A Spokesman

In Joseph of Egypt’s words before he died, he prophesied about spokesmen both for Moses and Joseph Smith who would come later.  From this prophecy we learn of Moses, “And he shall have judgment, and shall write the word of the Lord. And he shall not speak many words, for I will write unto him my law by the finger of mine own hand. And I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be called Aaron” (JST Genesis 50:35).  We read of the fulfillment of this prophecy in Exodus 4.  When Moses complained to the Lord that he was “slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” the Lord was angry with Moses and appointed Aaron to be his spokesman: “And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth” (Exodus 4:10, 16).  Moses would receive revelation from the Lord and then Aaron would be the one to speak to the people, as in Exodus 16:9. 

In Joseph of Egypt’s prophecy there was also apparently a mention of a spokesman that would be raised up for Joseph Smith as well.  We don’t have that recorded in the JST Genesis 50 account, but we do have it in 2 Nephi 3 that quotes from this prophecy of Joseph of Egypt.  We read these words in Lehi’s quotation of the record on the brass plates: “And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it” (2 Nephi 3:18).  So in the Restoration Joseph was the write the words of the “fruit of the loins” of Joseph of Egypt—i.e. the Nephites who were descended from Joseph—and another would be the spokesman for Joseph to “declare it.”  This spokesman was Sidney Rigdon, for the Lord told him in a revelation in 1833: “And it is expedient in me that you, my servant Sidney, should be a spokesman unto this people; yea, verily, I will ordain you unto this calling, even to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph” (D&C 100:9).  Sidney was an excellent orator and was for a long time a powerful advocate for the Restoration; as George Q. Cannon later put it, “Those who knew Sidney Rigdon, know how wonderfully God inspired him, and with what wonderful eloquence he declared the word of God to the people” (see here).    

While this concept of a spokesman for Joseph was certainly similar to that of Aaron and Moses, I think the relationship was different for Joseph.  Joseph, as far as I know, never complained of being “slow of speech” like Moses or requested a spokesman out of fear for having to speak.  In fact, in the very next verse after Sidney is called as a spokesman, the Lord told him “And I will give unto him [i.e. Joseph] power to be mighty in testimony.”  Joseph was never afraid of speaking but was made powerful in bearing his own testimony, especially in the Nauvoo period.  (By this time Joseph had lost his trust in Sidney and even tried to have him replaced as a counselor in the First Presidency, but the Church voted to retain him because he made such a moving appeal to them.  Joseph apparently said, “I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. You may carry him, but I will not.”)  At any rate, during this period Joseph was himself a powerful speaker and was, I think, his own spokesman for the Restoration.  As Parley P. Pratt recalled, “None listened to him that were ever weary with his discourse.  I have even known him to retain a congregation of willing and anxious listeners for many hours together, in the midst of cold or sunshine, rain or wind, while they were laughing at one moment and weeping the next” (see here).  As Joseph of Egypt had prophesied, he indeed did “much good… in word” (2 Nephi 3:24).