{"id":42096,"date":"2021-09-17T22:04:42","date_gmt":"2021-09-18T03:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=42096"},"modified":"2021-09-17T22:04:42","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T03:04:42","slug":"i-the-lord-have-suffered-the-affliction-to-come-upon-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/09\/i-the-lord-have-suffered-the-affliction-to-come-upon-them\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI the Lord have suffered the affliction to come upon them”"},"content":{"rendered":"

During an episode of the popular British Sci-Fi show, Doctor Who<\/em>, the titular character confronts a woman who has engaged in a series of witch hunts in seventeenth century Britain.\u00a0 The witch hunter explains her view that she is required to: \u201cKill the witches, defeat Satan.\u00a0 As King James has written in his new Bible, thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.\u201d\u00a0 To this, the Doctor responds: \u201cIn the Old Testament.\u00a0 There\u2019s a twist in the sequel: Love thy neighbour.\u201d<\/p>\n

This conversation plays into a standard caricature of the God of the Hebrew Bible being a fierce, punishing God and the God of the New Testament being a loving, compassionate God.\u00a0 Yet, that view fails to capture the complexity of God\u2019s personality.\u00a0 When I was teaching Gospel Doctrine a few years back and we were in the Pentateuch, a brother in the ward made a similar contrast to the Doctor, stating that the Law of Moses was all about rules and punishment, while the Christian religion was all about love.\u00a0 To make his point, he contrasted the general Law of Moses with Jesus\u2019s statement that: \u201cThou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.\u00a0 This is the first and great commandment.\u00a0 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.\u00a0 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Afterwards, he was somewhat taken aback when I asked him: \u201cDo you know what Jesus was quoting when he said that?\u201d\u00a0 I then explained that Jesus was quoting Moses from the Torah: \u201cThou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might\u201d is from Deuteronomy,[2]<\/a> while \u201cthou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself\u201d is from Leviticus.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 God isn\u2019t only about love or only about wrath\u2014He embodies both, even in the Hebrew Bible.<\/p>\n

This complexity to God\u2019s personality also shows up in the revelations of Joseph Smith. \u00a0When Saints were driven out of Zion in Jackson County, Missouri, and the subsequent military expedition, known as the Camp of Israel (Zion\u2019s Camp), failed to restore them to their homes, the revelations portray God as allowing this to happen because He is being vengeful and angry with the Saints for failures on their part.\u00a0 For example, in a December 1833 revelation addressing the expulsion from Zion (Section 101), the Lord states that:<\/p>\n

I the Lord have suffered the affliction to come\u00a0upon them wherewith they have been afflicted\u00a0in consequence of their transgressions. \u2026 Behold I say unto you\u00a0there were jar[r]ings and contentions envyings\u00a0and strifes and lustful and covetous desires\u00a0among them Therefore by these things they\u00a0poluted their inheritances\u00a0they were\u00a0also<\/span>\u00a0slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord\u00a0their God Therefore the Lord their God\u00a0is slow to hearken unto their prayers to\u00a0answer them in the day of their trouble.[4]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the Lord indicates that this is done to chasten and purify the Saints, it still demonstrates anger and punishment as part of His mode of operation.<\/p>\n

When laying plans to restore them to their lands the following February, the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to \u201csay unto the strength\u00a0of my house, my young men, &\u00a0the middle aged, Gather ye together unto the land of Zion \u2026 & let all the\u00a0churches\u00a0send up wise men with their\u00a0moneys & purchase lands,\u201d telling them to \u201cavenge\u00a0me of mine enemies.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 The text expresses that the Lord wanted \u201cthe number of five\u00a0hundred of the strength of\u00a0my house,\u201d though made provisions for lesser numbers because \u201cmen do not\u00a0always do my will.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0 In the end, they were only able to gather around 230 people to march to Missouri.\u00a0 When they proved unable to achieve their objective of returning the Saints to their land and homes in Missouri, the 22 June 1834 revelation that told the Camp to disband (Section 105) blamed the failure on the Saints in the eastern United States for not living up to the earlier command:<\/p>\n

Were it not for the transgression of my people \u2026\u00a0[the Lord\u2019s afflicted people] might\u00a0have been redeemed even now; but behold, they have not learned\u00a0to be obedient to the things which I require at their hands, but are\u00a0full of all manner of evil and do not impart of their substanc[e]\u00a0as becometh saints. \u2026 I speak concerning the church abroad, there are many\u00a0who will say where is their god, Behold, he will deliver in time of\u00a0trouble, otherwise we will not go up unto\u00a0Zion, and will keep our\u00a0monies.[7]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This was an indictment of the Saints further east for not providing sufficient manpower and funding to allow for a successful expedition.<\/p>\n

