JOSEPH THE MAN

 

Joseph Smith once described himself as ‘a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing he got was when some corner got rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women – all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there……..

Thus, he said:  I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.”   (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 304)

Persecuted from the age of 14, tarred and feathered, imprisoned, suffering personal tragedy and loss and betrayed by friends certainly made Joseph a polished arrow shaft in God’s quiver.

An arrow shaft is generally polished so that it can fly truer and faster for one’s most important shot. For God’s most important shot, being this last dispensation, He truly did use His most polished arrow shaft, the man Joseph Smith, who willingly rolled down the mountain…….

But what of the woman behind the man? Joseph could never have accomplished God’s purpose for him by the age of 38 had he not had a wife of equal spiritual stature as himself. Perhaps out of all the love tragedies, there is not one greater than that of Joseph and Emma Smith.

Joseph and Emma shared an unbreakable bond of faith. I am certain Emma was foreordained to share in the work that Joseph accomplished as the prophet of the Restoration. She trusted God and joined Joseph in the work despite all odds.

The differences between them were startling: she was rich, he was poor, she was well-educated and he was a farm boy with questionable sanity because of his claims. Her parents were opposed to the marriage but Emma was a woman of faith who made her choice which led her to great tragedy.

Emma was Joseph’s partner in every way. She was with him when he received the gold plates. She was his first scribe and she was deeply invested in their protection. The difficulties she suffered in her life with Joseph are too lengthy to list here. Her greatest tragedy is that she had 11 children, six of which died in infancy. All this by the age of 39 when she became a widow with five children.

When Parley P. Pratt visited Emma, 'a woman of commitment in sorrow', in Nauvoo where she remained after the saints travelled west, she told him 'I believe Joseph was everything he professed to be'.

Emma lived almost 35 years after the martyrdom of her prophet-husband. A few days before she died she told her nurse, Elizabeth Revel, that Joseph had come to her in a vision and said: "'Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me'.

As Emma related it, she said, 'I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the different apartments of that beautiful mansion'. And one room was the nursery.

In that nursery was a babe in the cradle. She said, 'I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me'. She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms and wept with joy over the child. When Emma recovered herself sufficiently, she turned to Joseph and said, 'Joseph, where are the rest of my children?'

He said to her, 'Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your children'. Then she saw standing by his side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ." (Gracia N. Jones, My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith, Ensign Aug 1992)

In my mind, Joseph was only half a polished shaft in the quiver of our God. The other half was Emma.

“Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord”

-        1 Corinthians 11:11

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: But For A Small Moment by Liz Lemon Swindle)

A SUFFERING SERVANT

 

Chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah contain the greatest Messianic prophecy identifying the Messiah as ‘the Suffering Servant’. This was the Saviour’s role in earth life. This prophecy is also dualistic in nature, meaning it speaks of two men in very similar roles.

In this prophecy Isaiah says the Saviour’s visage was “marred more than any man” when He suffered for the sins of mankind and was crucified on Calvary (Isaiah 52:14).

When visiting the Nephites, the Saviour Himself made it clear that there shall be another servant in the latter days who shall accomplish ‘a great and marvelous work’. Even though there will be many who will not believe him, the Saviour said this servant shall be ‘marred’ because of them and be persecuted throughout his life until they succeed in killing him. This latter-day servant is Joseph Smith. (3 Nephi 21:9,10; Old Testament Student Manual, commentary for Isaiah 52:13-15).

I am amazed at how similar Joseph’s earthly life was to that of the Saviour’s. When in the Liberty jail, Joseph cried out in misery to God, the Lord told him that hell shall rage against him (D&C 122:1-2). This truly proved to be true.

Right from the beginning Joseph was aware that he was destined to be “a disturber and an annoyer of Satan’s kingdom” (JSH 1:20). Two years prior to his death he said that ‘envy and wrath of man have been his common lot all the days of his life and that ‘deep water was what he was wont to swim in, which had become second nature to him’ (D&C 127:2). That is a description of one hard life….

This is how he saw himself:

“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain, and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women – all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there” (Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith, p 304).

Not only did Joseph have to contend with the unbelievers but he often had to struggle with opposition within the Church: “In early 1844 a group of apostates in Nauvoo, Illinois, declared the Prophet Joseph Smith to be a fallen prophet and tried to start a rival church. Some even held secret meetings, during which they plotted to kill him” (See Glen L. Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise [2002], 357-62).

