On the 4th Day of Christmas Past Re-cast…
Question: Today’s “Light the World” is that Jesus’s birth brings hope. How did those imprisoned in Liberty Jail during Christmas find HOPE in their hopeless situation?
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On December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and several other brethren were imprisoned in Liberty Jail in Missouri on trumped-up charges of murder and overt acts of treason, none of which was ever proven against them. The Prophet and his companions found themselves in very difficult circumstances. Liberty Jail was a basement dungeon of approximately 14 feet by 14 feet with only a trapdoor entrance from the main floor. The ceiling was so low that the men couldn’t stand fully upright and were forced to sit or lie on the dirty, straw-covered floor, their legs shackled.
There was no stove for heating, and when they used an open fire, inadequate venting caused the room to fill with smoke, which made breathing difficult. They had few blankets – certainly not enough to keep them warm in the freezing winter conditions – and the food was so bad they could hardly eat it. It was a difficult time. Joseph endured 5 months under these trying circumstances, including Christmas 1838.
The prisoners had suffered a week in the jail when Emma brought her 6-year-old son, Joseph, to visit. Having no means by which to travel, Emma had borrowed a two-seat carriage and a “beautiful span of cream horses” to cover the 40 miles from Far West to Liberty. With her were Phoebe Rigdon and Phoebe’s young son, John. John remembered, “We started rather late in the morn and did not get to the jail til after dark and they would not let us go in till the next morn. After taking breakfast at the hotel we were taken to the jail and there remained for three days.”
Emma was able to make a return visit on December 20, just before Christmas. In the midst of such dire circumstances, the prisoners were cheered by the presence of their loved ones. Joseph asked Emma if she could possibly bring some blankets for him. But the request reduced her to tears because the mob had recently attacked her home and destroyed all but two of her blankets. If she brought those to Joseph, then their children would go without. Emma’s visits were the closest the family got to a Christmas celebration that year.
Within the walls of Liberty Jail, just a week before Christmas when Joseph was at his lowest, Baldwin scribed some of Joseph Smith’s most profound reflections in letters to the destitute Latter-day Saints. Joseph uttered the first words of what is now section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “O God where art thou and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place how long shall thy hand be stayed and thine eye yea thy pure eye behold from the etearnal heavens the rongs of thy people and of thy servants and thine ear be penetrated with their c[ri]es yea o Lord how long shall they suffer these rongs and unlawfull oppressions before thine hart shall be softened towards them and thy bowels be moved with compassion to-words them.”
Joseph’s heavenly plea was not immediately answered. He continued to reflect on the violent acts against the Latter-day Saints and wondered when justice would come upon his oppressors. Finally, a consoling reassurance of hope came to the Prophet Joseph: “My son pease be unto thy soul thine advirsity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou indure it well God shall exalt the[e] on high thou shalt tryumph over all [thy] foes.” The Lord also assured Joseph that “if the verry jaws of hell shall gap[e] open her mouth wide after thee know thou my son that all these things shall give thee experiance and shall be for thy good. The son of man hath desended below them all art thou greater than he?”
These comforting words triggered a sense of hopeful confidence in Joseph. He said that God “would have a tried people” and that the Latter-day Saints’ experience in Missouri was “a tryal of our faith equal to that of Abraham.” Inasmuch as Abraham was saved from sacrificing his son Isaac, so would the Latter-day Saints be delivered through Christ from their trials if they remained faithful. Giving him and his prison companions hope that they would soon convene again with the Saints.
“Therefore God hath made broad our shoulders for the burden. We glory in our tribulation, because we know that God is with us, that He is our friend, and that He will save our souls.” Because of Joseph’s eventual triumph over these unjust and difficult events and the revelation and comfort the Lord gave to him while he was imprisoned, Liberty Jail has come to be known as a temple prison.
Taken from:
Porter, “Remembering Christmas Past”, p. 53
Willes, “Christmas with the Prophets”, p. 5-7
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/within-the-walls-of-liberty-jail?lang=eng
What gave the prisoners hope was God’s answer to Joseph Smith — that if they remained faithful, the Latter-day Saints would be delivered through Christ from their trials.
They found hope in revelation and Godly promises. We can too.
