D&C Section Nine

Section 9 continues the Lord's tutoring of Joseph and Oliver in how revelation is received. Oliver had been told that he could translate the plates but when he tried, nothing happened. The Lord used this as an object lesson explaining that revelation never comes automatically. The Lord tells Oliver that he "cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. But there are some ground rules for anything to be given us from the Lord. Rather than revelation on a matter coming automatically, there must be much thought and a decision made. So we get those well known instructions to study it out in our minds before asking if something is right. Only then will receive a revelation as described in Section 8 come. One thing that is often overlooked in this section is the role that fear can play in stopping revelation. Faith and fear are at opposite ends of the spectrum and fear inhibits the reception of revelation just as faith enables it. The other thing that helps is establishing a track record with the Lord. With the promise that the Lord will guide us in our decision making, it's important that we follow his counsel, as we do this, we establish a sort of working relationship with him. James said, "Submit yourselves therefore to God... Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you."