followHIM - Doctrine & Covenants 12-13 / JSH 1:66-75 : Dr. Scott Esplin : Part I

Episode Date: February 6, 2021

What do you do with the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that repeat themselves? What do you do with the sections . . . . okay, you get it. Dr. Scott Esplin joins us and helps us understand the specific circumstances that surround the Knights, the Smiths, the Whitmers, and the Stoals (aka Stowells) and their desires for callings and personal revelation. Learn how we can also build the Kingdom of God--even if we don’t currently have a calling.

Welcome to Follow Him, a weekly podcast dedicated to helping individuals and families with their Come Follow Me study. I'm Hank Smith. And I'm John, by the way. We love to learn. We love to laugh. We want to learn and laugh with you. As together, we follow Him. Hello, my friends, and welcome to another episode of Follow Him. We are so excited to be with you. I'm here with my co-host, John, by the way. Hi, Hank. Great to be back.

Yeah, we learned so much. This is such an incredible opportunity. It's a pleasure to introduce Scott Esplin. He is a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. He's the author of numerous publications on the Doctrine and Covenants, the history of church education, and Latter-day Saint historic sites, including an award-winning book on the restoration of Nauvoo. He also serves as the publications director for the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University. Scott is married to the former Janice Garrett. They live in Linden and are the parents of four children. That's the most important part, isn't it?

Definitely. Thank you, John. Just on a personal note, I've known Scott for, goodness, over a decade. And he is one of the most genuine, good, kind, and humble people I know. Sometimes that humility thing, I have been working on it and it's but man I don't I've conquered it if I could have an ounce of if I could have an ounce of the humility Scott Esplin has I mean just incredibly brilliant yet incredibly humble it's um it's it's really a friendship I treasure you're kind Hank thank you it's good it's good to be with you I I feel likewise I'm

grateful for our friendship and and look forward to visiting with both of you. Thank you. Yeah. So let's jump right into the Come Follow Me material for this week. We're going to start in section 12. So as I was reading and preparing for our interview today, I noticed that we run into a name that, if I'm a first-time reader of the Doctrine and Covenants, I haven't seen this name before. In the heading, it says it's May of 1829, and Joseph Knight believed the declaration of Joseph Smith concerning his possession of the Book of Mormon plates and the work of translation, uh, of, uh, then in process. So Scott, can you tell us about Joseph Knight, his family and how they, how they came in contact with Joseph Smith, who these people are? Sure. Uh, thanks Hank. Uh, so the Knight family lives in Colesville, New York,

which is located about 30 miles, uh, North of where Joseph and Emma are currently living, uh, in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph had become acquainted with the Knight family even prior to marrying Emma. So the story goes back multiple years before the receipt of this revelation. As early as 1825, Joseph Smith was hired to come work in this area of New York and bordering on Pennsylvania by a man by the name of Josiah Stoll. And I think previous episodes have talked a little bit about that. He came to the area under the auspices of Josiah Stoll looking for a Spanish treasure,

a supposed rumored Spanish treasure that was reported to be rumored in the area. Joseph eventually persuades Mr. Stoll to stop looking for that treasure. But that introduces Joseph to the area of Colesville and Harmony, where, as some will comment or say, he finds a different treasure in his future wife, Emma Hale. So Joseph remains in the area to court Emma. And in 1826, in the fall of 1826, he hires on with a prosperous farmer by the name of Joseph Knight. And so Joseph Knight Sr. and his wife, Polly, live in Colesville. They are prominent landholders, wealthy farmers, and respected citizens in the region. In terms of age, the knights are

approximately the same age as Joseph's parents. So Joseph Knight Sr. is about a year younger than Joseph Smith Sr. So these could be somewhat like fatherly or motherly figures for Joseph. Joseph at this point is 24 years old or will be 24 years old later this year in 1829. And so these are friends that take him in as an employer. But maybe more important than just being an employer, they're believers. Joseph confided in the Knights, some of the earliest people outside of the Smith family, to whom Joseph told the story likely of the visit of the angel Moroni to them and the coming of the plates, actually, because the encounter with the knights occurs before Joseph acquires the plates in 1827. So he's working with them in the fall of 26.

