A Psalm. Of David. For the purpose of making a confession(?) (Arthur
Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary [The Old Testament Library; Philadelphia:
The Westminster Press, 1998], 323)
Cf. the title of Ps. 70. Luther
translates: for a memorial (l hāzkīr).
Others relate the term to the’ azkārā,
the offering of incense, which was part of the ‘meal offering’ (minḥā) and in the course of which the
worship of late Judaism is said to have used the psalm as a prayer. (Ibid.,
n. 1)
to call to mind. The
Hebrew infinitive lehazkir is anomalous in the superscription of a
psalm, appearing here and at the beginning of Psalm 70. It may simply refer to
the speaker’s intention to bring to mind his suffering in his supplication to
God. It might also have a connotation of confession: compare the words of
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer in Genesis 41:9, “My offenses I recall [mazkir]
today,” and those of the widow from Zarephath to Elijah in 1 Kings 17:18, “You
have come to me to recall [lehazkir] my crime.” (Robert Alter, The
Hebrew Bible, 3 vols. [New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2019], 3:104)
During the 19th century, what can
be called kingdom theology dominated sealing practices. Kingdom theology can be
seen most clearly in the law of adoption, where sealings between
non-biologically related adults were designed to bind individuals in eternal, dynastic
structures with patriarchal heads. Joseph Smith’s sealing practice was confined
to marriage, but shortly after his death. Brigham Young and his associates instituted
adoptive sealings. Initially these took the form of sealing nonbiological
relationships in which adults were sealed to high church leaders as members of
their extended adoptive “families” or “kingdoms.” These massive “families”
proved important organizational structures during the Mormon exodus to the
Great Basin. Thereafter the so-called law of adoption was suspended until the first
Utah temple was dedicated in 1877 at St. George. At that point, there was an
effort to reinstitute the practice. Within this theological frame, marriage
sealings were another mechanism for creating priestly connections, at times in
disregard of temporal family relationships. Where modern Latter-day Saints
think of such sealings in terms of “eternal families” using ideas of
companionate marriage and nuclear families, their 19th-century forebearers
thought in terms of kingdom and sacral networks. (Nathan B. Oman, Living
Oracles: Law and the Latter-day Saint Tradition [Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2026], 168-69)
This explains, for example, the
bewildering variety of Brigham Young’s plural marriages. Fifty-five women were
sealed to Young. Only sixteen of these women bore his children. Twenty-three of
the women belonged to Young’s households, although some of these wives likely did
not have a sexual relationship with Young. The other women were sealed into
Young’s eternal kingdom without becoming part of his earthly family. Some of
these women were much older when they were sealed to Young, including one woman
sealed on her deathbed. Some of them held themselves out as “wife of President
Young” without being part of his household. Some of the women were sealed to
Young while continuing to be married to other men, presumably to be included in
Young’s postmortal dynasty. See generally Jeffrey Ogden Johnson, “Determining
and Defining ‘Wife’: The Brigham Young Households,” Dialogue: A Journal
of Mormon Thought 20, no. 3 (1987): 57-70. (Ibid., 274 n. 43)
On October 20, 1874, Eliza R. Snow stated that:
I have always felt myself in the United Order,
and I expect the sisters will have more time to improve their minds, and it
will help us the sooner to go back to Jackson County and build a temple where the
glory of God will rest upon it. (Eliza R. Snow, “I Would Have Walked to
the Ends of the Earth,” Salt Lake City Nineteenth Ward Relief Society, Nineteenth
Ward Hall, Salt Lake City, October 20, 1874, in Rise Up and Speak: Selected
Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, ed. Jennifer Reederm, Sharlyn D. Howcroft,
Elizabeth A. Kuehn, and Jessica M. Nelson [Salt Lake City: The Church Historian’s
Press, 2026], 158)
We have had some very good
instructions this afternoon, and the question is, How can we live up to them
and live so as to have the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit? It is not
to be obtained except in the way God has appointed. We are frail and subject
to many trials and temptations—it is no sin to be tempted, but the sin is
yielding to temptation. Had Jesus yielded when Satan tempted Him, He would have
lost the smiles of His Father. We should be always on our guard. Paul says,
“Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks,” and if we do this, we
shall not have time to brood over our troubles, and the little vexations and
cares of life would not be noticed. Gratitude is sweet to our fellow beings,
but it is elevating and ennobling in the sight of our Father in Heaven. (Eliza
R. Snow, “I Would Have Walked to the Ends of the Earth,” Salt Lake City
Nineteenth Ward Relief Society, Nineteenth Ward Hall, Salt Lake City, October
20, 1874, in Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, ed.
Jennifer Reederm, Sharlyn D. Howcroft, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, and Jessica M.
Nelson [Salt Lake City: The Church Historian’s Press, 2026], 156)
Here, Eliza (correctly) notes that temptation, in and of itself, is not sinful (contrary to Calvinism and other theologies); further, she also (correctly) rejects the impeccability of Christ.
Moses Thatcher, Jos. F. Smith,
John Hy. Smith each favored calling men, instead of allowing them to come or
go, when we desire to establish settlements.
Moses thought that fully one
million of dollars had been wasted by our people in wandering up and down the
country aimlessly.
If we feel that we should
establish settlements in Canada and Mexico, the brethren felt that our only way
to do so successfully will be to call men and not ask them to volunteer. Under
Brigham Young’s administration men were called and had no idea of leaving a
place unless they were released.
Franklin D. Richards, regretted
very much that he had not felt to endorse the policy of allowing men to go or
not when a call was made to help one of our settlement. He did not think the
gospel could ever be preached or the Church built up upon any such a principle
and in his inmost soul he had no faith that we could ever build up Zion on the
volunteer principle. When men are called on a mission or to locate in any place
they feel by the Spirit within them that they were working where the Lord
desired them to do so. He related the failure of attempts to get needed help in
Arizona and San Juan on account of the people feeling that they were at perfect
liberty to go or not. Brother Franklin’s remarks were very spirited indeed and
while he was talking I felt that his remarks were dictated by the good spirit.
Erastus Snow felt that the Twelve
should report names of men and that then we should send them with the backing
and support of the Priesthood. He felt that Bro. Franklin had struck a keynote
which most of the Twelve have experienced during the administration of Prest.
Taylor and that his policy of only using volunteers had discouraged the labors
of our quorum.
In the days of Brigham Young some
men had felt that they were sent on missions because of some private spite. The
feeling existed that brother Young had not counseled as much with the Council
of the Apostles as with those persons with whom he was surrounded.
Prest. Taylor desiring to correct
this evil had gone to an extreme on the other hand that had made the efforts of
the brethren in attempts to strengthen up our settlements, a failure.
A motion was carried that Pres
Card be informed to continue his labors in Canada, and that additional help
will be sent to him. ... (Heber J. Grant, Journal, September 8, 1887, in The
Diaries of Heber J. Grant, 1880-1845 Abridged, comp. D. Michael Quinn
[Digital Edition; Salt Lake City, 2015])