Doctrine & Covenants 70— Study Guide

Summary

• The stewards are not to retain excess profits; anything beyond their needs is to go to the Lord’s storehouse, to be redistributed according to consecration principles.

• The law of stewardship applies to every member of the Church, including bishops and agents.

• Those laboring in spiritual service are explicitly declared to be worthy of temporal support.

• The manifestations of the Spirit are linked with an abundance of blessing, not in material gain but in divine grace.

Language & Cultural Insights

Consecrated

• Hebrew: קָדַשׁ (qādash) — to sanctify, set apart as holy; used in priestly language for holy offerings (see Exodus 28:41).

• Greek: ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) — to consecrate, dedicate to God. The term implies that these temporal benefits are set apart for sacred communal use.

Laws of the Kingdom

• Hebrew (Torah context): תּוֹרָה (tôrāh) — instruction, divine teaching, not just legal code.

• Greek: νόμος (nomos) — law or divine rule.

• In this context, “laws of the kingdom” refers to covenantal principles governing inheritance, consecration, and spiritual heirship (see Romans 8:17).

Stewardship

• Hebrew root: פָּקַד (pāqad) — to appoint, assign responsibility, oversee (used in Levitical tabernacle duties).

• Greek: οἰκονομία (oikonomia) — management of a household or trust; literally “house-law.” This denotes divine delegation of responsibility.

Worthy of His Hire

• Hebrew: שָׂכָר (sākhār) — wages, recompense, often in just or covenantal terms (see Leviticus 19:13).

• Greek: μισθός (misthós) — payment, reward; used metaphorically in New Testament teachings on both earthly and heavenly recompense (see Luke 10:7).

Abundance is Multiplied Unto Them Through the Manifestations of the Spirit

• “Abundance” – Hebrew: שֶׁפַע (shefa‘), meaning flow, plenty, or outpouring (see prophetic uses in Isaiah 66:12).

• “Manifestation” – Greek: φανέρωσις (phanerōsis) — a revealing or disclosure of divine presence (used in 1 Corinthians 12:7).

• The phrase implies that spiritual labor results in divine outpouring, and this blessing can be “multiplied” beyond natural measure (cf. Malachi 3:10).

Reflection Questions

• Are my daily labors—spiritual or temporal—offered in a spirit of consecration?

• In what ways can I magnify my stewardship without seeking personal gain?

• Do I recognize and record the “manifestations of the Spirit” that multiply in response to spiritual service?

Cross-References & Conference Connections

• D&C 42:30–34: Law of consecration and stewardship

• Mosiah 18:27–29: Distribution according to need

• 1 Timothy 5:18: “The laborer is worthy of his reward.”

• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Laborers in the Vineyard,” April 2012 General Conference

• Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Heart and a Willing Mind,” October 2015: on devoted discipleship and reward.

Reference Notes

• This passage emphasizes a sacred economic model rooted in covenantal obedience, not capitalist accumulation.

• The idea that spiritual manifestations are the true “abundance” reveals the Lord’s alternative economy—one of grace, revelation, and interdependence.

• Verse 13 culminates the logic of the section: blessing is not transactional but exponential when Spirit and stewardship align.

Summary

The Lord addresses not just the named leaders but all members of the Church, including those “afar off”—a prophetic allusion to the worldwide reach of the gospel. He commands six men to act as stewards over the revelations: Joseph Smith, Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, Sidney Rigdon, and William W. Phelps. Their assignment is both spiritual and administrative, overseeing the publication of the revelations.

Linguistic & Cultural Insights

• Hearken (שָׁמַע – shamaʿ) implies not just hearing, but obedient, covenantal listening—a foundational theme throughout scripture, seen in Deuteronomy 6:4–5.

  
  

• Afar off evokes Acts 2:39, referring to future generations and distant peoples called by God.

  
  

• Commandment emphasizes divine law. In Exodus 24:12, God tells Moses He will give him “commandments which I have written.”

  
  

• Steward (Greek: οἰκονόμος – oikonomos) means household manager or trustee, used in Luke 12:42–44 to describe one entrusted with sacred duties. This role was echoed in early Church law, especially in D&C 104:11–15, where stewards are responsible for consecrated resources.

  
  

• The list of named individuals mirrors those most directly involved in the preparation of the Book of Commandments, a precursor to the Doctrine and Covenants. Each played a role in revelation, printing, transcription, and dissemination of sacred texts.

Reflection Questions

• What does it mean today to “hearken” to the word of the Lord? How can we embody shamaʿ—faithful, covenantal obedience?

• In what ways are we modern stewards over divine truth? Are there records, testimonies, or duties we’ve been entrusted with?