And then marries Emma, of course, in January of 27. And it's at the encouragement of the knights and Josiah Stoll that Joseph and Emma get married. And so the knights are intrigued. The knights believe. One of their sons later said that we were the first family outside the Smiths to have believed the story of their son Joseph. So I think we should keep in mind the knights are prominent in early church history. They aren't what we would consider today general authorities or something like that. None of them are, they're not members of the three or eight witnesses, but they are the first believing family outside of the smiths themselves. Some historians call the smiths the first family of the Restoration, and one historian calls the Knights the second family of the Restoration. And so they join the church, and they remain loyal to the prophet the entirety of their lives. So Joseph Knight is a

prominent supporter of the prophet. Of course, he facilitates Joseph and helps facilitate Joseph and Emma's marriage. And then interestingly, in 1827, when Joseph receives the plates from Moroni and from the Hill Cumorah, Joseph Knight is there. He makes the trip up to Palmyra together with Josiah Stoll. And the two of them are having a sleepover at the Knight home or the Smith home the night of the night of September 22nd of September 22nd when Joseph goes to the hill. And so these are people that are believers, followers, supporters. Joseph then, of course, moves back down to Harmony and working on the translation. The knights will periodically bring him paper, food, support him in the translation, money.

And so we can't diminish the role that Joseph Knight played in the restoration. And so that's who he is. I love that, Scott. I love that because one of my goals with doing the podcast, I know John and I have talked about this, is helping our listeners come to a great love for some of these lesser known names, right? When we think church history, we think Joseph and Emma, Brigham, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff. And those are names that we do need to talk about and tell their stories.

But there's the Joseph Knight Sr. and Polly Knight, Joseph Knight Jr. and Newell Knight, you know, the Whitney's, you know, some of these lesser known names that I think this year can be a year that we kind of give them a, I don't know, a big hug from the church of, you know, 2021. Well, they have posterity in the church today. Like I said, the Knights stayed faithful. They came west. And Joseph Knight himself dies in Mount Pisgah, Iowa, on the trail west. His wife, Polly, dies shortly after the Saints moved to Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. So the Knights were—their little family formed what some call the first branch of the church in Colesville, New York. And then that Colesville branch relocates to Thompson,

Ohio, just outside Kirtland, and then eventually to Independence, Missouri. And so these are some of the most faithful of the faithful. And I loved your list of people. We think of Joseph and Emma, of course, but then you mentioned Brigham and Wilford or others. The names you listed aren't people who knew Joseph in the 1820s. Those are people who would have known Joseph just a little bit later after the church is organized. And so that's, I think, one thing that makes the Knights unique is these are people who are in the church before there is a church. They're in association with Joseph Smith before he's married, shortly after he's married,

while he's working on the translation, as we'll see in just a minute, when the Aaronic Priesthood is restored. These are people who are eyewitnesses to the earliest events of the Restoration. I was thinking of Oliver Granger too, which I'm sure we'll get to because he's mentioned so prominently in one of the sections. Could I read something that Joseph Smith actually wrote? This is August 22nd of 1842. He said, I am now recording in the book of the law of the Lord of such as have stood by me in every hour of peril for these 15 long years past, say for instance, my aged and beloved brother Joseph Knight Sr., who was among the number of the first to administer to my necessities while I was laboring in the commencement of the bringing

forth of the work of the Lord and of the laying foundation, the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For fifteen years he has been faithful and true and even-handed and exemplary and virtuous and kind, never deviating to the right hand or to the left. Behold, he is a righteous man. May God Almighty lengthen out the old man's days, and may his trembling, tortured, and broken body be renewed, and in the vigor of health turn upon him, if it be thy will, consistently, O God. And it shall be said of him by the sons of Zion, while there is one of them remaining,

that this man was a faithful man in Israel. Therefore his name shall never be forgotten. What a tribute. I would, and I think, thank you, John, for sharing that. I've always loved that statement. In some small measure, maybe we're fulfilling that today. His name will never be forgotten. I love how that statement. In some small measure, maybe we're fulfilling that today. His name will never be forgotten. I love how that statement ends. The next sentence says, there is his son, Newell Knight and Joseph Knight Jr., Hank referred to them, whose names I record in the book of the law of the Lord

with unspeakable delight, for they are my friends. And I would love to have the prophet someday say, these are my friends. Scott was one of my friends. Hank, John, they were my friends. And I would love to have the prophet someday say, these are my friends. Scott was one of my friends. Hank, John, they were my friends. And to be called a friend of the prophet Joseph Smith, that's Joseph Knight and his family and their legacy. Oh, I love that so much. I think that that home, if I remember right, that home is still there. It's not owned by the church but there is a group who keeps it keeps it up and visit it yeah yeah and they're some of the original wood and and flooring and and everything is still there from the that's about 30 miles from harmony about 30 miles from harmony and uh and yeah it's uh, these are important characters. You will talk about this if you go

