Don't Purchase Wine or Strong Drink from Your Enemies
Background Information on Doctrine and Covenants 27
As the Restoration of the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ gained momentum, opposition and deception also mounted. As new converts flocked to the standard of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, new problems also arose. After a decade of experience in communing with God and with angels and in receiving revelations from Heaven, Joseph Smith had grown strong in the principle of revelation. However, it was no easy task to instruct and to help the rest of the early Saints to grow into the same principle. The LDS manual for the Come Follow Me curriculum for this week describes this same background for D&C 27-28 as follows:
Revelation was still a relatively new concept for the Saints as the Restoration continued to unfold. Early Church members knew that the Prophet Joseph Smith could receive revelation for the Church. But could others? Questions like this became critical when Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses of the gold plates, believed he had received revelations for the Church. Many faithful Saints believed that these revelations were from God. The Lord responded by teaching that in His Church “all things must be done in order” (Doctrine and Covenants 28:13). This meant having only one person “appointed to receive commandments and revelations” for the entire Church (Doctrine and Covenants 28:2). Others, however, could receive personal revelation for their part in the Lord’s work. In fact, the Lord’s words to Oliver Cowdery are a reminder to all of us: “It shall be given thee … what thou shalt do” (Doctrine and Covenants 28:15).
See also “All Things Must Be Done in Order,” in Revelations in Context, 50–53.
One thing that stands out to me in my study of the background for D&C 27-28 is how the light of the Restored Gospel began to spread so powerfully and rapidly after the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. As word of the “Gold Bible” spread, it stirred up both curiosity and antagonism. Nevertheless, those who had already been seeking the truth, such as Parley P. Pratt, Sidney Rigdon, and many others, enthusiastically embraced the message of the Book of Mormon. I especially love Parley P. Pratt’s conversion story and the record of his experiences in his autobiography.
Because the title of the lesson this week is “All Things Must Be Done in Order,” let us consult Conkling’s A Joseph Smith Chronology for an introduction to the order of the aforementioned events and characters:
Aug. 1830
Joseph begins to arrange and copy the revelations he has received to date. Oliver moves to the Whitmer home in Fayette, N.Y., and writes Joseph a letter stating that D&C 20:37 is in error and commanding Joseph in the name of God to change it. Joseph goes to the Whitmer home and talks with the Whitmers and Oliver, convincing them that the verse is acceptable.
About this time Isaac Hale, Emma’s father, is convinced by a methodist preacher that Joseph is an imposter. Newel Knight and wife visit Joseph Smith for Knight’s confirmation. Joseph sets out to buy wine for the sacrament; he meets a heavenly messenger and is told not to buy wine or strong drink from his enemies. (D&C 27; the first four paragraphs were written in August and the remainder was written in September.)
Joseph and the Whitmers visit the Colesville Branch. They pass miraculously unrecognized through a hostile mob. Since there is also persecution in Harmony, Joseph and his family move to the Whitmer home in Fayette.
Aug. 31, 1830
Hyrum Smith arrives in Fayette, having walked twenty-five miles with a man named Parley P. Pratt, who borrowed a Book of Mormon from a Baptist deacon named Hamblin and read it excitedly. He has now come to N.Y. wanting to meet the Prophet.
Sept. 1830
Hiram Page has been receiving revelations through a seer stone and has convinced Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmers that these were true revelations from the Lord. In response to this Joseph receives a revelation to Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 28.) Later, in the presence of six elders, Joseph receives D&C 29.
Sept. 1, 1830
Parley P. Pratt is baptized by Oliver Cowdery.
Sept. 19, 1830
Parley P. Pratt baptizes his brother Orson on Orson’s nineteenth birthday.
Sept. 26-29, 1830
The second conference of the Church is held at Fayette, N.Y., 62 members attend. On the first day there is much disagreement and discussion about Hiram Page’s seer stone but the Church votes unanimously to sustain Joseph Smith. Joy unspeakable and the manifestations of the Holy Ghost attend the three-day conference. During this conference Joseph receives revelations for John, David, and Peter Whitmer, Jr., and Thomas B. Marsh. (See D&C 30,31)
Fall 1830
After the conference Hyrum goes to Colesville with his family on his mission. The day he leaves, Joseph Smith, Sr., is imprisoned because of a $14 debt owed to a Quaker. The man offers to forgive the Prophet’s father if he will renounce the Book of Mormon, but he refuses. A mob threatens the home of Lucy Mack Smith, but she is saved when 19-year-old William returns and scares the mob away. Joseph, Sr., ends up spending 30 days in jail, but he preaches the gospel while there and converts two men.
Oct. 1830
Joseph receives D&C 32 instructing Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson to accompany Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer on their mission to the Lamanites in the wilderness. These four missionaries leave and preach to Indians near Buffalo, then travel 200 miles until they reach the area of Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph also receives D&C 33.
Oct. 15, 1830
The four missionaries arrive in Mentor, Ohio, and introduce the gospel to Sidney Rigdon. Within a week they preach in Mentor, Euclid, and Kirtland and baptize 17. Sidney Rigdon refuses to debate his former follower, Parley P. Pratt, but agrees to study the Book of Mormon alone, and after two weeks Rigdon also is converted.
