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D&C 127:1)
Doctrine & Covenants > Section 127
Questions
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Lexical notes
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Exegesis
Verse 3
The juxtaposition in this verse of the saints rejoicing and God meting out "a just recompense of reward" may seem a bit unsettling if not read carefully: are the saints to rejoice in the thought that their oppressors will be punished? The first problem with such a reading is that it ignores the word "therefore" in the first sentence. The reason the saints should rejoice is based on the previous verse(s?), not the subsequent statement of about justice. It seems most likely that the reason the saints should rejoice is because the Lord has promised that Joseph (who is perhaps typical of all of us) will triumph over all his enemies. One place it seems that promise was given is in D&C 103:2 where God says that he will pour out his wrath on Joseph's enemies "in [his] own time." If this qualification regarding the Lord's timing is remembered here, it underscores the trusting aspect of the promise of triumph which gives reason for the saints to rejoice. The saints are to rejoice, then, because the Lord will deliver them. Although it seems such deliverance and triumph will involve the oppressors getting "a just recompense of reward," this verse is not saying that the saints should rejoice in the fate of their oppressors.
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