into the eventual departure out of New York in sections 37 and 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants. But the Knights leave that farm. There's an advertisement in the local newspaper, I think it's the Broome County Republican. It says, a farm formerly occupied by Joseph Knight, available for very liberal terms. Contact Mr. Waterman. They just, they follow the prophet. They go west to Kirtland and then eventually west to Missouri and do what this section says. So section 12, turning to the Revelation, hints at some of those things. In some ways, it outlines what kind of person Joseph Knight is and what kind of person he

should be as he serves in God's kingdom. I got to say this, as we get into the section, I've heard Daniel Peterson say this. I wonder if either of you have heard this. It's kind of funny. Daniel Peterson will hopefully be on our podcast one day. And Daniel Peterson's a descendant of the Knights and he calls them the Lord's backup plan because you've got Joseph Knight senior and Joseph Knight junior who would, if the, if he says, if, if the Lord finds out Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith senior can't, can't do what he's been

asked to do, he can go over, he can go over to the Knights and he can get those two Josephs. I think the book of Mormon said something about Joseph's name. So there you go. They would fulfill that prophecy perfectly. Well, again, great souls. And so that's who he is. He is in proximity of the prophet. In this case, in May of 29, he visits Joseph. Joseph is now working on the translation. So Oliver Cowdery has come to Harmony, Pennsylvania about a month earlier, in early April of 1829, and he and Joseph are in earnest working on the translation. We don't have all the details of what exactly brought Joseph Knight to Harmony on this occasion.

It may be that he's bringing him food or paper to continue working on the translation. There are some scholars who wonder if he's coming in company with Hiram. Hiram has come to Harmony, Pennsylvania, also in the Revelation right before this. So you'll notice it doesn't give an exact date. It just says May of 29. So we're not exactly sure if they're in company of each other or if they're separate visits. But in any case, Joseph Knight comes down to Harmony, and this revelation is received. One thing I like about the revelation, you'll notice, is that it sounds very similar to some of the other revelations. And so we could, if you want to talk about why is there repetition in the text,

why do some of these verses mirror those that had been received in February of 29 for Joseph Smith Sr., or some of the verses in section 6 for Oliver Cowdery, or section 11 for Hyrum Smith. This is great. We understand a little bit more then who Joseph Knight is, how helpful he's been. And let's talk about what is the Lord's message to Joseph in section 12, which, similar to some of the others who have asked for a personal message from the Lord. Yeah, John, so thank you. You'll notice that some of the phrases and words that are used in this same section mirror those that appeared in section 4 to Joseph Smith Sr., section 6 to Oliver Cowdery, section 11 to Hiram Smith. And they will continue in section 14 to David Whitmer.

A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Thrusting in your sickle with all your might. And so God's word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. All of those phrases appear in other sections as well. I love the fact that these are repetitious. There of those phrases appear in other sections as well. I love the fact that these are repetitious. There's something in the section heading for section 15 that I've always smiled at. It says in that section, speaking to one of the Whitmers, the message is intimately and impressively personal. These sections are intimately, impressively personal,

but they're remarkably redundant. They are identical, whether your name is Joseph Smith Sr. or Joseph Knight Sr. or Hiram Smith or Oliver Cowdery. There's some things I love that. I love that the Lord is no respecter of persons. And if a 56-year-old Joseph Knight asks a question, a 57-year-old Joseph Smith Sr. asks a question, or a Hiram Smith in his mid-20s asks a question, if their question is the same, the Lord who is the same will answer the same. And I love that. That allows Scripture to apply to a revelation. And this bothers people sometimes in the Doctrine and Covenants as they study it. They say, well, how can I apply that revelation to myself?

I'm not Joseph Knight or, or I'm not Oliver Cowdery. Well, but God is the same. And what he said to them, he would say to me. And so the repetition I find helpful. I also love the fact that Joseph included it in, originally the book of commandments is where this revelation first appears. And then in the doctrine and covenants, Joseph doesn't seem to apologize for the repetition.

If it were me putting together a book, I've written books, John, Hank, you've both written books. It doesn't go over well if you repeat yourself multiple times in the same chapter, tell the same story more than once or whatever. You've said this before. Yeah, I've read this somewhere. Joseph doesn't, and that's what, I love the sincerity of Joseph Smith. For him, God said it. And if God said it, he's not going to apologize for the fact that he said it the same way to someone else.

