I think it is important to review the context of these scriptures, particularly as the Saints and Joseph learned about what a prophet was and Joseph's specific role. This post is a good reminder for the historical context surrounding how we have come to think of prophets today and how not to be deceived. Mosiah 8 (perhaps with a little aid from the bible dictionary) helps us to better understand the difference between the callings of prophet, seer and revelator. (The seer wins.) There is a difference between receiving prophecy (which in a general sense is just following the Spirit) and revelation for yourself, your family, and your stewardship and those ordained to receive prophecy and the gift of seership for the whole Church. The Hiram Page and Prophetess Hubble incidents written about here offer good lessons in helping us understand the scope of a Prophet's call. This is not just a problem of the early church, perhaps we need those lessons all the more today to help us think more about the voices to which we listen.
I particularly like "Prophets in the Land Again" and "Prophets, Seers, and Revelators" from Elder Jeffrey Holland. Or you can try something from the long list of BYU Speeches on prophets here.
Seership brings an ability to see beyond mortal realities this side of the veil and on into eternity, but it is not omniscience. (Just as the additional gifts of discernment your bishop receives with his calling don't suddenly make him know everything.) We all see through a glass darkly and sometimes are limited in our view of mortality, but that doesn't mean we have no use for prophets.
As the young apostle John Taylor asked, "Whoever heard of true religion without communication with God? To me the thing is the most absurd that the human mind could conceive of. I do not wonder, [that] when the people generally reject the principle of present revelation, skepticism and infidelity prevail to such an alarming extent. I do not wonder, that so many men treat religion with contempt, and regard it as something not worth the attention of intelligent beings, for without revelation religion is a mockery and a farce....The principle of present revelation...is the very foundation of our religion." ("Discourse by John Taylor," Deseret News, 4 March 1874.)
This morning I'm thinking of a young woman I taught as a missionary. She exuded belief. Her Catholicism wasn't just something of Easter and Christmas mass--it brought conviction in God. She was very eager to learn about our faith and talk about God. As we reached the point where we began to talk about modern-day prophets and apostles, she stopped me--"But we don't have that." It has been a long time and I no longer remember exactly what her face looked like, but I can almost still see how her face radiated as she thought about the possibility. It still reminds me of my gratitude that there are "prophets in the land again." (Ether 9:28)
As I've been thinking about this week's lesson I've decided to add a little late week addendum:
In my class we will talk about scripture and Scripture. Scripture (with a capital S) is canonized scripture--what Mormons call the standard works. The other scripture (with a lower case s) is exemplified by 68:3-4: And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture. Both kinds of scripture can be binding upon us. Perhaps the example of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies in Alma 24 is instructive. Lamoni's people felt directed by the Spirit to lay down their swords. This wasn't something that would be binding on everyone (the Nephites would later fight to protect some of them), but binding on those who felt that inspiration to make that covenant. I think when we feel the Spirit instructing us, that can be binding on us. It is not binding upon the church as a whole. Canonized scripture is binding upon the church as a whole. A couple examples of this might include the difference between the Scripture section on lds.org and the placement of General Conference in the teachings section. The Proclamation on the Family and the Living Christ have not been canonized and as such are in a different position than the canonized official declarations. That doesn't mean that scripture (with a lower case s) isn't binding on us or isn't important, but it is different.
Last addition. Section 87 is one of the examples added to the "Additional Teaching Ideas" section of the lesson. The intro to Section 87 is one of the intros that has changed in the new English edition of the scriptures. The old intro looked like this:
The new intro better reflects the context of 1832 and looks like this:
Joseph's revelation here came when he considered these troubles that he saw in the United States at the time. The North and the South of the U.S. were already separated by slavery. In the 1832 Nullification Crisis South Carolina invalidated federal tariffs and argued that they could legitimately nullify any federal law with which they did not agree. This was significant in the states's rights versus federal power arguments which in part led to the U.S. Civil War.
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