Lesson # 29 “Building the Kingdom of God in Nauvoo, Illinois”

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 29

“Building the Kingdom of God in Nauvoo, Illinois”

Introduction

After the somewhat harrying period we covered over the past two weeks, we enter a time of comparative peace. The Saints had been granted respite from the extermination order in Missouri and found refuge in Illinois, initially in Quincy. They then bought land in Commerce which they renamed Nauvoo. This time, they sought and were granted a charter on December 16, 1840:

“An Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo.” This charter granted extensive legal powers to the citizens of Nauvoo, including, among other powers, the ability to organize a legislative body of their own to create laws within the city, the power to create the Nauvoo Legion as a subset of the state militia, and the authority to establish a university within the city.[1]

The reading for this week comprises sections 124 and 126, two of the very few revelations recorded during Joseph’s time in Nauvoo. Section 124 seems to me to cover so much, from a declaration to all the rulers of the earth from thence until He comes again, down to individual instruction to members of Joseph’s congregation. All are equal in the eyes of the Lord!

Section 126 is a very personal instruction to Brigham.

1. The Saints sought refuge in Illinois.

Sarah touched on some of the hardships faced by the Saints as they were forced to flee across the Mississippi in reaction to the infamous Extermination Order (which, by the way, wasn’t repealed until 1976!)[2] But now he is reunited with his family and, I am certain, optimistic about the future with a city, militia, a bank, and the prospect of a university. More importantly, the promised endowment talked about during Zion’s Camp would be realized with the construction of a temple. The hardships of the past few years might be receding into the background. And as you read this, I can see the black cloud you all see on the horizon. However, in this blog at least, I will focus on the good things, like the formation of the Relief Society! One quote, first, from Elder Faust that leads into Section 124:

While Joseph sought perfection, he did not claim perfection. . . . His complete candor in admitting human frailties and in declaring the loving discipline of God offers powerful proof of his honesty and probity. . . .He knew that such candor would and did make him an object of hatred, ridicule, and social disapproval, but he spoke openly the unvarnished truth. He was prepared for such vicissitudes of life early in his ministry. He was told by the angel Moroni in 1823 . . . that his name would be known for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples. (See JS—H 1:33.) However, the intensity of the evil and persecution surprised even Joseph. . . . But he met the challenges and overcame the strife and was stronger because of them. There should be no exaggerated emphasis on the fallibility or mortal failings of Joseph Smith. They were only things that are a part of any human being. He and his work enjoyed the benediction of Deity. On a special occasion, the Lord said to him, “Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, I am well pleased with your offering and acknowledgments, which you have made; for unto this end have I raised you up, that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth.” (D&C 124:1.)[3]

2. Missionaries sent from Nauvoo converted thousands of people.

In the 80s and 90s, some the potteries in England started creating models of famous homes and one of them was the John Benbow farmhouse where the first members in England were baptized. I have one of those on my bookcase. Here is Wilford Woodruff, a member of the Twelve who was sent from Nauvoo in 1839 on the first mission to the British Isles.

“In the morning I went in secret before the Lord, and asked Him what was His will concerning me. The answer I received was that I should go to the south; for the Lord had a great work for me to perform there, as many souls were waiting for His word.” For the next two days he traveled south until he came to the farm of John Benbow in Herefordshire. Mr. Benbow and his wife, Jane, received him gladly and said that there was a company of over 600 men and women who had formed their own congregation called the United Brethren. Elder Woodruff said:

“This body of United Brethren were searching for light and truth, but had gone as far as they could, and were calling upon the Lord continually to open the way before them and send them light and knowledge, that they might know the true way to be saved. When I heard these things I could clearly see why the Lord had commanded me, while in the town of Hanley, to leave that place of labor and go to the south; for in Herefordshire there was a great harvest-field for gathering many saints into the Kingdom of God.”[4]

Here is another quote from Harold B. Lee which shows the expansion of the missionary effort enabled from the comparative stability of their sojourn in Illinois:

In one year, 1840 to 1841—one year and fourteen days, to be exact—nine members of the twelve were called to labor in the British Mission. If you remember the history [in Nauvoo], those years marked the period of some of the severest persecution that the Church was to undergo in this dispensation. In that one year and fourteen days the nine members of the twelve, with their associates, established churches in every noted town and city in the kingdom of Great Britain. They baptized between 7000 and 8000 converts. They printed 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 3000 hymnbooks, and 50,000 tracts, … and [they] emigrated 1000 souls to America” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1960, 108).