It's God's words. And that to me is a testament of the sincerity of Joseph Smith. And so I love the repetition in the text. I was just going to say, I remember President Hinckley used to say that all the time with that hand up in the air. Do you remember? Repetition is the law of all learning. I remember him saying that repetition. If you want to Repetition is the law of all learning. I remember him saying that

repetition, if you want to learn something, you repeat it over and over. It's almost as if the Lord is aware, not only of these individuals, but he's also aware of his dual audience that he's going to have readers. Yeah. Future readers who are going to need to hear the same thing over and over and over. Well, and I, this is not is not in any way to be inappropriate. I think every Sunday I go somewhere and hear something repeated. I can't remember the last time I've been to church and heard the sacrament prayers different than what they were the week before. They better not be different. And so in that regard, the Lord knows something about repetition. We do things repetitiously in the

church and don't apologize for it and shouldn't apologize for it. And so the sacrament is something that's highly repetitive week after week, and yet I love it. We've talked about this before. I think in an earlier podcast, we mentioned the Whitmers, that both the, what does the Lord have for me? And it was like identical. And what I love about section 12 is, and of course you know this, or verse seven, behold, I speak unto you and also to all those who have desires to bring forth and establish this work. So there's that repetition consistency of the message. And I like also the Isaiah phrase of a marvelous work. It always just sounds like that's code for, oh, that's the restoration. Yeah. No, that's great, John. And I think that very phrase is why it's in your Doctrine and Covenants. This is not just for Joseph Knight Sr. This is to all who desire to

bring forth and establish this work. And that is not limited to people who were in the earliest days of the church. That still goes on today. Other phrases that I love in this section, I'm intrigued by this one in the end of verse 3. Of course, at the beginning of verse 3, the field is wide already to harvest. That would have been an image with which he and other farmers are familiar. But the end of verse 3 is an interesting one, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God. Joseph Knight is using his treasure to forward this work. He's bringing money to the prophet. He's bringing food to the prophet. He's bringing paper to the prophet. And the Lord has something to say about what real treasure is here.

Also, you all remember, it was treasure seeking that brought Joseph Smith Jr. to this area in the first place. It was Joseph Smith looking for treasure with Josiah Stoll. And so I love that the Lord maybe, and again, this verse is also in section six, it's also in section 11. But I love the fact that treasure is discussed with Joseph Knight because that is what brought Joseph to the region, Joseph Smith Jr. to the region, and Joseph Knight is using his treasure to forward the work. There's another one at the end of verse six. And again, this is in some of the other sections, but it talks about establishing the cause of Zion.

And at this point, Zion is a cause. That's how it's described in section six and 12 and others. Very quickly, it'll switch over to Zion being a place. In section 25, Emma Smith will be told that she will receive an inheritance in Zion. You don't typically get an inheritance in a cause. We're switching over to something else. And I think we're setting the stage, possibly for then a year or so later, when Joseph will learn where Zion is, and then the knight family will be among the first to have moved there. And so maybe this reference to Zion might be foreshadowing also the role that the knights would play in trying to establish Zion in this dispensation. And it also shows that the Lord is kind of holding back all the information at first, right? We're just going to build here for a little while. Yeah. You're not ready for

the city yet. Let's just call it a cause for now. It's a cause. It's a cause. Yeah. That is, that is excellent. I like, when I read section 12, this idea of, if you want to be called, right, whosoever will thrust into sickle and reap, the same is called of God. So the Presbyterian idea is, wait until you feel God calling you. Wait until you feel God's saving you. This is God saying, no, if you, you know, use your agency, come forward, and you'll be part of the team. It kind of flies in the face

of maybe mainstream Presbyterianism, which maybe a lot of these people practiced. I don't know about the Knights, but I know the Smiths had been, Smiths had been Presbyterian, at least a portion of the family. A portion of them. Yeah.

You know, that's an interesting comment, Hank, because it's almost as if the initiative is up to you, Joseph Knight. The agency is yours. And the reason I find that your comment intriguing, thank you, is in section 23 of the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Knight will appear again. And this is now after the church is organized, and Joseph Knight seems to be dragging his feet a little bit. Others in section 23, section 23 is given to five different individuals. It's given to Oliver

Cowdery, Hiram Smith, Samuel Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., and Joseph Knight. And each of the four previous individuals, it says you're not under condemnation. All four of them have been baptized. They've joined the church. But for Joseph Knight, that phrase is conspicuously missing. And it says his duty in verse 6 of section 23 is to unite, to take up the cross, to pray vocably. And in verse 7, it is your duty to unite with the true church. It's what you're getting at, that if you want to be involved, it's up to you, Joseph Knight. Don't wait to be called. Make a commitment. And he does. He joins the church and then remains faithful the rest of his life. But I think you're hitting on an important principle that's in both of these sections about Joseph Knight.

You know, I'm always thinking, okay, how am I going to help my kids, right? With this and my students. And I like this idea of helping my teenagers understand the Lord likes a little gumption, a little self-initiative, a little, hey, let's, I'd almost like the Lord is saying, I'd rather have to hold you back than get you started, right?

