“Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest.”
Stirring words. They make up part of the final promise of D&C 71, which called Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to pause translating for a while in favor of preaching. These words still move me today. Beyond their inherent power, however, the invitation also contains these words: “Whoso readeth, let him understand and receive also” (v. 5). All of us who read the section with an open heart and real intent are implicated in its call to preach.
So what does it mean for us to confound our enemies? Reading just that verse I quoted at the beginning makes confounding enemies sound a bit like besting them in debates. And the Lord clearly has that in mind here. But it isn’t the only thing He has in mind. In fact, a later verse makes it clear that the Lord’s promise that enemies will be confounded does not necessarily unfold along the brief timetable of a debate: “And if any man lift up his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time” (v. 10). Try that one on a hostile audience.
Here is how the Lord first explained what Joseph and Sidney were supposed to do: “Open your mouths in proclaiming my gospel, the things of the kingdom, expounding the mysteries thereof out of the scriptures.” (71:1). It is important to note that this is not a list of different things. Instead, all three of the clauses in that sentence are set up to be equivalent. The gospel is the things of the kingdom and the way we proclaim the gospel is by expounding the mysteries of the scriptures. This sounds a lot more like teaching and ministering than it does fiery debate or rhetorical fireworks. Remember that Joseph and Sidney had been translating the Bible at this point. It seems like the call is more to reveal the knowledge that was translated than to launch their own war of words.
Furthermore, the list of specific instructions on the aims of preaching found in verse 4 doesn’t seem to include combative debate: “Call upon the inhabitants of the earth, and bear record, and prepare the way for the commandments and revelations which are to come.” There is a lot of depth to these instructions that we can easily miss, including the impending arrival of section 76, but the point here is that these actions are what is supposed to confound the enemies of the church.
All this seems to point back to the example of Jesus Christ, who was a master of confounding His enemies. And He definitely spent time in public debate with the Pharisees and others, but the most confounding things He did were not during those conversations. He often told odd stories that left people confused. He quoted and explained scriptures in astounding ways. He healed people miraculously. And the most confounding thing He ever did—confounding not just his enemies but His own disciples even until today—was letting himself be killed on the cross and then rising again three days later.
So, ultimately, we believe in a confounding gospel. And if we keep Christ, His death, and His resurrection at the center of our beliefs and preaching, we will confound our enemies as well. And, by looking ahead to the commandments and revelations which are to come, we can prepare people for that day when He will come again and confound all the enemies, put them beneath His feet, and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.