"3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;" (Doctrine and Covenants 89: 3, 19)
"On January 22, 1833, Joseph and the Saints in Kirtland opened the School of the Prophets in the Whitneys’ store. One of Joseph’s clerks, Orson Hyde, was appointed to teach the class. Like Joseph and many of the other students, Orson had spent most of his childhood working rather than attending school. He was an orphan, and his guardian had allowed him to attend school only in the winter, after the harvest and before the next planting. Orson had a good memory and learned quickly, however, and he had attended a nearby academy as an adult.
In the School of the Prophets, Orson taught the men spiritual lessons in addition to history, grammar, and arithmetic, as the Lord had commanded. Those who attended his classes were not just pupils. They addressed each other as brothers and bound themselves with a covenant of fellowship. They studied together, had discussions, and prayed as a group.
One day, Joseph invited Orson and others in the class to take off their shoes. Following Christ’s example, Joseph knelt before them one by one and washed their feet.
When he finished, he said, “As I have done, so do ye.” He asked them to serve one another and to keep themselves clean from the sins of the world.
While the School of the Prophets was in session, Emma watched the students arrive and make their way up the stairs to the small, tightly packed room where they met. Some men came to the school freshly washed and neatly dressed out of respect for the sacred nature of the school. Some also skipped breakfast so they could come to the meeting fasting.
After class got out and the men left for the day, Emma and some young women hired to help would clean the schoolroom. Since the men smoked pipes and chewed tobacco during the lessons, the room was hazy and the floorboards were covered in tobacco spit when they left. Emma would scrub with all her might, but tobacco stains remained on the floor.
She complained to Joseph about the mess. Joseph did not normally use tobacco, but he did not mind if the other men did. Emma’s complaints, however, caused him to question if tobacco use was right in God’s eyes.
Emma was not alone in her concerns. Reformers in the United States and other countries throughout the world thought smoking and chewing tobacco, as well as drinking alcohol, were filthy habits. But some doctors believed tobacco could cure a host of ailments. Similar claims were made about drinking alcohol and hot drinks like coffee and tea, which people drank liberally.
When Joseph took the matter to the Lord, he received a revelation—a “word of wisdom for the benefit of the Saints in these last days.” In it, the Lord cautioned His people against consuming alcohol, declaring that distilled liquor was for washing their bodies while wine was for occasions like the sacrament. He also warned them against tobacco and hot drinks.
The Lord emphasized a healthy diet, encouraging the Saints to eat grains, herbs, and fruits and to consume meat sparingly. He promised blessings of health, knowledge, and strength to those who chose to obey.
The revelation had been declared not as a commandment but as a caution. Many people would find it hard to give up using these powerful substances, and Joseph did not insist on strict conformity. He continued to drink alcohol occasionally, and he and Emma sometimes drank coffee and tea.
Still, after Joseph read the words to the School of the Prophets, the men in the room tossed their pipes and plugs of chewing tobacco into the fire to show their willingness to obey the Lord’s counsel." (15 Holy Places, Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846)
And here's the introductory commentary to this week's reading assignment: August 18–24: “A Principle with Promise” Doctrine and Covenants 89–92 :
"In the School of the Prophets, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the elders of Israel about building God’s kingdom on earth. They discussed spiritual truths, prayed together, fasted, and prepared to preach the gospel. But there was something about the atmosphere that might seem odd to us today, and it didn’t seem right to Emma Smith either. During the meetings, the men smoked and chewed tobacco, which wasn’t unusual for the time, but it stained the wood floors black and left a strong odor in the air. Emma shared her concerns with Joseph, and Joseph asked the Lord. His response was a revelation that went far beyond smoke and tobacco stains. It gave the Saints, for generations to come, “a principle with promise”—promises of physical health, “wisdom,” and “great treasures of knowledge” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:3, 19).
See also Saints, 1:166–68."
I'm so grateful for being able to live this "principle" and enjoy the promised blessings of physical health, "wisdom", as well as "great treasures of knowledge". And I'm grateful that I chose to marry someone who has been living this "principle" as well. Took the video I'm sharing in this blogpost after coming home from church yesterday. Though I did miss my husband while at church because he was not feeling well, I'm grateful because at our age of 52, both of us have no serious health issues at all--physically healthy indeed! And that's mainly because of striving to live the "principle" revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Josepth Smith.
Click this link to read more details on my reflections on the quiet blessings of marriage that I wrote and shared (along with the video I'm sharing here) on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/wilmendamina/p/the-quiet-blessings-of-marriage?r=3997q5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
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