(Plural Marriage) D&C 132: 52-66
Verse 52-53:
--Emma, still approved by God, is herein counselled to “receive” those that had been given (past tense) to the Prophet Joseph. She is told that those who had professed to be worthy to enter into a plural marriage with the prophet, but who had lied about their worthiness would be destroyed. It is key to note that Emma was NOT commanded here to consent to the marriages, for that must have already taken place since the Lord refers to them as those who had been given to Joseph. As we will see the Lord does not abrogate the law of first consent, but rather reaffirms it later in the revelation. Some histories suggest that Emma would on occasion consent to a plural marriage, but then soon thereafter cast aside or reject the plural wife. In this case it is much more likely that the Lord is counseling Emma to treat those wives, (whose sealings she originally approved off, consistent with law), with love, to receive them and care for them.
Verse 54.
--In this verse the Lord gives a specific commandment to Emma to stay faithful to Joseph and to not commit adultery. He then warns her that if she does not abide by that command which she had just received,(to remain faithful) she would be destroyed. That warning is perfectly consistent to the others the Lord has provided throughout the revelation when speaking of those who commit adultery. It is a stretch to assume that the “command” God is referring too, was something more than what he had just commanded her in the previous sentence. It is also inconsistent to try and twist His warning to cover the other laws taught within this section. This fact is verified by the later verse 58 wherein the Lord makes it clear that He is only then moving away from the topic of adultery and back to the Law of the Priesthood, indicating that the prior verses were not about Plural Marriage but about Emma’s fidelity to Joseph. Also, in His return to the Law of the Priesthood God will reaffirm the Law of first consent or the Law of Sarah.
Verse 55-56.
--Similar to verse 54, the Lord is still referring to the commandment to stay faithful, indicating the impact if she gives way to the sin of adultery. Consistent with the previous teachings in this section, the Lord tells her that her failure to stay faithful to Joseph will not destroy his exaltation. If she is not faithful, Joseph will be given many blessings including wives and children. Interesting to note here is that the promised blessing to Joseph, for staying faithful, even if Emma does not, were all future blessings! The Lord then shows his tenderness for her and Joseph, indicating the need for them both to practice the Christ-like virtue of forgiveness. The preceding verse indicates clearly a God who wants them to stay faithful to each other, who wants their marriage, love and tenderness enjoyed through the years to remain intact.
Verse 57.
--This verse seems out of place, and as with the test Emma had, we are not certain what the reference to property had to do with the rest of the revelations. There is some historical evidence that soon after this revelation, the Prophet Joseph deeded most of his properties over to Emma. His actions seemed to be to protect her, and to provide for her future. It could be that he knew he was to die in the months ahead, and it is clear the that Prophet would not directly and blatantly disobey the Lord’s command to preserve his property, so his actions, must have been consistent with God’s will, which meant it was done to prevent his loss of the properties to others.
One understanding of this verse could relate to that fact that in God’s kingdom to rule over, means to care for, those in our charge, and also relates to what transpired with Abraham and Hagar. Once Sarah rejected Hagar the second time and she and her son, were cast out, the heart of Abraham ached for them in a purely loving sense. I am sure he was worried for their protection, as Joseph would be worried to care for those whom Emma had given him in marriage, and then cast out. Emma’s actions could have caused Joseph to contemplate giving those cast out wives some land as a means to care for them. However, as the Lord did for Hagar, so he would do for those whom Emma had given to Joseph, and the Lord was here telling Joseph to not execute his plan or give away his properties to that end. I will speak more of this in the scenario at the end of this review.
Verse 58.
--In this verse the Lord returns to the topic of the law of the priesthood, and expounds upon it, indicating that much of the previous instruction was not necessarily related specifically to that law, and that the writing of this entire revelation (Section 132) is a compilation of several revelations on the topics of Eternal Marriage, the Promises of Abraham, and Plural marriage, which included some current events, and which were finally recorded to formally present to Emma and the Church.
Verses 59-60.
--These verses are God’s declaration of the authority of those He has called to act in accordance with his commands without having to account to others for those obedient actions. The Lord’s reaffirmation of this point indicates that Joseph must have been under pressure or criticism, or was being “set upon” by those around him. It is clear from history that he was being falsely accused of all sorts of evil.
Verse 61-62
--With these verses the Lord begins again to give direction with regard to the rules of the law of the priesthood or plural marriage. That the law pertains to a man marrying virgins is clear and consistent with verse 52 discussed earlier. Most importantly, this verse also explains the law of first consent, later referred to as the Law of Sarah, which indicates that no man can enter into a plural marriage without the consent of his first wife. Given the perfect unity in marriage that God intends for those sealed under his power, it makes perfect sense that such an event of adding another party to that perfect unity, would require the consent of both parties to that marriage. It should also be noted that what He terms “desires” in this verse must relate to the desire like those Sarah had for Abraham, since the only acceptable desire under this law, as outlined by Jacob, would be the desire to fulfill God’s commands in raising up seed.
Verse 63.
--This verse reaffirms that it is the sin of adultery that leads to destruction, and that the purpose which more than one wife would be given to a man, is to fulfill God’s command in multiplying and replenishing the earth, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds. This verse indicates that the purpose of the law of plural marriage remains the same in both the temporal and eternal worlds, the great work of “bearing the souls of men” which as Elder Holland recently taught means so much more than just giving birth. Raising up seed is not just providing physical bodies, raising up seed unto God is engaging in the work of teaching, training, guiding, blessing, lifting, assisting them to gain their exaltation. That work is at the core of God’s work and glory, which cannot be achieved without it.
Verses 64-65.
--It is clear that the Lord having just referred to the work of “Bearing the souls of men” is still speaking of that power when he mentions a man having a wife, “who holds the keys of this power”. Righteous Women have the keys of honorable , instructive, motherhood, which is in fact the power to bear the souls of men. Some try to interpret the keys here as being that of the Sealing plural marriage, but that cannot be the case because the Lord had already declared in this revelation, that as it pertains to the keys of Plural Marriage and the new and everlasting covenant only one man at a time ever has those keys. When a wife is instructed in the law of the priesthood as pertaining to these things, “meaning the duty to “bear the souls of men”, she is obligated to fulfill her calling, and in so doing to administer unto her husband in the work of providing and nurturing children. The destruction does not come because one refused to consent to another wife, as some had opined, rather the destruction comes when an otherwise healthy and able woman, purposely rejects her divine role, and thwarts God’s plan by refusing to have children or to raise them up in righteousness. In fact, verse 65 makes it clear that the husband is only exempt from the Law of Sarah, if the first wife refuses to bear the souls of men. At that point the husband is no longer bound by the Law of Sarah, which is first consent, and may marry others who are willing to participate in that essential work, administering to their husband and fulflling their role in accomplishing Gods purposes. If a woman is willing, even desirous, but unable to bear children, like Sarah was, the law of first consent still applies, as it did with Sarah and Hagar. Sarah willingly gave Hagar to Abraham for the sole purpose of fulfilling that great work. It is inconsistent with revealed truths about our Heavenly Parents to think that they would have destroyed Sarah if she had not given her consent for Hagar to marry Abraham.
Verse 66.
--Finally, this last verse brings up an important point. The law of Plural marriage was not fully revealed to Joseph, and the Lord had other instructions to give, which were withheld. That being the case it would be foolish to try and form absolute conclusions, absent revelation from God, with regard to all the law entails. One can find comfort in knowing that any apparent contradictions to revealed truth, found within this revelation, may well be resolved when the fullness is known.
NEXT: Joseph, Emma, & Plural Marriage: A Possible Scenario