Oct. 21, 1830
Joseph translates Gen. 5:28-37, which becomes Moses 5:43-51. The translation of Genesis continues sporadically throughout the following three years.
Oct. 31, 1830
The four missionaries in Kirtland move from Sidney Rigdon’s home to the communal family farm of Isaac Morley and there confirm a dozen more members of the Church in Kirtland.
Nov. 4, 1830
Orson Pratt comes to meet Joseph. Joseph receives D&C 34 for him.
Nov. 7, 1830
Missionaries confirm about 30 more new members in Mayfield, Ohio. By this time they have also baptized Sidney Rigdon’s friend John Murdock and Dr. Frederick G. Williams, who gives them cash and a horse and accompanies them on their mission to the Lamanites.
About Nov. 20, 1830
The missionaries leave three branches of the Church in Ohio, having baptized about 130 people. Kirtland is presided over by Lyman Wight (another former follower of Rigdon), Warrensville by John Murdock, Mentor by Sidney Rigdon. (The one disciple of Rigdon whom they were not able to convert was Orson Hyde, who preached against the Book of Mormon for a while and was not baptized until Oct. 30, 1831.)
Dec. 10, 1830
Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge, a successful Painesville hatter, arrive in Fayette from Kirtland to meet Joseph. Joseph later writes that Partirdge is a “pattern of piety and one of the Lord’s great men.” (HC 1:128.)
Dec. 11, 1830
Joseph baptizes E. Partridge. (HC 1:129.)
Mid-Dec. 1830
In response to a visit from Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge (see Dec. 10, below), the Lord reveals to Joseph D&C 35 and 36. To encourage the small flock of 70 members in Colesville and surrounding areas, the Lord reveals to Joseph some of the lost books of the Bible. Joseph records the Prophecy of Enoch (what is now Moses 7:1-69). Joseph also receives D&C 37.
(pp. 17-20)
In The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook shares more details about the background for D&C 27:
Historical Note. During the first week of August 1830, Newel Knight and his wife went to Harmony to visit Joseph and Emma Smith. Because neither Emma nor Sally Knight had been confirmed members of the Church, the two couples decided to attend to that ordinance and partake of the sacrament. Remembering the occasion, Newel Knight recorded,
“Brother Joseph set out to procure some wine for the occasion, but he had gone only a short distance, when he was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the first four verses of the revelation…
In obedience to this revelation we prepared some wine of our own make, and held our meeting, consisting of only five persons namely, Joseph Smith and wife, John Whitmer, and myself and wife. We partook of the sacrament, after which we confirmed the two sisters into the Church, and spent the evening in a glorious manner. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us. We praised the God of Israel and rejoiced exceedingly.”
Newell Knight further stated that section 27 was originally two separate revelations: the first four verses were received in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and the remaining verses were received in Fayette, New York. (pp. 38-39)
Who was the angel who stopped Joseph Smith and instructed him regarding the emblems of the sacrament? There are innumerable online sources for understanding the background of each section of the Doctrine and Covenants, but thus far I haven’t found a clear answer to this question. It may well have been Moroni, or the Lord Himself. If I find the answer, I’ll record it. Whomever it was, the Lord instructed Joseph Smith as follows:
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.
Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies;
Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth. (D&C 27:1-4)
Let’s see if we gain any insights from the Smith and Sjodahl commentary on these verses:
About this time Newel Knight and his wife, of Colevsville, N.Y., paid the Prophet a visit at Harmony, Pa. They had been baptized, but were not confirmed. This was also the case with Emma Smith. It was therefore decided to hold a Sacrament meeting and to confirm them. Joseph went to obtain some wine, but a heavenly messenger met him and communicated to him the truths contained in this Section. In consequence of this they celebrated the sacrament with “wine” which they themselves prepared and which undoubtedly was non-alcoholic.
-4. The important truth is here made known that it is not necessary to use wine as an emblem of the atoning blood of the Redeemer, and that, when it is to be used, it should not be purchased of enemies. This was a necessary Revelation, for the time would come when the Saints would be commanded to abstain from intoxicants at all times.
It matters not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink] Hitherto the Church had used bread and wine as the sacred emblems (See Sec. 20:79). Wine was also one of the two Sacramental emblems of the ancient Church in Book of mormon lands (Moroni 5:1, 2). The New Testament churches used wine diluted with water. In our day the Lord has commanded the use of pure water instead of adulterated wine, and this is by no means contrary to the Scriptures. In their accounts of the institution of the sacrament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul - the latter having received his information of the Lord Himself (I. Cor. 11:23) make it clear that it is the eating of the broken bread and the partaking of the common Cup - the contents are not once mentioned - that constitute the essential elements of the Sacrament. Compare I. Cor. 11:26.
