Let’s look at this very carefully from a 10,000-foot overview of section 3. Because what’s happened is Joseph lost scripture, and so God is going to need to correct him. There’s going to be some discipline. He’s this 22-year-old poor farmer who has been called to be a prophet and do the work of God by setting up the Mormon church finances and church itself, and yet something went wrong. He gave in to peer pressure. But isn’t it interesting how God takes something that looks like a tragic loss and how God, with His infinite wisdom, can turn it into a glorious learning experience for not only His prophet but for all of us?
You’ll notice in section three what’s going to happen. There’s this nice pattern where God opens section three of Doctrine and Covenants with declaring hope for the work moving forward, that nothing can stop the work from progressing. But then he embeds this little rebuke to Joseph. In the middle section, he’s going to give some hope and then give another rebuke and a warning. And then he’s going to finish the section with hope and with a glorious promise.
Brothers and sisters, there’s a beautiful pattern here for dealing with children, for dealing with people if you’re in a leadership position. You sandwich any rebuke or any correction or any discipline neatly between hope and expressions of love and faith, giving courage to move forward and not give up. And that’s what we see with section three.
By Dr. Tyler Griffin, Source Expert
Dr. Tyler Griffin embarked on his professional journey by teaching seminary courses for six years in Brigham City, Utah. Following this, he dedicated the subsequent seven years to instructing at the Logan LDS Institute, located adjacent to Utah State University. Alongside his participation in the Seminary Preservice program, he took charge and supervised the implementation of the online seminary program. With over a decade of experience as an educator at BYU, Dr. Griffin, holding a co-founder position within the BYU Virtual Scriptures Group, earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, while his master’s and doctorate degrees center around Instructional Technology. Notably, he is the sole author of “When Heaven Appears Distant,” co-author of “Come Unto Me: Illuminating the Savior’s Life, Mission, Parables, and Miracles,” and co-editor of “Millions Shall Rediscover Brother Joseph.”
Fact Checked by Mr. Kevin Prince, Source Expert
Kevin Prince serves as a religious scholar and is the host of the Gospel Learning YouTube Channel. The channel boasts a subscriber base exceeding 41,000 and has accumulated over 4.5 million views. Additionally, Mr. Prince is the innovator behind the Gospel Learning App, a reliable resource providing convenient access to credible answers from esteemed educators worldwide for truth-seeking individuals.
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