It's like that idea of never suppress an impulse to do good, to be kind, to do the right thing. And I was thinking, as Scott was talking, that he mentioned section four that also has the field, you know, ready to harvest, but also has, if you have desires to serve, you're called to the work. And there's that idea of desires and being called again, which I think is interesting, because sometimes you might be tempted, well, I don't have to

talk to that person. I haven't been giving a calling to do that. But in application for our families, yeah, it doesn't have to be your ministering brother or sister for you to go over and say, I really enjoyed what you said today in Sunday school or whatever. The Lord is watching saying, okay, who wants a calling? Who wants to be part of the work? I'm going to wait to see who jumps in. Yeah, and we're obviously not talking about going up to your bishop and volunteering to be the young men's president or anything. We're talking about, as you're describing, John and Hank, there's lots of ways to serve. You and I, we should suppress the prompting to do good. I've never felt a tinge of regret for being a little too kind. There's lots of things I can do.

I love another one in this same section, in section 12. In verse 6, as you have asked, apparently he's asked, what can I do to help with the work? And the Lord's response is, I say unto you, keep my commandments. If you don't have a formal calling, I've served on campus here at BYU in a variety of capacities. And sometimes our students, especially as you're reorganizing a ward early in a semester and trying to get all the callings in place, people say, well, I'm not getting a calling fast enough. Um, what can I do? Well, you can keep the commandments.

All of us can do that. Even while we're waiting for a formal, uh, calling to serve in some capacity, keep the commandments. They're really, Elder Maxwell once said, that's it. There really is nothing more important. Um, callings in a formal sense will come and go, but not the calling or the commandment to keep the commandments. I like that this verse we've been looking at about verse 7, you have desires to bring forth. Well, it comes right after that.

Seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. That's very, very broad and very general. And I like what President Nelson has said about, you know, the cause of Zion. That's very broad and very general. And I like what President Nelson has said about the work of salvation. Anytime you do anything that helps anyone take a step closer to making covenants with Christ, you're gathering Israel, you're doing the work of salvation. So it can be that broad of keeping the commandments and bring forth the cause of Zion. That's interesting because it seems like Joseph Knight is like any of us. What calling am I going to get?

Right? I'm ready. What call am I going to get? I want you to keep the commandments and bring forth the cause of Zion. And if that's almost as if the Lord is anticipating, if that's not what you were looking for, you can't, verse 8, no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble. We were talking about humility at the start of the podcast, weren't we, Hank? There you go. Right. I'm so grateful that I have the gift of humility, that I think I've conquered that. So I like what the Lord says here, humble, full of love, faith, hope, and charity. If I'm at a time in my life where I'm like, well,

I want to, I'm ready to jump in and be the leader of a war, the leader of a stake, I think this might be a good reminder. Why don't you work on this first? Humility, being full of love, work on increasing your faith, temperance in all things, right? So to me, that's the Lord saying, yes, I want you. Yes, yes, I want you. I'm going to use your gifts in part of this work. But this is where we start. Humility, love, faith, charity.

That's where our focus should be. Well, and if you think back to the quote that John read, the tribute that Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to this man, these are the qualities he remembers. It's not Joseph Knight. He was a great young men's president, a great scout leader. He took the kids on every camp out or whatever it was. It was Joseph Knight had these qualities. He took to heart these attributes and he was true to them. And I love him. That's why I love the Knights.

They are fabulous, fabulous people in the Restoration. One of the things that kind of makes me, gosh, I hope if someone writes about me, they won't mention my tortured, trembling, broken body. Pretty bad. But, you know, he's 1842. So how old is Joseph Knight then? Oh, he's 56 in 1829.

So what is that, 13 years later? So 69? Yeah, late 60s. Late 60s, almost 70. And he'll live another five years after that. I think he dies in 1847, if I remember right. Right. On his way west, still going.

Yeah, his face pointed towards Zion. He's headed west. When I think about establishing the cause of Zion from verse six, and I read the manual, this question pops up. What does it mean to you to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion? And in essence, how do we do that today? I wonder if the people in 1829, Joseph Smith and the Knights, what they would think of the tools I have at my hands to establish the cause of Zion. Just think of what we have at our hands when it even

just comes to technology, from family history work to social media, that can establish the cause of Zion. They'd probably say, you know what we'd give for those resources and those tools? I think it's absolutely beautiful what What we can do to establish the cause of Zion. There's more available to us than we could possibly use. Yeah, Joseph Knight was bringing paper and potatoes and money, and I think he brings mackerel down to the prophet Joseph. And man, what do we have available that we could use to establish the cause of Zion? Well, I just think a lot of things we take for granted and just the availability of paper being those supplies. And what else did you say, Scott?