Remembering *** my body *** and my blood] The purpose of the Sacrament is to commemorate His death, and to parke, by faith, in the blessings of the New and Everlasting Covenant, ratified by the shedding of His blood. It is not a sacrifice, but it is a representation of the sacrifice on Calvary. By partaking of the consecrated emblems, we testify that we accept the sacrifice and are willing to keep the commandments of our Savior.
4. Except it is made new] The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, directed the Saints not to buy wine or any other strong drink, of enemies, and consequently, not to use wine in the Sacrament, unless they themselves had made it; and then it should be “new wine.” Dr. F.W. Farrar says that “new wine” (Luke 5:37) means unfermented wine, or “must” - a beverage which can be kept for years and which improves with age; it is “a rich and refreshing, but non-intoxicating beverage.”
In this my Father’s kingdom] When the kingdom of God is fully established on Earth, our Lord will assciate with His people here, in person. The promise was given to His Apostles, that they should “eat and drink at my table in my kingdom” (Luke 22:29, 30).
Why did the Lord command Joseph Smith, through this heavenly messenger, not to purchase wine or strong drink of his enemies? The obvious answer, I think, is because the Lord knew that the enemies of the Saints would try to poison them. President Joseph Fielding Smith offered this explanation:
This heavenly messenger told Joseph Smith that it mattered not what should be used for the Sacrament, and he was not to purchase wine or strong drink from his enemies. The reason for this is obvious, for the Prophet had many enemies. However, this reason went farther than merely protection against his enemies, for it was a caution against evil and designing persons who would adulterate these things. (See Word of Wisdom, Sec. 89.) Joseph Smith was also told that wine should not be used for the sacrament unless it was made by the Saints and should be had new among them. While the Church did not adopt the custom of using water exclusively in the sacrament at that early time, yet it was from this time that water was used as a substitute for wine, which had been used principally because of its resemblance to blood. Today throughout the Church water is used in the Sacrament in remembrance of the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed for the remission of sins in behalf of all who repent and accept the Gospel.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:132.)
However, Steven C. Harper offers a differing explanation:
Section 27 is one of the revelations Joseph did not know he needed. He set out to get wine so he and Emma could have the sacrament with Sally and Newell Knight, who were visiting so Sally and Emma could be confirmed. An angel appeared to Joseph and clued him in.1 Joseph received the first four and a half verses and parts of verses 14 and 18. Both Joseph and Newel Knight said the rest of verses 5–18 were revealed a few weeks later.2
It is easy to assume that this revelation is about the Word of Wisdom, but it is not. It’s about the sacrament. Speaking for the Savior, the angel informed Joseph that it does not matter what the Saints eat or drink for the sacrament. What matters is that they partake with an eye single to the Lord’s glory, signifying to God that they remember the Savior’s body sacrificed and blood shed for the remission of their sins.
Section 27 penetrates to the heart of the sacrament. If one’s eye is not single to God’s glory in that ordinance, tradition can transcend substance. The angel commanded Joseph not to purchase wine or distilled drinks from people they could not trust. Rather, they should make their own sacramental wine. As a result of section 27, according to Brigham Young, “We use water as though it were wine; for we are commanded to drink not of wine for this sacred purpose unless it be made by our own hands.”3
The later text of Section 27 adds considerable detail to the earlier prophecy that Christ would partake of sacramental wine with Joseph and others. It emphasizes priesthood keys—rights associated with priesthood—and the transmission of those keys to Joseph by biblical prophets. It is the earliest document we have confirming that Peter, James, and John ordained Joseph an apostle.
Section 27 also applies to Latter-day Saints the counsel Paul gave the Ephesian Saints to arm themselves spiritually.4 The revelation identifies the archangel Michael as Adam, and Adam as the “Ancient of days” referred to in the Book of Daniel.5
Newel Knight remembered how he and Sally, Emma, and Joseph obeyed this revelation. They
prepared some wine at our own make, and held our meeting. . . . We partook of the sacrament, after which we confirmed the two sisters into the church, and spent the evening in a glorious manner. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us. We praised the God of Israel, and rejoiced exceedingly.6
1. “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” p. 51, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed July 24, 2020.
2. Newel Knight, Autobiography and Journal, 1846, Church History Library, Salt Lake City.
3. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 19: 92 (1877), also see 10:245, and 19:92. John Henry Smith, Diary (July 1906), Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
4. Compare Ephesians 6:11–18.
5. This teaching is distinctive to Joseph Smith. He equated the archangel Michael with the Bible’s Adam, an idea apparently first documented in Oliver Cowdery’s January 1, 1834, letter to John Whitmer (Oliver Cowdery Letterbook, Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 15). Similarly, Joseph interpreted references to the “Ancient of days” in the Book of Daniel (7:9, 13, 22) as references to Adam. When Daniel “Speaks of the Ancient of days,” Joseph taught in 1839, “he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael” (Willard Richards Pocket Companion, 63, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah).
6. Newel Knight, Autobiography and Journal, 1846, Church History Library, Salt Lake City.
I think that both Joseph Fielding Smith and Steven C. Harper are correct, although I agree mostly with Harper that this revelation is all about the sacrament. We’ll pick up from here in the following post…