This punishing and angry Lord seems to be in line with how Joseph Smith viewed God at times.\u00a0 When the Camp of Israel was told that the Lord wanted them to \u201cwait for a little season for the redemption of Zion, For behold I do not require at their hands, to fight the battles of Zion,\u201d[8]<\/a> the revelatory about-face was not universally well-received and led to some bickering in camp.\u00a0 Even before then, however, there had been some contention, which led Smith to proclaim that: \u201cin consequence of\u00a0 the disobedience of\u00a0some who had been <?un?>willing to listen to my words,\u00a0but had rebelled, God had decreed that sickness\u00a0should come, upon them<\/span>\u00a0<?camp, and if they did not repent and humble themselves before God?>\u00a0 they should die\u00a0like sheep with the rot.\u201d[9]<\/a> \u00a0In late June 1834, before disbanding, the camp was struck by cholera.\u00a0 Joseph Smith would later recall that: \u201cit was manifest in its most terrific form.\u00a0 Our\u00a0ears were saluted with cries and mournings, and lamentations on every hand.\u201d\u00a0 Any efforts to ease the disease failed, which Smith believed was because \u201cwhen the Great Jehovah decrees\u00a0destruction upon any people, <?and> makes known his determination,\u00a0man must not attempt to stay his hand.\u201d[10]<\/a>\u00a0 This was, as Richard Bushman put it, a view of a \u201charsh and implacable\u201d God who operated by \u201cinflicting punishment on those who failed.\u201d[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

Given that the above makes clear the Lord\u2019s displeasure towards His own people, one can imagine how He would treat their enemies.\u00a0 Indeed, in the 22 June 1834 revelation (D&C 105), the Lord proclaims that: \u201cI will fight\u00a0your battles,\u00a0behold the destroyer I have already sent forth to destroy\u00a0and lay waste mine enemies, and not many years hence they shall\u00a0not be left to pollute mine heritage, to blaspheme my name.\u201d[12]<\/a>\u00a0 This understanding of the Lord was probably why Joseph Smith felt comfortable asking the Lord in the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer: \u201cMay thine anger be\u00a0kindled and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may be wasted away, both root and branch from under\u00a0heaven; but in as much as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and will turn away thy wrath, when\u00a0thou lookest upon the face of thine annointed.\u201d[13]<\/a> Likewise, during a prayer while in Liberty Jail, the Prophet recalled requesting: \u201clet thine anger be kindle against our enemi[e]s\u00a0and in the fury of thine hart with thy sword\u00a0avenge us of our rongs remember thy suffering\u00a0saint oh our God and thy servants will rejoyce\u00a0in thy name for ever.\u201d[14]<\/a>\u00a0 While this may run contrary to Jesus\u2019s teaching to \u201cLove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,\u201d[15]<\/a> it does align well with Joseph Smith\u2019s view of God as being a harsh and implacable Being, possibly due to influences from his Puritan ancestors.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the Doctrine and Covenants, we see this view of God even impacting Joseph Smith\u2019s soteriology.\u00a0 An earlier revelation, received 7 March 1831 (D&C 45) portrays Jesus the Christ as saying:<\/p>\n

listen to him who is the\u00a0advocate with the Father who is pleading your case\u00a0before\u00a0him saying Father behold the sufferings & death of him\u00a0who did no sin in whom thou wast well pleased Behold\u00a0the Blood of thy son which was shed the blood of him whom\u00a0thou gavest that thyself might be glorified wherefore Father\u00a0spare these my Brethren that Believe on my name that they\u00a0may come unto me And have everlasting life[16]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While this is a beautiful image of Jesus caring for the Saints and working for eternal life, the underlying portrayal of God as someone who needs to be convinced to spare humans from destruction feels like it contains echoes of Jonathan Edwards\u2019s portrayal of God in his \u201cSinners in the Hands of an Angry God\u201d sermon.\u00a0 As Edwards put it:<\/p>\n

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked. His wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire. He is of purer eyes than to bear you in his sight; you are ten thousand times as abominable in his eyes as the most hateful, venomous serpent is in ours.
\nYou have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince, and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment.[17]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here again, we see a harsh and implacable God standing in judgement, similar to the portrayal of Him as being someone whose wrath and punishment comes down on Saints and sinners alike for their failures.<\/p>\n

