D&C Section Thirty Six

This is a revelation given to Edward Partridge. He was a hatter who owned his own store after serving as an apprentice for four years. He listened to missionaries but would not be baptized until after he had read the Book of Mormon and heard the prophet speak. After hearing the prophet, he told Joseph Smith that he was ready to be baptized and requested a revelation regarding what he should do. Section 36 is the revelation that was given. He became the first bishop of the church, a position that he felt incapable of pleasing his Heavenly Father in because of what he said were his inadequacies. In the church films on the Prophet Joseph Smith, a person is tarred and feathered in Missiouri and this is Bishop Partridge. He bore the tar and feathering so meekly that his attackers and the onlookers were overtaken with sympathy for him and they backed away and let him go in peace. He said he felt the Spirit so strongly at that time and his heart was so filled with the love of God that he felt no animosity towards his attackers. As a result of the persecutions in Missiouri, he fled to Far West and then to Nauvoo in poverty and ill health. He died in Nauvo at the age of 46, ten days after the death of his daughter. His funeral was the first major funeral of importance in Nauvoo. The Lord said he was a man without guile and in a later revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord said that he had received Edward unto himself.

There is one verse in this section that in some ways does more to explain the role of the priesthood than any other. The Lord says, "I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive... the Holy Ghost." That makes so clear the sacred role that priesthood holders bear when they conduct any ordinance in the church. Through the priesthood holder, the Lord is laying his hands on the head of the person receiving the ordinance. Or with other ordinances such as the sacrament, it is as if the Lord is speaking the words of the sacrament prayers. The principle can be applied to any ordinance. The priesthood holder is representing the Lord.

Verse 8 is the first reference to a the temple in the Doctrine and Covenants.

D&C Section Thirty Five

Sidney Rigdon's involvement in the church is so fascinating that books have been written about him. When he was 26, he became a licensed minister in the Baptist church but left it feeling that many of it's teachings weren't scriptural. He joined two other men and started a religious movement based on the scriptures known as the Campbellites, named after the founder Alexander Campbell. Their congregation in Ohio provided many converts to the church when it moved to Kirtland. In 1830, Sidney was 37 years old, so he was thirteen years older than Joseph Smith. Sidney would take part in many significant and important church events.

I think it's interesting that the Lord basically says that Sidney, up to the time of his joining the church, has done a great work. Now the Lord tells him he will do a greater work, that he will be sent forth to prepare the way before the Lord. I think there are many people who are sent to do this who are not of our faith. As it says in one my commentaries, "It would be well to point out that we ought not to judge the actions and affairs of others. The Lord may be doing His work through means we know not of. Suffice it to say that many people in many lands under many circumstances may now be working, at least in part, to bring about the Lord's holy purposes." There are many good ministers of other religions who bring people closer to the Lord and who is to say they are not inspired and doing what they were placed on the earth to do?

One of the first things that the Lord commands Sidney to do is to be a scribe for Joseph as he translates the Bible. This will lead to important discussions between the two that will in turn lead to important visions and revelations. I think it's to Sidney's credit that he was able to leave a successful ministry, accept the fact that he did not have priesthood authority, and be humble enough to accept someone else's leadership who was younger, less educated and less experienced. In verse 13, the Lord tells Sidney he is calling "upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised" to do his work. I like this quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith: "Think of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was without training or education, only in the simple grades, so far as the learning of the world is concerned. Yet the Lord called him and educated him and he has confounded the entire religious world and brought to naught their false doctrines."

There is a wonderful promise the Lord gives to the church in verse 24 which I think applies to individuals as well, "Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice..." If we only knew how much the angels help us though we are unaware of it, moving things, changing events in our behalf, bringing other people into our lives at critical times, inspiring out thoughts and actions. And if we could only see how Satan trembles in the face of one righteous person. Nothing stops Satan cold and reduces him to total weakness like righteousness. We're told that it is because of the righteousness of the people that he will be bound for the duration of the millennium.

D&C Section Thirty Four

This revelation is given to Orson Pratt to be a missionary. Orson is nineteen and was converted by his brother Parley P. Pratt. After hearing the gospel and being baptized, he traveled 200 miles to meet Joseph Smith at the Peter Whitmer farm. He then served a number of missions. Orson was ordained an apostle at age 35 and was a great mathematician and did much to help the saints as they crossed the plains.

The Lord calls Orson his son. Through baptism, we become the spiritual children of Christ. The Lord says "that as many as believe might become the sons of God, wherefore you are my son." King Benjamin said that because of the covenant we make with the Savior, we become his sons and daughters. The Lord says that he "so loved the world he gave his own life." You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. The measure of Christ's gift is equal to the how much he loves us. I just cannot fathom the depth of that love. And the Savior continues to give and to bless. It is no wonder that King Benjamin says we are all unprofitable servants. On top of the gift of the Atonement, with each effort to live a commandment, to serve in some way, to give or sacrifice, the Lord blesses us more.

D&C Section Thirty Three

Without doubt, the Lord wants us to fearless in taking the gospel to the rest of the world. In three straight verses, he says open your mouths. In Section 60, he says that he is not pleased with some because they will not open their mouths because of their fear of men. I think there are several ways that we can "open our mouths." Obviously, we should be prepared and unafraid to talk to others about the gospel. So many people are interested and we assume they aren't. Before I was a member, I would have been willing to listen had someone approached me about it. There were some who said they prayed about talking to me but felt impressed to wait and that is probably why I didn't hear the gospel until the time that I did. Often it's just as important to live the gospel as best we can and through our examples we "open our mouths." And almost as important in my mind is to love all people and be accepting of them. Love is a very powerful way of "opening our mouths." It has been cheapened in the world and seems to only have reference to sex anymore. Trust, commitment and devotion have become the exception rather than the norm. But when people experience our love and see the love in our relationships, they will want to experience something deeper. It is important that they experience the Savior's love through us.

