2/27/2017 - Section 57:1-16

July 27, 2017

Section 57:1-16

Society Differences, Missionary Society Differences, Bloom Where You Are Planted, Missionary Companions, Marriage Companions,

Joseph Smith was one of the men who was called by revelation to journey to Missouri in Section 52. Sidney Rigdon was his companion. Joseph recorded the following after he and Sidney arrived in Missouri among the Indians and the settlers of the area: “The meeting of our brethren [Oiliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Jr., Ziba Peterson, and Frederick G Williams—all called as missionaries to serve in Missouri] who had long awaited our arrival, was a glorious one, and moistened with many tears. It seemed good and pleasant for brethren to meet together in unity. But our reflections were many, coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of society in the east, and standing now upon the confines or western limits of the United States, and looking into the vast wilderness of those that sat in darkness; how natural it was to observe the degradation, leanness of intellect, ferocity, and jealousy of a people that were nearly a century behind the times, and to feel for those who roamed about without the benefit of civilization, refinement, or religion yea, and exclaim in the language of the Prophets: ‘When will the wilderness blossom as a rose? When will Zion be built up in glory, and where will Thy temple stand, unto which all nations shall come in the last days?’ Our anxiety was soon relieved by receiving the following [D&C 57].” Some missions take us to locations so very different than those we are used to. We meet people with different motivations and different life styles. It takes love and time to learn to see each others’ deeper selves. The Lord loves all His children. We are to love and assist all His children. The synopsis of Section 57 gives us insight as to how we can enter a new society:  1-3 Independence Missouri is the place for the City of Zion and the temple, 4-7 The saints are to purchase lands and receive inheritances in that area; 8-16 Sidney Gilbert is to establish a store, W.W. Phelps is to be a printer, and Oliver Cowdery is to edit material for publication.” We are to live among them, assist them, and share our values with them.

V 8 “…let my servant, Sidney Gilbert plant himself in this place and establish a store, that he may sell goods without fraud, that he may obtain whatsoever things the disciples may need to plant them in their inheritance.”  Here the Lord emphasizes the importance of honest work, the importance of contributing our time and money to the growth of the Church, and the importance of ‘Bloom Where You Are Planted”. And in v 9 [obtain a license to transport goods] to do so within the laws of the land.  And all this so that (v 10) “…my gospel may be preached unto those who sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of death.” V 11:  “…William W Phelps be planted in this place, and be established as a printer unto the church.”  And finally in v 12 (which says to me that financial gain is not assured, but use of profits is clear) “And lo, if the world receive his writings—behold here is wisdom—let him obtain whatsoever he can obtain in righteousness, for the good of the saints.”

In 55:4, W W Phelps is appointed to assister Oliver Cowdery; but in 57:13 Oliver Cowdery is mentioned as the assistant. There is no discrepancy in this. It only shows that they are intended to assist each other as fellow laborers in the same service. (from Smith and Sjodahl, commentary, p 330). This holds true for missionary companionships as well as marriage companionships. The faster and better we learn how to accomplish this, the sweeter our lives will be. And I, after 47 years of marriage, am still finding ways to be able to assist my husband….and on some days, I still need a reminder that that is what I am to do. The important thing is that we both keep working at it.

5/23/2021-D&C 57

Joseph Smith has traveled to Jackson County Missouri, as the Lord had asked him to do. The brethren have come to have a ‘general conference’ in Missouri. He is now on the western boarder of Missouri. His questions of the Lord are: When will the wilderness blossom as the rose? When will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will Thy temple stand, unto which all nations shall come in the last days?

In the first verses of this section, the Lord makes it very clear that they are now “in the Land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints….This is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion….The place with is now called Independence is the center place and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.” (v’s 1-3)

The Lord wants them to purchase as much of the land as possible, as “this is wisdom, that they may obtain it for an everlasting inheritance.” (v 5)

Sidney Gilbert is appointed to be the agent for the Church in purchasing the land.  He is also to settle there and establish a store “that he may sell goods without fraud, that he may obtain money to buy lands for the good of the saints…” (v 8)

Edward Partridge is to work to “divide unto the saints their inheritance…” (v 7)

W. W. Phelps is to establish a printing business. (v 11) And Oliver Cowdery is to assist W.W. Phelps in determining which things should be published.

And they were all admonished to preach the gospel.

At this time, Independence (located on the Santa Fe Trail) had only a few hundred residents, and a few public buildings including the Jackson County courthouse

After outlining these specific jobs, the Lord then says: “And thus let those of whom I have spoken be planted I the land of Zion as speedily as can be, with their families, to do those things even as I have spoken.” (v 14) And finally, he reinforces that “the bishop and the agent make preparations for those families which have been commanded to come to this land, as soon as possible, and plant them in their inheritance.” ((v 15)

The Lord literally planted the people where He needed them all to grow—all the time helping others. Emily Belle Freeman has stated: “The scriptures hint that the same planting will take place at a future day. The Lord will assign people to be planted in New Jerusalem…”  But right now, WE are to bloom where we are planted. There is work to do, and I want to do my part with a willing heart.

The things the Lord has directed his people to do, were not easy and had not been expected. “The command to stay in Missouri was not easy. Those asked to stay had to worry about moving their families from Ohio and creating a new life on the American frontier. Bishop Edward Partridge wrote a letter to his wife, Lydia, in which he “broke the news that he wouldn’t be returning to Ohio that summer and instead asked that she and their five daughters join him on the Missouri frontier. Additionally, instead of being able to return to Ohio to help them move that fall, he wrote, ‘Brother Gilbert or I must be here to attend the sales in Dec. [and] not knowing that he can get back by that time I have thought it advisable to stay here for the present contrary to [my] expectations.’ He also warned that once she joined him in Missouri, ‘We have to suffer [and] shall for some time many privations here which you [and] I have not been much used to for year[s]’ [Letter, Aug. 5, 1831, in Edward Partridge letters, 1831–1835, Church History Library]. … Lydia willingly obeyed the revelation to move, packing her home and gathering her five daughters to travel west to a place she had never seen before” (Sherilyn Farnes, “A Bishop unto the Church,” in Revelations in Context, ed. Matthew McBride and James Goldberg [2016], 79–80, history.lds.org).

This makes me think of that phrase: “I can do hard things.”  It is my hope that not only will I be able to do the ‘hard things’ that I find myself facing, that that I can do them with a committed and happy resolve, and a love for those around me.”