Even though I didn’t join the Church in England, I had certainly heard of it, and even met some missionaries while I was living in England. They set the groundwork for my eventual acceptance of the Gospel and set my life on a course from which I have never wanted to deviate.

3. The examples of the Nauvoo Saints show the importance of enduring to the end in righteousness.

As I was reading through Section 124, I couldn’t help thinking of those few in that revelation who received direct instruction from the Lord through Joseph and yet fell into apostasy. There are no guarantees. I wondered last week as I read some of the additional material and found out that Sidney Rigdon had been in Liberty Jail, but was so ill that he successfully petitioned to be released. Had he stuck it out, would he have remained faithful? His suffering was great, and the work he did for the Church was great, but seemingly he forgot whose Glory he was doing it for.

Some might think that Hyrum was in some sense eclipsed by his brother, but Section 124 shows the Lord’s regard for him. Elder Ballard says

Clearly, Hyrum Smith was one of the firm pillars of the Restoration. But sadly, many Church members know little about him except that he was martyred with his brother in Carthage Jail. That is significant, but he did far more. Indeed, Joseph Smith himself once suggested that his followers would do well to pattern their lives after Hyrum’s. . . . “I, the Lord, love [Hyrum],” the Savior revealed in section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants, “because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me.” Faithful Hyrum had a believing heart; he did not have to see everything Joseph saw. For him, hearing the truth from Joseph’s lips and feeling the spiritual promptings whispering that it was true were enough. Faith to believe was the source of Hyrum’s spiritual strength and is the source of the spiritual strength of faithful members of the Church then and today.[5] 

4. The Relief Society was organized in Nauvoo.

Recently, before they were released, the General Presidency of the Relief Society expanded the stated purposes:

RELIEF SOCIETY

helps prepare women for the blessings of eternal life as they:

·      Increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

·      Strengthen individuals, families, and homes through ordinances and covenants.

·      Work in unity to help those in need

·       

In Daughters in My Kingdom we read

As women participate in Relief Society, they serve as valiant disciples of Jesus Christ in the work of salvation. Like the women in the ancient Church, they work alongside men who hold the priesthood to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need. Sister Julie B. Beck, the fifteenth Relief Society general president, taught: “Through Relief Society we practice being disciples of Christ. We learn what He would have us learn, we do what He would have us do, and we become what He would have us become.[6]

I mentioned the temple, and next week we will see the construction of the Nauvoo Temple and the glorious priesthood ordinances which were restored to the world as a result. Truly a golden time in the history of the Saints.

Additional resources for this lesson

·       “Organizing the Church in Nauvoo”: This article gives context for the revelations now found in Doctrine and Covenants 124 and 125.

·       Daughters in My Kingdom, chapter 2: This chapter explains how the Relief Society was founded in Nauvoo.

·       Nauvoo Relief Society minute book: The original records of the Nauvoo Relief Society are now available online.

·       “Take Special Care of Your Family”: This article gives context for the revelation now known as Doctrine and Covenants 126.

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[1] https://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-organizing-nauvoo?lang=eng.

[2] WHEREAS, on October 27, 1838, the Governor of the State of Missouri, Lilburn W. Boggs, signed an order calling for the extermination or expulsion of Mormons from the State of Missouri; and

WHEREAS, Governor Boggs' order clearly contravened the rights to life, liberty, property and religious freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, as well as the Constitution of the State of Missouri; and

WHEREAS, in this bicentennial year as we reflect on our nation's heritage, the exercise of religious freedom is without question one of the basic tenets of our free democratic republic;

Now, THEREFORE, I, CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Governor of the State of Missouri, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the State of Missouri, do hereby order as follows:

Expressing on behalf of all Missourians our deep regret for the injustice and undue suffering which was caused by the 1838 order, I hereby rescind Executive Order Number 44, dated October 27, 1838, issued by Governor W. Boggs.

