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Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
Scripture Central Media
Watch videos from Gospel scholars and teachers to learn more about these Book of Mormon passages.
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Commentary
Doctrine and Covenants Contexts is a commentary series featuring insights from scholar Steven C. Harper. Restoration Voices is a series by Susan Easton Black.
Reading Plan
Structure your personal scripture study by following a 15-minute, day-by-day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come, Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. For the best experience, use our Reading Plan in the free ScripturePlus app! You can track your progress and have access to the best resources.
Monday
- Commentary: Section 23 Context
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 23:1-7
- Commentary: Five Separate Revelations
- Commentary: Commentary on D&C 23:1–2
- Commentary: Biography of Samuel Harrison Smith
- Additional Study
Tuesday
- Commentary: Section 24 Context
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 24:1-9
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 24:1–9.
- Commentary: Importance of Records
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Additional Study
- Commentary: D&C 24 Historical Context
Wednesday
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 24:10-19
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 24:10–14
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Quote: “Oliver, with Joseph Smith, received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist, and subsequently the Melchizedek Priesthood under the hands of Peter, James, and John. He magnified that priesthood as a witness to the Book of Mormon, as a Counselor to the Prophet, as one to select the Twelve Apostles and to instruct them, as a missionary in moving the Church across the frontiers of the western territories, and as a teacher and speaker whose voice rang with great and persuasive power. But he turned and began to look through the wrong end of the lens. He found fault. He complained. His calling shrank, he diminished his priesthood, he distanced himself from those in authority in the Church. Gone was the voice of persuasion, gone was the power of the priesthood of God which he once held and magnified. For eleven years, he walked almost alone, without friends. He walked in poverty and in sickness. ... His is one of the most touching, pathetic stories in the history of this great work. So long as he magnified his calling, he was magnified. When he diminished that calling, he shrank to oblivion and poverty. He came back, but he never regained his previous stature. He never regained the incomparable promise given him by the Lord that, conditioned upon his faithfulness, he should have glory and be given ‘strength such as is not known among men.’”
- Gordon B. Hinckley, “Magnify Your Calling,” April 1989 General Conference - Commentary: Commentary on D&C 24:15–19
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Quote: “Administration to the sick should be done at the request of the sick persons or someone close to them who is concerned about them, that it might be done through their faith. The Lord said, ‘And these things ye shall not do, except it be required of you by them who desire it, that the scriptures might be fulfilled; for ye shall do according to that which is written.’ Both the one receiving the blessing and the one giving it should be in tune with the Spirit through their worthy lives, and then the Lord has promised, ‘Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.’ After one has demonstrated his worthiness through good works and manifested his faith through prayer or proper administration to the sick, it must be left in the hands of the Lord those who will be healed and those who will not. We may not always understand why someone is healed and why another for whom we have also exercised great faith is not.”
- James B. Cullimore, “Gifts of the Spirit,” October 1974 General Conference -
Quote: “In that first year of the organization of the Church, when the Prophet Joseph Smith was repeatedly arrested and tried on false charges by those who sought to injure him, the Lord said to him through revelation, ‘Whosoever shall go to law with thee shall be cursed by the law.’ I have seen that in our time among some of those who have vindictively pursued their nurtured grudges. Even among some of those who win their contests there appears to be little peace of mind, and while they may have gained dollars, they have lost something more precious.”
- Gordon B. Hinckley, “Of You It Is Required to Forgive,” October 1980 General Conference
Thursday
- Commentary: Section 25 Context
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 25:1-6
- Commentary: Commentary on D&C 25:2–3
- Commentary: Biography of Emma Hale Smith
Friday
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 25:7-12
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 25:7–11
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 25:12
- KnoWhy: How Did Emma Smith Help Bring Forth the Book of Mormon?
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Quote: “When we listen to this choir, we listen to music, and music is truth. Good music is gracious praise of the Lord. It is delightsome to the ear, and it is one of our most acceptable methods of worshiping. And those who sing in the choir and in all the choirs of the Saints should sing with the Spirit and with understanding. They should not sing merely because it is a profession, or because they have a good voice; but they should sing also because they have the spirit of it, and can enter into the spirit of prayer and praise the Lord who gave them their sweet voices. My soul is always lifted up, and my spirit cheered and comforted, when I hear good music. I rejoice in it very much indeed.”
