I’ve been sticking with the Doctrine and Covenants and
pacing my study with Come Follow Me this summer so that I am ready for Seminary.
That means that I have just most recently indulged in D&C 85-90. Thinking
about the content of those sections has filled my mind with ideas about
following or opposing a living prophet.
First a little historical background. 1832 was such a
complicated time. The Church was split into two locations: Kirtland, Ohio and
the Kansas City, Missouri area. Missouri was Zion, but Missouri was difficult.
Those who had been called to go and figure it all out for the body of the
Church (see sections 54-57, 61) met hostility, danger, financial woes, probably
humidity and mosquitoes J,
and a government that eventually gave locals permission to “exterminate” the
early Saints. William Wines Phelps was there. He was important to the printing
of the Book of Commandments and LDS Hymnal and was carrying a tremendous
responsibility for the Church. Edward Partridge was there, too. He was serving as
the Bishop in Missouri, with a tricky, heavy, complicated stewardship over the
temporal needs of the Church, including the settling of Saints and the purchase
of Zion’s land.
While things weren’t simple for the Church in Ohio either, the
prophet, Joseph Smith, and others lived in a more humane Kirtland, while the
group of Saints who were buying land and building the City of Zion were on the
edge of the frontier. Hank Smith, BYU Religion Professor, described the
disparity by saying that the Ohio Saints were living in a civilized 1832 and
Missouri was stuck in 1621. The inequality, prophetic directives, the
unfriendly neighbors, seems to have caused frustration at Joseph Smith. The
Church men of Missouri wrote frustrated letters to Kirtland. It is said that Orson Hyde and
Hyrum Smith said that the letters were, “Low, dark and (full of) blind
insinuations.”
So, living in a time with complications, confusions, failed
expectations, stretch and difficulty, and uncomfortable prophetic guidance,
there was a negative reaction by some. It’s easy to feel sympathetic to a
portion of these Saints’ reasons for being frustrated.
In July of 1832, Joseph Smith spoke about the Missouri
Saints’ criticism of him in a letter that he sent to W.W. Phelps along with a
copy of Section 88. He said, “They are raking up every fault and looking for
motes in the eyes of those who were laboring with a tender and prayerful heart
for their salvation.” So here you have some interesting insight into the heart
of Joseph and other Church leaders. The critics had lost sight of the intent of
the prophet, whose sole purpose was the good of the people and the Saints’
salvation. Joseph Smith’s objective was not to create misery. The Church
leaders were prayerfully laboring with tenderness for God’s purposes.
The Lord talked to Brother Partridge in D&C 85 in the
strong language of correction and reminded that he should follow direction. He
made it clear that if Brother Partridge chose not to, God could raise
someone “mighty and strong” to do the work in his stead. Verses 7-8 remind us today
that if we leave, the caravan will move on.
In this set of verses, God also used an Old Testament reference to
Uzzah to illustrate another principle. The story is found in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1
Chronicles 13:9-12. As the Ark of the Covenant was
being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Uzzah knew
that touching the Ark of the Covenant was forbidden, still he took hold of the Ark to steady it. He was struck dead. This might seem a
little extreme if you focus on Uzzah’s good intent. He was simply noticing that
things were unsteady and he thought that he would be able to bring the Ark back
to equilibrium. But that is not the point of the story and the profundity is
not lost on me. This is the Kingdom of God, and He can steady His own Ark!
Like Uzzah noticed, there might be
times where things feel a little bumbly because God uses humans to drive the
oxen and additionally, because we understand so little of the plan. But, God is able to keep
His Church balanced, stable and fixed. Yet, there always seem to be
well-intending Saints who think it needful to fix the Church, correct a
prophet, to admonish leaders, or to shape its mission or message. In the story
of Uzzah, in 1832 Church History, and forever, it was as if God was saying, again,
“I have the welfare of my Kingdom well in hand. I can steady my own Ark.”
An important part of God steadying
His Kingdom is that He speaks and reveals things to His prophet, who in turn,
directs the people. So, what is behind
a prophet's instruction? Jesus Christ. A prophet’s directive is power-packed
with all of who Christ is, what He knows, and what He can do. From earlier in
the D&C (Section 38), I learned to look at what the prophet says assuming
that it is backloaded with gobs of heavenly knowledge that I am not privy to. Nothing
that a prophet directs is simple, seemingly one-dimensional, and temporal. It is, instead, deep. And it is an honor to follow the
prophet, whom Christ leads. It is an act of aligning our will with God's. Section 88:32-33 teaches that whatever "law" we are "willing to receive" determines the eternal "gift" that God will bestow.
The truth is that we really don’t get that much specific direction
from our prophet. I mean, it is not very often that he sets down strong
directive to the Church. Usually he teaches us doctrine and gives us principles
that we are to apply to our own lives. This makes sense because God is all
about agency and preserving it. His plan of salvation hinges on it. But when the prophet speaks and says things like, “Go
to the Ohio” (Section 38), he is inviting us to act for our own good. That makes it important that we use our agency to follow.
We sing with great fervor about a prophet. The song, “We Thank
Thee, oh God, for a Prophet,” teaches that when there is confusion and “dark
clouds”, direction from a prophet is the “hope” that we need. We are grateful
that he is here to “guide us in these latter days.” We also teach our children
the song “Follow the Prophet”, and we march and sing, “don’t go astray” and “he
knows the way.” But do we believe these anthems when your personal views contradict a prophet's urging?