• How might this principle of collective stewardship invite more collaborative ministry within the Church?

  
  

Additional Cross-References & Study Links

• D&C 42:29–31 — Law of Consecration: stewardship and accountability

• D&C 58:26–28 — Every man an agent/steward unto himself

• Mosiah 2:34 — Accountability for sacred knowledge

• Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations — Historical background for the publication of the revelations

Summary

• This passage defines the balance between spiritual labor and temporal compensation within the framework of consecration.

• Leaders entrusted with the revelations are permitted to receive for their necessities and wants, but anything beyond that must be returned to the storehouse for Zion.

• This reinforces that no one is exempt from the law of stewardship, and all benefits must be administered with eternal accountability.

• The Lord honors both temporal and spiritual labor, but especially highlights the multiplying effect of the Spirit upon those serving in spiritual capacities.

Language & Cultural Insights

Necessities and Wants

• No specific Hebrew or Greek phrase is used here, but the distinction aligns with the biblical principle of daily provision.

• Compare with Proverbs 30:8–9: “Give me neither poverty nor riches… feed me with food convenient for me.”

• In a covenant context, “wants” are not indulgences but modest, reasonable allowances under divine direction.

Storehouse

• Hebrew: אוֹצָר (ʾōtsār) — treasury, vault, or sacred storage; used for temple resources (see Malachi 3:10)

• Represents a central, sacred fund for redistributing temporal blessings to the faithful.

Consecrated

• Hebrew: קָדַשׁ (qādash) — to make holy, set apart for sacred use

• Greek: ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) — to dedicate to divine service

• In this context, the stewards' excess is not forfeited—it is offered, sanctified, and used for the collective covenantal inheritance.

Heirs According to the Laws of the Kingdom

• Heir — Greek: κληρονόμος (klēronomos) — one who receives by lot, especially a divine inheritance (cf. Romans 8:17)

• Law — Hebrew: תּוֹרָה (tôrāh); Greek: νόμος (nomos)

• The “laws of the kingdom” here imply covenantal structures, not merely legal codes—guiding how Zion is built and inheritances secured.

Stewardship

• See also D&C 70:3–5; repeated here to show that all are under this law.

• Hebrew: פָּקַד (pāqad) — to oversee, assign, or be entrusted with responsibility

• Greek: οἰκονομία (oikonomia) — household management, used by Paul to refer to divine commissions (e.g., Ephesians 3:2)

Temporal and Spiritual Things

• Temporal — Latin root: temporalis = relating to time, contrasted with eternal things

• Scripturally, “temporal” often refers to mortality, provision, or governance, while “spiritual” refers to revelation, ordinances, and soul matters.

• Doctrine & Covenants consistently teaches that both are sacred when consecrated to God’s purposes (cf. D&C 29:34–35).

Worthy of His Hire

• Hebrew: שָׂכָר (sākhār) — just compensation or reward

• Greek: μισθός (misthós) — wage, but also used metaphorically for divine recompense

• See Luke 10:7: “The laborer is worthy of his hire.” The Lord affirms that spiritual laborers are not to go without support—they are as entitled to provision as those who labor temporally.

Abundance is Multiplied Unto Them Through the Manifestations of the Spirit

• Abundance — Hebrew: שֶׁפַע (shefaʿ) — flow, overflow, blessing (see Isaiah 66:12)

• Manifestation — Greek: φανέρωσις (phanerōsis) — a revealing, often used in connection with spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7)

• Suggests that spiritual labor brings overflowing grace—not only sufficiency, but spiritual enrichment and outpouring as a divine return.

Reflection Questions

• How do I define my “necessities and wants” in light of consecration and stewardship?

• What would it look like for me to “give the excess into the storehouse” in my own life—financially, mentally, or spiritually?

• How might God be seeking to “multiply abundance” in my life through spiritual rather than material means?

Cross-References & Conference Connections

• D&C 42:30–34: Law of consecration and stewardship

• Mosiah 18:27–29: Saints contribute based on their means

• 1 Timothy 5:18: “The laborer is worthy of his reward.”

• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Laborers in the Vineyard,” April 2012 General Conference

• President Henry B. Eyring, “Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady,” October 2005

Reference Notes

• The repetition of stewardship in both temporal and spiritual contexts teaches that the Lord sees no divide between the sacred and the practical when all is consecrated.

• The phrase “worthy of his hire” may also point to early murmuring in the Church about compensating those engaged in ecclesiastical duties—a controversy addressed again in later sections.

• The multiplication through the Spirit is reminiscent of the loaves and fishes: divine sufficiency is not just enough—it is overflowing when sanctified by obedience.

