This week’s lessons cover a variety of subjects, but let’s look at the difference between light and dark. The Lord thinks it’s important.
I’m looking specifically at section 50, but the lessons we learn there need to be applied to those taught in section 49.
In section 49 we learn that Leman Copley had joined the church, but still held some of his beliefs from his former church, the Shakers. This is normal and natural for converts to carry over their old beliefs into the new religion. It takes a while for converts to sort through their own beliefs and upbringing or traditions to determine what still fits in their new beliefs and what needs to be changed or discarded.
Spiritual manifestations was a subject of intense interest for many who joined the restored gospel. They read about them in the New Testament, but couldn’t see them practiced in most of the traditional churches of their day. The restored church promised that such manifestations were still possible, and were even required. Spiritual manifestations are a sign of the faithful followers of Christ. The question became the form these manifestations were supposed to take. Some people were uncomfortable with many of the extreme ways in which the Spirit was supposed to be manifesting Himself. So it is understandable that there was some confusion as to how these long-lost manifestations were supposed to be seen and experienced. The Lord’s answers to Joseph Smith’s inquiry about spiritual manifestations goes beyond Leman’s Shaker background to answer general principles about manifestations of the Spirit and His influence.
Definitions
Let’s look at two words this week – edify and discern. The word discern isn’t used in the text of either section in question, but this is exactly what the Lord is teaching us to do here, to discern between one kind of spirit and another. First we look at “edify.” Doctrine and Covenants 50:23-24
23 And that which doth not is not of God, and is .
24 That which is of God is ; and he that , and in God, receiveth more ; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Edify is made of two words which means to build a house. The ed part of the word is also used in the word edifice, which refers to a building. To edify refers to anything that instructs or informs us in moral or religious knowledge (that which builds us up). Hence the reference to goodness or light. Now go back and look at verse 23. Those things which do not build us up in our knowledge and understanding of the things of God are defined as darkness. I don’t think it matters if those things are of man or of Satan.
In verse 24 we learn that anything that comes from God is light, the opposite of darkness. When we are edified, meaning we receive those things that come from God which He calls light, we are added upon. Over time being added upon by the building up of our spiritual self God says that the light we have received becomes brighter and brighter until the perfect day. This is vague, since we don’t understand how this works, but in essence He is saying that by seeking to be edified or improved in all things God will build us up until we become perfect. Yes, a long time in coming, but at least it will come.
This brings us to our second word – discern. The question in these sections is over being able to tell the difference between the various manifestations of the Spirit people were experiencing in the church. Many came from churches where people spoke in tongues that were unintelligible, they rolled on the floor or passed out for a time then awoke to share the visions they just had. The manifestations came in many ways, some quite extreme. Before these two revelations there was no way for people to know if these manifestations were from God or another source. This is the reason Joseph Smith took the matter to the Lord.
Here is the definition of discern in the online Websters 1828 dictionary.
1. To separate by the eye, or by the understanding. Hence,
2. To distinguish; to see the difference between two or more things; to discriminate; as, to discern the blossom-buds from the leaf-buds of plants.
I even took a couple of pictures to illustrate the definition for you.
This Christmas cactus flower bud is only about 1/16 of an inch big, and is green, although the flower that it produces will be a vibrant fuchsia.
The Christmas cactus leaf bud starts out with a reddish tint, but quickly turns bright green. This leaf bud is about 1/8 of an inch. (Sorry it is a little fuzzy.)
For many, these new additions to the end of the leaf are so small that from a distance they may look at first glance to be the same thing. Once you learn how to discern the difference between them you can quickly tell if you are about to get a leaf or a flower. This is the definition of discern, to be able to see something and tell the difference between what you are seeing and something else. In section 50 the Lord is explaining to Joseph Smith how to discern between the different spirits that were manifesting themselves among the church members, and how to tell which of them were false. In this way He said the Saints “may chase darkness from among you.”
Individual thoughts on this week’s verses
Accepting the truths of the gospel
Doctrine and Covenants 49:2 points out that the Shakers were interested in learning the truth about God, but were only interested in part of the truth. You can read verse 2 in more than one way. Read it again and then we’ll talk about it.
2 Behold, I say unto you, that they desire to know the truth in part, but not all, for they are not before me and must needs repent.
The Lord is referring to Leman Copley’s congregation of Shakers. The interpretation of this verse can either be “they” the congregation of Shakers “all” desire to know the truth, but not all the truth, or it can be read as “some” of the congregation desired to know “all” the truth, but not all of them wanted to know it. I believe the first interpretation is correct, since all of the congregation rejected the revelation given to the prophet when it was read to them.
This tendency to accept what is comfortable and reject what is difficult is a common reaction. My own experience showed me this when I lived in Salt Lake City many years ago. We lived on Capitol Hill when President Ezra Taft Benson spoke in Conference about the need for the mothers in Zion to be at home, at the “cross roads” when the children came home from school. He urged the families in the church to make the needed sacrifices to live on a single income, if it was truly possible to do so.
