Joseph Smith’s Visits to Cumorah: An Introduction

The period of 1823 to 1827 was a formative time in Joseph’s life. Joseph was born on December 23, 1805, so at the time of the First Vision he was 14, and in September, 1823, when he was visited by the angel Moroni he was 17. I believe that God did not call a 14-year-old prophet. He did not call a 17-year-old prophet. Throughout these years of his life, Joseph received training and instruction from God until he was deemed ready to take on that responsibility.

Joseph’s account of those years is minimal, but other accounts (particularly that of his
mother) paint a picture of the training that Joseph received to prepare him for his prophetic calling.

Joseph expected to obtain the plates every year

When Joseph was first visited by Moroni, he was shown where the plates were buried. The next morning he went to Cumorah, and he says that he “made an attempt to take them out, but was forbidden by the messenger, and was again informed that the time for bringing them forth had not yet arrived, neither would it, until four years from that time; but he told me that I should come to that place precisely in one year from that time, and that he would there meet with me, and that I should continue to do so until the time should come for obtaining the plates.”¹ Based on that, we get the impression that Joseph was told at the outset that he would get the plates in four years. But his mother has a different perspective.

Lucy writes that on that first visit, the angel told Joseph “that the time had not yet come for the plates to be brought forth to the world; that he could not take them from the place wherein they were deposited until he had learned to keep the commandments of God—not only till he was willing but able to do it.”²

Lucy’s account of those four years makes it sound like Joseph went to Cumorah every year expecting to get the plates. He had been told by the angel that he could “have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other motive than that of building his kingdom; otherwise [he] could not get them.”³ It became the objective of the entire Smith family to help Joseph prepare to obtain the plates. They gathered daily to read the scriptures. They knew of the need for Joseph to learn to keep the commandments and have as his sole objective the service of God. And each year at the appointed time when Joseph visited Cumorah, they mourned when he returned without the plates, and each year they worked with more diligence to make sure Joseph was prepared for the following year. In Lucy’s brief account, you can feel the anxiety that was shared by the family for Joseph to be prepared to obtain the plates.

I love Lucy’s account, because it sounds like Joseph’s preparation to become the Lord’s instrument was a family affair. Joseph was not alone. His parents believed him and encouraged him. His siblings believed, and the whole family was focused on this one goal. A tragic event occurred during these years when Joseph’s oldest brother Alvin died. While on his deathbed, Alvin met with each sibling and gave them a final word of advice. To Joseph, he said, “I am now going to die, the distress which I suffer, and the feelings that I have, tell me my time is very short. I want you to be a good boy, and do everything that lies in your power to obtain the Record. Be faithful in receiving instruction, and in keeping every commandment that is given you.”⁴

Can you imagine the feelings of 17-year-old Joseph in hearing these dying words of his 25-year-old brother? This is just one example of how intensely this family felt about Joseph’s mission.

Joseph’s growth and development is evident in the records

It is difficult to summarize the change that is seen in Joseph Smith over the years. It sounds like he was a normal teenage boy for his time, but he was required to mature quickly. At twelve he had a serious concern about his eternal salvation that caused him to search for two years. At fourteen he had a vision of God that caused him to be the subject of ridicule and derision. At seventeen he had an angel tell him that his name “should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues.”⁵ From seventeen to twenty-one he received training and instruction from heavenly messengers, and not just once a year, but from Lucy’s record it sounds as if heavenly instruction was given to him consistently throughout those years. At twenty-one he received the gold plates, and at twenty-three he translated them and then published the Book of Mormon. During that period of translation, he was visited by John the Baptist, and then Peter, James, and John to receive the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods. At only twenty-four years old, he organized the Church of Jesus Christ, and was named the First Elder.⁶ That sounds very young, but by then he had received years of training and preparation.

But his growth and development did not end with the organization of the Church. The historical record demonstrates his growth throughout his life. A study of his writings and his revelations reveals significant maturity when comparing the early revelations to his later ones. I believe that the foundation of his growth came during these formative years when he was focused on learning what it meant to be obedient and single to the glory of God. The prophet Joseph Smith would not have existed without those preparatory years and the significant support of his family.

What can we learn from Joseph’s example?

The angel’s message to Joseph, that he could have no view of getting the plates other than to glorify God, should resonate with us. In a revelation about six years after Moroni’s first visit, Joseph’s father was counseled to have an “eye single to the glory of God.”⁷ That instruction would have been familiar to Joseph, but also to his father, who helped him learn what that meant during those years of 1823 to 1827.

Just a few years later, Joseph received another revelation that was given to the general body of the saints:

“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

“Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.”⁸

What does it mean to have an eye single to the glory of God? What does it mean to sanctify ourselves that our minds become single to God? We see that example in the life of Joseph Smith, as he and his family focused on that exact goal from 1823 to 1827. They worked a farm, they had jobs, they had a sibling pass away, Joseph met and married Emma, they had an unscrupulous man cheat them out of their family home, and through all that they learned to love God more than the things of the world. Joseph understood what it meant to sanctify himself to have an eye single to the glory of God.

We also see that he wasn’t perfect. He had emotions and weaknesses, and yet the Lord trusted him and allowed him to grow and change over time. We can learn from his example, and also take comfort that the Lord worked with him even with his weaknesses.

Having an eye single to the glory of God doesn’t mean that we have to abandon our worldly labors, but we see in the example of Joseph that it requires a significant effort to love God more than the things of the world.

References

1. Joseph Smith-History 1:53.
2. Lucy Mack Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Zion’s Camp Books. Kindle Edition, Chapter 18.
3. Joseph Smith-History 1:46.
4. Lucy Mack Smith, “The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother,” Chapter 19.
5. Joseph Smith-History 1:33.
6. Doctrine and Covenants 20:2.
7. Doctrine and Covenants 4:5.
8. Doctrine and Covenants 88:67-68.