Lesson 73: Doctrine and Covenants 58–59

Doctrine and Covenants 59

The Lord’s Day

In 1831 the Lord called some Saints to move to Jackson County, Missouri, to establish Zion. While the Prophet Joseph Smith was with these Saints, he received instructions from the Lord about keeping the Sabbath day holy. This lesson can help students honor the Lord by choosing to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Possible Learning Activities

Decisions about the Sabbath day

Help students think about some of the blessings and challenges of obeying the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. You might use the following experience shared in general conference. Thinking about someone else’s situation can help prepare students to consider their own thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Elder Larry Y. Wilson of the Seventy shared the following experience:

Our daughter Mary was a standout soccer player growing up. One year her team made it to the championships and, wouldn’t you know it, that game was to be played on a Sunday. As a young teen, Mary had had years of teaching that the Sabbath was a day of rest and spiritual regeneration, not recreation. But she still felt pressure from her coaches and teammates to play, as well as a desire not to let her team down. (Larry Y. Wilson, “Only upon the Principles of Righteousness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 104–5)

• Why might some people view this as an important decision in Mary’s life while others might not?

• If you were Mary, what do you think would be important to consider before making this decision?

Think for a moment about decisions you make about the Sabbath day. What do you typically do to guide your choices? As you study today, seek inspiration from the Holy Ghost to help you know why to keep the Sabbath holy and how you might do that.

The Lord’s commandments and blessings

The following paragraph can provide context for Doctrine and Covenants 59.

Although her health was failing at age 55, Polly Knight left her home in Colesville, New York, determined to obey the Lord and come to Zion. Polly made it to Zion (Jackson County, Missouri) and died a few days later. On the day of her funeral, a Sunday, the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 59. In this revelation, the Lord taught truths that could comfort Polly’s family (see verses 1–2). He also spoke of His commandments, with an emphasis on the Sabbath. The Lord promised great blessings to those who keep the Sabbath day holy.

Consider making two columns on the board with the titles Instructions and Blessings. Invite students to study the following verses in small groups and to list in the columns on the board what they find. They could also create similar lists in their study journals.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–20, and make two lists, one of instructions the Lord gives for our actions and attitudes on the Sabbath and another of blessings He offers us.

Invite students to share what they learned. Also, give them an opportunity to ask questions they might have, and discuss students’ questions together. It might be helpful for students to look up definitions of difficult words as needed. Students might discuss and discover what it means to “pay thy devotions unto the Most High” (verse 10) and “offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High” (verse 12). You may help guide the student discussion with questions such as the following:

• What truths can we identify from these verses about the purpose of the Sabbath?

  Invite students to share any truths they discovered. You could ask students to discuss why they think the truths they identified are important. Along with other truths that students share, help class members identify and discuss that the Sabbath is a day for us to show our devotion to God (see verse 10).

• How can having a day to focus on your love and devotion to God help you in your life?

Honoring the Lord on the Sabbath

The following activity can help students understand how they can honor the Lord through their choices on the Sabbath day. You may want to write the temple recommend question below on the board.

During temple recommend interviews, you will be asked:

“Do you strive to keep the Sabbath day holy, both at home and at church; attend your meetings; prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament; and live your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?”

To help you think about how you can obey the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy, write down ideas in your study journal about how you can honor the Lord by keeping the Sabbath day holy.

The following resources can help students identify more ways to keep the Sabbath holy at home and at church. Consider displaying them and giving students time to study and add to their list of ideas.

Read the following scriptures to discover what Jesus Christ did on the Sabbath:

• Matthew 12:9–13

• Luke 4:16

Study some of the following resources for additional ideas on keeping the Sabbath day holy:

• “Love God, love your neighbor” in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices ([2022], 10–14)

• Topics and Questions, “Sabbath Day” and “Sacrament,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org

  You might also consider showing “Upon My Holy Day—Honoring the Sabbath” (1:30) to find additional counsel from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

  The following articles from ChurchofJesusChrist.org could also be helpful resources to share: “Goal: Honor and Enjoy the Sabbath Day” and “Prepare for the Sacrament All Week Long.”

