Introduction
List the following offices, quorums and councils of the priesthood (Omit dates and scripture references):
Aaronic Priesthood: 15 May 1829 (D&C 13) [1]
Apostles, elders, priests, teachers, and deacons: April 1830 (D&C 20:38–60) [3]
Bishop: 4 February 1831 (D&C 41:9–10) [4]
First Presidency: 1832–33 (D&C 81; 90) [6]
First Quorum of the Seventy: 1835 (D&C 107:26, 93–97) [11]
High council: 17 February 1834 (D&C 102) [8]
High priests: June 1831 (heading to D&C 52) [5]
Melchizedek Priesthood: May or June 1829 (D&C 128:20) [2]
Patriarch: 18 December 1833 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1976], 38–39) [7]
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: 1835 (D&C 107:23–24) [9]
Seventies: 1835 (D&C 107:25) [10]
Ask class members to order these items into the chronological order in which they were revealed. (Order is in brackets).
This lesson discusses the covenants and blessings associated with the Priesthood.
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
D&C 84:33–44 contains the oath and covenant of the priesthood. These verses outline (1) the covenants a man makes with the Lord when he receives the Melchizedek Priesthood and (2) the covenants the Lord makes with faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders.
Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Seventy said: “Of all the holy agreements pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ, few, if any, would transcend in importance the oath and covenant of the priesthood. It is certainly one of the most sacred agreements, for it involves the sharing of heavenly powers and man’s upward reaching toward eternal goals” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 56; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 43).
Considering Elder Asay’s remark, I realize that every other covenant God offers to man is conditioned on this covenant of the priesthood, for every other blessing comes through the priesthood.
As we discuss the oath and covenant of the priesthood, remember these words from President Joseph Fielding Smith: “[T]he blessings of the priesthood are not confined to men alone. These blessings are also poured out … upon all the faithful women of the Church. … The Lord offers to his daughters every spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons, for neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord” (Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 59; or Improvement Era, June 1970, 66).
Our promises to the Lord
Read D&C 84:33–44. What do priesthood holders promise as part of the oath and covenant of the priesthood? (Remember, these promises also apply on the part of those who seek to receive blessings through the Priesthood.)
a. Be faithful in obtaining the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood (verse 33).
b. Magnify their callings (verse 33).
c. Receive the Lord’s servants (verse 36).
d. Give diligent heed to the words of eternal life (verses 43–44).
· What does it mean to magnify a calling? (See D&C 107:99; Jacob 1:17–19.)
President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “We magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm in those responsibilities to which we are called by proper authority. … We magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter. … We magnify our calling when we walk with honesty and integrity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 63; or Ensign, May 1989, 48–49; emphasis added).
· How have you been blessed as someone has magnified their calling, or as you have magnified a calling you have held?
· What does it mean to receive the Lord’s servants? (D&C 84:36). Explain that as we accept the message and ordinances of the gospel from the Lord’s servants, we also receive the Lord.
The Lord’s promises to us
The Lord covenants to:
a. Sanctify us by the Spirit (verse 33).
b. Renew our bodies (verse 33).
c. Give us the blessings promised to Abraham and his posterity (verse 34).
d. Make us His elect, or chosen (verse 34).
e. Give us all that the Father has (verse 38).
f. Give His angels charge over us (verse 42).
The Lord promises that if we are faithful, we will become “the seed of Abraham … and the elect of God” (D&C 84:33–34). As we fulfill the responsibilities of the priesthood, we will help fulfill the promises given to Abraham that through his seed, all the earth will be blessed.
The crowning promise in the oath and covenant of the priesthood is that we can receive “all that [the] Father hath” (D&C 84:38). How can knowledge of this promise help us in times of adversity? How can it help us in times of plenty?
Principles for Using the Priesthood
D&C 121:34–46 contain words revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith towards the end of his months-long imprisonment in Liberty Jail. They discuss principles of proper use of priesthood authority, and apply not just to priesthood holders, but to all human interaction.
Things not to do
Read D&C 121:34–40 and make a list of things we should not do:
a. Set our hearts too much on the things of the world (35)
b. Seek the honors of men (35)
c. Cover our sins (37)
d. Gratify our pride or vain ambition (37)
e. Exercise control, dominion or compulsion over others unrighteously in any degree (37). Even being a little domineering is wrong.
Remember that Joseph is receiving this revelation in a dungeon where he has been unjustly confined by those who seek the honors of this world and want to gratify their pride and ambition.
What are some “things of this world” that we might be tempted to care too much about? How can we overcome this problem?
How might we exercise “unrighteous dominion”? What are the consequences of doing so? How can we overcome this tendency?
Things to do (and get better at doing!)
Read D&C 121:41–42. What can you do this week to develop these characteristics within yourself? What can you do today?
Read D&C 121:43–44.
Betimes means soon – Don’t let the problem get worse or stale before addressing it.
Sharpness means clearly or precisely, not roughly or unkindly. Imagine you’re going in for surgery. Do you want the surgeon to use a sharp scalpel, or a dull one? Why? The sharp one hurts less! Imagine you’re focusing a camera. What happens when the image in the viewfinder is in sharp focus? You can see the details better. When we reprove with sharpness, we are very clear about what is being reproved, and what is not. We’re reproving the behavior, not the person.
Read D&C 121:45–46. Imagine if all the world practiced these principles each day. What would the world be like? Since we can’t change the whole world, imagine if you personally practiced these principles at home and at work. How would your life be different? Is that difference worth working for? Will you do it?
I find it interesting that after warning against trying to use the priesthood to unrighteously exercise dominion or compulsion over others in verse 37, God promises that if we use the priesthood righteously, then “thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” in verse 46. It is perfectly protected from those who would misuse this power, and given freely to those who use it to bless and serve others.
Conclusion
While serving in the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said: “It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with Presidents of the
It is my testimony that as we seek to use the priesthood righteously, we will be able to enjoy this blessing both now and throughout eternity.
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