Paper, potatoes? Money. There's times where he clearly indicates he's helping Joseph pay his bills, which I think is really important in terms of an application setting. This allows Joseph and Oliver to do what they only can do. And that might have application to our lives. I served for a long period of time as an executive secretary to a stake and then in other capacities. I had someone teach me this principle. They said, Scott, your role as a secretary or as a counselor is to take all of the burden you can off of the person who has responsibility, keys in this case, because there are certain things that only he can do. That if you will take the burden off the paper, the potatoes, the mackerel, the paying of the

bills, whatever it is, if you will take all of those things away, you free up the person whose right and responsibility it is to receive revelation to be able to do so. And maybe that's what Joseph Knight is doing. He's taking away all of the things that Joseph Smith Jr. doesn't absolutely have to do so that Joseph Smith can do the thing that only he can do. Only Joseph can translate the plates. Only Joseph can bring forth the Book of Mormon. Anybody can bring the fish and the potatoes and the paper. And I think in our wards sometimes, there are certain things that only a bishop can do. But we've all been in wards where the bishop got tied down doing a lot of things that other people easily could have done.

And he wasn't free to get the revelation he needed. And that applies to a bishop or Relief Society president, a stake president and others. If we will give them the freedom to do the things that only they can do by way of keys and revelation, we'll be blessed because of it. Wow, that's an important, important principle. And it comes back in verse eight to humility, that to be a, uh, a background worker, um,

helping the, you know, the one that can do this in this important work, um, that takes humility, but it's a, it's a beautiful, uh, beautiful idea. I am, wow. I was really, I was really touched by that. Anytime we can relieve the burdens of somebody's responsibility for another, what a blessing to them that can be. I think we've seen some of that in our wards recently. I think they've almost empowered elders quorum presidents, ward councils, elders quorum

presidents, Rel councils, elders quorum presidents, relief society presidents. There's a lot of things that they can do that frees up the bishop to be able to do what only he can do. And by association, we can assist in that regard as well. I probably don't need to call the bishop to get a phone number of someone in my ward. There's other people I can ask for that information, thereby allowing the bishop to do the things that are essential in his calling. I love that. And I want to just say that listening to Elder Bednar at RootsTech talking about the new youth program, that he says, imagine what's going to happen, I'll paraphrase Elder Bednar as best I can, when the Relief Society presidency and the Elders Quorum presidency and the Aaronic

Priesthood Quorums and the young women's classes are all focused on the work of salvation. And it's a stunning moment when he talks about that. What if all of us are doing what we can to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion, not just saying, let the bishop and the warden mission leader do that, you know? And it can be little things as well. I want my children to know that creating a little more unity in their quorum or class is bringing forth the cause of Zion. Or anytime you do anything that helps anyone. Yeah, posting something about your family or the gospel or the temple on your

social media accounts. That's bringing forth the cause of Zion. Man. Well, you know, isn't that what Zion is defined as in the book of Moses? And the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart, one mind. They dwelt in righteousness. There was no poor among them anytime i do those things anytime i'm united anytime i'm righteous anytime i'm helping and caring for the poor and the needy i'm establishing zion yeah so this is great because we've got zion as a cause zion later becomes a place uh what you just mentioned scott is where the lord called his people zion there's a few definitions of that. And I suppose that we'd like to be in all of those

at one time or another. I'm going to teach my kids that cleaning your room establishes the cause of Zion. Certainly might bring more unity in the home. I know it would help at my house. So there you go. But could you really, if you really, yeah, I'll use that to,

do you think there's garbage in Zion? Take out the garbage, son. Yeah. All right, my friends, let's move into section 13. Um,

and the last, what a few verses of Joseph Smith history, Scott. So you can take us wherever you want to go. We come to one of the more and most important events, uh, in Joseph Smith's life and in the history of the church is the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. So what can you tell us, what leads up to this? What can you give me the background that'll help me help section 13 in

this event? It'll help me understand its significance for the prophet and for Oliver. Thanks, Hank. I think I liked your reference to Joseph Smith history. We need to keep that in mind. Unfortunately, sometimes we read section 13 and forget that there are verses at the back of the Pearl of the Great Price that give the historical context of the section. So I would start probably in Joseph Smith history. Joseph and Oliver are working on the translation. It's now mid-May of 1829, and they're making good progress by all accounts. They have been working since the first week or so of April. Oliver, I think, arrived on the 5th of April, and they start two days later. And so they're moving along, doing well. And I sometimes ask my classes here on campus, does anyone know what sparked section 13?

