/
RSS Feed
We start off with an overview of the Book of Commandments and Doctrine and Covenants, then dive into a discussion of Section 1, a preface given by revelation in November 1831.
D&C 70:1-4
D&C 88:84
Isaiah 8:16, 20
Ether 11:6-7
2 Nephi 31:3
Hurray!
I am thrilled that you have chosen to work through the Doctrine and Covenants next.
I absolutely loved your delicious discussions and insights about the Book of Mormon, but
the D&C is my faaaavorite;
I am over the moon right now.
I admit that a tiny part of me (probably the amygdala) was a little worried that
you might end the podcast when you finished the Book of Mormon,
so I am glad you are continuing.
2020 has been such a great year
(that’s strange, I know, but I own my quirks)
and it feels like 2021 is going to be even better.
Awesome. Thank you. So exciting.
Have a fantastic week; hear you next time! 🙂
I have two thoughts.
First, do you leave any wiggle room for the idea that a group of servants might have been called under one set of circumstances, but when the work was left unfinished it might have been also left to others to eventually finish? If you want a scriptural basis for this, look to the story of Elijah. When he flees to Mt. Horeb, he is given 3 instructions (1 Kings 19:15-16): 1) return by way of Damascus and anoint Hazael to be king of Syria; 2) anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and 3) anoint Elisha to be prophet in your place. We know that Elisha followed Elijah and received the mantle of the prophet, indicating he was the successor (2 Kings 2). However, it is Elisha that completes the first two assignments (2 Kings 8:12-13 & 2 Kings 9:1-6).
The second thought is related to the discussion of “bind up the law and seal up the testimony.” I just thought it interesting that there is a lot of sealing up testimonies going on right now, with thousands of sworn affidavits in relation to the recent election and the breaking of the election laws. The future of America (and perhaps the world) seems to hinge right now on testimonies and laws. The laws define the standards of behavior by which actions are measured, and we need to see if we are willing to be judged by law, primarily that law which is Constitutional, which the Lord has said is justifiable before him (D&C 98:5). Some people think this is just another election and if you don’t like the results you should try harder in 4 years, regardless of whether or not laws were broken. Others believe that the fate of the world is in the balance, and if the “Great Reset” is allowed to occur, America will fall as its laws are trampled and our rights are stripped with no recourse. That would truly be a “calamity”.
Ranae,
I think you bring up a very important point. The Lord can fulfill his prophecies with anyone he wants from future generations. The precedent is there with your examples. After all Joseph Smith was to establish the foundation.
I always enjoy reading your perspective, Ranae.
Your knowledge and memory of scriptural details is inspiring.
Perhaps these temporal testimonies and political events are shadows to prepare us for spiritual things to come,
a deepening of the darkness before the light breaks through.
I personally love the idea of the return of Joseph and others as part of the “strange act” and marvelous work, but
I think the most important thing we can do now is treasure up the Word and
keep a watchful eye on current happenings,
while trying to be as Christlike as possible in our daily lives.
We certainly live in fascinating times, don’t we?
Thank you for the compliment, but I can’t take full credit. I have been going through the Old Testament with my kids, and in the process of looking at outside lectures to help me understand patterns I came across that point. One of the things I have found is that Old Testament prophets are not idolized by other Christians the way LDS do. I suppose that is a function of our history of rationalizing polygamy, combined with idolizing prophets in general, living or dead. I have found so much more to apply now that that stumbling block is out of my way.
Well, regardless of the reasons, you rock, Ranae. 😀
How old are your kids (if you don’t mind my asking)
and what resources have you found to be of highest value in your study process?
I don’t mind. All my kids range in age from 3-22. The ones I am particularly studying OT with are in high school, although the other ones at home are welcome to listen in if they want to. We home school and opted to do seminary independent of “the system” as a result of scheduling conflicts, silly Covid rules, and especially the fact that OT got bumped off the schedule for some of them when the program changed to stay in line with the Come Follow Me schedule. I would rather have my kids learning the scriptures with me at home and actually study the Bible, including the Old Testament, than have them graduate from seminary with a huge gap.
As for outside resources, we have a subscription to Great Courses Plus that has several classes on the Bible, and I found a free resource at BiblicalTraining.org that has a ton of content with various professors. Usually I watch the videos myself to see if they offer anything valuable to add to the discussion, but for the most part, we just read the text and discuss, making good use of a large white board to keep track of names themes that might be useful. We just started Isaiah, so I pulled up IsaiahExplained.com to go over some of Gileadi’s tips for understanding the text with them. We usually get some interesting insights just by paying attention to whatever pops out as we read.
The most useful resources to me are a familiarity with the scriptures and history, and a willingness to let the spirit direct the discussion instead of trying to use the scriptures to make any particular point. I did a semester in Israel when I was still in school and learned the value of paying attention to the names of people and locations to understand what was being taught. This came in handy recently when we were studying 2 Kings. For example, did you know that a king’s name can change from one verse to the next with no explanation? And that some kings of Israel had the same names as kings of Judah? It also appears that the families intermarried, and that much of the wickedness in Judah resulted from that alliance. At least, that is the conclusion we came to. There was also a series of political assassinations, particularly in the kingdom of Israel that would be interesting to study in light of the Book of Mormon accounts of secret combinations and assassinations as their people turned from God.
(BTW, My last experience with a child taking OT in seminary resulted in his frustration that every story seemed to be about reinforcing the existing practices of the church. Did you know that Abraham had a temple marriage? Neither did I, but that’s the kind of stuff the kids were getting a few years ago. I only know because my son came home frustrated at having to argue with the teacher about what the scriptures actually say.)
(My apologies for the delay in my response.)
Good for you for doing scripture study at home instead of the institutional seminary.
I did not know that Abraham had a temple marriage.
L.O.L. Wow.
Siiigh.
I’ll have to check out BiblicalTraining.
I have listened to a lot of Gileadi, but it was several years ago.
That’s weird (and confusing) about the names of the kings, but it’s cool that you spent some time in Israel.
I’d love to hear more about that as well as what you and your kids are learning, so I invite you to my place,
SingerofaNewSong.com. (It’s a scripture search blog with a feminine touch. 🙂 )
It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’ve had so much fun putting it together.
The Lord is my Shepherd, my Redeemer, and my Editor,
and I’ve been pleased with the formation of my writer’s voice so far, and am excited to see what else develops there.
I feel that your historical knowledge, insights, and commenting prowess would add a lot of value to it.
It’s timely that you are studying Isaiah, as I have several posts about Isaiah and plan to write more.
I would love to get your feedback.
Please come visit me any time.
I look forward to some good discussions and learning much from you.
(P.S. Aren’t whiteboards the best?)
Hello! I was just studying 3 Nephi 11:7 which reads, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” I noticed similar language in Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 1:11, 2 Peter 1:17, DC 45:4, and Joseph Smith History 1:17, which reads, “…I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Would someone please clarify how these scriptures help us understand:
1. The nature of the godhead, especially as found in the Lectures on Faith, and
2. The canonized version of the First Vision, written after the references in the B0M and DC.
Thank you!
We cover that in the next episode.