Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Doctrine and Covenants Lessons
- The Restoration Proclamation
- Doctrine and Covenants 1
- Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65
- Doctrine and Covenants 3–5
- Doctrine and Covenants 6–9
- Doctrine and Covenants 10–11
- Doctrine and Covenants 12–17; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 18
- Doctrine and Covenants 19
- Doctrine and Covenants 20–22
- Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 27–28
- Doctrine and Covenants 29
- Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
- Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
- Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
- Doctrine and Covenants 45
- Doctrine and Covenants 46–48
- Doctrine and Covenants 49–50
- Doctrine and Covenants 51–57
- Doctrine and Covenants 58–59
- Doctrine and Covenants 60–63
- Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
- Doctrine and Covenants 67–70
- Doctrine and Covenants 71–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 76
- Doctrine and Covenants 77–80
- Doctrine and Covenants 81–83
- Doctrine and Covenants 84
- Doctrine and Covenants 85–87
- Doctrine and Covenants 88
- Doctrine and Covenants 89–92
- Doctrine and Covenants 93
- Doctrine and Covenants 94–97
- Doctrine and Covenants 98–101
- Doctrine and Covenants 102–105
- Doctrine and Covenants 106–108
- Doctrine and Covenants 109–110
- Doctrine and Covenants 111–114
- Doctrine and Covenants 115–120
- Doctrine and Covenants 121–123
- Doctrine and Covenants 124
- Doctrine and Covenants 125–128
- Doctrine and Covenants 129–132
- Doctrine and Covenants 133–134
- Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
- Doctrine and Covenants 137–138
- The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- The Living Christ
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Succeeding in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Lesson 116—Doctrine and Covenants 103: Organizing the Camp of Israel

“Lesson 116—Doctrine and Covenants 103: Organizing the Camp of Israel,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“Doctrine and Covenants 103,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 116: Doctrine and Covenants 102–105

Doctrine and Covenants 103

Organizing the Camp of Israel

On February 24, 1834, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation from the Lord commanding him to organize a group of volunteers to assist the suffering Saints in Missouri. The Lord required great faith of those who responded to the call to join the group, which became known as the Camp of Israel. This lesson can help students obey commandments the Lord has given them.

Possible Learning Activities

This is the first of three lessons about the experiences of the Camp of Israel, taught in the Doctrine and Covenants 102–105 week. If you are unable to teach the three lessons separately because you do not have enough available class time, consider how you might combine ideas from these lessons.

Obstacles to eternal life

Consider drawing a stick figure of a person on one side of the board. Write the words eternal life on the other side of the board, and draw some form of barrier in between. Then share the following statement by President Wilford Woodruff.

President Wilford Woodruff (1807–98) stated:

I am after salvation and eternal life, and I do not want anything to stand between me and that which I am in pursuit of. (Wilford Woodruff, in Journal of Discourses, 17:246)

What are some obstacles or barriers that people might allow to get in the way of their pursuit of eternal life?

Point out that Wilford Woodruff’s statement was in response to a difficult commandment he had received from the Lord. Before discussing that commandment, consider inviting students to silently think about their answer to the following question.
On a scale of one (not willing) to ten (very willing), how willing are you to obey the Lord when His commandments seem difficult?

Think about reasons why you responded the way you did. As you study today, pay attention to teachings and spiritual promptings from Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost that can help you follow the Savior, even when a commandment seems difficult.

The Lord calls individuals to redeem Zion

It may be helpful to invite students to share what they remember about the circumstances the Saints in Missouri faced in late 1833. If needed, remind them that the Saints had been persecuted and driven from their homes.

The Prophet Joseph Smith prayed to Heavenly Father to know His will regarding the situation. The revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 103 was received on the day Joseph Smith and other Church leaders counseled together about how to help the Saints in Missouri.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 103:15–18, 22, 27–28, looking for what Jesus Christ commanded the Saints to do.

How would you summarize the Lord’s instructions in these verses?

The Lord commanded individuals to organize in companies of tens, twenties, fifties, and hundreds. He called for five hundred but required no less than one hundred men to participate (see Doctrine and Covenants 103:29–34). In total, a little over two hundred men ended up participating in the group known as the Camp of Israel, later referred to as Zion’s Camp.

What thoughts or feelings do you think you might have had if you were called to join the Camp of Israel? Why?

Consider inviting students to read the following verses with a partner and to discuss the question below.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 103:20, 36, looking for what the Lord promised those who would participate in the Camp of Israel.

What did you find in these verses that may have been comforting to members of the Camp of Israel?

Explain that in the statement from the beginning of the lesson, Wilford Woodruff was speaking of his call to join the Camp of Israel. Consider showing students the following expanded version of the statement.

