Doctrine and Covenants Section 98

This post fits in many of the governing principles. I am putting this chiasm here for “One who is Watching” to show him how I work out a chiasm in scripture. Enjoy.

Carl

1a) Verily I say unto you my friends,

2a) fear not,

3a) let your hearts be comforted;

4a) yea, rejoice evermore,

5a) and in everything give thanks;

6a) Waiting patiently on the Lord,

7a) for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth,

8a) and are recorded with this seal and testament—

7b) the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.

6b) Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled;

5b) and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good,

4b) and to my name’s glory[1], saith the Lord.

3b) And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land[2]

2b) it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

3c) And that law of the land

2c) which is constitutional,

1b) supporting[3] that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges,

2d) belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me[4].

1c) Therefore, I, the Lord, justify[5] you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law

2e) which is the constitutional law of the land;

3d) And as pertaining to law of man[6],

2f) whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.

1d) I, the Lord God, make you free[7],

2g) therefore ye are free indeed;

3e) and the law also maketh you free.

4c) Nevertheless, when the wicked[8] rule the people mourn.

3f) Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold;[9]

2h) otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.

3g) And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil

4d) and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God[10].

3h) For he will give unto the faithful[11] line upon line, precept upon precept;

2i) and I will try you and prove you herewith[12].

1f) And whoso layeth down his life[13] in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.

2j) Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies[14],

3i) for I have decreed in my heart[15], saith the Lord,

2k) that I will prove you in all things,

1g) whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me.

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[1] There is a connection between “rejoice” (4a) and “my names glory” (4b) and “when the wicked rule, the people mourn” (4c). Ps. 105:3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 1 Nephi 20:8-11 Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb. Nevertheless, for my name’s sake [could this be Joseph Smith] will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off. For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen [and proved] thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.

It appears that those who rule are those who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ. But when they are outside the bounds of constitutional law, the people mourn. There is no rejoicing.

[2] The connection between 3a and 3b is found in scriptures that tell us the law is written in our hearts. Ps. 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Ps. 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Jer. 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.

The Lord plants his law within the hearts of his people. It is this placement of his law that breaks hearts and makes them contrite and ready for the reception of the atonement of Christ. 2 Ne. 2:7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

The Lord is saying, “Let your hearts be comforted” because those whose hearts have written in them the Law also have broken hearts and contrite spirits. That is the effect of the law. It is designed to break our hearts. The comforting news is that “unto none else can the ends of the law be answered”. This is the access to the atonement of Christ.

[3] Supporting is a word like befriending. This lines up with 1 because friends befriend and support each other.  The principle of freedom that maintains rights and privileges supports constitutional law, meaning, this principle of freedom belongs to all men. If it doesn’t, it is not a principle of freedom, but a principle of force.

[4] Constitutional is here defined as “belonging to all mankind”, and “justifiable before me”.  This means that “constitutional” is more than just adhering to a document that is called the constitution, but even more so it means, “good for the entire constitution”, “leaving no part of the whole out, but including all”. If it doesn’t belong to all men, it is not constitutional and therefore cometh of evil. A constitutional law is also a just law, or a law that is justifiable before the Lord; as Saint Augustine said, “An unjust law is no law at all.”

[5] Moses 6:34:  Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify [by the Spirit ye are justified (See verse 60)]; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you [inside of a covenant]; therefore walk with me.   The power of “mountains fleeing and rivers turning from their courses” is given to those who are justified by the Lord. A nation that is filled with men who are thusly justified can never be conquered.  D&C 121: 34-38 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen [justified]. And why are they not chosen [justified]? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson— That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness [anything "more or less than this" is not a principle of righteousness. One principle of righteousness is "that principle of freedom that maintains rights and privileges"]. That they may be conferred  upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God [he becomes an enemy, even though he still may be in the church].

[6] There are two distinctions here. One is the “law of the land”, and the other is the “law of man”. The law of this land is based upon the law that is found in the book of Deuteronomy. It is the common law of England. “Laws of man” must coincide with the law of the land

[7] I like a quote I have on my wall by Werner Erhard which goes along with this. “Love is granting another the space to be the way they are and the way they aren’t so they can change if they want to and they don’t have to.”

