Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2021
Lesson No. Six
Personalizing the Lord’s Counsel to Joseph and Hyrum Smith - D&C 10-11
The contribution of Joseph the Prophet and Hyrum the Patriarch changed the world forever – It was said of them that “in life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated” (D&C 135:3). During the 24 years from the First Vision in the Spring of 1820 to their martyrdom in June 1844, Joseph and Hyrum were united as one, and they were instrumental in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And because of the Restoration “the earth will never again be the same, as God will ‘gather together in one all things in Christ’” (Restoration Proclamation).
To fulfill their missions Joseph and Hyrum humbly received and listened to the counsel of the Lord – As God’s children we are all given a work to accomplish during our mortal lives. To be successful in our mortal mission we must also take counsel from the Lord, and important aspects of Lord’s counsel to Joseph and Hyrum apply to each one of us. I see how the following counsel from the Lord applies to me personally, and I encourage all of us to consider how this counsel from the Lord applies to our lives.
The Lord warned Joseph that Satan and his servants seek to destroy him – The Lord described in considerable detail the “cunning plan” the devil devised to destroy both Joseph and the work of the Lord (D&C 10:8-19). I believe that Satan customizes his plan to attack our individual weaknesses; I know he has mine. For some it is the love of money, for others it is the desire for power, influence, and recognition. Satan attacks many through the appetites and addictions of the flesh. “And thus [Satan] goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men” (D&C 10:27).
Like Joseph, we must learn to fear God more than man (D&C 3:7) – We must learn, by experience if necessary, that the opinions of the world and the worldly are fickle and fleeting. Our standing with the Lord and his ordained servants is what really matters. Furthermore, we must learn that if we are faithful God will extend His arm and support us against all the fiery darts of the adversary, and will be with us in every time of trouble (see D&C 3:8). Like Joseph we should “remember that God is merciful” if we will “repent” of what we do “which is contrary to the commandments of God” (D&C 3:10).
Like Joseph, we must learn to “pray always, that [we] may come off conqueror; yea that [we] may conquer Satan, and that [we] may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5). We will learn that the wisdom of God is greater than the cunning of the devil (D&C 10:43). We are to pray for strength against the devil. In this regard Amulek counseled: “Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness” (Alma 34:23).
Like Hyrum, we must learn to “put [our] trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good – yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 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” (D&C 11:12-13). Mormon explained this doctrine: “Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God” (Moroni 7:12-13).
Like Hyrum, it “is [our] work, to keep the commandments, yea, with all [our] might, mind and strength” D&C 11:20 – Keeping the commandments of God because we want to, and not because we are forced to, is the primary work and purpose of mortality. The Lord promised those who keep His commandments “they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in its strength. And they shall be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time – they that are faithful and diligent before me” (D&C 59:4, emphasis added). From this we learn that one of the rewards that faithful people should desire is for God to give them more commandments, because the more commandments we keep the more blessings we receive.
Joseph and Hyrum “lived great and they died great in the eyes of God and their people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, they sealed their mission and their works with their own blood. Fulfilling their mission and completing their works “cost the best blood of the nineteenth century” (D&C 135:6) – As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are heirs of their great legacy. We have the privilege, blessing, and opportunity to learn from their lives, and to follow their examples, and to receive the same blessings which include eternal life in the kingdom of our Father.