Doctrine and Covenants 60 to 62 – “All Flesh Is in Mine Hand”

May 31, 2021 to June 6, 2021

In sections 60 to 62, the group of leaders and elders who traveled to Missouri received more instruction from the Lord: to preach more diligently, to beware of danger on the river, and the promise that the faithful would yet be together in Missouri.

“Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley,” Matthew McBride, Revelations in Context

These two men were among the missionaries who traveled from Kirtland to Missouri. Ezra Booth was disillusioned after going to Missouri and subsequently worked against the Church, but Isaac Morley continued to sacrifice with faith for the rest of his life.

“Section 61,” Steven C. Harper, Doctrine and Covenants Contexts, Doctrine and Covenants Central

“In section 61, the omnipotent Lord commands the elders gathered on the banks of the Missouri River to hear and obey him. He forgives their sins. He mercifully forgives the sins of all who humbly confess them. He says they don’t all need to travel quickly down the river while settlers on either side need to be taught the gospel. The Lord explains that he let the elders experience the river’s terrors so they could testify of the danger to others. The Lord has angrily decreed that water will be a destructive element, especially the Missouri River. But he holds mankind in his hands and will preserve the faithful among this group of elders from drowning.”

Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth, “After Much Tribulation” and “The Gift Has Returned”

These chapters discuss events around sections 61 and 62: the dangerous water as they traveled, and conditions as they returned to Kirtland, feeling discouraged.