In the end of this section, the Lord says we should always have our lamps trimmed and burning. If the wick of a lamp is trimmed, it burns brighter. If our lives are disciplined in the gospel, the Spirit will shine brighter in our countenances. What other people see will be the very thing they are seeking in their own lives.

Ezra Thayer, who this revelation is directed to, came into the church having experienced some miracles including the appearance of an angel. He was faithful, though struggled from time to time, and demonstrated his faith through serving missions and being a member of Zion's Camp. He was the person assigned to purchase land in Kirtland, Ohio and purchased the land the Kirtland Temple was built on. In 1835, his membership was suspended for impropriety, we do not know what happened, and he eventually settled in Rochester, New York and then Michigan where he later become a high priest in the reorganized church.

D&C Section Thirty-two

In this revelation, Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson are called to go with Oliver Cowdery Peter Whitmer on a mission to the Lamanites. This was an assignment to leave Fayette, New York and go beyond the borders of the United States which at that time was the western side of the Missouri River in Kansas territory. This was a journey of fifteen hundred miles and notice the month of the revelation. They would be traveling in the winter, all most all of it walking and and having to depend on the generosity of those along the way for their food and lodging. During this trip, they waded through deep snow. It's hard to imagine how difficult a trip it was. They didn't have much success with the Lamanites, but while traveling through Kirtland, Ohio, Pareley P. Pratt had a strong impression they should stop and preach for a while. As a result, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams joined the church along with a number of others. And once the church settled in Kirtland, many more would join.

Ziba Peterson had been baptized 6 months previous to this revelation and was in his late teens or early twenties. Ziba was one of several who had a strong desire to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. In 1831, he was chastised by the Lord in a revelation for trying to hide his sins and three days later he confessed them. Two years later, he withdrew from the church and was excommunicated. In 1848, he took his family and moved to a mining town called Dry Diggins, California where he became a sheriff. He caught and hung three outlaws and then died shortly after that. And interesting side note is his widow moved to Napa Valley, California where she purchased land from the Lilburn Boggs, the former governor of Missouri who expelled the Saints.

D&C Section Thirty-one

In Section 30, the Lord chastised David Whitmer and with Section 31 we get a complete contrast in the revelation given to Thomas B. Marsh. The Lord blesses Thomas and because of his faithfulness the Lord says he will bless his family. The promises for Thomas are: his tongue will be loosed and the hearts of the people will open up to him. He will be able to establish many congregations of the church and see many converts (sheaves upon his back). The Lord promises that when opposition comes, he will be strengthened and he will have to Comforter who will guide him in what he should do and say. If he is faithful, the Lord promises he will be with him.

For a time, these blessings held true and Thomas quickly rose in stature in the church. But it's interesting that after rising so far, he will have his day of failing. When he was president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he left the church over a trifling matter of his wife being found guilty of taking an unfair share of cream off the milk shared by another member. Rather than settling the difference, they pushed clear to the high council of the church. Rather than admit what they had done, her rebelled against the church and signed an affidavit that went to Governor Boggs falsely accusing of Joseph and others of crimes they didn't commit. The affidavit led to the exterminating order issued by Boggs and put Joseph and the others in Liberty Jail. Of the affidavit, Joseph said it was filled with "all the vilest slanders, aspersions, lies, and calumnies towards himself and the church that he could invent... He had sworn falsely and [was] ready to take the lives of his friends."

Thomas fled Missouri and wandered about for many years. Eventually, he came to Salt Lake City and asked Brigham Young to help him back into the church. He was accepted and re-baptized, but died a pauper and never regained the spiritual stature and eloquence of speech he once had. John Taylor pointed out the contrast in his spirituality saying he heard him speak in a ward in Salt Lake and it was nearly nonsense. This was from a man who once was in a high church position and powerful in proclaiming the gospel, someone who likely would have been the next prophet instead of Brigham Young had he remained faithful. In a meeting with some other apostates he told them, "You don't know what you are about; if you want to see the fruits of apostasy, look at me."

D&C Section Thirty

This is actually three separate revelations that were combined as one section for publication. There had been much discussion about Hiram Page's stone and the "revelations" he received through it. David Whitmer was especially deceived by it and so we find him being chastised by the Lord for his accepting directions from someone the Lord had not called. His disobedience had several factors that were listed in the revelation. Each of these factors is a reminder to me of the importance of following the Spirit, following the counsel of the Lord's anointed leaders, and not worrying about what the world or people think of what we believe. The Lord tells David that what brought about his problems were his (1) fear of man, (2) his concentrating on the things of the world more than on the Lord, (3) His failure to give heed to the promptings of the Spirit, and (4) His failure to follow those who the Lord had authorized to be his servants. As a result of this, the Lord says he was "left to inquire for [himself]." To me, this means that in all of questioning, he was left without the Spirit to try to find truth and that just isn't possible. Not finding it through the sources he should, he turned to other sources that were false. What he should have done was respected the Lord more than people, kept his focus on the Lord instead of worldly things, listened to and followed the Spirit, and followed the counsel of the Lord's servants.

I firmly believe that the best way to to narrow the distance between ourselves and the Lord is, to immerse ourselves in the scriptures. President Kimball promised that if we do this: "The distance narrows between ourselves and our Father in Heaven. Our spirituality shines brighter. We love more intensely those whom we should love. It is much easier to follow counsel. The lessons of life our learned more readily and surely."