Understanding more about plural marriage

Doctrine and Covenants 132 starts off with the Lord answering one of Joseph Smith's questions: how were the Old Testament prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon justified in having many wives and concubines? This question was most likely asked by Joseph back in 1831 (see section 132 heading) while he was working on the translation of the bible and after he had just translated the Book of Mormon and received revelations (also in 1831) regarding the laws of marriage (Jacob 2:27, D&C 42:22, D&C 49:16). Joseph was obviously confused about how the Lord could approve of this practice with the Old Testament prophets while at the same time revealing to Joseph the laws of marriage.

In order to answer Joseph's question, the Lord begins by revealing more information regarding the law of celestial marriage (132: 4-33). This answer seems to be giving Joseph a "big picture" understanding of the law of celestial marriage before the Lord reveals the one exception to this law that only He is authorized to make (132:35).

Not only does God have to authorize the exception to the rule (because He is the author of the rule), but there are also some other guiding principles that need to be followed...

1. ideally, you will have your wife's consent (132:34, 61)
2. this is not a "free-for-all" (132:39)
3. this is an act of worthiness, virtue and chastity (132: 40-44)
4. you have to be invited by the prophet to participate (132:48)

And what are some the reasons that God would give this commandment?

1. there has to be a restoration of all things (v. 40, 45)
2. to give Joseph and the other saints an Abrahamic test (v. 50)
3. to multiply and replenish the earth (v. 63) 
4. to help fulfill the promise of exaltation for all of God's children (v. 63)

“Plural marriage was more about spirituality than sexuality and more about religion than romance” (Jared Halverson, Unshaken Podcast). It was about faith, family, and caring as well as making sure everyone was connected to the House of Israel. It was intended to raise a faithful population of Latter-day Saints. I am a descendent of one of these first faithful men who was asked by the prophet Joseph Smith to live the law of plural marriage.  His name was Thomas Grover and he was called to be in the first high council in Nauvoo (D&C 124:132). He married his first plural wife in Nauvoo in 1844, one year after Joseph received section 132.  Learning that the commandment to practice plural marriage was only extended to a few faithful men and women of the church makes me more fully appreciate my heritage and the part my ancestors played in fulfilling this difficult commandment of God.

To learn more about plural marriage I would highly recommended listening to Unshaken D&C 132 and reading Gospel Topic Essays on Plural Marriage. I found both of these resources extremely helpful in my study of D&C 132 this week.

Enthusiasm for temple work

After studying D&C 128 this week I have a renewed energy and excitement about temple work!

This revelation/letter was written by Joseph Smith while he was in hiding from his enemies (127:1), and you would never know the frustrating circumstances he finds himself in simply by reading the exalting statements he writes at the end of his letter (128:19-25). His prose is filled with words like "joy", "gladness", "singing", and "glorious" along with multiple exclamation points! Despite his current living conditions this man is feeling optimistic and hopeful. So what is the topic that’s leading to his positive state of mind? Temple work! (128:1)

Who else do we see and hear from regularly who also exudes this striking positivity amidst a world going through frustrating circumstances and trials? President Nelson. And what do his messages focus on? The importance of temple work.

So, if we find ourselves worried, anxious and concerned about the frustrating circumstances and trials in our lives, what can we do to bring more peace and hope into our lives? Focus on the temple.

As we focus on the temple and the saving ordinances that happen within those walls, our perspective on life will be elevated to a higher level of hope and peace as well as increased understanding of God’s will and His timing in our lives.

Pres. Nelson has recently taught: "Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.” (Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints) I know that just like Joseph Smith and Pres. Nelson rejoice even amidst trials, so can we as we keep our focus on the temple. As we help in the work of binding all of God's children together he will bless us with an eternal perspective that will give us peace, hope, and joy in this life.

Two Houses

There are two houses talked about in D&C 124. The temple (v 27) and the Nauvoo House (v 60). I liked the question in the Come, Follow Me manual that asks “What impresses you about the Lord’s instructions to build a ‘house for boarding’? Ponder how these instructions apply to you and your home”.

The purpose the Lord had for the Nauvoo House can be likened to our own homes and what we can be doing within the walls of our homes to prepare those within our homes to enter the temple-either for the first time, or returning for the 100th time. These principles can be a constant focus in our homes; in our own personal Nauvoo Houses.

• let our homes be good; a delightful habitation (v 23, 60) How do we welcome people into our homes?
• let our homes be a resting-place; a place where weary travelers may find health and safety (v 23, 60). I like to think of these weary travelers as my husband and children coming home after long, hard days out in the chaos and confusion of the world. Do they find a place of healing and safety when they enter our home?
• let our homes be a place where people can contemplate the word of the Lord. (v 23, 60). Are our homes places where questions can be asked and answers found?  Is it a space where the things of heaven can be pondered?
• let our homes be a place of healthful habitation (v 24). Are we taking care of temporal needs in order to facilitate spiritual growth?
• do not allow our homes to suffer any pollution to come upon them (v 24). Are we being careful to the kinds of media we allow into our homes through our phones, computers, televisions, music and other devices?
• let our homes be a place where we can receive counsel from the watchmen upon the walls (v 61). Are we teaching the words of the prophets in our homes? Are we following their counsel?

As we do these things, the promise is that our homes shall be holy; a place where the the Lord will dwell (v 24). These promises sound a lot like the promises associated with the temple. And at a time when its harder to get to the temple on a more regular basis, it's so important that we do our best to create that temple-like atmosphere in our homes. 