In witness I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the great seal of the State of Missouri, in the city of Jefferson, on this 25 day of June, 1976.

(Signed) Christopher S. Bond, Governor

[3]https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1981/10/the-expanding-inheritance-from-joseph-smith?lang=eng.

[4]Matthias F. Cowley, ed., Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors (1909), 116–19.

[5] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/hyrum-smith-firm-as-the-pillars-of-heaven?lang=eng.

[6] https://www.lds.org/relief-society/daughters-in-my-kingdom/manual/relief-society-a-restoration-of-an-ancient-pattern?lang=eng.

Lesson 28: "O God, Where Art Thou?"

As I write this, I'm listening to aspens show off their leaves as they sway in the wind. Things are so peaceful. So still. I've been on the road a lot the last three weeks and I've been thinking about this lesson. I've been thinking about you. Our home teacher came and talked about Elder Eyring quoting his old branch president, “When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.” So, I'm going to treat our class like that. Whether you are struggling with loneliness, inadequacy, depression, illness mental/physical, things seen or unseen, this will be for you.

One of my best friends has gone through a modern day Liberty Jail experience. After years of trying to have kids, they were finally blessed with twins. The twins came terribly early and she spent months with them in the NICU. Then, when they finally came out of the NICU she was confronted with more health problems. I asked her two questions and wanted to share her responses here.

Have you felt the phrase: "O God, where art thou?" and how did you get through it?

Yes, definitely—although I should clarify that I felt it in a similar way to how Joseph felt it.
In section 121, Joseph voices the question "O God, where art thou?," but he really isn't asking if God exists. In verse 4, he basically shares his testimony that he knows God exists and has all power. What Joseph really seems to be asking is, "God, why haven't you intervened yet and used your power to help the Saints?" In other words, he is questioning God's timing.
In that same light, I have definitely had many times when I've asked God why he has not intervened to relieve the suffering of my children, particularly Marc. I've seen Marc fight for his life many times and struggle through chronic issues. I've cleaned up after him throwing-up literally over a thousand times (that's not an exaggeration). And seeing him suffer has definitely made me ask a similar question to what Joseph asked. "God, I know you're there. I know you hear me. I know you've answered my prayers and healed my son before. Why does he have to keep suffering when I know you can heal him?"
I don't have an answer to that question still, but after desperately praying for understanding many times, I had a very clear, inspired thought: "Melissa, I know exactly what it's like to watch an innocent son suffer." That thought has helped me through many more difficult moments.
Interestingly, like Joseph, I haven't found myself questioning God because of my own circumstances. I've been suffering from some post-traumatic stress lately, depression coming back with that, which took me to darker and harder places than I've ever been before. But it was watching my kids suffer that made me question God's timing. Even though Joseph in Liberty Jail had every reason to question his own sufferings, I find it interesting that it is the Saints he is so concerned about.

 How do you turn to the Savior during adversity?

I think turning to the Savior during adversity isn't something we necessarily learn just when faced with adversity.
For me, I've lived my whole life trying (key word) to turn to the Savior. So when adversity struck, it was a habit, for lack of a better word, to turn to Christ. I think turning to the Savior comes as we read our scriptures and pray every day, attend church meetings, and serve others. Then, when adversity slaps us in the face, we are already facing the right direction and are already looking at our best source for help, our Savior.
Continuing to do those simple acts of daily/weekly devotion—prayer, scripture study, service, partaking of the sacrament—even during trials was key for me to make it through. For example, because of my kids' circumstances, I couldn't make it to the temple for about a year and a half after my twins were born. But I worked on a different family history name every single day during that whole time (and still do) and asked others to take my family names to the temple for me. It was a small and simple way I found to do service while I was so overwhelmed myself, and it made me feel lighter.

