Commanded in All Things – Unwresting the Scriptures
Are those who seek to be “commanded in all things” slothful and unwise servants? Or are there deeper principles to the D&C 58 revelation that need further exploration? Alma teaches us to “counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good.” How does one reconcile these two statements and develop a healthy servant relationship with the Lord?
Not Meet That I Should Command in All Things
In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the following words spark a standing debate in matters of action:
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
For many, this verse appears to align with the notion that “God helps those that help themselves.” That actively seeking revelation upon all the matters of life is somehow slothful in the eyes of the Lord. This is part of the following two verses that appear to back up the scripture above:
27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
Without reviewing the historical context in this section, the details of the situation that preceded the revelation, and many other scriptures, the case is, for all intents and purposes, closed. We will explore the historical context of D&C 58 later on.
Counsel With The Lord in All Thy Doings
If one is an avid seeker of truth, even If that seeking is in the written word of God alone, one cannot simply dismiss the following scriptures. These support the idea that one should use the Lord for guidance in all things:
Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.
36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day
…
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
Remembering to Call Upon the Name of the Lord
Considering the favored nature of the Brother of Jared and his people, do we believe that for 4 years they stopped praying?
14 And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.
Calling upon the name of the Lord or crying unto the Lord is a different effort than merely praying as we often do, giving our day’s recounting. Calling upon the Lord is seeking in all earnestness and real intent for the Lord to reveal His will by revelation. This is His desire of us. Ceasing this prior commitment led to the Brother of Jared receiving a sore chastisement, showing the importance of it in the eyes of the Lord.
7 But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
All of these scriptures provided have their own context which each deserve their own individual treatment. Even so, the common theme is reliance upon the Lord in counsel upon all of our doings.
“Commanded In All Things” in Historical Context
With that foundation laid, let’s revisit the D&C 58 scripture, this time with full scriptural and historical context.
24 And now, as I spake concerning my servant Edward Partridge, this land is the land of his residence, and those whom he has appointed for his counselors; and also the land of the residence of him whom I have appointed to keep my storehouse;
25 Wherefore, let them bring their families to this land, as they shall counsel between themselves and me.
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
29 But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.
30 Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments?
31 Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?
32 I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing.
33 Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled. But wo unto such, for their reward lurketh beneath, and not from above.
Some might conclude that “commanded in all things” and “directed in all things” mean the same thing. The Lord makes clear in the list of opposing scriptures (above) one thing. He wants to be an active participant in our lives and wants us to initiate that invitation. Then why this contradiction?
As They Shall Counsel Between Themselves & Me
In order to understand the truth, we must constantly seek reconciliation among scriptures as guided by the Holy Ghost. With this in mind, why do we assume that immediately after making the imperative of “as they shall counsel between themselves and me” that the clarifying continuance in the following verses means anything more or less?
Why do we assume that these instructions…
- being “anxiously engaged in a good cause”
- “doing many things of our own free will”
- “bringing to pass much righteousness”
- having “the power is in us”
- “wherein we are agents unto ourselves”
…are each independent of the effort of seeking revelation?
Shouldn’t we exercise agency, faith, action, effort, anxious engagement, righteousness, and power into the seeking of the Lord’s will?
Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide
Elder Larry Y. Wilson made an invaluable reference on the subject in April 2018 of receiving revelation and the widespread understanding of the D&C 58 verses:
“Some may think we shouldn’t expect daily guidance from the Spirit because ‘it is not meet that [God] should command in all things,’ lest we become slothful servants. This scripture, however, was given to some early missionaries who asked Joseph Smith to obtain revelation they should have received for themselves. In a preceding verse, the Lord told them to come to the mission field ‘as they shall counsel between themselves and me.’
These missionaries wanted a specific revelation about their travel plans. They hadn’t yet learned to seek their own direction in personal matters. The Lord called this attitude what it is: slothful. Early Church members may have been so happy to have a true prophet that they were in danger of failing to learn how to receive revelation themselves. Being spiritually self-reliant is hearing the Lord’s voice through His Spirit for one’s own life.
Alma advised his son to ‘counsel with the Lord in all thy doings.’ To live in this way—what we often call ‘living by the Spirit’—is a high privilege. It brings a sense of calm and certainty as well as fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, and peace.
Which Type of Servant Will You Be?
Consider the following example and inquisition:
The first servant goes to his master not only promptly at the beginning of the day, but throughout the day either during a particular task for clarification or after a task to return, report, and seek further assignments. He goes about his work faithfully upon assignment and completes the given task to the best of his ability, gratefully and eagerly relying on the periodic guidance of his master should he approach to check on his progress. The servant does this day in, day out, without fail and without complaint, eager to serve his master for the privilege it is to be in his employ, considering the type of master he is to his servants and household.
The second servant is also happy to be there. He professes his love to his master both in word and in accomplishing the tasks provided to him. He is even eager to accomplish a task once it is given to him. In the morning when he wakes, he awaits the approach of the master to the servants’ quarters for their daily assignments. He accomplishes the task and returns to his quarters to bide his time with other personal interests until the master comes calling for another assignment. If the master doesn’t return for a new assignment, the one completed assignment for the day is counted as success.”
After reading about these two servants, which one do you consider slothful? Which takes more effort: a constant inquiry as to the will of the master; or occupying one’s time with other pursuits while awaiting the master to approach and assign something anew? Which of the two will end up accomplishing more of his master’s work and will with the finite time allotted him?
It’s up to each of us to take the matter to the Lord, so that we can:
- Ask Him with real intent if this understanding is correct, not taking the author’s understanding at face value.
- Consider which type of servant you profess to be, which type you actually are, and what manner of servant you will commit to beIng in the future.
All of Us Are Unprofitable Servants
That said, as King Benjamin so importantly conveyed, we are all unprofitable servants. Even if we gave him all that we have and are until the end of our lives, we still would be unprofitable. All of us are slothful, self-willed, and weak. God would be justified in coming to review our efforts and “firing” each one of us, which term would take on a whole new excruciating meaning.
Fortunately for us, our Lord and Savior reaches out to us “all the day long.” Our task is to reach back.
Unfortunately for us, there is a limit to this, correlated to our refusal to cry unto Him. Let us not “procrastinate the day of our repentance” until “the spirit has ceased striving with [us].”
The day of sorting the wheat from the tares is upon us. The day of reckoning is shortly following. If we will soften our hearts toward him in the new and everlasting covenant of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we will awake to our opportunity to act in His employ and reap the reward for whom He deems worthy of it. Let’s thank God that while His standards for completion are strict, strait, and narrow, yet they are far below that which he deserves in view of the Lord’s suffering on our behalf. Let us recognize always that while our will is ours alone to give, every step, breath, heartbeat, and effort we give to follow His commands we give through His merciful, enabling strength to begin with. Let us waste and wear out our lives in obedience, refusing to take that strength of grace for granted.
Let us go now, repent, and do. Our time grows shorter by the day.