I am certain that Joseph felt it was all worth it when the Saviour sealed upon him his exaltation a year prior to his death:

“For I am the Lord thy God and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity, for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father…..Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins….”  (D&C 132:49,50)

A mission achieved, a life well endured……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph in Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

 

 

 

A TREASURE ABOVE GOLD

 

I love the standard works of scripture because in each of them I see the Christ.

In the Old Testament I see the merciful Jehovah. His long suffering towards His people Israel, despite their backsliding, is beyond my ability to understand. In the Old Testament I see the roots of His covenant with us, His people. I see His devotion, His mercy, and His commitment that will never be broken by Him.

In the New Testament I see Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ (Isaiah 53). I see Christ’s descent from His throne, I see the man of sorrows, the sacrificial lamb, the Saviour of all, and I see the hope of eternal life, the triumph over humanity’s foe.

In the Book of Mormon I see the manifested promised Messiah. I see the God of Israel who fulfils all prophecies and all His promises. And again, I see mercy……on every page.

In the Pearl of Great Price I see the brilliance and godship of a son of God who created worlds without number and who was willing to sink into the bottomless pit of human suffering nailing himself to the cross 'from the foundation of the world'. I see His integrity which earned Him my vote and devotion for all time and eternity.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, I see the majestic, exalted God. I see His inexhaustible work in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man through the restoration of His priesthood, the portal to life everlasting to all who will come into His Kingdom. And I see the King of Glory who will come to reign on this earth and subdue all enemies under His feet (Isaiah 9:6,7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith has said that the Doctrine and Covenants is our book. It stands above the Bible, The Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price. Whereas these books of scripture are vital, they belong to another time. Doctrine and Covenants belongs to the Latter-Day Saints in this dispensation. He said we should ‘treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth’ (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198-99).

And this is why. On another occasion, President Smith said that if we put into practice the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, “we will know the truth and there shall be no weapon formed against us that shall prosper (see D&C 71:9-11). There shall be no false doctrines and no teachings of men that will deceive us” (In Conference Report, Oct 1931, p 17).

There is only one thing that the Doctrine and Covenants lacks. On the very first page should be Moroni’s admonition to us and to the whole world, to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ’ if the revelations contained therein are true…..and if we shall ask, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto us, by the power of the Holy Ghost……for by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things (Moroni 9:3,4)

The dynamics of the fulness of the truth given to us in this the last hour of this dispensation with the priceless gift of the Holy Ghost to prepare us for the coming of the Son of Man in this the mire of corruption, evil and Satan’s desperate attempt to destroy us, is beyond God’s mercy. The combined truth with the guidance of the Holy Ghost is more precious than gold. It will bring us to Zion and to our God.

It is time to heed President Nelson’s voice: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”.

We are the House of Israel. We are the covenant people. We are His peculiar treasure above all people (Exodus 19:5). We are ‘the apple of His eye’ (Det 32:9,10; Zech 2:8), hidden under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8), we are His people and He is our God.

This is our Doctrine and these are our Covenants…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

BY THE WEAK

 

It is amazing to me that the Saviour relies on us, the weak things of the earth, to accomplish His purposes. This is His call: “Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit” (D&C 35:13). The greatest and first example of this latter-day mandate was Joseph Smith, as confirmed by the Lord who said: ".....for unto this end have I raised you up, that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth" (D&C 124:1).

Why the unlearned and inexperienced and ordinary and those lacking in any esteem of their fellow men? So that the work which they achieve will be accredited to the right person, the Christ. Considering Joseph’s lack of education, experience and youth, nobody could ever claim that he achieved anything in relation to the gospel by his own merits. All credit goes to Him to whom this Church belongs. It is on this premise the authenticity of the Church is built.

I am amazed by the myriad of achievements the Saviour accomplished through the weakest and the most unlearned, the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith:

·        He taught the correct concepts about the nature of the Father and Son.

·        He translated and published the Book of Mormon by the power of God.

·        He was the means by which the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were restored.

·        He organized the Church of Jesus Christ again on the earth under the direction of the Saviour.

·        He revealed the true meaning of Zion, its location in the last days, and the laws by which it shall be governed.

·        He received over a hundred revelations and published them in the Doctrine and Covenants.

·        He worked on the translation of the Bible, restoring lost scripture and correcting erroneous translations.

