12/3/2018 - Section 125:1-4

December 3, 2018

Section 125:1-4

Obedience, Growth, Progression, Revelation Seeking, Prayer, Room for All,

This section is directed to the saints who settled in Iowa, just across the Mississippi river from Nauvoo when they were all fleeing Missouri. Here’s the history: “One of the first to suggest that the Saints locate in Iowa was Dr. Isaac Galland, the man who had sold the land on which Nauvoo was build. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote that ‘Mr. Galland in a communication to David W Rogers, suggested that the Saints locate in Iowa, which was a territory; for he thought they would be more likely to receive protection from mobs under the jurisdiction of the United States, than they would be in a state of the Union, ‘where murder, rapine and robbery are admirable (!) traits in the character of a demagogue; and where the greatest villains often reach the highest offices.’ He also wrote to Governor Robert Lucas of Iowa, who had known the Mormon people in  Ohio, and who spoke very highly of them as good citizens.’ The purchase of land took place in 1839, as did the exodus from Missouri. The revelation in the section 125 was received in 1841, when many Saints were already settled in Iowa, and it is directed to them. Before the Saints arrived, there were 2,839 residents in Lee County, Iowa. By 1846 the population had swelled to 12, 860—many of whom were Latter-day Saints.”

I often skim over V1, which is Joseph asking: “What is the will of the Lord concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa?” We have a Prophet who needs further light and knowledge. This is how the first vision came. A boy read the scriptures and accepted them at face value: if any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God. He did every thing he could do to find a private place where he wouldn’t be interrupted. He asked humbly, and with real intent, and expecting some sort of an answer. He was simply following other scripture:Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matt 7:7) In James 4:2 it says ‘Ye have not, because ye ask not”. 

Do I ask humbly enough, with desire enough, and patience enough to wait for my answer, and courage enough to follow through on those things I feel?

V 2, the Lord answers first that his saints must do his will and keep his commandments. He then states the saints are to follow the prophet. All the things they are asked to do are “that they may be prepared dfor that which is in store for a time to come.” That’s how the Lord works. He gives us opportunities to build us up. We will never know what is in store for us, but we can be sure that if we follow the Holy Ghost’s promptings, we WILL be prepared for that which does come into our lives.

More history: Many of the saints settled in Iowa in 1939 “on the uplands about a mile west of the Mississippi River, near Montrose and opposite Nauvoo, Ill. The Church had bought an extensive tract of land here. They called it Zarahemla. At a conference held there in August 1841 (This section was given in March 1841) there were 750 church members, and 326 of those lived in Zarahemla. When the saints began their journey to Salt Lake, the city ws lost sight of.”

In V 4 the Lord gives approval, and says that this will be a gathering place for many. President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “Across the river on the Iowa side, extensive holdings also were obtained. The village of Nashville, in Lee County, with twenty thousand acres adjoining, was purchased; also other lands opposite Nauvoo. Here the Prophet instructed the Saints that a city should be built to be called Zarahemla. A number of members of the Church had located here when the Saints were driven from Missouri, and it appeared to be a suitable location for a permanent settlement of the people.”

There is flexibility within the Lord’s commandments. We may just be looking for a permanent home. The Lord is looking for a way to help us grow—for He knows that the reason we came to this earth was to be able to grow in ways we could do in no other place.

11/2/2021 – D&C 125 

Section 125 was given in March 1841. By this time the saints had been driven out of Missouri, and the church had purchased 700 acres of land in Commerce Illinois, renaming it Nauvoo—plus about 18,000 acres in Iowa Territory. These were to be the principal gathering places for the Church. They were to “build up cities unto my name, that they may be prepared…” (v 2). By gathering together these Church members received spiritual strength, gospel instruction, and other benefits of associating with each other and with Church leaders. It’s no different for us today. President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “As the Church grows, it is very important that we build solidly and well, and that our prospective stakes have the basic ingredients that are necessary for success and that existing stakes work tirelessly for full stakehood in the sense of spiritual achievement. These stakes are to be the gathering spots for the Zion of today, and they need to be spiritual sanctuaries and to be self-sufficient in as many ways as is possible. The stakes and districts of Zion are symbolic of the holy places spoken of by the Lord where His Saints are to gather in the last days as a refuge from the storm.” We grow, not by looking out only for our own situations, but also in looking out for those around us…all the time helping and loving each other.