Let Us Cheerfully Do All Things That Lie in Our Power
Historical Background and Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants Section 123
What is this historical background for Doctrine and Covenants Section 123?
For the most part, the historical background for this section is the same as that of the preceding two sections. (see also here and here)
Nevertheless, in his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook sheds more light on this historical background for this section:
Date. March 1839 (20-25 March. See Section 121.).
Place. Liberty, Clay County, Missouri (Liberty Jail).
Historical Note. See Historical Note for section 121.
On 4 May 1839, pursuant to the instructions of section 123, Almon W. Babbitt, Erastus Snow, and Robert B. Thompson were appointed “a traveling committee to gather up and obtain all the libelous reports and publications which have been circulated against the Church” as well as “other historical matter connected with said Church, which they can possibly obtain.” Referring to this assignment, Erastus Snow wrote,
“[On 4 May 1839] I was appointed by the conference one of three committee to collect the libilous publications of all kinds that had been published against the saints and to insert and refute them in a church history which should be compiled by us after the conference.”
Joseph Smith advised that Erastus Snow and Almon W. Babbitt each travel and preach as their circumstances would permit and “gather in our travels what publications we could and send them to Elder [Robert B.] Thomson who should be writing and compiling the history which should be subject to our inspection.”
Publication Note. Section 123 was first published in the Times and Seasons (July 1840) and was included as section 123 in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (pp. 240-242)
The authors of the online resource Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers add the following details to the historical background for this section:
Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, circa 22 March 1839
Source Note
JS, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae, Letter, [Liberty, Clay Co., MO], to Edward Partridge and the church, Quincy, Adams Co., IL, [ca. 22 Mar. 1839]; handwriting of Alexander McRae, with insertion by JS; signatures of JS, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae; nine pages; Revelations Collection, CHL. Includes address and dockets, with a redaction in graphite. For more information, see the source note on the Joseph Smith Papers website.
Historical Introduction
Doctrine and Covenants 122 and 123 comprise excerpts from JS’s circa 22 March 1839 letter, which is also excerpted in Doctrine and Covenants 121. See the introduction in Doctrine and Covenants 121.
Smith and Sjodahl introduce this section as follows:
This Revelation is a continuation of the two previous Sections. The Lord (1) instructs the Saints to gather up all available material for history of the Missouri persecutions, including the value of the property destroyed, and all defamatory literature (1-6); (2) gives the reasons for such a work (7-17). (p. 763)
This is Bruce R. McConkie’s section heading for this section:
Duty of the Saints in relation to their persecutors, as written by Joseph Smith the Prophet while a prisoner in the jail at Liberty, Missouri. This section is an excerpt from an epistle to the Church written around March 22, 1839 (see the heading to section 122).
As with the previous two sections, it is helpful to study this section in the context of the entire letter that the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote from Liberty Jail.
With this historical background information in mind, let’s examine and appreciate the revelation itself:
And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this State;
And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.
And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat;
And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people—
That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm. (D&C 123:1-6)
The Lord required the Saints to collect and publish an account of their sufferings and persecutions as part of a final effort to call Him forth from His hiding place (see e.g. D&C 101:89 and D&C 121:1, 4). This is just one of myriad examples in the scriptures where the Lord demonstrates his total commitment to, and respect for, human agency. The Lord could have easily intervened at an earlier period on behalf of His Saints, but instead He allowed them to struggle and to suffer because of the wickedness of their persecutors and oppressors. Such a course of patience serves many purposes, among which is to try the Saints and to provide every possible opportunity for the wicked to repent.
The Lord inspired Joseph Smith to recommend that the Saints begin to gather up a knowledge of all the facts regarding the gross injustices and evils that they had endured in Missouri and elsewhere, including precise accounts of the spiritual and material damages that they sustained. These precise accounts should include, as much as possible, the names of those who were responsible for the crimes, and the records of all the libelous publications.
The purpose for these final efforts of the Saints was to publish the record of abuses to the whole world and to present it to government leaders, thus leaving the nation, and the state of Missouri, without excuse for the crimes which they permitted and facilitated. This was the last effort that the Lord required of His Saints before they could claim that promise which would call Him forth from His hiding place, and before the Lord would send forth the power of His mighty arm.
