Dispose of the Land

Doctrine and Covenants 63 was the first revelation received by the Prophet after he returned to Kirtland from Missouri. It was given in August 1831 while Joseph was still staying on the Isaac Morley farm, which was an 80-acre farm one mile from the Newel K. Whitney store. The revelation contains these instructions: “Wherefore, let my disciples in Kirtland arrange their temporal concerns, who dwell upon this farm. Let my servant Titus Billings, who has the care thereof, dispose of the land, that he may be prepared in the coming spring to take his journey up unto the land of Zion, with those that dwell upon the face thereof, excepting those whom I shall reserve unto myself, that shall not go until I shall command them” (v38-39). Titus Billings was married to Diantha Morley who was Isaac’s sister, and so this revelation instructed him to sell his brother-in-law’s farm. Isaac Morley had gone to Missouri and was not yet home. Dr. Scott Esplin in recent podcast commented on the situation: “The Lord gave a command that Titus Billings should sell Isaac Morley's farm…. Isaac Morley's now home and you can imagine what his question is. What do you mean my farm was sold?” In a revelation twelve days after section 63 was given, the Lord explained one reason why the farm was sold: “And again, I say unto you, that my servant Isaac Morley may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear, and counsel wrongfully to your hurt, I gave commandment that his farm should be sold” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:20). Dr. Esplin continued, “It's an interesting phrase that he may not be tempted above that which he's able to bear. It's almost as if I knew this would be hard for you, Isaac, almost more than you could bear, so I did it before you got home. I saved your soul…. Isaac is my third great-grandfather, I'm eternally grateful he didn't up and leave the church here. He stayed with it, stayed in the kingdom. If you want to be part of Zion, God's going to require the heart.”  This experience highlights the words of the Savior in the same revelation: “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:34).

When I was on my mission my parents sold my car, and since it was the only car I had owned to that point, I was somewhat disappointed. But it did have about 320,000 miles on it, and since they got me a newer car in its place, it wasn’t really a big deal. But I can’t imagine how Isaac Morley felt to find out that his farm he had owned for nearly 20 years had been sold, and he did not get a replacement. Instead, he was commanded to go to Missouri where he certainly did not have an 80-acre farm waiting for him. Dr. Esplin highlighted this verse in connection with Isaac Morley’s story from the same revelation: “But behold, it is not said at any time that the Lord should not take when he please, and pay as seemeth him good” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:28). That is certainly a sobering scripture to consider, and it reminds me of the words of Job when he was in the middle of losing almost everything he had: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). All things really belong to the Lord, and so He may choose to take them away as He pleases. These words of the Lord through Isaiah highlight the attitude we should have: “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). All things are the Lord’s, and we need to have a poor and contrite spirit just as Isaac Morley did, willing to give up what He requires of us. To his credit, Isaac stayed faithful all his life, sacrificing his place of residence again and again as he moved with the Saints and ultimately settled in Manti, Utah.