Wilford Woodruff described his decision to join the Camp of Israel:

I was called to take my life in my hands and go up to Missouri, and a little handful of us went up to redeem our brethren. We certainly had to go by faith. My neighbors called upon and pled with me not to go; said they—“Do not go, if you do you will lose your life.” I said to them—“If I knew that I should have a ball [shot] through my heart the first step I took in the State of Missouri I would go.” … That is the way I felt in those days with regard to the work of God, and that is the way I feel today. I am after salvation and eternal life, and I do not want anything to stand between me and that which I am in pursuit of. (Wilford Woodruff, in Journal of Discourses, 17:246; spelling modernized)

What stood out to you from this statement?
What did you learn from this statement that can help you when you face commandments that are difficult to obey?

As students share what they learned, they might identify a truth like the following: When we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, we can feel an increased willingness and ability to obey His commandments.

Faith to obey the Lord’s commandments

Consider displaying the following questions on the board. Before discussing them as a class, students could first discuss them with a partner or a small group. You might also consider having students write on the board their answers to the first question.

What are some examples of the Lord’s commandments that can be difficult for teenagers to obey today?
Why can it be difficult to obey these commandments?

The following study activity can help students learn more about exercising faith in Jesus Christ to obey His commandments. Consider displaying the following study options and giving students time to study. You might divide the class into three groups, assigning each group one of the following options. Alternatively, you could allow students to choose an option to study in small groups.

Imagine you have a friend who is facing a commandment that is difficult to obey. Choose one of the following study options, and look for teachings and truths you would want to share with your friend.

Option 1: Accounts from the scriptures

Moses 6:26–34 (Enoch)
Luke 1:26–38 (Mary, the mother of Jesus)
1 Nephi 3:1–8 (Nephi)

Option 2: Accounts about Jesus Christ

Option 3: Teachings in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices (booklet, 2022)

After students have had time to complete the study activity, give them opportunities to share what they discovered. You could ask questions like the following:

What did you learn from the resources you studied that can help us obey commandments that are difficult to keep?
How has the Lord blessed you as you have exercised faith in Him when His commandments have felt difficult to obey?

Make a plan

Give students time to seek guidance from Heavenly Father as they think about applying what they have learned to their own lives. Consider displaying the following prompts and inviting students to record their responses to them in their study journals or digital notes.

Think of a commandment that may be difficult for you to obey.
Identify what makes this commandment difficult.
Identify something you have learned today that can help you better obey this commandment.
Make a plan that will help you exercise faith in Jesus Christ to obey this commandment.

Additional Resources

Doctrine and Covenants 103:12. How can tribulations bring blessings?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:

You might reasonably wonder why a loving and all-powerful God allows our mortal test to be so hard. It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence in families forever. …

The greatest blessing that will come when we prove ourselves faithful to our covenants during our trials will be a change in our natures. By our choosing to keep our covenants, the power of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement can work in us. Our hearts can be softened to love, to forgive, and to invite others to come unto the Savior. Our confidence in the Lord increases. Our fears decrease. (Henry B. Eyring, “Tested, Proved, and Polished,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 97–98)

Doctrine and Covenants 103:20. How often does God use angels to help us?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children. …

Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Ministry of Angels,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 29)

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Obedience to the commandments of God will provide physical and spiritual protection. And remember, God’s holy angels are ever on call to help us. The Lord so declared: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” [Doctrine and Covenants 84:88]. What a promise! When we are faithful, He and His angels will help us. (Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 35)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Obedience brings blessings

Consider showing the video “Obedience Brings Blessings” (3:26). You could invite students to pay attention to blessings President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) mentioned that are available to those who obey the Lord’s commandments.

After the video, consider asking students to discuss how choosing to exercise faith in Christ to obey difficult commandments can help us develop attributes like Heavenly Father’s and Jesus Christ’s.

2:3

Obedience Brings Blessings

Volunteers needed

Consider displaying a sign that reads “Volunteers Needed.” Invite students to imagine they were living in Kirtland, Ohio, in February 1834 and were invited to a special gathering to discuss the struggles in Missouri. Then show the video “Zion’s Camp” from time code 0:00 to 1:34.

21:29

Zion's Camp

After students watch the video, ask the following:

Why do you think the Lord asks for volunteers to accomplish His work?
What are some ways He blesses us for volunteering our time, talents, energy, and means to serve His children and build His kingdom?

Giving our lives to the Lord

To help the students better understand how the Lord’s teachings in Doctrine and Covenants 103:27 could apply to their lives, consider sharing this statement by President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency:

For most of us … what is required is not to die for the Church but to live for it. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult than laying down one’s life. (James E. Faust, “Discipleship,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 22)

You might ask students what it looks like to live for Jesus Christ and His gospel. As part of your discussion, consider the following questions from President Russell M. Nelson:

Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other? Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over every other ambition? Are you willing to have your will swallowed up in His? (Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 94)