- Joseph Fielding Smith, “The Purpose of Man's Mortal Existence,” October 1969 General Conference
Saturday
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 25:13-16
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 25:13–16
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Quote: “The Bible Dictionary tells us that a covenant is a contract made between God and man. ‘God in his good pleasure fixes the terms, which man accepts. … The gospel is so arranged that principles and ordinances are received by covenant placing the recipient under strong obligation and responsibility to honor the commitment.’ In the phrase ‘cleave unto covenants,’ the word cleave means ‘to adhere firmly and closely’ to something. In the scriptures we learn of men and women who have made covenants with God. God has given instructions on what to do to honor those covenants, and then as those covenants have been kept, the promised blessings have followed. ... For example, through the ordinance of baptism, we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father... We make a commitment to keep the commandments of God and remember the Savior always. We covenant to ‘bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light.’ We indicate that we are willing to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who need comfort. In holy temples other sacred ordinances are received and other covenants are made. ... ‘One of the Lord’s purposes in organizing the Relief Society was to prepare His daughters for the greater blessings of the priesthood found in the ordinances and covenants of the temple. The … sisters in Nauvoo anticipated the completion of the temple with great excitement, for they knew, as the Prophet Joseph Smith promised Mercy Fielding Thompson, that the endowment would bring them “out of darkness into marvelous light.”’ Our covenants sustain us whether in good times or in difficult times. President Boyd K. Packer reminds us that ‘we are a covenant people. We covenant to give of our resources in time and money and talent—all we are and all we possess—to the interest of the kingdom of God upon the earth. In simple terms, we covenant to do good. We are a covenant people, and the temple is the center of our covenants. It is the source of the covenant.’ The scriptures remind us, ‘And this shall be our covenant—that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord.’ Great are the blessings we receive as we cleave unto our covenants.”
- Barbara Thompson, "Cleave unto the Covenants," October 2011 General Conference - Quote: “[T]he Lord said: ‘Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.’ I believe he is saying to each of us, be happy. The gospel is a thing of joy. It provides us with a reason for gladness. Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people, including many women, who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”
- KnoWhy: How Have LDS Women Shared the Book of Mormon?
Sunday
- Commentary: Section 26 Context
- Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 26:1-2
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 26:1–2
- Commentary: Doctrine and Covenants 26:1
Bibliography
Doctrine and Covenants 23
Steven C. Harper, “Section 23,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 46–47.
Kay Darowski, “Joseph Smith’s Support at Home,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Doctrine and Covenants 24
Steven C. Harper, “Section 24,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 48–49.
Matthew J. Grow, “'Thou Art An Elect Lady',” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
“Come Life or Come Death,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:96–99.
Doctrine and Covenants 25
Steven C. Harper, “Section 25,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 50–53.
Matthew J. Grow, “'Thou Art An Elect Lady',” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
“Come Life or Come Death,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:96–99.
“Do Not Cast Me Off,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:221–223.
“We Will Prove Them,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:448–452.
Carol Cornwall Madsen, “The ‘Elect Lady’ Revelation (D&C 25): Its Historical and Doctrinal Context,” in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Craig K. Manscill (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 117–133.
Mary D. Poulter, “Doctrines of Faith and Hope Found in Emma Smith’s 1835 Hymnbook,” BYU Studies 37, No. 2 (1997–1998): 32–56.
Michael Hicks, “Emma Smith’s 1841 Hymnbook,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 12–27.
Book of Mormon Central, “How Did Emma Smith Help Bring Forth the Book of Mormon? (2 Nephi 27:6),” KnoWhy 386 (November 30, 2017).
D&C 25:1
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did King Benjamin Say That His People Would be Sons and Daughters at God’s Right Hand? (Mosiah 5:7),” KnoWhy 307 (May 1, 2017).
D&C 25:3
Sharon Anderson, “Emma's Table,” in Praising the Prophet: Joseph Smith and the Restoration in History and Verse (Orem, UT: Time-Lines Etc., 2005), 47–49.
D&C 25:7
Book of Mormon Central, “How Have LDS Women Shared the Book of Mormon? (Alma 32:23),” KnoWhy 433 (May 15, 2018).
D&C 25:11–12
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Was Singing Hymns a Part of Nephite Worship Services? (Moroni 6:9),” KnoWhy 251 (December 13, 2016).
Doctrine and Covenants 26
Steven C. Harper, “Section 26,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 54–55.
Matthew J. Grow, “'Thou Art An Elect Lady',” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Joseph F. Darowski, “The Journey of the Colesville Branch,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Matthew O. Richardson, “The Law of Common Consent (D&C 26),” in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Craig K. Manscill (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 134–141.
D&C 26:1
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Should People Study the Same Scriptures Over and Over Again? (Moroni 7:6),“ KnoWhy 252 (December 14, 2016).
Voices of the Restoration: Emma Hale Smith
Book of Mormon Central, “How Did Emma Smith Help Bring Forth the Book of Mormon? (2 Nephi 27:6),” KnoWhy 386 (November 30, 2017).
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