The opening words of this revelation were given to comfort the Knight family on the loss of their matriarch, Polly, and to reassure all those who made sacrifices on the road to Zion. The Knight family arrived in Missouri under difficult conditions. Joseph Knight Jr. recalled that “We had no tents, and my father and I slept in a hen coop two weeks, until we got a shelter” (Joseph Knight, Jr., Autobiography, 3).

Polly Knight passed away the same day this revelation was received. Joseph Knight Sr. later wrote in his history, “There was one Joshua Lewis that had Come into the Church the winter Before, he and his wife. And they ware faithful and good to us and took us in to their house, my wife Being sick as before stated. She Died the Seventh Day of August and Joseph and Sidney attended her funeral on the Eighth. She was buried in the woods a spot chosen out by ourselves.” Further noting the difficult conditions, Father Knight added, “I was along by where she was buried a few Days after, and I found the hogs had begun to root where she was Buried. I being very unwell, but I took my axe the next Day and went and built a pen round it. It was the last [thing] I done for her” (Jessee, Joseph Knight’s Recollection, 13).

Joseph Smith preached Polly Knight’s funeral sermon the next day, declaring, “I can say a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection” (quoted in Hartley, Stand By My Servant Joseph, 135).

While the Ten Commandments were originally given to Moses on Mount Sinai, they are also part of the higher law of Jesus Christ and not just a part of the “law of carnal commandments” given to the Israelites (Hebrews 7:16; D&C 84:7). Given anew in this dispensation, these commandments remain hallmarks of Jehovah’s followers in any age.

While several of the original commandments remain in these verses, the wording of some commandments was updated to reflect the conditions of our time. For instance, instead of “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), the commandment given here is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength” (D&C 59:5). Instead of “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images” (Exodus 20:4), the Lord teaches us to serve “in the name of Jesus Christ” (D&C 59:5). The Lord further commands us to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (D&C 59:6). He builds on the command “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13) by adding “nor do anything like unto it” (D&C 59:6). He also commands his disciples to “thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7) and expounds greatly on the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath day (D&C 59:9–12).

All of these commandments are encompassed in the Lord’s command to “offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness even that of a broken heart and contrite spirit” (D&C 59:8). The concept of a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” is where the law of Moses and the law of Christ connect. Both laws require a sacrifice to point toward the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But while the old law included a complex system of physical sacrifice, the new law asks that we give our whole heart and mind to God. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. . . . When you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” (“Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” General Conference, October 1995).

Latter-day Saints do not worship on Sunday, or on any other day, in imitation of ancient people. We hallow and worship on the Sabbath day because of the Lord’s commandment in this dispensation to do so. The principle of the Sabbath is setting aside a day to rest from our ordinary labors and devote time to worshipping the Lord. An oblation, as defined in the time this revelation was given, is “anything offered or presented in worship or sacred service; an offering; a sacrifice” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). Church members can present as their offering a testimony, a portion of their time devoted to Church service or study, or an act of kindness to others.

We must be careful not to become too legalistic about the Sabbath day. Some Church members become obsessed with rules about the Sabbath while overruling the general principles the Lord teaches about this day. President Russell M. Nelson counseled,

In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear. (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” April 2015 General Conference)

The Lord is not opposed to happiness, cheerfulness, or laughter, as evidenced by the last half of this verse (D&C 59:15). While humor can sometimes be inappropriate or even blasphemous, this verse does not constitute a ban on humor among the Saints. There are three places in the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord gives commandments concerning laughter. He commands his disciples to avoid “much laughter” (D&C 59:15), to cast away an “excess of laughter” (D&C 88:69), and to cease from “all laughter” (D&C 88:121).

In each of these cases it is important to consider the context of these commandments. In Doctrine and Covenants 59, the setting the Lord speaks of is fasting, prayer, and Sabbath worship, a place where “much” laughter should be avoided. In Doctrine and Covenants 88, the Lord is speaking of his house, the temple, where the spirit of reverence must abide and laughter may be inappropriate.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was well known for his propensity toward laughter and merriment. Benjamin F. Johnson, a close friend of Joseph Smith, recalled that he “took great delight in his society and friendship. When with us, there was no lack of amusement for with jokes, games, etc., he was always ready to provoke merriment, one phase of which was matching couplets in rhyme, by which we were at times in rivalry; and his fraternal feeling, in great degree did away with his disparity of age or greatness of his calling” (Remembering Joseph, p. 86).

The earth and all of its resources exist for men and women to use, enjoy, and protect. Even the Word of Wisdom, given later, does not forbid the use of substances as much as it counsels against their misuse. There is an appropriate and functional purpose for everything in our environment. While these things are given for the “benefit and use of man” (D&C 59:18), we have an obligation to be wise stewards of the resources at hand. An official Church statement counsels, “The earth and all things on it should be used responsibly to sustain the human family. However, all are stewards—not owners—over this earth and its bounty and will be accountable before God for what they do with His creations. . . . The state of the human soul and the environment are interconnected, with each affecting and influencing the other” (“Environmental Stewardship and Conversation,” churchnewsroom.org).

The Savior sums up the counsel given “according to law and the prophets” (D&C 59:22) by declaring that the root of many of our sorrows is a lack of acknowledgement of the Lord’s hand in our lives and a lack of appreciation for the blessings He has given to us. As the Saints in Missouri entered into their great experiment in consecration, the Lord reminded them that the central tenet of that law was that nothing is really consecrated to God because everything already belongs to Him. Rather, we make our blessings holy by recognizing the holy source of our blessings.

Like the Saints in Zion did, we live in a world filled with challenges and complexity. President Russell M. Nelson reminded the Saints that “there is no medication or operation that can fix the many spiritual woes and maladies that we face.” He added, “There is, however, a remedy—one that may seem surprising—because it flies in the face of our natural intuitions . . . nevertheless, its effects have been validated by scientists as well as men and women of faith. I am referring to the healing power of gratitude. Counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems” (“The Prophet Releases a Message on the Healing Power of Gratitude,” churchnewsroom.org).