The Prophet’s inspired description of the opposition that he and the Saints endured is poignant and poetic, and the phrases are memorable: “the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions,” and “dark and hellish hue.” Righteous indignation emanates from every part of this letter.
A Chapter of the History of Hell on Earth.
All the facts] Since the diabolical crusades against the Albigenses in Languedoc and the Waldenses in their mountain valleys, during the Dominican Inquisition, no greater outrage has been committed against humanity than the persecution of the Saints in Missouri. The Spirit of Revelation prompted the Prophet to suggest that all the facts be ascertained and placed on record.
And all that are in Magazines, etc.] The best refutation of anti-”Mormon” literature is a complete exhibition of it, by which a comparison is facilitated; for the statements by anti-”Mormons” are so contradictory, so improbable, so irrational, that no reasonable person can accept them after an examination of them. They have, moreover, originated with individuals whose truthfulness is of the lowest possible value.
Before we can *** claim that promise] The Lord had promised to come out of His hiding place (See Sec. 101:89; 121:1), but before this promise could be fulfilled, the facts must be put before the world “in all their dark and hellish hue.” There would then be no excuse for the refusal to render justice to the Saints, and there would be no reason why divine justice should be kept back.
At a conference held near Quincy, Ill., May 4th-6th, 1839, Almon W. Babbitt, Erastus Snow, and Robert B. Thompson were appointed a committee to gather up the historical material required by this Revelation. (pp. 763)
I agree with Smith and Sjodahl that the persecution and oppression of the early latter-day Saints was one of the greatest outrages in history. Since Smith and Sjodahl completed their commentary, however, there have been many more outrages that require similar exposure, condemnation, and rectification. The terrors caused by government responses to what has popularly been called the COVID-19 pandemic are just one example of such outrages, and the facts regarding the vast death and harm caused by the injections are just one small part of the record. Think of the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that contributed to COVID 19, and the dark and hellish hue of vaccine deaths and injuries.
The revelation in D&C 123 continues:
It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.
Therefore it is an imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its iron hand;
Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy. (D&C 123:7-10)
The same spirit that established the false creeds also leads to the persecution of the Saints. The Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to view the persecution of the Saints from a higher perspective. The Book of Mormon describes the formation of a great and abominable church that fights against the Church of the Lamb of God and His Saints, and the founder of this great and abominable church, namely, the devil. It is the great and abominable church that has caused and still causes so much chaos, confusion, and suffering in the world.
The suffering of the Saints has been published, and is available to the world (vv. 1-6), but is only generally known to most members of the Church and a few others. The heads of government of the United States of America, at the time of Joseph Smith, were presented with the facts and were left without excuse (v. 6). The influence of the creeds, and lies that were inherited by the fathers of the various churches, is still prevalent among the people of the Christian world, and still handcuff them. The widows and orphans are still testimonies against those who are in hell (vv. 7-10). (pp. 469-470)
The authors of the LDS Come Follow Me curriculum observe:
“Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power.”
In Doctrine and Covenants 123:7–8, Joseph Smith referred to false beliefs that led to suffering, including the persecution of the Saints. In March 1839, it may have seemed that there wasn’t much the Saints could do about that. But in his letters written from Liberty Jail, Joseph told them what they could do: “[gather] up a knowledge of all the facts” and “stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:1, 17). As you consider the problems in the world today, think about ways to address them that “lie in [your] power” (verses 12, 17). And don’t overlook the seemingly “small things” (verse 15). Why is it important to do these things “cheerfully”? (verse 17).
Many of the accounts that Joseph asked for in this letter were submitted to the government and published as an 11-part series in a Nauvoo newspaper, the Times and Seasons (see “A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri, December 1839–October 1840,” [josephsmithpapers.org]).
The revelation in D&C 123 continues and concludes:
And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart—
For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—
Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—
These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.
You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:11-17)
In the midst of their severe afflictions, the Lord, through His Prophet, reminded His Saints of their duty to Him, to angels, to themselves, to their fellow men, to their wives and children, to the widows and orphans, to the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart. Although their present circumstances seemed hopeless, the future of the Church and Kingdom of God depended on their efforts.
There are many people who are only kept from the truth because they don’t know where to find it. Many good people are blinded by the subtle craftiness and deceptions of men because the truth remains hidden. This was true in Joseph Smith’s time, and it is just as true today. I include members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints among these good people who are blinded by the subtle craftiness and deceptions of men, because the lies are so thick.
