what does it mean to be an elect lady lds

In the months following the April 1830 organization of the Church building of Christ (every bit the Church was then known), Emma Hale Smith began to understand more than fully what her husband's prophetic calling would mean for her and their young family. Emma, who turned 26 years quondam on July ten, 1830, had married Joseph 3 years earlier despite the objections of her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Unhurt.^one She believed in the visions and revelations received by her husband, and those 3 eventful years had confirmed to her that he was indeed a prophet.

By the fourth dimension of their marriage, Joseph had met with the angel Moroni in one case a year for three sequent years at a hill virtually Palmyra, New York, to discuss the golden plates from which he would translate the Book of Mormon. In the fall of 1827, Emma went with Joseph and waited in the wagon while he received the aureate plates. She soon began to assist every bit a scribe in the translation process. "I frequently wrote 24-hour interval after twenty-four hours," she after recalled, "oft sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his chapeau, with the stone in information technology, and dictating hour later on 60 minutes with nothing betwixt u.s.. … He had neither manuscript nor book to read from. … If he had had anything of the kind he could non have concealed it from me. … The plates often lay on the tabular array without whatever attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth. … I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape."

Decades later on, she marveled at what had happened. She recalled that at the time of their marriage Joseph "could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded alphabetic character; let alone dictating a book similar the Book of Mormon."^two

Emma's Trials

But these spiritual experiences had been accompanied past inconvenience and pain. Joseph and Emma first lived with the Smith family in Manchester, New York, and and then moved to live with the Hales in Harmony, Pennsylvania, where Emma had grown up. During their beginning years of marriage, the couple moved at least four times between Harmony and upstate New York, traversing approximately 300 miles each time. In June 1828, Emma gave nascence to a son, who "died the same hour" of his nascence.³ Their early on years were filled with poverty. Joseph wrote that in 1829 they had become very poor—"reduced in property," he termed it—and Emma'south begetter "was near to turn me out of doores & I had not where to go and I cried unto the Lord that he would provide for me to accomplish the piece of work whereunto he had commanded me."⁴ In their hour of need, faithful friends—such as Josiah Stowell, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery—often provided Joseph and Emma with financial assistance.

All the same these challenges, Emma desired to be baptized in June 1830. Joseph and Emma traveled to Colesville, New York, where she was baptized along with several other converts, including members of the Knight family, who had besides supported them financially during the translation of the Volume of Mormon. Still, in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 27, opponents of the infant church destroyed a dam built for the baptisms. Early the next forenoon, Joseph Smith'south history recounts, "we were on the alert, and earlier our enemies were aware nosotros had repaired the dam, and proceeded to cognominate." Oliver Cowdery baptized Emma and 12 others. Before the baptismal service had concluded, "the mob began again to collect, and shortly afterward we had retired, they amounted to about fifty men." Joseph, Emma, and the other Church building members had gone into Joseph Knight Sr.'south home, just it was before long surrounded by men "raging with anger and apparently wishful to commit violence upon us." Joseph Smith's history continues: "Some asked us questions, others threatened us, so that nosotros idea it wisdom to leave and go to the house of Newel Knight."^v However, the Saints were followed, and the harassment connected.

The Saints planned a meeting for that evening, during which Emma and the other newly baptized individuals would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and be confirmed members of the Church building. Nonetheless, equally they gathered, a constable arrested Joseph Smith "on charge of beingness a disorderly person; of setting the land in an uproar by preaching the Volume of Mormon." The constable explained that the mob hoped to ambush Joseph after his abort; however, the constable "was determined to save me from them, as he had found me to be a different sort of person from what I had been represented to him." They before long encountered the mob, but to the "swell thwarting" of the vigilantes, the constable "gave the horse the whip and drove me out of their reach." Afterwards arriving in South Bainbridge in Chenango County, the constable stayed with Joseph Smith that night "in an upper room of a Tavern." To protect Joseph, the constable "slept during the dark with his feet against the door, and a loaded musket by his side."⁶

Joseph Smith was tried and acquitted in South Bainbridge only so immediately arrested again to stand trial on like charges in neighboring Broome Canton. The second constable initially treated Joseph harshly. When they arrived in Broome County, Joseph Smith'southward history records, "He took me to a tavern, and gathered in a number of men, who used every ways to abuse, ridicule, and insult me." They spat on Joseph and demanded that he prophesy to them. Relatively close to their dwelling now, Joseph asked that he "exist allowed the privilege of spending the night with my wife at abode," only the constable denied his asking.^vii

Following a 2nd trial the adjacent 24-hour interval, Joseph was once again acquitted. The constable, according to Joseph Smith'southward history, now "asked my forgiveness."⁸ Learning of plans by the mob to tar and feather Joseph, the constable helped him escape. Joseph arrived safely at the nearby house of Elizabeth Unhurt Wasson, Emma's sis.

