Ezra Taft Benson, "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,"
Tambuli, Jun 1981, 1
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University)
My beloved brothers and sisters. I am honored to be in your presence
today. You students are a part of a choice young generation—a
generation which might well witness the return of the Lord.
Not only is the Church growing in number today, it is growing in
faithfulness and, even more important, our young generation, as a
group, is even more faithful than the older generation. God has
reserved you for the eleventh hour—the great and dreadful day of the
Lord (D&C 110:16). It will be your responsibility not only to help to
carry the kingdom to a triumph but to save your own soul and strive to
save those of your family and to honor the principles of the inspired
constitution of the United States.
To help you pass the crucial tests which lie ahead, I am going to give
you today several aspects of a grand key which, if you will honor,
will crown you with God's glory and bring you out victorious in spite
of Satan's fury.
Soon we will be honoring our prophet on his 85th birthday. As a Church
we sing the hymn, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet." (Hymn no.
196). Here then is the grand key—Follow the prophet—and here are
fourteen fundamentals in following the prophet, the President of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
In section 132 verse 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 132:7] the
Lord speaks of the prophet—the president—and says:
"There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and
the keys of this priesthood are conferred."
Then in section 21 verses 4–6 [D&C 21:4–6], the Lord states:
"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his
words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth
them, walking in all holiness before me;
"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all
patience and faith.
"For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you."
Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works.
President Wilford Woodruff tells of an interesting incident that
occurred in the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
"I will refer to a certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland
in my early days. At that meeting some remarks were made that have
been made here today, with regard to the living prophets and with
regard to the written word of God. The same principle was presented,
although not as extensively as it has been here, when a leading man in
the Church got up and talked upon the subject, and said: 'You have got
the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and
Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who
give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as
what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine
ourselves to them.'
"When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and
said, 'Brother Brigham I want you to go to the podium and tell us your
views with regard to the living oracles and the written word of God.'
Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it
down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he
said: 'There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of
God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,'
said he, 'when compared with the living oracles those books are
nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us
now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood
in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than
all the writing in the books.' That was the course he pursued. When he
was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation; 'Brother Brigham
has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.' "
(Conference Report, October 1897, pp. 18–19.)
Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
God's revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah how to build the Ark.
Noah needed his own revelation. Therefore the most important prophet
so far as you and I are concerned is the one living in our day and age
to whom the Lord is currently revealing His will for us. Therefore the
most important reading we can do is any of the words of the prophet
contained each month in our Church Magazines. Our instructions about
what we should do for each six months are found in the General
Conference addresses which are printed in the Church magazine.
Beware of those who would set up the dead prophets against the living
prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence.
Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.
President Wilford Woodruff stated:
"I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who
stands as president of the Church to lead you astray. It is not in the
program. It is not in the mind of God." (The Discourses of Wilford
Woodruff, pp. 212–13.)
President Marion G. Romney tells of this incident which happened to him:
"I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President Heber J.
Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting I drove him home … Standing
by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: 'My boy, you always
keep your eye on the President of the Church and if he ever tells you
to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless
you for it.' Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, 'But you don't
need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people
astray.' " (Conference Report, October 1960, p. 78.)
Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly
training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at
any time.
Sometimes there are those who feel their earthly knowledge on a
certain subject is superior to the heavenly knowledge which God gives
to his prophet on the same subject. They feel the prophet must have
the same earthly credentials or training which they have had before
they will accept anything the prophet has to say that might contradict
their earthly schooling. How much earthly schooling did Joseph Smith
have? Yet he gave revelations on all kinds of subjects. We haven't yet
had a prophet who earned a doctorate degree in any subject. We
encourage earthly knowledge in many areas, but remember if there is
ever a conflict between earthly knowledge and the words of the
prophet, you stand with the prophet and you'll be blessed and time
will show you have done the right thing.
Sixth: The prophet does not have to say "Thus saith the Lord" to give
us scripture.
Sometimes there are those who argue about words. They might say the
prophet gave us counsel but that we are not obliged to follow it
unless he says it is a commandment. But the Lord says of the Prophet,
"Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he
shall give unto you." (D&C 21:4.)
And speaking of taking counsel from the prophet, in D&C 108:1, the Lord states:
"Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are
forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither
this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed."
Said Brigham Young, "I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it
out to the children of men, that they may not call scripture."
(Journal of Discourses, 13:95.)
Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we
want to know.
"Thou has declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to
bear," complained Nephi's brethren. But Nephi answered by saying, "The
guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very
center." (1 Ne. 16:1–2.)
Said President Harold B. Lee:
"You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may
conflict with your political views. It may contradict your social
views. It may interfere with some of your social life … Your safety
and ours depends upon whether or not we follow … Let's keep our eye on
the President of the Church." (Conference Report, October 1970, p.
152–153.)
But it is the living prophet who really upsets the world. "Even in the
Church," said President Kimball, "many are prone to garnish the
sepulchres of yesterdays prophets and mentally stone the living ones."
(Instructor, 95:527.)
Why? Because the living prophet gets at what we need to know now, and
the world prefers that prophets either be dead or worry about their
own affairs. Some so-called experts of political science want the
prophet to keep still on politics. Some would-be authorities on
evolution want the prophet to keep still on evolution. And so the list
goes on and on.
How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what
we need to know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our
faithfulness.
