Without Disclosing My True Identity
kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. Ask, and ye shall receive;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.^16Joseph was under strict mandate never to ask a man to do anything for him unless
the man had “desires to serve God,” and the man first “asked” and “knocked.” This way, no
man would ever be able to honestly accuse Joseph of convincing him do something that he
did not want to do for himself.
A Spokesman for Joseph, a Modern-day “Aaron”
During 1830, many of the principal players in the establishment of the Church first
came in contact with the Book of Mormon. However, Joseph was continually aware that he
needed someone he could place in a position of authority who had the personality needed
to assist him in giving the people what they wanted, as he was mandated to do. Joseph was
always looking for the man to be his promised spokesman. He wanted one that could
ostensibly act in his stead. He wanted a man with the ego to believe inside of himself that he
was worthy enough to be chosen by God as a co-“prophet, seer, and revelator” for the
people. Joseph needed his own “Aaron.” The advanced human monitors had a man already
prepared for the job. His name was Sidney Rigdon.
Joseph’s intent was to have Sidney perform the role of his spokesperson, not as an
official office of the LDS Church, but according to Mosaic custom. A consistent theme of the
story of Moses was the role of his own spokesman, Aaron. Joseph had a higher pitched
voice^17 than most preachers and ministers at the time and did not consider himself a very
eloquent speaker. During his four-year tutelage at the feet of the Brothers and advanced
humans, he first brought up the problem he had with his perceived vocal inadequacies,
doubting whether he would be convincing enough to the people. He was assured that a
proper assistant, like “Moses’ Aaron,” was being prepared for him. With his own sense of
humor, Mathoni arose from the ground where they were sitting at the time and proclaimed
in the deepest and angriest tone he could muster,
Behold, one day a man will come forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee,
he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in
his mouth: and the Lord will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and
will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the
people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee, instead of a mouth, and thou
shalt be to him instead of God.^18The older of the two “Injun” brothers was simply paraphrasing Exodus, chapter 4,
verses 14 to 16. In these verses, the Lord chastises Moses for doubting his ability to perform
his role because he was “not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou has spoken unto
thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue,”^19 assigning Aaron, therefore, as
a counselor in Moses’ “Presidency.” No less the same relationship was true of Joseph and
Sidney Rigdon.
By 1831, the offices of the Church’s priesthood authority were fully “revealed,”^20 but
Joseph had not filled any positions. The Church’s First Presidency would be established the
next year in March of 1832. This would become the governing body of the LDS/Mormon