The next Sunday in priesthood class many of the brethren lambasted the prophet as being a dottering old fool, and not knowing anything about today’s world, etc. Most of those men were living pretty comfortable lives (at least judging from the quality of their suits and their wives’ clothing at church), but only because their wives worked outside the home and provided an additional professional income. They would have to give up much in order to follow the prophet’s counsel.
This begs the question: When my priesthood leaders counsel me to do something, am I willing to make sacrifices in order to follow their counsel? Remember they never command and never force, only counsel us to follow a certain course of action. Leman Copley came from a life where marriage was forbidden and even eating meat was often discouraged. He had to make the personal choice to embrace what he had always been taught was, using Biblical language, unclean. Peter had this dilemma and had to be given the vision on the roof top to learn the lesson that what the Lord designates as clean is actually clean. What the world says it is doesn’t count. What counsel has the prophet given us? Have we followed it?
Repentance
I refer you back up to section 49 verse 2 printed above. The Lord said these people needed to repent, because “they are not right before me.” What is your personal view of repentance? Is repentance a punishment for being evil, a requirement to keep us in the path of obedience, or might it be the process of making ourselves one with God and the only way to find lasting happiness? We are free to choose any outlook on repentance we want to live by, but our ultimate happiness will not be the same no matter which attitude we take about it. Only when we choose to see repentance as an opportunity to become square with God and live by the commandments as we understand them will we find the peace that comes with being right with the Spirit and with God.
Our understanding about something we repented over may change over the years, and we may have to repent again if we find we were not quite right about how we viewed something, but God is okay with that. It is the progress He wants to see, not the arrival at the end destination. He knows better than any of us that no one will become perfect in this life. This is just one small step along the path. Keeping on the path is what is important to Him and to us.
Worldly deceptions
The spirit of deception takes many forms. When someone says that we need to swing from the rafters, pass out, turn black in the face then reveal your vision you had while passed out, you are being extreme. God doesn’t work in extremes. But Satan does. He lives for the extremes. And in case you haven’t noticed, the world is becoming more and more extreme all the time. The Spirit works in solid, sensible ways that the world is rejecting one thing at a time. As mentioned earlier, many have decided that marriage is something that is optional and should be put off until sometime in your mid to late 30’s. At least having children shouldn’t even be considered until you have already settled into your career (both of you) and then you should only have 1 child, 2 at the most.
For many people the world has convinced them that extreme diets are the right way to live, extreme lifestyles are not just acceptable, but preferred over traditional forms of living. The list goes on and on. These are the spirits of deceptions the Lord is referring to, not just how the Spirit reveals Himself in a meeting. Things like eating meat and marriage were issues directly addressed with the Shakers, because it was relevant to Leman Copley and his former congregation, but the principle of rejecting extremism is at the heart of these revelations.
If all you have ever known is the world’s view of extremism, it may be especially difficult to try to live a life of traditional marriage, eating meat, and only accepting marriage between a man and a woman, etc. Satan has spent many, many decades working hard to make these forms of living appear unappealing and repulsive. This is why we follow the prophet and seek counsel from the elderly who have experienced life before it spiraled completely out of control. Rejecting the world’s deceptions requires that we deliberately separate ourselves from the practices of the world and live according to what the Lord tells us is right. As always, it is a matter of putting our faith in God and choosing His ways as opposed to those on the local billboard or television show, in other words the things we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears. Refer back to the word discern talked about above.
Seeking the light
The ability to discern right from wrong, truth from error, wisdom from folly, or anything else, is a gift from God. God seeks to edify us, to build us up and help us find the happiness His gospel plan makes available to us. Anything that is good comes from God. We must often ask God if what we are being taught by the world is actually good or evil, since the world masks evil in the guise of goodness or at least good intentions. The world’s/Satan’s purpose is to make everything so confusing that it becomes impossible to say what is right and what is wrong. This makes it okay to do anything you want and no one can blame you for being wrong or evil.
God makes clear distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil. It isn’t so much about what the current behavior or argument is, but where it leads that sets it apart as either good or evil. If you think about your experience in the scriptures, think back on all the times the Lord calls someone wicked or evil. They may have made a mistake in judgment and done something harmful, like when Martin Harris lost the manuscript pages. But God always looks at our direction, not our immediate action. If the direction we have just turned to will eventually lead us away from Him then it is evil or wicked. If whatever we have just done will lead us, eventually, to Him then it is good or righteous. He is always looking at the end result, not the excuses the world makes for why “in this instance” evil was really a good thing. The world focuses on the immediate now, but God always looks at where it will lead us.
God is wiser than the world. We need to learn to seek that which is good, uplifting, wholesome, and that which promotes anything spiritual in nature. That means in our entertainment, our hobbies, our living circumstances, in our job choices, clubs, online activities, etc. How does this difference in attitudes between making judgments on the current circumstances, versus looking at where something will lead us down the line, change how we should be living our life?
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