Said President Marion G. Romney, "It is an easy thing to believe in
the dead prophets, but it is a greater thing to believe in the living
prophets." And then he gives this illustration:
"One day when President Grant was living, I sat in my office across
the street following a general conference. A man came over to see me,
an elderly man. He was very upset about what had been said in this
conference by some of the Brethren, including myself. I could tell
from his speech that he came from a foreign land. After I had quieted
him enough so he would listen, I said, 'Why did you come to America?'
'I am here because a prophet of God told me to come.' 'Who was the
prophet?' I continued. 'Wilford Woodruff.' 'Do you believe Wilford
Woodruff was a prophet of God?' 'Yes, sir.'
"Then came the sixty-four dollar question, 'Do you believe that Heber
J. Grant is a prophet of God?' His answer, 'I think he ought to keep
his mouth shut about old-age assistance.'
"Now I tell you that a man in his position is on the way to apostasy.
He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who
cannot follow the living prophet of God." (Conference Report, April
1953, p. 125.)
Eighth: The Prophet is not limited by men's reasoning.
There will be times when you will have to choose between the
revelation of God and reasoning of men—between the prophet and the
professor. Said the Prophet Joseph Smith,
"Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may
not see the reason thereof until long after the events transpire."
(Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, vol. 2, p. 173).
Would it seem reasonable to an eye doctor to be told to heal a blind
man by spitting in the dirt, making clay and applying it to the man's
eyes and then telling him to wash in a contaminated pool? Yet this is
precisely the course that Jesus took with one man, and he was healed.
(See John 9:6–7.) Does it seem reasonable to cure leprosy by telling a
man to wash seven times in a particular river, yet this is precisely
what the prophet Elisha told a leper to do, and he was healed. (See 2
Kgs. 5.)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isa. 55:8–9.)
Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual.
Said Brigham Young:
"Some of the leading men in Kirtland were much opposed to Joseph the
Prophet, meddling with temporal affairs …
"In a public meeting of the Saints, I said, 'Ye Elders of Israel, …
will some of you draw the line of demarcation, between the spiritual
and temporal in the kingdom of God, so that I may understand it?' Not
one of them could do it …
"I defy any man on earth to point out the path a Prophet of God should
walk in, or point out his duty, and just how far he must go, in
dictating temporal or spiritual things. Temporal and spiritual things
are inseparably connected, and ever will be." (Journal of Discourses,
10:363–64.)
Tenth: The prophet may well advise on civic matters. When a people are
righteous, they want the best to lead them in government. Alma was the
head of the Church and of the government in the Book of Mormon; Joseph
Smith was mayor of Nauvoo and Brigham Young was governor of Utah.
Isaiah was deeply involved in giving counsel on political matters and
of his words the Lord himself said, "Great are the words of Isaiah."
(3 Ne. 23:1.)
Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following
the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
The learned may feel the prophet is only inspired when he agrees with
them, otherwise the prophet is just giving his opinion—speaking as a
man. The rich may feel they have no need to take counsel of a lowly
prophet.
In the Book of Mormon we read:
"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the
frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they
think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for
they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their
wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall
perish.
"But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
"And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the
learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their
learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom
he despiseth; and save they shall cast things away, and consider
themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility,
he will not open unto them." (2 Ne. 9:28–29, 42; italics added.)
Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or
the worldly.
As a prophet reveals the truth it divides the people. The honest in
heart heed his words but the unrighteous either ignore the prophet or
fight him. When the prophet points out the sins of the world, the
wordly either want to close the mouth of the prophet, or else act as
if the prophet didn't exist, rather than repent of their sins.
Popularity is never a test of truth. Many a prophet has been killed or
cast out. As we come closer to the Lord's second coming you can expect
that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will
be less popular with them.
Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First
Presidency—The highest quorum in the Church.
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to the First Presidency
as "the highest council of the Church" (D&C 107:80) and says
"whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I
have sent …" (D&C 112:20).
Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the
First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
President Harold B. Lee relates this incident from Church history:
"The story is told in the early days of the Church—particularly, I
think, at Kirtland, Ohio—where some of the leading brethren in the
presiding councils of the Church met secretly and tried to scheme as
to how they could get rid of the Prophet Joseph's leadership. They
made the mistake of inviting Brigham Young to one of these secret
meetings. He rebuked them, after he had heard the purpose of their
meeting. This is part of what he said: 'You cannot destroy the
appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds
you to the prophet of God, and sink yourselves to hell.' " (Conference
Report, April 1963, p. 81.)
In a general conference of the Church, President N. Eldon Tanner stated:
"The Prophet spoke out clearly on Friday morning, telling us what our
responsibilities are …
"A man said to me after that, 'You know, there are people in our state
who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is
right, but when it is something they think isn't right, and it doesn't
appeal to them, then that's different.' He said, 'Then they become
their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord
doesn't want.'
"I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of
the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow, we
are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own
prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false
prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we
should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we
should and should not keep." (CR, October 1966, p. 98.)
"Look to the Presidency and receive instruction," said the Prophet
Joseph Smith. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 161.) But
Almon Babbitt didn't, and in the Doctrine and Covenants section 124,
verse 84 [D&C 124:84], the Lord states:
"And with my servant Almon Babbitt, there are many things with which I
am not pleased; behold, he aspireth to establish his counsel instead
of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of
my Church."
In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these "Fourteen
Fundamentals in Following the Prophet", for our salvation depends on
them.
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training
or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any
time.
6. The prophet does not have to say "Thus Saith the Lord," to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men's reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the
prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the
highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First
Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living
prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord
then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal
captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord's anointed—the
living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the
First Presidency.
May God bless us all to look to the Prophet and the Presidency in the
critical and crucial days ahead is my prayer.
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