Therefore, what is to be done?
We should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven. That is what Joseph Smith and the early Saints earnestly endeavored to do, and that is what we must also do.
I have wasted and worn out much of my adult life in bringing to light many hidden things of darkness, such as the truth about psychiatry (see also here), and more recently the evidences of secret combinations that threaten to destroy our liberty. One reason why I named my Substack “The Torch” is because of my desire to bring to light the hidden things of darkness. I even wrote my autobiography with a similar goal in mind, because there are more hidden things of darkness that must be brought to light.
The Book of Mormon brings to light many of the hidden things of darkness that occurred among the Jaredites and the Nephites. New records will bring to light the hidden things of darkness that are occurring in modern America. It is important to understand, as much as possible, the facts about these hidden things darkness, and that such be truly manifested from heaven. The Lord sees and knows all things, and He helps us in our efforts to bring to light all the hidden things of darkness.
The Prophet used the analogy of a small helm guiding a large ship to help us understand how important the small and simple things are. Our small and simple efforts to bring to light the hidden things of darkness matter. The Lord inspired His servant Joseph to encourage the Saints to cheerfully do their part. It is one of the greatest verses in all of scripture:
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:17)
Reasons for this Revelation.
It is an imperative duty that we owe to God] God knew that the Saints were not guilty of the crimes charged to them by enemies, and that they did not hold the doctrines credited to them, but inasmuch as they claimed to be the people of God, their vindication was, in a sense, the vindication of the Deity. If a master has a servant who is falsely accused of a crime, in vindicating himself he vindicates the master, since his character reflects, to some extent, the character of his master. “As a master, so the servant.”
To angels] The angels who are sent to administer to the Saints have a right to know whether such accusations are true or false.
To ourselves, to our wives and children] Silence is sometimes more eloquent than words; but at this time it was necessary to place the accusers and persecutors in the limelight of public opinion, because wives and children had a right to know the full truth.
To all the rising generation] The falsehoods promulgated against the Saints had blinded many honest men and women and turned them away from the gospel. For their sake the truth should be made known.
There is much *** which depends upon these things] The people of Missouri will some day be glad to make whatever amends they can for the wrongs the Saints suffered in that State - not because anybody will endeavor to compel them to do so, but because they will esteem it a privilege to obliterate the mistakes of the past. Then the facts will be considered important, and should be on record.
General Notes
“We read in that book [Book of Mormon], that not only a Church should arise, etc., but that the blood of the Saints who should embrace its faith, should cry from the ground to the God of heaven *** How unlikely a thing to be fulfilled! Here, upon this land, is one of the most free governments given to man, bestowing upon all civil and religious liberty; *** The people said such a thing could never come to pass; Joseph Smith was an impostor. But how long was it before this met with its fulfillment? History shows that three years after the rise of this Church, the Latter-day Saints, numbering some 1200 persons *** were driven en masse from their possessions, their homes were torn down and destroyed, their animals were shot down *** and many of the Saints were also shot dead by the persecutors. Was it because they had committed crimes that merited this treatment? No, their court records do not show a single instance of our people having broken the laws. Was it polygamy? No, for the principle of plural marriage was not known among us then” (Orson Pratt, Jour. of Dis., Vol. XVIII., pp. 223-4). (pp. 764-765)
It is now about one hundred and seventy years since these atrocities were committed, and many generations (v. 11) have passed. Many among those generations have found where to obtain the truth (v. 12), but the work of the Lord must go on in “great earnestness” (vv. 13-14). There are still many who do not know where to find the truth. Many of the things that pertained to the Saints have come about (v. 15). The small helm [the Church] (v. 16) is now much bigger, and the ship [world population] has also grown. We must continue to “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power” to prepare “to see the salvation of God.” His arm will be revealed at His Second Coming (v. 17). The ending of the letter written from prison follows:
“… the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all those who are privileged with the sweets of its liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun…
We say that God is true; that the Constitution of the United States is true; that the Bible is true; that the Book of Mormon is true; that the Book of Covenants is true; that Christ is true; that the ministering angels sent forth from God are true, and that we know that we have an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens, whose builder and maker is God; a consolation which our oppressors cannot feel, when fortune, or fate, shall lay its iron hand on them as it has on us. Now, we ask, what is man? Remember, brethren, that time and chance happen to all men. (pp. 470-471)