  After students have had sufficient time to study, consider inviting them to share what they learned. You could have them write some of their findings on the board. Consider also asking the following questions to help students share their own experiences.

• What has helped you show devotion to God on the Sabbath? What difference have these behaviors made for you?

Students might be interested to learn more from Mary’s experience introduced at the beginning of the lesson. You could give students the rest of the story by showing the video “Only upon the Principles of Righteousness” from time code 5:24 to 6:26, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Make a plan

Consider displaying the following invitation. You could invite a few willing students to share their plans after they have finished making them.

Make a plan in your study journal about how you will strive to honor the Savior on the Sabbath day. You could identify ideas of what you will start doing, continue doing, or stop doing, either at home or at church.

Additional Resources

Why do Christians observe the Sabbath on Sunday?

“In Old Testament times, God’s covenant people observed the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week because God rested on the seventh day when He had created the earth (see Genesis 2:2). After the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the first day of the week (see Mark 16:2), the Lord’s disciples began observing the Sabbath on the first day of the week, Sunday (see Acts 20:7)” (Topics and Questions, “Sabbath Day,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

How can honoring the Sabbath help me express my devotion to God?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

On the Sabbath we worship the Father in the name of the Son by participating in ordinances and learning about, receiving, remembering, and renewing covenants. On His holy day, our thoughts, actions, and demeanor are signs we give to God and an indicator of our love for Him. (David A. Bednar, “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 92)

What does the Savior want us to understand about the Sabbath?

President Russell M. Nelson explained:

I believe [Jesus Christ wants] us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)

How can the Sabbath be a day of rest?

President Russell M. Nelson shared an experience and taught:

I first found delight in the Sabbath many years ago when, as a busy surgeon, I knew that the Sabbath became a day for personal healing. By the end of each week, my hands were sore from repeatedly scrubbing them with soap, water, and a bristle brush. I also needed a breather from the burden of a demanding profession. Sunday provided much-needed relief. …

In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest.” The purpose of the Sabbath dates back to the Creation of the world, when after six days of labor the Lord rested from the work of creation. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)

What could it mean to cheerfully keep the Sabbath but “not with much laughter”? (Doctrine and Covenants 59:15)

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life. (Richard G. Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 46)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Learning to keep the Sabbath day holy

If you introduced Mary and her decision whether to play soccer on Sunday, at the end of the lesson consider asking students to imagine giving Mary advice. Students could share what they have learned about the Sabbath day and how that might influence their choices. They could role-play or discuss what they learned in small groups.

“With an eye single to my glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:1)

This activity can help students ponder what it means to have an eye single to God’s glory.

Display a picture of the Savior. Invite students to make a loose fist with one hand, close one eye, and look at the picture through the small opening created by their hand. Ask students to describe what they see. Then invite students to open the other eye and name all the things they can now see that could distract them from focusing on the Savior.

Invite students to explain how this activity can relate to spiritually having an eye single to the glory of God. Invite students to share ways they can eliminate distractions that could pull their focus away from the Savior, especially on His holy day.

“Thou shalt not … do anything like unto it” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:6)

After commanding the Saints to not steal, commit adultery, or kill, the Lord added “nor do anything like unto it” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:6). Help students consider the meaning of this phrase and the impact it has on our choices. You might ask students to discuss what it means to steal. Then ask them to think of actions that might not be stealing but are “like unto it.” You could do the same for committing adultery and killing. Help students discover the protection God offers us by giving us these commandments.

Thank God and confess His hand “in all things” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:7, 21)

Consider reading Doctrine and Covenants 59:7, 21 as a class, looking for the Lord’s commandment. Invite students to consider how we can be impacted by always acknowledging God’s guidance and blessings in our lives. Give students time to ponder God’s blessings in their lives, and encourage them to choose specific ways they could show their gratitude to God.