Of course, all this being said, focusing solely on the portions of Joseph Smith\u2019s revelations that I\u2019ve discussed above can create the same caricature as the false dichotomy of Jehovah being all about wrath and laws in the Old Testament and love and forgiveness in the New Testament that I opened with.\u00a0 After all, the revelations also speak of how \u201cthe worth of souls is great in the\u00a0sight of God,\u201d[18]<\/a> that He wants to \u201cincircle thee in the arms of my love,\u201d[19]<\/a> that He \u201cdelight[s] to bless with the greatest of\u00a0blessings,\u201d[20]<\/a> and how the Saints will be able to \u201cmention the loveing\u00a0kindness of their Lord & all that he hath bestowed upon\u00a0them according to his goodness & according to his loving\u00a0kindness forever & ever\u00a0\u2026 & in his love & in\u00a0his pity he redeemed them & did bear them & did carry\u00a0them all.\u201d[21]<\/a>\u00a0 There is no twist in the sequel necessary to learn that God embodies both wrath and <\/em>love in the revelations of Joseph Smith.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Matthew 22:36-40, KJV.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Deuteronomy 6:5, KJV.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Leviticus 19:18, KJV.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> “Revelation, 16\u201317 December 1833 [D&C 101],” p. 73, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 16, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-16-17-december-1833-dc-101\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> “Revelation, 24 February 1834 [D&C 103],” p. [13], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 16, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-24-february-1834-dc-103\/7<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> “Revelation, 24 February 1834 [D&C 103],” p. [15], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 16, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-24-february-1834-dc-103\/9<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> “Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105],” p. 199, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 16, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-june-1834-dc-105\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> “Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105],” p. 199, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-june-1834-dc-105\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> “History, 1838\u20131856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805\u201330 August 1834],” p. 502, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/history-1838-1856-volume-a-1-23-december-1805-30-august-1834\/508<\/a><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> “History, 1838\u20131856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805\u201330 August 1834],” p. 505, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/history-1838-1856-volume-a-1-23-december-1805-30-august-1834\/511<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Richard Lyman Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling<\/em>, 246.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> “Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105],” p. 199, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-june-1834-dc-105\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> “Prayer of Dedication, 27 March 1836 [D&C 109],” p. [2], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/prayer-of-dedication-27-march-1836-dc-109\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> “Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 March 1839,” p. 4, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/letter-to-the-church-and-edward-partridge-20-march-1839\/4<\/a><\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Matthew 5:44, NRSV.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> “Revelation, circa 7 March 1831 [D&C 45],” p. 71, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-circa-7-march-1831-dc-45\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Jonathan Edwards,\u00a0The Works of President Edwards<\/em>, vol. 6 (1817; New York: Burt Franklin, 1968), pp. 458, 461\u201362.<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> “Revelation, June 1829\u2013B [D&C 18],” p. 35, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-june-1829-b-dc-18\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[19]<\/a> “Revelation, April 1829\u2013A [D&C 6],” p. 16, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-april-1829-a-dc-6\/3<\/a><\/p>\n

[20]<\/a> “Revelation, 4 February 1831 [D&C 41],” p. 61, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-4-february-1831-dc-41\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[21]<\/a> “Revelation, 3 November 1831 [D&C 133],” p. 119, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-3-november-1831-dc-133\/4<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During an episode of the popular British Sci-Fi show, Doctor Who, the titular character confronts a woman who has engaged in a series of witch hunts in seventeenth century Britain.\u00a0 The witch hunter explains her view that she is required to: \u201cKill the witches, defeat Satan.\u00a0 As King James has written in his new Bible, thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.\u201d\u00a0 To this, the Doctor responds: \u201cIn the Old Testament.\u00a0 There\u2019s a twist in the sequel: Love thy neighbour.\u201d This conversation plays into a standard caricature of the God of the Hebrew Bible being a fierce, punishing God and the God of the New Testament being a loving, compassionate God.\u00a0 Yet, that view fails to capture the complexity of God\u2019s personality.\u00a0 When I was teaching Gospel Doctrine a few years back and we were in the Pentateuch, a brother in the ward made a similar contrast to the Doctor, stating that the Law of Moses was all about rules and punishment, while the Christian religion was all about love.\u00a0 To make his point, he contrasted the general Law of Moses with Jesus\u2019s statement that: \u201cThou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,2895,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-history","category-come-follow-me-currculum","category-scriptures"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42096"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42097,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42096\/revisions\/42097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}