Summary

• The Lord concludes by emphasizing the principle of equality in temporal things, warning that selfishness or grudging attitudes diminish spiritual abundance.

• The promise of security, provision, and inheritance is given as a temporal manifestation of divine favor, so long as the servants are faithful.

• The Lord acknowledges their faithfulness and promises that they will “enter into the joy” of the stewardship they’ve kept, drawing imagery from Jesus’s parables of final judgment and reward.

• This final segment ties together consecration, equity, covenant blessings, and the eternal reward of faithful labor.

Language & Cultural Insights

Equal in Temporal Things

• Hebrew (equality concept): While no single term matches exactly, biblical justice and equity are grounded in מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) — justice, and צֶדֶק (tsedeq) — righteousness.

• These terms appear frequently in Torah laws about just weights and balances (cf. Leviticus 19:35–36) and communal accountability.

  
  

• Greek:

  • ἰσότης (isotēs) — equality, fairness, equity

  • Found in 2 Corinthians 8:14: “That now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want... that there may be equality.”

  • Paul uses isotēs to advocate for voluntary, covenant-based redistribution, not enforced socialism. In D&C 70, it signifies a Zion principle: those who have more share freely with those in need, that all may be sustained in righteousness.

• Equality here is framed not just as material distribution, but as a spiritual test—whether Saints will give “not grudgingly,” and thus open the way for “abundance... through the manifestations of the Spirit.”

Abundance of the Manifestations of the Spirit

• See prior segment for word study on φανέρωσις (phanerōsis): a divine disclosure or showing forth of the Spirit.

• Here, spiritual gifts and revelations are withheld when Saints violate the principles of equality and charity—underscoring the direct relationship between temporal unity and spiritual abundance.

Inheritance

• Hebrew: נַחֲלָה (naḥalāh) — land, possession, or covenantal legacy.

• In Israelite theology, inheritance was tied not only to family and land but to the covenant identity of belonging to God’s people (e.g., Numbers 26:53–56).

• In the Doctrine and Covenants, inheritance refers to Zion land divisions, temple ordinances, and eternal reward.

Security

• While not a direct lexical term, “security” in verse 15 carries covenantal and providential implications.

• Compare with Isaiah 32:17–18: “The work of righteousness shall be peace… and the effect… quietness and assurance [i.e., security] forever.”

• In the Hebrew Bible, true security is the result of divine justice, obedience, and living in alignment with the covenant.

Whatsoever Circumstances I, the Lord, Shall Place Them

• This phrase reflects the sovereignty and providence of God. The Lord governs placement—be it hardship, abundance, calling, or geography.

• Hebrew theological backdrop:

  • שִׂים (sīm) — to set, appoint, ordain (e.g., “I will set him on high,” Psalm 91:14).

  • The Lord’s placement is intentional. Saints are called to trust divine positioning, even under challenging conditions (cf. Alma 37:6–7).

• This affirms a theology of sacred placement—each soul is stationed where they can best fulfill their stewardship and build Zion.

Faithful Over Many Things / Enter into the Joy

• Echoes Matthew 25:21: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

• The phrase connects this modern stewardship to the Parable of the Talents, reinforcing the pattern of covenantal labor → divine accounting → eternal reward.

Blessings Upon Their Heads

• Hebrew idiom: blessings are often “placed upon the head” as a visible, symbolic sign of divine favor, priestly approval, or inheritance (cf. Deuteronomy 33:16)

• Symbolically associated with anointing, sealing, and being marked as chosen (cf. temple imagery).

Reflection Questions

• Am I living in a way that fosters temporal equality among those around me—or do I hold back “grudgingly”?

• What spiritual manifestations might be withheld when I resist giving freely of what the Lord has blessed me with?

• How does the Lord's view of “reward and security” differ from the world’s?

• Do I truly understand and value the concept of spiritual inheritance in Zion?

Cross-References & Conference Connections

• 2 Corinthians 8:13–15: “That there may be equality”

• Matthew 25:21: “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord”

• D&C 82:17–19: Equality and the law of consecration

• Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Providing in the Lord’s Way,” October 2011: on equality, charity, and temporal security

• President Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” October 2022: on covenant inheritance and joy

Reference Notes

• The final verses mirror Christ’s teachings in the Olivet Discourse—rewarding faithful servants, measuring their labor, and blessing them with joy.

• Equality is the condition for Zion’s success, and it directly influences revelatory outpouring.

• The Lord’s promise of inheritance, security, and joy affirms that consecration is not sacrifice alone—it is participation in divine abundance, both spiritual and physical.