Joseph Smith meets Oliver Cowdery for the first time. He begins translating the Book of Mormon on April 7, 1829, with Oliver as his scribe. They receive a wonderful revelation. The revelation to Oliver and Joseph Smith applies as much now to us as it did to them at that time:
"Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion;
Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed." (D&C 6:6-9)
"Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." (D&C 6:20)
"Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion;
Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed." (D&C 6:6-9)
I like that. He that hath eternal life is rich. The Lord wants us to seek for wisdom and eternal life. He wants us to declare repentance. He wants us to treasure up the words of life in our hearts.
I also like verse 20:
"Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." (D&C 6:20)
That is a beautiful promise worth every effort to become worthy of: to be encircled in the arms of the love of Jesus Christ.
Oliver Cowdery had prayed and received a witness that Joseph Smith had the plates. It was something that only he and the Lord knew about.
Joseph Smith was a master asker. He was thirsty for truth. He and his friend Oliver desired to know the truth about John the Apostle in the New Testament, whether he died or continued to live. They both agreed to use the Urim and Thummim to discover the truth of the matter. This is the heading for Section 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
"Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself."
This is amazing. John the beloved made a record on parchment and hid it up. Did Joseph Smith receive this parchment somehow? or was the revelation communicated directly through the Urim and Thummim? In any case, they discovered that John the Beloved was blessed to tarry because of his righteous desire to live and bring souls unto Christ, to do a greater work. I really like this section of the Doctrine and Covenants, and it is great to understand how this revelation came about in context of the history of the Church. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery inquired. They asked.
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