16 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.34 And the Lord sware unto Joseph that he would preserve his seed for ever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod.17 And the Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.35 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 50:34–35]18 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 3:16–18]
Again, Lehi is apparently paraphrasing the words of Joseph of Egypt since the JST prophecy is more complete. The JST speaks of Moses gathering and leading the Israelites, Moses smiting the Red Sea, and it names Aaron as the spokesman for Moses. Lehi probably did not include them because Nephi had testified of them before (1 Nephi 4:1–2; 17:23–26); and possibly he had also, since he spoke “many more things which [Nephi did] not write in this book” (1 Nephi 10:15).
Joseph of Egypt lived several hundred years before Moses (about 1700 B.C. vs. 1400–1200 B.C.). Thus he foretold of two great leaders who would deliver the house of Israel. What Moses did is now biblical history, and is recorded in the book of Exodus. It is verified in the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith was given many blessings similar to Moses as discussed above, but two more of Moses’ blessings are mentioned here: having power in a rod and the Lord writing unto him his law. Associated with both of these blessings, the Lord made a spokesman for him (v. 17). The name of the spokesman was Aaron (v. 34). Joseph Smith had these blessings as well.
The spokesman for Joseph Smith, the seer, was to “write the writings of the fruit of [Joseph of Egypt’s], unto the fruit of [Joseph of Egypt’s] loins; and the spokesman of [Joseph of Egypt’s] loins shall declare it” (v. 18). While there are other opinions, the spokesman here, in the writer’s opinion, was Oliver Cowdery. The Lord told Isaiah that he would say to “the man that was not learned [Joseph Smith] … thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee” (2 Nephi 27:19–20; JST, Isaiah 29:20). In the translation process, Joseph read the words given to him by revelation; and, as Oliver later testified, “I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon [save a few pages], as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated by the gift and power of God” (HC, 1:128).
Moses was to be given power in a rod, and Aaron was also granted this power. As directed by the Lord, “Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and his servants, and it became a serpent” (Exodus 7:10). Oliver was given “the spirit of revelation” (D&C 8:1–5), and also the gift of Aaron:
6 Now this is not all thy gift; for you have another gift, which is the gift of Aaron; behold, it has told you many things;
7 Behold, there is no other power, save the power of God, that can cause this gift of Aaron to be with you.
8 Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works; and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it is the work of God (D&C 8:6–8).
The ability to hold the gift in his hands tells us it was an instrument of some kind. Although we do not know to what instrument the Lord alluded to here, the Book of Commandments, the first publication of some of Joseph’s revelations, had a slightly different wording in the sixth verse; instead of “the gift of Aaron,” it reads “the gift of working with the rod” (Chapter 7:3). Aaron’s rod was a sacred instrument. After being cut from its mother tree, overnight it “brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” as a testimony to the rebellious of the house of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 17:6–10). It was kept in “the ark of the covenant” with “the golden pot that had manna, … and the tables of the covenant” (Hebrews 9:4). Apparently Oliver was promised this sacred instrument, and although there is some secondary evidence of its being given, we do not know for sure if it was ever received.
Oliver was called “even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church” (D&C 28:3). As the Church grew and Oliver’s duties increased, some of his duties were given to others. This has been a typical as the Church has grown. In October 1833, Sidney Rigdon was called and ordained “to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph. And I will give unto him power to be mighty in testimony. And I will give unto thee power to be mighty in expounding all scriptures, that thou mayest be a spokesman unto him, and he shall be a revelator unto thee, that thou mayest know the certainty of all things pertaining to the things of my kingdom on the earth” (D&C 100:9–11).
Moses wrote the law of the Lord (the law of Moses) for his people (v. 17). “This generation shall have [the Lord’s] word [the Book of Mormon] through [Joseph Smith]” (D&C 5:10). The Book of Mormon is writing that comes from Joseph of Egypt’s posterity (v. 18). Joseph Smith was also given “the law of the Church” for this generation (D&C 42 section heading). Although he was given a spokesman to declare the Lord’s word (v. 18), he was mighty in speaking himself. Once more he meets the criteria for the eighth characteristic of the choice seer spoken of by Joseph of Egypt.