Doctrine and Covenants 76

(November 4, 2015)

                This Section is, frankly, shockingly different from just about everything in the Doctrine and Covenants before this point.  As part of my reading, I am careful to delineate who is speaking at any given time (to the best I am able to do so).  Aside from a few moments of angelic ministration, or a few prophetic asides, the bulk of the book to this point has been the words of the Savior.

                And yet, in this chapter, there is a dramatic shift in speaking.  No longer are we hearing from the Savior (with some exceptions in the text), but rather we are privileged to read from Joseph’s own words what he was able to see in his vision.  There is something fairly momentous that happens here – a change in the way that Joseph fulfills his Divine calling.  Before this point, he was being directed fairly closely.  After this point, however, he has seen things that allow him to engage in his calling with more autonomy than before.