·        He established settlements of the Saints, teaching them principles of social order, city planning, economics and so on, in addition to teaching them spiritual principles.

·        He restored the keys and knowledge of temple ordinances for both the living and the dead.

·        He received keys of restoration from Moses, Elias and Elijah.

·        He started missionary program that has involved tens of thousands of missionaries and resulted in millions of converts in countries all over the world.

·        He translated by inspiration of God papyri from Egypt, containing some of the writings of Abraham.

·        The Lord revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith many principles and concepts of the gospel which had been lost or corrupted over the centuries. The Prophet Joseph Smith then:

·        Explained man’s relationship to God.

·        Explained the differences between the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods.

·        Explained the different offices of the priesthood, the duties of each, and the manner in which they are organized.

·        Set forth the proper organization, name and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ.

·        Taught that our life on earth is a probation, a time to work out our individual salvation.

·        Received a revelation of the three degrees of glory and what we must do to prepare to live once again with God.

·        Explained the nature and order of the Resurrection.

·        Showed how saving ordinances can be performed vicariously for those who did not receive them in mortality.

·        Set forth the principles on which Zion will be built, the nature of the Millenium, and the kingdom of God and how it will eventually be established on earth.

·        Added to our knowledge of the Apostasy and why it came.

·        Pointed out the fulfilment of various prophecies.

·        Announced the coming of Elijah, and explained his mission.

·        Taught that marriage is intended to be eternal and that the family unit continues beyond the grave

·        Served as an example of the role of a living prophet.

·        Restored the principle of priesthood administration to the sick.

·        Built temples and revealed temple ordinances for the living and the dead.

·        Brought forth the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the writings in the Pearl of Great Price.

·        Set down the duties of Church members and the laws by which the Church is governed.

·        Taught the doctrine of common consent.

·        Explained the role of Satan in the gospel plan.

·        Gave the Saints the Lord’s principles by which we can avoid being deceived in this life.

·        Taught the true nature of the Atonement of Christ and its relationship to the principles of justice and mercy.

·        Explained the meaning of the sacrament.

·        Explained the nature of spiritual gifts and the role of the Holy Ghost.

·        Clarified the role of women in the kingdom of God.

·        Received the revelation of the oath and covenant of the priesthood.

·        Emphasized the necessity of missionary work in the Lord’s plan.

·        Received the Word of Wisdom.

·        Instituted the law of tithing, the law of consecration, and the law of sacrifice and obedience.

All of these accomplishments were done under the direction of Jesus Christ and ultimately the credit belongs to Him. But Joseph Smith was His chosen instrument in bringing all these things to pass. This is why we can rightly say that the Prophet did more for the salvation of humanity than anyone except the Saviour himself (D&C 135:3)

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p 349-50)

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph by Simon Dewey)

THE PROPHET OF THE RESTORATION

 

When I went searching for the truth at the ripe old age of 16, I read a lot about the Church.  By the time I sought to be baptised, there was nothing much the missionaries could teach me. I knew all about Joseph Smith and accepted his prophetic calling without question. My real testimony of him, however, came 30 years later when I was working towards my University degree. I decided I would do a history assignment on the Church. This time I read much more about Joseph, as so much more was available online. What I read, however, were things written by the so called ‘intellectuals.

Joseph was told by Moroni, when only a teenager, that his 'name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people' (JHS 1:33). The research for my assignment took me down the path that made me sorrow and shed tears. In the end I had to bend my knees and ask the Lord to help me understand the man Joseph Smith. What happened is not something I expected. I don’t know how it COULD happen but it did. During the course of my prayer, I was ‘shown’ Joseph Smith’s heart. I understood that all he did during his prophetic calling was done out of the goodness that lay there. As this understanding flooded over me I could not contain my tears and came to appreciate the great sacrifices he made in fulfilling his earthly purpose. I came to know and understand him in the spiritual sense and my testimony of him became iron clad.

It is my belief that we need to tread lightly when we delve into the past. I heard one of my University professors say once that history is very much subjective. Even though it is supposed to be cold hard facts, they are recorded from someone's perspective, a human perspective. We of this century cannot fully understand the mentality, the challenges and the pattern of how things worked in times past. Equally hard to understand to the people of other time periods would be our dispensation; the liberties we take, the freedoms we have, the technology which affords us the ease with which we perform our daily tasks, the stresses of modern-day living, our sicknesses, our anxieties, our depressions, our battle with forces of evil.  Some things we consider normal now would be considered unacceptable and inappropriate in yesteryear. Times change and with it the mentality of the people.

