Organizations require structure. And the larger that an organization gets, the more structure it needs. That might seem pretty obvious in today’s world, but I suspect it was less obvious in the 1830s among the Saints who had joined the church, many because of the way other churches operated.

After the ‘constitution’ of the Church in section 20, section 42 further defined how the church operated, as the need for more organization arose. In addition, these sections also outlined principles for how we should act within the church as well as how the church was structured. So its not surprising that this lesson covers these ideas.

 

“He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple.”

The idea of obedience is a frequent topic in the scriptures, at times almost becoming a tautology (“we must obey the commandment to be obedient”). But while many people today bristle at obedience for obedience’s sake, there is an important principle at work in obedience—organizations only work when those in the organization participate and work together. That may not require blind obedience, but it does sometimes mean that we must cooperate even when we don’t want to, or when it seems like it is against our self interest.

The following poem expresses the idealism of the early saints. Written at about the time of the so-called ‘Reformation’, it was written by an English saint dreaming of what Zion in far-away Utah would be like. And it has a mix of contrasting ideas, expressing at once the freedom expected there, but also the expectation that all will learn and follow the will of God.

 

Zion

by Rebecca Heston

Oft while I stand beside the jingling loom,

I think of Zion’s peaceful, happy, home,

Where men of God with holy ardour fired,

And with the Spirit of their Lord inspired,

Stand ready to receive Jehovah’s will,

Which they to us in distant lands reveal;

That we may learn the mind and will of God,

And tread the path the faithful Saints have trod :

‘Tis thus the law from Zion’s hill goes forth

To the benighted nations of the earth.

Though canting hypocrites may rage and lie,

And hell with all her votaries may try

The kingdom of our God to overthrow,

And nations to their golden idols bow;

The cause of Zion onward still shall roll

‘Till truth and light have spread from pole to pole,

And every honest soul shall gather’d be,

And in the Valley of the West be free.

No proud and stern oppressor’s iron hand,

Shall bind the Saints in that much favour’d land;

But peace and love and liberty shall reign

Triumphant o’er that vast and fertile plain.

Should wicked men by devils prompted, try

With fiendish art, God’s Zion to destroy;

The Lord will stretch His mighty arm to save,

The home of freedom and the truly brave:

For all who dare their puny arms to raise

Against the Kingdom of these Latter-days,

Must bear the wrath of an avenging God,

And feel the scourges of His chastening rod.

Then O! ye kings and rulers of this world,

Repent, or you will from your thrones be hurl’d,

For Zion’s King o’er all the earth shall reign,

And burst asunder every Gentile chain.

Then Saints rejoice and to the end endure,

Be firm to truth, and your reward is sure.

1857

 

The Lord gives me commandments because He loves me

Like organizations, commandments provide a kind of structure — sometimes for the church and sometimes for our lives (and sometimes both). Commandments not only tell us what we should not do, they also provide structure for how we live our lives — they guide us to make choices. And these structures can even be more about others than they are about us; the initial beneficiary of ‘thou shalt not steal’ are the owners of what would be stolen.

Apostle Orson F. Whitney sees a kind of surrender in the commandments in the following poem. Note that he suggests “O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends; / Change frowning foes to smiling friends; / Chasten my soul till I shall be / In perfect harmony with thee.” While its likely that these commandments will help us, they are clearly also meant to help Him and to help others.

 

To The Master

by Orson F. Whitney

Saviour, Redeemer of my soul,

Whose mighty hand hath made me whole,

Whose wondrous power hath raised me up,

And filled with sweet my bitter cup!

What tongue my gratitude can tell,

O gracious God of Israel!

Never can I repay thee, Lord,

But I can love thee. Thy pure word,

Hath it not been my one delight,

My joy by day, my dream by night?

Then let my lips proclaim it still,

And all my life reflect thy will.

O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends;

Change frowning foes to smiling friends;

Chasten my soul till I shall be

In perfect harmony with thee.

Make me more worthy of thy love,

And fit me for the Life Above.

1925

 

“Remember the poor.”

Along this vein of commandments that are also meant to help others is the commandment to help the poor. Ideally this commandment would be a kind of structure to our lives, helping us to regularly remember our obligation to others. Early on in church history, Bishops were called and given a responsibility for the poor—a kind of structure meant to provide what is needed. Today we retain and have expanded that structure, and perhaps even more is needed.

In the 1830s, at the time of the sections covered in this lesson, even the church’s relatively undeveloped system was more than what church members perceived was done elsewhere. So William W. Phelps published the following poem as a diatribe against the lack of support for the poor in his day. Unless we are actively involved in helping the poor, maybe we should apply what he says to our own lives, and see if we can ‘remember the poor.’

 

Remember the Poor

by William W. Phelps

Remember, ye clergy, as eyes to the world,—

Ah ye that pretend you are working for God,

For hundreds a year, in your clerical robes:—

The poor are forgotten at home and abroad:—

Remember the poor!

 

Remember—ye christians, in all christendom,

That boast of your tracts, and the aid you afford,

For churches, and Bibles, and missions afar,

But not for a prophet to honor the Lord:

Remember the poor!

 

Remember—ye nations and multitudes far,

That worship all manner of gods, in your turn,

That sparkle like fire-flies, or grovel like worms,

The world with its hay, wood and stubble, must burn:

Remember the poor!

 

Remember—ye Mormons, the Latter Day Saints,

That know how your Savior is coming, anon,

To make up his jewels, of purified gold,

From all of the cities of great Babylon:

Remember the poor!

 

Remember—ye servants, the prophetic horns

That walk by the Spirit, and go by command

To gather the guests for the feast of the Lord—

With friends, and with foes, on the sea, or the land,—

Remember the poor!

1842

 

God gives revelation to guide His Church—and to guide me.

Guidance through revelation is another kind of structure, of course, but perhaps structure that is more flexible, more able to bend to fit the current situation. Structures, whether organizational, or behavioral or otherwise, all have some degree of flexibility in them because they are meant for human beings and for the situations that human beings find themselves in.

In the following poem another Apostle, John A. Widstoe,  pleads for guidance, and suggests that the Gospel itself is the guidance (i.e., the structure) that will lead us to life eternal. Like Orson F. Whitney, Widstoe sees this structure as requiring our surrender to Him, “Father! all my heart I give Thee; all my service shall be Thine.” It seems like he is saying that we should simply let the structure established for us guide us back to him, like those following an “iron rod.”

 

Father! Lead Me Out of Darkness

by John A. Widstoe

Father! lead me out of darkness by the Gospel’s holy call.

Lead me into life eternal – grant me ready strength for all:

Sinful longing and life’s trial, may they meet an armored heart;

Let Thy promise rest upon me, so that mine, the better part.

Father! blinded by the earth-light, do I cry for higher aid.

All I know that Thou art Father, in Thy hand my life is laid.

Greater light I seek, my Father, in the man-made chaos here.

I will meet the heat of battle, but, oh, Father, be Thou near.

Father! bless Thy drifting children, they who see not with their eyes;

They who seek for truth unchanging, pass the source, yet do despise;

May all evil, fiercely raging, lose its boasted pow’r on earth;

That the creature rise not higher than the God who gave it birth.

Father! all my heart I give Thee; all my service shall be Thine.

Guide me as I search in weakness, let Thy living light be mine.

Hear me as I pray in meekness, let my strength be as the day.

Give me faith: the greater knowledge, Father! bless me as I pray.

1927