[8] Compare 4c with 4b. The wicked are those who seek for their own glory and not the glory of the Lord. They do not emulate the Lord in what he said, “and thine be the glory for ever”. They emulate Lucifer who sought to exalt himself above God; who wanted his glory, his honor, and his kingdom for himself.

[9] These are men who have the law of God written in their hearts. Their hearts are broken, their spirits are contrite. They have access to the atonement of Christ. They are equitable; they do not take what belongs to another, meaning that law that is constitutional. They are justified before God. They maintain rights and privileges for all mankind by upholding that principle of freedom spoken about.

[10] Christ answered Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone”, meaning, a man’s integrity is reached by going beyond his basic need to survive. But the incredible promise from the Lord is that if we live by every word that proceeds from his mouth, we access a covenant where we lay claim to promises that are irrefutable, and will most certainly be fulfilled.  This is also the access to building incredible faith, and “cleaving unto all good” (See 4d). Mormon says, “Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. (Moroni 7:25) Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God is not necessarily the words that come from scripture. They are the words that the Lord speaks to our hearts and that we confess through our mouths. “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” See Deuteronomy 30:11-15) “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10) Living by “every word” that we receive in our hearts and honoring the words that leave our mouths increases our faith in Christ, thus, through faith we lay hold of every good thing (See 4d). In the context of this writing, observing to do all things that the Lord commands concerning the Laws of the land is the manner in which we cleave unto all good. But supporting laws that are unconstitutional is not forsaking the evil we are commanded to forsake.

[11] The faithful here are those that are faithful to every line and precept of the law given. They are those who “the law also maketh free”.  Perhaps they have mastered how to make the law work for their own exalting and aspirations. The law makes them free, but they have no access to the freedom that comes from the Lord making them free until they are tried and proven. They are those who are faithful to the milk and not the meat. This is similar to those who only take courses in college that they know they will pass. They are faithful because their grades show it. They never stretch themselves beyond that which they know they can perform to keep. They never make promises or covenants that they don’t know how to keep. Thus the law is never planted in their hearts, and consequently their hearts are not broken yet, nor their spirits contrite. They still do not have access to the atonement of Jesus Christ. They live in the world of manageability and functionality. They are the prudent, wise, who know no miracle occurring in there lives because they do it all themselves. And they are good at what they do. They are the faithful.

[12] Look at Isaiah 28:9-13, particularly verse 13 [by the way, this makes a beautiful chiasm]

Whom shall he [could this be Sidney?] teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?

them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. [they will be taking courses that they don't understand (likening it to the analogy above)]

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing:

yet they would not hear. [that is because it was in a language that they could not understand]

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little;

that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

The Lord says he will try and prove those self-asserting faithful to every line and precept of the law. These faithful will receive a trial which they will fail; and through falling backward, being broken, snared and taken, they will be proved and made ready for the atoning influence of Jesus Christ. There is a sense to the definition of prove that has a feel of being activated or coming into what one was designed to be, like yeast is proved or activated when warm water is poured over it. It thus makes the bread rise. This coming into what one was designed to be happens when our hearts are broken and spirits made contrite through falling backward, being broken, snared and taken. Also a trial and proving will break one’s heart and make him contrite, thus opening his heart to the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  “Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.” (2 Nephi 2:7). So this trial and proving is a wonderful thing, a necessary thing, a transformation from natural man to Godly man. This is what happened in Jackson County. But in the end the trial and proving will work for the good of those going through the trial, and to his name’s glory. There will be no exalting oneself.

[13] Compare 1a with1d. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

[14] The enemies spoken of are those who have not submitted to the trial and proving. The law is not engraven in their hearts but rather their focus is on the outward observance of the law. However, they step outside of “whatsoever is more or less that this” and make alliances and combinations with those who are not honest, good, and wise. They do not support the principle of freedom but rather support the principle of force and trespass to further their ends. The “righteous who are seduced into partaking of the spoils of the Gadianton Robbers” are among those who are enemies (See Helaman 6:38) The enemies are those who do not turn their hearts to the fathers, and the prophets

[15] This decree comes from the heart of the Lord. He will not prove us because he hates us, but because he loves us. His heart is turned toward each of us.