 I loved her answers because I love every time I hear when the gospel works in people's lives. It always strengthens my faith.

Please read about Joseph in Liberty Jail before Sunday. Come with things that you learn about the prophet. Here is the link:

https://history.lds.org/story/historic-sites/missouri/liberty/light-in-the-darkness-liberty-in-a-jail

Lesson # 27 “They Must Needs Be Chastened and Tried, Even as Abraham”

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 27

“They Must Needs Be Chastened and Tried, Even as Abraham”

Introduction

The sacrifice of Isaac is known as the Akedah and there is a great deal of literature written about it. I remember Truman Madsen saying that one of the reasons Abraham had to go through it was that Abraham had to learn about Abraham. How can we know to what lengths we will go to adhere to principles we know to be right—to obey our Heavenly Father—unless we are tried and tested. It’s not an easy lesson to learn. And it is not a whim to put us through such trials. Even if we fail, and to a certain extent we will almost certainly fail at some point, that failure chastens us and lets us know our limitations, our weaknesses, and gives us something to work on. Inevitably it makes us stronger and better able to face the next trial.

The Lord knew He was going to save Isaac; Abraham (and Isaac) did not. Even Christ Himself did not know He would be able to successfully complete the trial in the Garden and thereby effect the Atonement, yet nothing greater has ever been or will be at stake.

The sections today center around the persecution in Missouri, Zion’s Camp, and the lessons learned during what might on the surface look like a futile excursion. But nothing that we experience, as long as we strive to have His Spirit with us and to act as He would have us act, is futile. For the first time, because of preparing for this lesson, I understand the parable of the vineyard from D&C 101:44–62 as it pertains to not second-guessing the Lord’s commands, and that when the prophet speaks, we should listen and obey (see D&C 103:21). From the participants in Zion’s Camp came leaders who were able to bring the Saints West, through unimaginable hardships and peril, to the comparative safety of these everlasting hills. Fitting that we should be studying this as we approach Pioneer Day.

1. The Saints settle in Jackson County, Missouri, and are later driven out.

There were two centers of the Church from 1831–1838, Missouri and Ohio. The temple in Kirtland had been revealed but not yet built, so the Saints were not yet “endowed with power from on high” (D&C 105:11). This week and next we will mostly be concentrating on what was happening in Missouri.

Many people had come to Jackson County and the Saints were well-established, to the consternation of the local residents. Here is an excerpt from one of the additional material readings for this week

On July 20, 1833, leaders of a mob in Jackson County, Missouri, called a meeting with William W. Phelps and other Church leaders. . . . They felt threatened by the Saints’ belief that Jackson County was a promised land that they called Zion. They objected to the large number of people, many of them poor, who had come to their county over the previous two years to build up Zion. And because of an article Phelps had recently published in the Evening and the Morning Star . . . the mob was afraid that free black Church members would soon begin gathering to Zion, disrupting the racial dynamics in their slaveholding state. . . . The mob gave  Phelps and his fellow Church leaders 15 minutes to agree to move the whole Mormon community away by the next spring—or suffer the consequences. . . . [however] revelation to Joseph Smith had declared Jackson County to be “the place for the City of Zion.” . . . Without a promise that the Saints would leave, the mob began a campaign of violent intimidation. . . . Bishop Edward Partridge and Charles Allen were tarred and feathered, and Sidney Gilbert’s store was attacked.

On 4 November, near the Big Blue River, members of the mob began a battle against a small group of Latter-day Saint men and boys (Our Heritage, pages 42–43). During the next two days more than 1,000 Saints were driven from Jackson County in the bitter cold. Destitute, most of them crossed the Missouri River and found temporary refuge in Clay County.

2. The Lord instructs the Saints who were driven from Jackson County.

Joseph heard about this persecution and enquired of the Lord. The answer is D&C 101. As we read this section, can we see why the Lord allowed this persecution (vss. 2–8). Trials don’t always come because of our failings, but even when they do, the Lord is quick to have compassion on His people (see vss. 9–19).