And it's clearly a question about baptism, but unless you've read the Joseph Smith history and then the account by Oliver that follows it, my students will speculate, oh, maybe they were in Alma because Alma talks about, or Mosiah talks about baptism, or maybe they were in 2 Nephi 31, which of course talks about baptism. Oliver Cowdery tells us in his account of this instance, the right answer. So Oliver Cowdery says, no man in their sober senses could translate and write the directions given to the Nephites from the mouth of the Savior, or the precise manner in which men should build up his church, and especially when corruption had spread and uncertainty over all forms and

systems practiced among men. He says here in the account that follows Joseph Smith history, it says after writing the account given of the savior's ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob upon this continent, that's in paragraph one, two, three, four.

So the start of top of paragraph four, after writing the account given of the savior's ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob upon this continent. Um, and so he tells us I got to third Nephi. So that, that is an important marker because it tells us where they are in mid May in the translation, but they're already into third Nephi. And as you know, as we all know in third Nephi 11, one of the first messages the savior says upon speaking to the Nephites, he calls Nephi forward, gives him authority and instruction concerning the manner of baptism. And so it really isn't second Nephi 31. It isn't Mosiah 18. It isn't any of these

other places we think talk about baptism. Oliver Cowdery tells us it was third Nephi. And when we read about the savior's ministry, we knew we had to be baptized. We realized we weren't, and we knew we needed the authority to do it. So I would always start there in terms of the context. And so they retired to the woods. The church has done some really good work on this lately, helping us understand what the farm was like in Harmony, Pennsylvania at the time that Joseph and Emma were living there. And so, uh, and, and frankly, what was going on on the river at the time. So the, the church has done some really good work in helping us understand the frequency

of riverboat traffic. Um, there are, uh, one person estimates maybe as often as, you know, every seven minutes, someone passing on that river on a boat on the Susquehanna. And so Joseph and Oliver are likely not kneeling down at river's edge, praying and visited by John the Baptist. They probably went to a wooded area away from the river. There is a wooded section of the farm away from the river, away from the home that would be more secluded.

And so they go to a secluded place to pray. And on an instant, I think is how Oliver Cowdery says it, an angel appeared from heaven. And I've always wondered about this and smiled. What is this like for Oliver? We always, and rightly so, focus on Joseph Smith. But at this point, is seeing an angel become old hat for Joseph? Yeah. How many times has he seen Moroni?

But what is this like for Oliver? Is this his first time seeing an angel? He's had some revelatory experience in Palmyra that caused him to even come to Harmony. And we don't know all of those details. But wow, he clearly is impressed by the angel. And again, think about how Joseph Smith described his first visit with Moroni. He goes into description of the clothing he's wearing and all of that. And maybe Oliver's doing the same.

Hey, that was an angel. And we're not just talking any angel now. We should pause and recognize this is John the Baptist. I mean, that's of, of all the people, the Lord could have sent the individual who baptized the son of God and, and, and to have him appear from the heavens is, is spectacular.

I love that. I love that when you teach, you know, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, just the,

the preeminence of John the Baptist, every account and how important he is. And then to have him here also is consistent, isn't it? Yeah, I think the Bible Dictionary said he is one of the few prophets who has had a role in multiple dispensations. The Bible Dictionary calls him the last of the Old Testament prophets, which is interesting. We often think of Malachi, but Bible dictionary says, no, John the Baptist was the last of the old Testament prophets. Um, he, uh, obviously is baptized as the savior, uh, and then takes part in the latter day dispensation. He's bridging

dispensations here. I think, what did Jesus say about John the Baptist? Among them that are born of women, which I think that's everyone. Among them that are born of women, there is none greater than John the Baptist. The outstanding, what is the, the Bible dictionary calls him the most outstanding Aaronic priesthood bearer in all history. John, I would give you second place. Second most outstanding Aaronic priesthood holder in all history. But can you imagine being first, first place, then the list of others who began to come, incredible. And in the Kirtland Temple. And I think if you have a hard time believing the first vision, oh, wait till you hear the rest. Listen to who else came, one after another.

And then you kind of see the elegance the symmetry and also no they would need to uh who had keys for the gathering of israel who had keys to for sealing who and you put it all together and so well of course they would come and what i love is that after the first vision so many were shared visions other people were there witnessed it and testified of it yeah and and yeah to have that be john the baptist is just can you think of anyone better to bring back the authority to baptize yeah than someone who has it in his name i mean i i know that's not his last name i know his middle name isn't the but man he is always associated with that ordinance. And, uh, and, and like you said, John, who else would you send?

