Who Was Riding Upon the Waters?

G. mentioned in passing the other day one of those quirky Mormon teachings that I’ve been curious about for a while: “Satan rules over the water.” The origin of this teaching is Doctrine & Covenants Section 61, in which the elders have to halt a river voyage when they see “the destroyer riding in power upon the face of the waters.” The Lord declared to them, “Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters.” D&C 61:14. And then later on: “I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree.” D&C 61:19

What I wonder is whether “the destroyer” who rode upon the face of the waters was, in fact, Satan, or if it was instead a destroying angel sent by the Lord, as in the days of the Passover.

There is no question that “destroyer” is sometimes a title used for Satan. The “Guide to the Scriptures” says, categorically, “Satan is the destroyer,” and links to D&C 61. In the parable of the Nobleman and the Olive Trees in D&C 101:43-62, it is quite clear that Jesus is the Nobleman, and the “destroyer” who invades his vineyard is Satan.

But in other contexts, “destroyer” refers specifically to an agent of the Lord, to wit:

14 For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles.

15 Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints.

D&C 105:14-15. Or:

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Exodus 12:23. Or:

6 For thus saith the Lord unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

Jeremiah 22:6-7. And so on. There are other “destroyer” references which are not clearly related to either Satan or a heavenly being. I don’t think the use of the term “destroyer” is proof positive of a Satanic appearance.

A destroying angel would only act to enforce God’s commands. And, in fact, in D&C 61, the Lord explains, “I, the Lord, was angry with you yesterday, but today mine anger is turned away.” D&C 61:20. He was angry because, among other failings, the brethren were “moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief.” D&C 61:3. Might a frightening but harmless visit from a destroying angel have helped impress upon them the importance of saving souls rather than just traveling?

And what are we to make of these verses?

27 Nevertheless, unto whom is given power to command the waters, unto him it is given by the Spirit to know all his ways;

28 Wherefore, let him do as the Spirit of the living God commandeth him, whether upon the land or upon the waters, as it remaineth with me to do hereafter.

29 And unto you is given the course for the saints, or the way for the saints of the camp of the Lord, to journey.

D&C 61:27-29. This could mean, “If you ever receive the power to command the waters, then I’ll tell you when to travel by water or not, but until then here’s how to travel.” Or it could mean, “I have committed power over the water to the destroyer, whom I guide by the Spirit, and he acts in accordance with my will, so just follow this course and you’ll be safe.” I find both interpretations plausible, but the second one moreso. If “unto whom is given power to command the waters” refers to “the destroyer,” then we can be pretty sure it isn’t Satan, who is not known for following the Spirit’s commands.

Now, it could be that when the Lord speaks of the destroyer carrying out his commands, he means that an evil being is carrying out his righteous will, perhaps unwittingly, as with “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant.” Jeremiah 27:6. Ol’ Nebbie probably wouldn’t have passed a temple recommend interview, but he carried out the Lord’s will nonetheless. I’ve seen some scriptural interpretations that take it for granted that “the destroyer” in D&C 61 is Satan, but no contemporaneous source that would support that assumption. I’m not saying that these sources don’t exist, only that I haven’t seen them; I’m no historian. If anyone knows of such a source, I’d be happy to see it.

One more point. There is another way we learn of a “destroyer.” It’s not obvious to me that it refers to Satan rather than a destroying angel, either.