You cannot testify that a prophet is a prophet and still think,
“Whoa, he is really off on this one.” Or, “Well, that doesn’t apply to me.” When
a person disregards a prophet’s direction, they are essentially cutting the
line to Christ. The very definition of a prophet, seer, and revelator is that
past, present, and future can be made known to him because he is in
communication with the Savior. Let the prophet be a prophet. Let him testify,
prophesy, see with broader vision, know things that you don’t know, watch for
dangers, and warn. Let the prophet be a prophet.
If there is still concern, we can rest knowing that God has promised to steady His Ark and
will remove a prophet before he can lead the Church astray. Wilford Woodruff
testified, “The Lord will never
permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you
astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to
attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any
other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of
God and from their duty.” (Sixty-first Semiannual General Conference of the
Church, Monday, October 6, 1890, Salt Lake City, Utah. Reported in Deseret Evening News, October
11, 1890, p. 2.)
For some people following the prophet is simply a matter of
obedience. They are directed and so they act. Some may say that that is just
being a sheep. I disagree. This unqualified conformity is a way to witness your faith in Christ. It is a way that we show our desire to live as a product of God's law. (D&C 88:22) It shows that you understand that one of the ways that He
guides you, personally, is through a prophet.
For others, it might not be immediately that simple. A prophet’s
counsel may make you bristle, like it did W.W. Phelps. That is an opportunity
at growth. For humility. For going to God in prayer. But the question is not,
“Should I follow the prophet or not?” The correct question is, “This counsel is
proving difficult for me. BUT, I intend to follow Thy prophet. Please give me
the strength, peace, and confidence to do what Thou hast directed through Thy
living prophet.” Then you act and peace will come.
Are there exceptions? Probably, but don't start there. If God had His prophet speak
to the Church as a body, He means the directive to be for the Church as a body.
Conversely, if it were an issue with varied good answers, then the prophet
would instead teach a principle and ask you to govern yourself with the help of
the Holy Ghost and personal revelation. It’s good to be able to recognize the
difference. Too often people rely on their limited knowledge, prejudices, or
preferences. They ask the wrong question, set aside prophetic guidance, and
then claim that the Holy Ghost guided them differently. This sounds like Hiram
Page or Oliver Cowdery and their stones and divining rods when they were
confused about the order of the Kingdom. (Section 28) It is really confident to frog-hop
the prophet’s clear direction and claim God gave you special exemption. Elder Lynn Robbins once said that the people who are the true exceptions, don't want to be, nor do they ask to be.
Additionally, this behavior doesn’t work doctrinally because the Holy Ghost’s
first purpose is to testify of God and Christ, and it is Christ who guides the
prophet. The Godhead is one and will always be united. The Holy Ghost does not
contradict God and Christ. When there is friction, it is just so much more believable to me that a fallible
human with a small-scoped, limited view is the one who is out of line. To claim
personal revelation from the Holy Ghost that allows you to disobey a prophet seems
like treading in dangerous territory. That said, it is your choice, and the accountability for that choice is also yours.
Finally, Section 90:4 tells the reader that through the prophet, "oracles" will be given to the Church. The textbook definition of "oracles" is of great interest to me. It is defined as, "a priest acting as a medium through which advice or prophecy was sought from God." Or in other words, mankind's seeking and pleading and praying and importuning the Father returns to us in guidance and direction from our living oracle-- the prophet. He is "the medium" that God uses to answer our prayers. I am a little shaken by Christ's caution in 90:5: "All they who receive the oracles of God, let them beware how they hold them lest they are accounted as a light thing." Beware how you hold them. When generous Godly wisdom and direction comes to us through our prophet, especially guidance that answers our very pleas, be so so very careful how you hold it, embrace it, react to it, and act on it.
I feel a little emotional when I think about the end to the
story of this real-life struggle with prophetic guidance. Eventually W.W.
Phelps walked himself right out of the Church with his criticisms. He caused a
lot of trouble. He caused a lot of pain and difficulty for the Church. Yet,
this is the same repentant, re-baptized man, who died in Salt Lake City in full
fellowship, and he penned the words to a beloved hymn, “praise to the man, who
communed with Jehovah.”
Yes. That is what is all about—Jehovah. Christ. Who speaks
to the Church and the world through prophets.
2) If we leave, the caravan will move on without us, and it will still be mighty and strong.
3) This is the Kingdom of God and He can steady His own Ark.
4) We have access to God’s omniscience through a living prophet. Assume the prophet’s direction is always power-packed with information that we aren’t privy to.
5) Let a prophet be a prophet. Meaning, let him be a seer, revelator, and one who prophesies. Let him know and see things that you do not know and see.
6) To follow a prophet is not being a mindless sheep, but is instead showing great faith in the one who leads the prophet-- Jesus Christ.
7) If prophetic counsel makes you bristle, determine in yourself to obey and ask God for the confidence to do so.
8) The Holy Ghost and personal revelation does not ever contradict Christ and His prophet.
9) We will all need to work on this. We can repent when we fall short.