During her husband's absence, Emma had been "awaiting with much feet the issue of those ungodly proceedings."⁹ She had gathered with other women "for the purpose of praying for the deliverance" of her married man.¹⁰ One time reunited, Joseph and Emma traveled abode to Harmony, Pennsylvania, in early July. Forth with Oliver Cowdery, Joseph fabricated one more unsuccessful trip to Colesville to confirm the newly baptized Saints but quickly returned to Harmony in the face of renewed opposition.¹¹

Outpouring of Revelation

Following his return to Harmony, Joseph Smith received three revelations in July 1830. The outset revelation, now known every bit Doctrine and Covenants 24, addressed Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, "telling them apropos their Calls." The revelation reminded them that they had been called "to write the Book of Mormon & to my ministery." Likely referring in part to their recent opposition, the revelation continued, "I accept lifted thee upwards out of thine afflictions & have counseled thee that grand hast been delivered from all thine enemies."¹²

The revelation besides spoke of Joseph Smith'due south material circumstances, instructing him to visit Church building members in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester after he had "sowed [his] fields." The revelation made clear that Joseph should be supported by Church members so he could "devote all [his] service in Zion." Joseph was told, "In temporal [labors] thou shalt non have force for this is non thy calling."¹³ This revelation led Joseph and Emma to empathise that they would struggle financially and need to rely on support from Church members because of their dedication to the ministry.

Whatever Emma'due south hopes for her married life were, she could hardly have predictable the degree to which opponents of the new church building would physically intimidate and legally harass the Smiths or the manner the demands of preaching and Church assistants would accept her husband abroad from their farm and family unit, disrupting their home life and threatening their livelihood.

In the context of these anxieties and disappointments, Joseph received a revelation for Emma, Doctrine and Covenants 25, which reiterated, "Verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this earth & seek for the things of a better." Through the revelation, Emma received words of alleviation and instruction. She was told, "Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen for they are withheld from thee & the World"—perhaps a reference to the golden plates, which Emma later recalled she had handled on i occasion but not seen. The revelation called Emma "an elect lady" and told her that the "office of thy calling shall be for a comfort unto my Servant Joseph thy hubby in his afflictions with consoleing words in the spirit of meekness." The revelation also spoke of Emma's work in the Church, promising that she would be "ordained" by her husband "to expound Scriptures & exhort the Church."¹⁴ Furthermore, Emma was instructed to serve as a scribe to her husband and to compile a hymnal. Joseph Smith later on explained that Emma "was ordain'd at the fourth dimension, the Revelation was given, to expound the scriptures to all; and to teach the female role of customs; and that not she solitary, only others, may accomplish to the same blessings."¹⁵

The third revelation received by Joseph Smith in July 1830, now canonized equally Doctrine and Covenants 26, instructed Joseph, along with Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer, to dedicate their time "to the studying [of] the Scriptures & to preaching & to confirming the Church building at Colesvill & to performing thy labours on the Country."^sixteen

In early on August, a few weeks following these three revelations, Newel and Emerge Knight traveled from Colesville, New York, to visit Joseph and Emma Smith in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Emerge Knight had been baptized on the aforementioned day equally Emma, but neither had been confirmed. As such, Joseph Smith's history recounts, "It was proposed that we should ostend them, and partake together of the sacrament, before he and his wife should leave us.—In order to set up for this; I set out to go to procure some vino for the occasion, but had gone simply a short altitude when I was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the following revelation."¹⁷

The angel warned Joseph Smith non to "Purchase Wine neither potent drink of your enemies."^xviii Joseph then returned home and "prepared some vino of our own make" for the confirmation coming together, which consisted of the Smiths, the Knights, and John Whitmer. Joseph Smith'south history records, "We partook together of the sacrament, afterwards which nosotros confirmed these two sisters into the church, and spent the evening in a glorious way. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, we praised the Lord God, and rejoiced exceedingly."¹⁹ These four revelations, received between July and September 1830, provided crucial instructions to Joseph and Emma Smith, as well as other Church members, in the determinative months following the Church building'due south organization.

Emma particularly treasured the revelation addressed to her. With the assistance of William W. Phelps, she followed the Lord's instructions to compile the Church's first hymnal.²⁰ In 1842, Joseph Smith read the revelation to Emma at the organizational meeting of the Relief Society. He besides read 2 John 1, which references the "elect lady," and explained that she was "called an Elect lady" because she was "elected to preside."²¹ Joseph stated that "the revelation was then fulfilled by Sister Emma's Ballot to the Presidency of the Lodge."²²

The revelation regarding Emma Smith, received during the tumultuous summer months of 1830, was invoked and discussed in Relief Society meetings throughout the 19th century. For example, at a jubilee celebration of the Relief Guild'due south 50th anniversary in 1892 held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, "Zina Y. West. Card … read in a very articulate and singled-out voice the Revelation given to Emma Smith, through Joseph the Seer … wherein Sister Emma is called an Elect Lady."²³ Early on Relief Society general presidents were sometimes called "Elect Lady." For case, when Zina D. H. Immature became Relief Society general president, Emmeline B. Wells (who herself later served as Relief Society full general president) wrote to her, "I congratulate you my beloved sister on being called, to be, according to the words of Joseph the Prophet, 'The Elect Lady.'"²⁴

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Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/thou-art-an-elect-lady?lang=eng

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