Liberty Jail

What I realized this week while studying D&C 121-123 is that these three sections are excerpts from a letter that Joseph Smith wrote to the members of the church while he was imprisoned at Liberty Jail. While Joseph was enduring one of the most difficult challenges he'd ever faced, the Lord provided him with some counsel that can help all of us when we also experience challenging times in our lives. That counsel was...

peace: "My Son, peace be unto thy soul" (121:7)

perspective: "thine afflictions shall be but a small moment" (121:7)

promises: "if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high" (121:8) 

justice: "thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." (121:8)

friends: "thy friends do stand by thee" (121:9)

knowledge:  "God shall give you knowledge by his Holy Spirit" (121:26)

As we take this counsel into our lives, we can more easily find hope during the hard seasons of our lives and we can try to become better because of our trials and not bitter because of them. Hardships and unfairness happen to the best of all of us. Even though Liberty Jail was not an enjoyable experience for Joseph Smith, it was a refining experience for him. And hard experiences can do the same thing for us. 

What's in a name?

By 1838, the church was in need of a fresh start. "During the final months of 1837, apostasy began to affect the Church in Kirtland. Many Latter-day Saints were disillusioned by heavy financial losses...and began to reject the Prophet's temporal and spiritual leadership. Among the dissenters were several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Seventies, as well as the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon...as a result of this widespread apostasy and threats of violence, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received divine instructions to abandon their labors in Kirtland and flee to Far West, Missouri "(Revelations in Context) 

Once they arrived in Far West, Joseph Smith received D&C 115. In this revelation, the Lord tells Joseph Smith what the official name of the church will be. The church had been officially organized for eight years now, but up until this point there had been several different names used to identify members of the church. I like the symbolism here that when the church was eight years old it was given a new name; a fresh start; a rebirth; a new beginning. When we are eight years old we are given the opportunity to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through our baptismal covenant. It becomes a fresh start, a rebirth, and new beginning for us. 

Not only is having a new name important, but perhaps more important is what we do with that name. In D&C 117:11, the Lord reminds Newel K. Whitney to "be a bishop...not in name (only) but in deed." This serves as a good reminder for us as well; that as we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, our deeds need to be a reflection of His name and serve as a profile of one who is a disciple of Jesus Christ. It's a good reminder that as we take upon ourselves His name then it's important that we try our best to reflect his teachings and attributes in order to give honor to His name.

Opposition in All Things

One of the podcasts I listened to this week (Unshaken Saints) pointed out that the content of Doctrine and Covenants sections 111-114 contrasts sharply with the two sections (109-110) that we studied last week. In 109-110 the saints have experienced a spiritual high with the Kirtland Temple dedication (109) and the subsequent heavenly beings that visited the temple one week after the dedication (110). But on the heels of these two spiritual experiences, we get sections 111-112 where we read about a lot of trials among the Saints with financial struggles (111) and dissention among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (112).

The principle we can learn from this contrast is that often after coming away from spiritual experiences we are soon after confronted with feelings of fear and doubt; that after spiritual highs there will be an accompanying low--as if life (or Satan) wants to break up our spiritual momentum so we start to second guess those spiritual experiences.

I really appreciated understanding this principle more fully this week, especially after general conference. General Conference has become a spiritual high for me every six months, but within days (or even hours) after listening, I start to experience what Sister Joy D. Jones called "general conference overwhelm" and I start to doubt my capabilities of being able to follow through on all the personal revelation I received throughout the conference.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave some wonderful advice for this when he said "I wish to encourage every one of you today regarding opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose...The reminder is that we cannot sign on for a moment of such eternal significance and everlasting consequence without knowing it will be a fight—a good fight and a winning fight, but a fight nevertheless"(Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence). 

I love the thought that we need to fight back when that opposition comes; that we need to push through that opposition and have confidence in the spiritual experiences and feelings that we've had. We should not be surprised by the opposition that we face in these moments, but instead we should expect it. In that same talk Elder Holland said: "Face your doubts. Master your fears. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence.' Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you." As we trust the Lord's promise that he will "order all things for our good" (111:11), we will be blessed with the peace of mind that comes from putting the details of our lives into the hands of an omniscient Father who wants nothing more than to have us follow His son Jesus Christ so we can return to live with Them someday.

Temple Blessings

The Lord was anxious for the early Saints to build a temple because He had so many blessings that He wanted to bestow upon them. In Doctrine and Covenants sections 109 and 110 we read about these amazing blessings. These blessings can also be added to our list of  "Promises to Covenant Israel" that Pres. Nelson invited us to make last year. (Let God Prevail)

I just want to mention the blessings that stood out to me... (there are a lot more than what I've listed here)

Because of the temple...

• God's glory will rest upon us and we will feel His power in our lives (109:12-13)
• We have a way to continually grow and receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost (109:15)
• We will have a greater desire to repent (109:21)
• We will be armed with God's power (priesthood) and angels will be with us (109:22)
• We are given extra protection (109:25-28)
• Our hearts will be prepared and we will be strengthened during troublesome times (109:38)
• We can let our hearts rejoice (110:6)

During Sunday lessons I will often hear someone ask this question: "How has the temple blessed your life?"  and I always sit there and think to myself "uhhh, I should have a good answer to this question..." and yet, nothing immediately comes to my mind. I'm grateful that after studying these sections and looking for the blessings we receive by attending the temple, I now have a greater understanding of how the temple has blessed my life.