They found hope through the Spirit of God and by an answer to a prayer by Joseph Smith in their severe adversity.
“My son pease be unto thy soul thine advirsity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou indure it well God shall exalt the[e] on high thou shalt tryumph over all [thy] foes.” The Lord also assured Joseph that “if the verry jaws of hell shall gap[e] open her mouth wide after thee know thou my son that all these things shall give thee experiance and shall be for thy good. The son of man hath desended below them all art thou greater than he?”
Likewise, we can be given the peace and assurance that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know us and bless us in our times of adversity.
The revelation received by Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail revealed to these men that the Lord was aware of their circumstances and trials. They were given to understand that this trial would strengthen them and that He would “save [their] souls” if they remained strong and true. That knowledge of the Lord’s love for them gave them hope for their eventual release and return to their families.
In a revelation Joseph was told that thy adversity and afflictions were just a small moment and if they would endure God would exalt them,
and the Latter Day Saints would be delivered thru Christ if they remain faithful. The Lord was with them.
They found hope through connection with Heaven both asking and receiving. They also found hope from those that sacrifice to visit them although all request couldn’t be fulfilled.
During that dark time they were cheered by a visit from loved ones, but they received hope from a revelation received by Joseph that their adversity would be but “a small moment”. If they would endure they would be exalted. They had faith and hope in Christ.
Hey found hope in the sure knowledge that the Savior was with them and also that he completely understood and felt their suffering and more.
Hope comes through fervent prayer.
What They suffered in Liberty Jail was unimaginable. Joseph poured his soul out to the Lord. He received a message of hope. No one suffered more than the Savior .
They knew their scripture and the examples of hope from Abraham. They believed and trusted in their leader and prophet, Joseph Smith. So when he spoke they found words of hope in his revelations and teachings.
They found comfort in praying to Heavenly Father. They received hope in the response and in the meaning of the response.
The Response, “My son pease be unto thy soul thine adversity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou endure it well God shall exalt the[e] on high thou shalt triumph over all [thy] foes.”
The Meaning, Joseph understood that the trials of the saints and those in prison with him were tests of faith and trust in Heavenly Father. They would be over soon. When endure well with faithfulness in Christ, they would be delivered soon. This gave the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and the other several brethren hope that they would soon be freed and with the Saints again.
Joseph found hope in visits from loved ones and the Holy Spirit. Liberty became a temple of inspiration and revelation.
Finally, a consoling reassurance of hope came to the Prophet Joseph: “My son pease be unto thy soul thine advirsity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou indure it well God shall exalt the[e] on high thou shalt tryumph over all [thy] foes.” The Lord also assured Joseph that “if the verry jaws of hell shall gap[e] open her mouth wide after thee know thou my son that all these things shall give thee experiance and shall be for thy good. The son of man hath desended below them all art thou greater than he?” I have always reflected on the last part, art thou greater than he? We can have hope in the Savior, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials. It what it does mean is if we endure those trials and remain faithful to the end, we will have a place with the Savior! That brings me hope!
Joseph and the others found hope in Jesus Christ. In his dark moment he was able to look toward the light
They were visited by Emma and Pheobe Rigdon. Joseph Smith had a revelation that these trials were to make them strong and that it would all be made right in heaven. That our time on earth was short. God had made our shoulders broad to handle the trials.
This is one of my favorite scripture passages that has helped me get through difficult times in my life, just as Joseph, “that all this shall give thee experience. The Son of man has descended below them all. Art though greater than He.” We can all make it through this life if we will just remember this
This was a extremely difficult time for the Saints as well as for Joseph and the others in Liberty Jail. Family can bring us happiness as when Emma and Phoebe and their children came. But the revelation from the Lord, telling Joseph that this wasn’t going to last forever-it was a trial of their faith, was the thing that brought hope to their hearts.
They received a message of hope from God, that all trials make us stronger. God has made our shoulders strong enough to handle the challenges given us. Everything will be made right in Heaven. We just need to have faith. (Side note… Caleb Baldwin is my direct descendant, which makes this passage even more meaningful!)
Hope came through communication from God. Heavenly Father does love His children and will send messages of hope and comfort.