The Command To Write

In the very beginning—during the days of Adam—we see from the scriptures that the act of writing and recording was very important to the Lord.  As men started to call upon God we read that “a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration” (Moses 6:5).  The commandment to write important things is contained in numerous places in the scriptures and for various purposes.   Even though the Lord surely needs no books to help Him remember, there is something sacred about permanently recording the important aspects of our lives and the communications that we receive from the Spirit.  We see the command to write in some form or another given to numerous people in the scriptures, and surely there is application for us personally in those admonitions from the Lord. 

                Many of the prophets were instructed to write the revelations they were given.  As Habakkuk was given a vision from the Lord he was told, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Habakkuk 2:2).  As John received his great revelation on the island of Patmos, he was told by the Lord, “What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:11).  Nephi confirmed the importance of this command to John when he received  a similar vision and was told, “The Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them” (1 Nephi 14:25).  Nephi himself also was commanded to “bear record” about the vision he himself saw, and so he recorded much of the great revelation that he received (1 Nephi 11:7).  After the brother of Jared received his vision of all things, “The Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen” (Ether 4:1).  And in our dispensation, when Joseph and Sidney received the great revelation of D&C 76, they were commanded at least four different times to write down what they were seeing:  “And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision”; “And we heard the voice, saying: Write the vision”; “the Lord commanded us to write while we were yet in the Spirit. “This is the end of the vision which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in the Spirit” (v.28, 49, 80, 113).  Clearly the act of physically recording the revelations they received was an essential part of the prophets’ role. 

                The command to write was not just given to prophets in the scriptures, though.  There are many others in the Doctrine and Covenants who likewise were commanded to write various things.  Oliver was told, “Behold, the work which you are called to do is to write for my servant Joseph” (D&C 9:4).  John Whitmer was commanded “to continue in writing and making a history of all the important things which he shall observe and know concerning my church” (D&C 69:3).  Sidney Rigdon was told by the Lord, “And I give unto my servant Sidney Rigdon a commandment, that he shall write a description of the land of Zion, and a statement of the will of God, as it shall be made known by the Spirit unto him.”  His first attempt apparently was not satisfactory to the Lord, for he was told that “his writing is not acceptable unto the Lord” (D&C 58:50, 63:56).  And Emma Smith was told, “Thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, and thy time shall be given to writing.”  And lest we think that this was only a commandment to her, the Lord said at the end of this section, “And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all” (D&C 25:8, 16).  So her command to write is, according to this verse, valid for us today.  The need to write down the events of our lives, and especially the communication of the Lord, to us came with Adam and is still as important as ever today.