July 05, 1830 - D&C 25 was received

[Hemidakota]

July 5, 1830 — Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph Smith received D&C 25, a revelation manifesting the will of the Lord to Emma Smith, the "elect lady" the Lord called to assemble the first hymnbook for the Church. (History of the Church, 1:103–4)

Historical Setting: This revelation was given to Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith. She was the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Lewis Hale, and was born July 10, 1804. She was married to the Prophet in 1827, while he was under the tutelage of the Angel Moroni. She believed in the Prophet, although her parents did not, and she was baptized by Oliver Cowdery in June, 1830. Her life from that time on was a very trying one, due to constant persecution and mobbings. She passed through these trials with her husband and shared them, as did the faithful wives of the leaders of the Church. The calling given to Emma Smith in this revelation was an important one, and was fulfilled.

Emma Smith was human, possessing many of the characteristics which are found in most of us. Being the wife of the man whom the Almighty had blessed, she felt, as most women would have felt under like circumstances, that she was entitled to some special favors. It was difficult for her to understand why she could not view the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and other sacred things, which view had been given to special witnesses. At times this human thought caused her to murmur and ask the questions of the Prophet why she was denied this privilege. In this revelation the Lord admonishes her and tells her that it is for a wise purpose to be made known in time to come, why she and the world were deprived of this privilege. Her duty was to be obedient to her husband, hearken to him in faith, and she should have an inheritance in Zion. Even greater blessings were in store for her; she should be a daughter of God. . . in his kingdom, and a crown of righteousness should she receive. Moreover, she was told that her duty was to be a comfort with consoling words to her husband in his afflictions, for he should have many. ( D&C 24:8.) Any man who has had afflictions knows what a comfort a confiding wife can be. How much better it is to be a comfort than to be a nagger and to murmur! ( Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants , vol. 1 by Roy W. Doxey)

Joseph Smith, Jun. - . . . This revelation was given to Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith. She was the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Lewis Hale, and was born July 10, 1804. She was married to the Prophet in 1827, while he was under the tutelage of the Angel Moroni. She believed in the Prophet although her parents did not, and she was baptized by Oliver Cowdery in June, 1830. Her life from that time on was a very trying one due to constant persecution and mobbings. She passed through these trials with her husband and shared them, as did the faithful wives of other leaders of the Church. The calling given to Emma Smith in this revelation was an important one, and was fulfilled. (CHMR, Vol. 1, p. 117)

Background Narration:

Stephen C. Harper

Emma Hale's parents opposed her 1827 marriage to Joseph. Despite that opposition and knowing that controversy followed him, she married him anyway. Their abiding love and spirituality is evident in their surviving letters. Emma believed her husband and believed in him. She assisted and sustained him in translating the Book of Mormon. She was baptized in June 1830, but a wave of intense persecution battered Joseph, keeping him from attending to her confirmation (see D&C 24). She felt her "very heart strings would be broken with grief" as she witnessed her neighbors' hatred toward her husband.

Joseph's receipt of the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 24 might have troubled Emma somewhat. Given her tumultuous married life thus far, she couldn't help but be concerned about her financial future. In section 24 the Lord essentially guaranteed Joseph and Emma a modest living dependent on the faithfulness of the Saints. If the Saints would support them, Joseph and Emma would have enough to enable him to devote his life to the Church, but there was no guarantee of "the things of this world" (D&C 25:10). Section 24 seems to assure Emma a life of hardship with a husband whose efforts belonged principally to the Church. In a remarkably affectionate yet straightforward revelation, Doctrine and Covenants 25, the Lord let Emma know that he could see through her eyes and gave her an opportunity to see through his. (Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants by Steven C. Harper)

Section Header Notes: Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July, 1830.—The word of the Lord directed to Emma Smith, the Prophet's wife—Her duties defined, and glorious possibilities of achievement set forth—The Lord's admonitions are applied to all.

Versus amount: 16

Suggested link: D&C 24, D&C 26

Summary and Conclusion: The world has long been struggling to define the role of women. In July 1830, in 16 scriptural verses, the Lord resolved it all. He has taught each sister:

1. Her true identity as a daughter of God

2. Her true destiny as a wife and mother

3. The ways by which she should order her life in covenant and marriage relationships. (Six areas of this counsel have been discussed in this chapter. )

President Harold B. Lee emphasized these important teachings in several addresses to the sisters of the church:

To be what God intended you to be as a woman depends on the way you think, believe, live, dress, and conduct yourselves as true examples of Latter-day Saint womanhood, examples of that for which you were created and made. To be thus merits the deepest respect of your sweetheart and your husband. (Ensign, February 1972, p. 48)

Now, just a word to women students, in this day, when so much is being said about the prime role of the woman. We say the prime role in life for a woman is to become a wife and a mother. (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 93)

You must understand that your husbands hold the priesthood of God and they have the key to the effectual door to a celestial home in the eternities for you and your children; and if they do not honor and magnify the priesthood they hold, you and your families will suffer thereby, even to the point of being deprived of that celestial home.

I shall never forget a lovely mother of five children whose husband had recently become active in the Church. They had gone to the temple for that glorious experience of having the whole family sealed together. After she had related this experience, she expressed great joy. She looked over the pulpit to her husband who was sitting in one of the front seats and said to him, "Daddy, I don't know how the girls and I can tell you how much we appreciate what you have done for us, because you see except for you, our daddy who holds, the priesthood, neither the girls nor I would be able to be together in a home beyond this life." (Area Conference, Munich, Germany, August 1973, p. 55) (Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants , vol. 1 by L. G. Otten, C. M. Caldwell, P.117)