Joseph Smith is the root of our Church, the Church being an institution and establishment, not the Gospel. The root of the Gospel is and ever will be our Beloved Christ. He is the foundation on which the Church rests. We are blessed with immensely rich heritage as members of the restored Church. We should never be ashamed or reluctant to voice our witness of this heritage. When we tell non-members about our Church, may we always bear witness of the Prophet of the Restoration. I have heard it said, if a person cannot accept Joseph Smith, they can’t accept the Church. I share here a missionary story of the father of President David O. McKay to prove this point:

"He accepted a call to a mission about 1880. When he began preaching in his native land and bore testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he noticed that the people turned away from him. They were bitter in their hearts against anything Mormon, and the name of Joseph Smith seemed to arouse antagonism in their hearts. One day he concluded that the best way to get these people would be to preach just the simple principles, the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first principles of the gospel, and not bear testimony of the restoration of the gospel. It first came simply, as a passing thought, but yet it influenced his future work. In a month or so he became oppressed with a gloomy, downcast feeling, and he could not enter into the spirit of his work. He did not really know what was the matter, but his mind became obstructed; his spirit became clogged; he was oppressed and hampered, and that feeling of depression continued until it weighed him down with such heaviness that he went to the Lord and said: 'Unless I can get this feeling removed, I shall have to go home. I cannot continue my work with this feeling'.

It continued for some time after that, then one morning before daylight, following a sleepless night, he decided to retire to a cave, near the ocean, where he knew he would be shut off from the world entirely, and there pour out his soul to God and ask why he was oppressed with this feeling, what he had done, and what he could do to throw it off and continue his work....He entered that place and said: 'Oh, Father, what can I do to have this feeling removed? I must have it lifted or I cannot continue in this work'; and he heard a voice, as distinct as the tone I am now uttering, say: 'Testify that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God'. Remembering, then what he tacitly had decided six weeks or more before and becoming overwhelmed with the thought, the whole thing came to him in a realization that he was there for a special mission, and that he had not given that special mission the attention which it deserved. Then he cried in his heart, 'Lord, it is enough’……... (Gospel Ideals, pp 21-22)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith at Saviour's Feet by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

A LIFE OF SACRIFICE

 

If we do not believe that Joseph Smith has done more towards the salvation of mankind save Jesus alone (D&C 135:3), we do not know and understand the Book of Mormon. In an interview with her sons a few months before she died, Emma Smith, bore her testimony to them: "My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity. I have not the slightest doubt of it....Joseph Smith could never write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter; let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates....and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, 'a marvel and a wonder', as much as to anyone else" (“A Treasured Testament, Ensign, July 1993, 62-63).

Describing her experience, Emma said: "The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth which I had given him [Joseph] to fold them in. I once felt the plates as they lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book". She also testified, "I know Mormonism to be the truth; and believe the church to have been established by divine direction" (Gracia N. Jones, My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith, Ensign Aug 1992)

What do we owe to Joseph Smith, 'a disturber and an annoyer of Satan's kingdom' (JHS 1:20), the revealer of God, a martyr in the cause of truth? In my opinion, much more than slanderous words and disregard for his sacrifices, obedience and divine appointment. When Parley P. Pratt visited Emma, 'a woman of commitment in sorrow', in Nauvoo where she remained after the saints travelled west, she told him 'I believe he [Joseph] was everything he professed to be'. Emma lived almost 35 years after the martyrdom of her prophet-husband. A few days before she died she told her nurse, Elizabeth Revel, that Joseph had come to her in a vision and said: "'Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me'. As Emma related it, she said, 'I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the different apartments of that beautiful mansion'. And one room was the nursery. In that nursery was a babe in the cradle. She said, 'I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me'. She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms and wept with joy over the child. When Emma recovered herself sufficient she turned to Joseph and said, 'Joseph, where are the rest of my children?' He said to her, 'Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your children'. Then she saw standing by his side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ." (Gracia N. Jones, My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith, Ensign Aug 1992)

I have a profound gratitude for the prophet Joseph Smith upon whom the Saviour himself sealed his exaltation on 12 July 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois:

"For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for, verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare for you a throne in the kingdom of my Father...."  (D&C 132:49)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph in Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle)