Doctrine and Covenants 108

Doctrine and Covenants 108

Historical Context

On December 26, 1835, Joseph Smith recorded in his journal, “Bro Lyman Sherman came in and requested to have the word of the Lord through me.”1 Lyman told Joseph, “I have been wrought upon to make known to you my feelings and desires and was promised that I should have a revelation which should make known my duty.”2 Sherman was baptized into the Church in January 1832 and participated in the march of Zion’s Camp. In February 1835 he was appointed as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.3 When Lyman was called to the Seventy, he was given a blessing that stated, “Your ministry shall be great and you shall proclaim to various nations. Your faith shall be unshaken and you shall be delivered from great afflictions.”4 According to his journal, Joseph Smith was studying Hebrew with Warren Parrish and Frederick G. Williams on the day after Christmas when Lyman stopped in and asked for a revelation.5

See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 26 December 1835 [D&C 108].

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 108:1–8

1 Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.

2 Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.

3 And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings.

4 Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called of my servants, then you shall be remembered with the first of mine elders, and receive right by ordination with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen.

5 Behold, this is the promise of the Father unto you if you continue faithful.

6 And it shall be fulfilled upon you in that day that you shall have right to preach my gospel wheresoever I shall send you, from henceforth from that time.

7 Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.

8 And behold, and lo, I am with you to bless you and deliver you forever. Amen.

The Lord promised that Lyman Sherman would be present at a “solemn assembly” in which Sherman would be “remembered with the first of mine elders” (D&C 108:4). This promise was fulfilled when Lyman was invited to participate in the Kirtland endowment. On January 22, 1836, Joseph Smith wrote of “the glorious scenes that transpired . . . while attending to the ordinance of holy anointing.”6 The Prophet continues, “We met . . . with the council of the 12 and the presidency of the 70 who were to receive this ordinance; the high councils of Kirtland and Zion [Missouri] were present also: we called to order and organized; the Presidency then proceeded to consecrate the oil.”7 Thomas B. Marsh, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, was anointed and blessed first. President Marsh “then anointed and blessed his brethren from the oldest to the youngest.”8 Joseph “laid [his] hands upon them and pronounced many great and glorious [blessings] upon their heads; the heavens were opened and angels ministered unto us.”9 Afterward, “the 12 then proceeded to anoint and bless the presidency of the 70 [among them Lyman Sherman] and seal upon their heads power and authority to anoint their brethren.”10

The Lord’s promise to Sherman in verse 4 may have also been fulfilled when Sherman was sustained as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy in a solemn assembly held on March 30, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple. During this meeting the members of the leading quorums of the Church participated in the ordinance of the washing of feet and had “many prophecies and blessings” pronounced upon them “in the name of the Lord Jesus.”11

Sherman remained a faithful and fierce advocate for the Church the rest of his life. When Kirtland fell into apostasy, he defended the Prophet Joseph Smith. According to one source, when he discovered that apostates were planning on using the Church printing press to publish material designed to discredit Joseph Smith, Sherman set fire to the printing office, completely destroying it. Sherman later relocated with his family to Far West, Missouri, where he served as a member of the high council. In a letter written from Liberty Jail in January 1839, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith appointed Sherman to the Quorum of the Twelve. They intended for him to replace Orson Hyde, who fell temporarily into apostasy. Unfortunately, Sherman died on January 27, 1839—eleven days after the letter was written—before he could be ordained to the Twelve.12

Footnotes

• 1. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 89, JSP.
• 2. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 89, JSP.
• 3. Lyman Royal Sherman, biography, JSP.
• 4. Minutes and Blessings, 28 February–1 March 1835, p. 67, JSP.
• 5. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 89, JSP.
• 6. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 140, JSP.
• 7. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 140, JSP.
• 8. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 140, JSP.
• 9. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 140, JSP.
• 10. JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 140, JSP.
• 11. JS History, vol. B-1, p. 724, JSP.
• 12. See Lyndon W. Cook, “Lyman Sherman—Man of God, Would Be Apostle,” BYU Studies, vol. 19 (Fall 1978).