Uh, you're going to send Moses with the key to gather Israel. You're going to send Elijah with the sealing power. Well, of course you're going to send John the Baptist with the authority to baptize. But then back to this humility discussion we've had, I love how John the Baptist draws Joseph and Oliver in. Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah. To be called a fellow servant with, as you said, Hank,

among those born to women, none greater. And to have him call you a fellow servant, I feel a long, a far way away from being a fellow servant uh well i i feel a long a far way away from being a fellow servant of john the baptist and to have him encircle me and take me in uh what would that have been like wasn't it john the baptist who said you know about jesus he must increase and i must decrease yeah and yeah and in an insight into the character of John the Baptist. I love, thank you for sounds like, if these are the actual words he said upon you, my fellow servant, sounds like he's ordaining both at the same time. Other paintings I've seen are John the Baptist one at a time, which seems more like the order

of things. Did you have a comment on that? That's a great question. And there's another beautiful statue at the site itself now. The church has restored the priesthood restoration site in recent years. Oh, it's beautiful. And there's a stunning statue there. I like how you said that. They restored the restoration. The restoration site, yes. And it was President Nelson, I think, who dedicated it. But I think that's artistic license, John. I really do. I'm not sure that we know for sure. Is it one hand on one?

And which one got the right hand? Which one got the left? I don't know that we know. I joke that I have a son who is left-handed. And so he's the oddball in our family. I don't know. And then I've seen, of course, both the same way. I do know that in Oliver Cowdery's account, he says, who would not have bended the knee

for such a blessing as this? It seems like they bended the knee, if that's literal, they knelt in John's presence. And again, you're my fellow servants, but man, who wouldn't kneel in the presence of John the Baptist when you think about all that he did and all that he is across dispensation? So that's the closest I can get. I'm looking at Joseph Smith history here and this little section afterwards that most people probably never read because. Yeah, it's in such small font, but you've got to read it. Well, that's I don't need to read that.

That's why I'm wearing glasses. That's why. I think I counted once and now I can't remember. Is it seven exclamation points or I can't because you don't count and count on those very often. And it's so fun to see how excited Oliver was. I never thought about this, but it almost as you read Joseph's history, it's almost like he is describing it as kind of like something that happens all the time to him.

Yeah. And then you get Oliver's account and he's like, this is amazing. This is incredible. So I would encourage everyone to sit down and read. What is it? Just two pages here, page and a half of Oliver's account of this. It really expands your view. Get your glasses and read it.

I had one of my professors, you both know, Joseph Fielding McConkie, and he would say, Joseph always undertold a story. And so here's section 13. Now let's hear Oliver describe the same thing. And Oliver, it wasn't just John the Baptist. You listen to Oliver and what else is going on in there. They heard the voice of the Almighty. Listen to this phrase here.

Uncertainty had fled. Doubt had sunk. No more to rise. I mean, that is beautiful language. And it gets you excited to read oliver's words here he says i can't even attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart yeah it's beautiful if you've never read it for our listeners boy please read it because it is uh yeah like you said hank you can't help but but in fact it reminds me of a quick story. I've ever heard. If I really believe that, I don't think I'd be able to sleep. I'd be running up and down

the streets telling it to everybody. How come you guys aren't more excited about it? And Elder Pace is like, that was a penetrating question. And I just love the account because oliver cannot hide his excitement here and so yeah i hope people will read it if they haven't had a chance and to me personally i have heard from critics who say oh joseph and oliver made this up years later they made it up years later you read these paragraphs and you tell me if you think ol Oliver Cowdery, if you think the character of this man is to describe this in this way and have it be an absolute fabrication, once you read it in his own words, you realize you can't fake this kind of excitement. This kind of this. He tells us over and over he he cannot he cannot describe

yeah the best brilliancy of our yeah right i i just think it's uh instead of you know jumping on google and saying what other people think about this event why don't you just read it from the people who were there and and decide for yourself if you think they're describing something that actually happened, that really did happen. It is beautiful. Well, I think we should keep in mind, Hank and John, well done. We should keep in mind when these were recorded does influence how they're telling it. So the Oliver Cowdery account is 1834 in the Messenger and Advocate, which is a church-owned newspaper. And the other one is 1838. So that's four years later. And it's a very

different time in 1838 for the Prophet Joseph Smith. As some of your other presenters have mentioned, that's the most difficult year of the Prophet Joseph. And there's a reason why there's a defensive tone to Joseph Smith history that doesn't quite exist in the 1834 messenger and advocate Oliver Cowdery version. So part of it is person and their own feelings and ways of using words, but part of it also is time and influence and impact and how and what their purposes are in telling it. So that's two differences in the account. Please join us for part two of this podcast.