Of the Lord’s compassion, Elder Craig Cardon said,

His compassion and grace do not excuse us when “[our] hearts are not satisfied. And [we] obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness.” Rather, after we do all we can do, His compassion and grace are the means whereby “in process of time” we overcome the world through the enabling power of the Atonement. As we humbly seek this precious gift, “weak things become strong unto [us],” and by His strength, we are made able to do that which we could never do alone.[1]

3. Zion’s Camp is organized and marches to Missouri.

In this case, the Lord’s compassion took the form of sending physical, militant, help. Here’s an excerpt from another of the additional material, the account of one of the members of Zion’s Camp, Nathan Baldwin:

Nathan Baldwin responded to the call for volunteers. On May 3, 1834, he arrived in Kirtland, just two days before Joseph departed with a contingent of men for Missouri. . . . Nathan Baldwin fully expected to fight as a member of the camp, and as someone more inclined to peace, that worried him. “Hardly anything could be more repugnant to my feelings than the display of the instruments of death,” Baldwin recalled, “but I procured a rifle, equipage and ammunition, and tried to school myself to their practice.” . . . The participants largely paid camp expenses themselves. . . . Nathan Baldwin felt it an honor to consecrate $14 of his own. . . .

On June 19, Nathan remembered, the group “encamped on an eminence between two forks of Fishing River, near a Baptist meeting house, built of hewn logs.” As the party prepared the camp for the evening, “several armed men” approached and told the group they would “see hell before morning.” A large group of men—Nathan remembered it as 1,600, but others placed it around 500—waited to attack the camp when the sun had set. No sooner had this threat been made, Nathan recalled, than “a small black cloud appeared in the west and increased in size until shortly the whole blue arch was draped in black, presenting a vengeful appearance, while the rain descended in torrents, the winds bellowed and such vivid flashes of lightning and such peals of thunder are seldom seen and heard.” Hail fell as well, some “as big as tumblers,” breaking off tree limbs and splintering fence rails. The great storm caused the river to become “wonderfully swollen, so that [they] could not advance, neither could [their] enemies reach [them] if they had a mind so to do.”

Though he experienced privations and difficulties on the trip, Nathan Baldwin’s time with Zion’s Camp laid a foundation for the rest of his life. He soon had the privilege of participating in the School of the Elders in Kirtland with Joseph Smith and other pupils. He was also among those camp members called to serve in the first Quorum of the Seventy. He would always remember what the Lord had declared in section 105 about the camp’s participants: “I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering.”

What did Zion’s Camp accomplish, since it really did very little for the beleaguered Missouri Saints? Here’s what the manual says: “In February 1835, five months after the camp was disbanded, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Quorum of the Seventy were organized. Nine of the Twelve Apostles and all 70 members of the Quorum of the Seventy had served in Zion’s Camp.” Joseph himself said ““Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham” (History of the Church, 2:182).

4. The Lord reveals that His people must “wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion.”

Zion is being established, as we know, not only in the shadow of these everlasting hills, but all over the world. What are the conditions for Zion? We can find them in D&C 105:1–13. As we establish Zion in our own homes and families, we cannot but be grateful for the rich heritage of the Pioneers, even if we are not descended from them. Our ability to be part of Zion is due in large part to their sacrifices, their trials, and their failings. It is a testimony of the compassion of our Heavenly Father and His Son. And an example of just how weak things can be made strong.

Additional resources for this lesson

·         “Waiting for the Word of the Lord”: This article discusses the crisis created by early persecution of the Saints in Jackson County, Missouri, and the role that revelation played in the Saints’ response.

·         “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp”: This article uses the perspective of Nathan Baldwin to help tell the story of Zion’s Camp.

·         “Revelation, 16–17 December 1833 [D&C 101]”: This page from the Joseph Smith Papers website gives in-depth historical background for Doctrine and Covenants 101.

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[1] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/the-savior-wants-to-forgive?lang=eng.