches. It is, however, the natural course of things for the rich, or perhaps for their children or grandchildren, to become first proud and then unfaithful. If the rich take no measures to keep this from happening, or if they just don’t give it much thought, it will happen, just as surely as an untended garden will become overgrown with weeds. Therefore, wealthy Saints must be aware of the natural effect wealth has on people and must work actively and creatively to keep those weeds from their gardens. The natural progression, whether in one generation or the next, is to pride, then to unfaithfulness, and thence to wickedness and destruction.^[31]H. Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, Deseret Book, 2001.

D&C 39

The Great I AM 39.1

We worked to show how this name worked in our podcast on Section 29.^[32]The title “I AM” is derived from the third person singular form of the Hebrew verb “to be” and is transliterated by four letters YHWH (see Exodus 3.14). When directly translated, YHWH means … Continue reading Understanding how this name operates in the language of the Old Testament really helps modern readers see how this is conceptualized by Book of Mormon prophets, especially as it relates to 2 Nephi 2 as a description of God as a dynamic, active being who acts. This same being invites all of us to act and not to be acted upon.^[33]See 2 Nephi 2.13-14, 26.

Power to become my sons 39.4

See John 1.6-12. This is the promise given to all those who seize the iron rod, who grasp or take it. The word receive comes from the Greek of John 1.12, the word is λαμβάνω, lambano, to take, receive, grasp, or take hold of. In the text of John 1,^[34] … Continue reading we are essentially seeing many of the similarities expressed by Nephi in his vision of the Tree of Life. Those who “take hold of” the iron rod are led to the tree, which, in Nephi’s day, was in the Holy of Holies. This tree is a symbol of the king, and by coming into his presence, the initiated are in a sense proclaimed “sons of God,” those who have received the name.

Counsel to James Covel 39.7-14

James Covel, who was 60 at the time of this revelation,^[35]Covel was born in 1770 in Massachusetts. He served as an itinerant Methodist preacher from 1791-1797. He also established a medical practice and drugstore with his son, John C. Covel in New York … Continue readingwas reminded of the basics as presented both in the Bible and the Book of Mormon (see Acts 2:38; Hebrews 6:1–3; 3 Nephi 27:19–21), although faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is apparently assumed here, probably because of Covill’s life as a Methodist minister for 40 years of his life.

Notice how the Lord is speaking to Covel in this revelation, using words like “now” and “at this time.” He is reminded of times when he “rejected” Jesus “because of pride and the cares of the world” (D&C 39.10). Covel is in a way, a foil,^[36]Garrett and Robinson make this connection, seeing Covel as a foil for so many of the faithful in Ohio at this period of Church History. See: Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the … Continue readingor a comparison to those in Ohio who would give all for the work of the Restoration. Examples would include families like Newel K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney or Edward and Lydia Partridge.

If thou wilt hearken… 39.10-11

All blessings of the gospel are predicated upon obedience, and deliverance from the captivity of sin and error is dependent upon obedience. Elder Harold B. Lee referred to the Lord’s promises to his servants, if they would hearken to his voice: “I sat in a class in Sunday School in my own ward one day, and the teacher was the son of a patriarch. He said he used to take down the blessings of his father, and he noticed that his father gave what he called ‘iffy’ blessings. He would give a blessing, but it was predicated on ‘if you will not do this’ or ‘if you will cease doing that.’ And he said, ‘I watched these men to whom my father gave the ‘iffy’ blessings, and I saw that many of them did not heed the warning that my father as a patriarch had given, and the blessings were never received because they did not comply.

“You know, this started me thinking. I went back into the Doctrine and Covenants and began to read the ‘iffy’ revelations that have been given to the various brethren in the Church. If you want to have an exercise in something that will startle you, read some of the warnings that were given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Thomas B. Marsh, Martin Harris, some of the Whitmer brothers, William E. McLellin—warnings which, had they heeded, some would not have fallen by the wayside. But because they did not heed, and they didn’t clear up their lives, they fell by the wayside, and some had to be dropped from membership in the Church.”^[37]Conference Report, October 1972, 130.

Go to the Ohio 39.14-16

Again the Saints are counseled and warned to move and to gather to the Ohio (See D&C 38.32).  “It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was,” said Joseph Smith, “that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world. . . . Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed. All must be saved on the same principles.”^[38]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 308.

At another time Joseph said: “What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world? The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose. It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings.”^[39]Joseph Smith, HC, 5:423; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 307-308.

D&C 40

James Covel rejected counsel

This is the first revelation to be given jointly to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. Of this revelation Joseph Smith recorded, “As James Covel rejected the word of the Lord, and returned to his former principles and people, the Lord gave unto me and Sidney Rigdon the following revelation explaining why he obeyed not the word . . .”^[40]History of the Church, 1:145.

40.2 He received the word with gladness

The words of explanation concerning James Covel’s rejection of the restored gospel are rooted in the Savior’s parable of the sower, or better entitled, the parable of the soil, as recorded in Matthew 13. In the meridian day the Lord explained to his disciples that “he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:20-22).^[41]McConkie and Ostler, p. 295.