My Come, Follow Me studies took me to Doctrine and Covenants 67-70. The Prophet Joseph Smith received more than sixty revelations from the Lord by the fall of 1831. The decision was made to compile and publish the revelations to make them more accessible to members of the Church of Jesus Christ.
A conference was held on November 1-2,
1831, where some priesthood leaders discussed how to publish them. They decided
to make one volume and title it the Book of Commandments. They first considered
publishing 10,000 copies but later reduced the number of copies to 3,000. The
Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual had the following information.
The Prophet intended to include in the
Book of Commandments a written testimony from the elders declaring the
truthfulness of the revelations in the same manner the Three Witnesses and the
Eight Witnesses had testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. At one
point in the conference, Joseph asked the elders “what testimony they were
willing to attach to these commandments [revelations] which should shortly be
sent to the world” (in The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 2: July
1831-January 1833, ed. Matthew C. Godrey and others [2013], 97). Several of
the brethren “arose and said that they were willing to testify to the world
that they knew that [the revelations] were of the Lord” (in The Joseph Smith
Papers, Documents, Volume 2: July 1831-January 1833, 97). However, some of
the elders had not received such a spiritual conviction, and they hesitated to
testify that the revelations were given by inspiration from God.
Sometime during this conference, the
Lord revealed the information that is now Section 1 of the Doctrine and
Covenants. This section is known as the Lord’s preface to the doctrines,
covenants, and commandments given in this dispensation. The Lord explained how revelation
is given.
Behold, I am God and have spoken it;
these commandments are
of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of
their language,
that they might come to understanding. (Doctrine
and Covenants 1:24)
After the revelation was given, some of
the elders questioned the language used in the revelations given to the Prophet
because of the imperfections in language and composition. Even though the
Prophet Joseph Smith lacked formal education and was not eloquent in speaking
or writing, the Lord revealed truth to him and allowed him to express it “after
the manner of [his] language” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:24). In response to the
concerns of the brethren, the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation
recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 67.
5 Your
eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and his language you have known, and his imperfections you have known; and
you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his
language; this you also know.
6 Now,
seek ye out of the Book of Commandments, even the least that is among them, and
appoint him that is the most wise among you;
7 Or, if
there be any among you that shall make one like unto it, then ye are justified in saying that ye do
not know that they are true;
8 But if
ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true.
9 For ye
know that there is no unrighteousness in them, and that which is righteous cometh down from above, from the Father of lights.
The Lord challenged those men who
thought that they could express themselves with more eloquence that the Prophet
to appoint the wisest man among them. This man was to select the least
revelation and write one “like unto it” (Doctrine and Covenants 67:6). William
E. McLellin was a former schoolteacher, so he accepted the challenge. Joseph
Smith described the efforts of McLellin to write a revelation as follows.
[William] E. McLellin … endeavored to
write a [revelation] like unto one of the least of the Lord’s, but failed; it
was an awful responsibility to write in the name of the Lord. The elders, and
all present, that witnessed this vain attempt of a man to imitate the language
of Jesus Christ, renewed their faith in the fulness of the gospel and in the
truth of the commandments and revelations which the lord had given to the
church through my instrumentality; and the elders signified a willingness to
bear testimony of their truth to all the world” (in Manuscript History of the
Church, vol. A-1, page 162, josephsmithpapers.org).
In Doctrine and Covenants 67:9, the
Lord bore testimony to the men that the revelations came “down from above.” He told
them that they were to bear record that the revelations were true or they would
be under condemnation (see Doctrine and Covenants 67:8). After McLellin failed
in his attempt to write a revelation, the brethren signed a statement bearing
testimony of the revelations. This testimony with the names of the members of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835 is included in the introduction of
the more recent editions of the Doctrine and Covenants.
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