Joseph’s background and impoverished situation in those days gives insight to why carrying out these commandments completely consumed his mind. A laborer in the period meant that one truly worked hard labor for extremely small means. These families, such as Joseph’s, could not afford to feed their own children.  These types of families commonly had to send their children to live and perform arduous work on other farms, where in return would be provided shelter and food on the other farm to sustain them. Sending them away to work was the only way to survive. This extreme form of poverty was therefore, unable to afford luxuries that weren’t crucial to survival. Once Joseph learned that he was to publish a book, he became fixated on the magnitude of such a task. The cost of simple paper and ink was a luxury he struggled with acquiring for just the translation of the plates, let alone the cost for the whole process of publishing a book and making numerous copies. Joseph struggled and toiled to acquire the means in which he was to fulfill the Lord’s command. He had not been able to think beyond the goal of publishing the book. For him it was a day to day struggle with the help of mighty miracles that eventually lead to the book’s publication.

The revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants before the formation of the Church are strongly focused on these pressing commandments for Joseph. Before the eighteenth revelation the Lord reveals numerous times that “a great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men” (D&C 4:1, 6:1, 11:1, 12:1, 14:1). The Lord is fervent for his commandment to be realized and fulfilled.  Revelations eighteen and nineteen are watershed revelations in which they break from the message of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and delve deeper by expressing the significance of the book.  The Lord explains that this new book of scripture shows how to build the Church because the book has the restored gospel within its pages.  Joseph realizes that the book is a means to the end. The purpose of the book is to bring people unto Christ and to understand his atoning sacrifice. This becomes a pivotal point in which Joseph now knows he will do more than just publish the book. He will be prophet. He will reestablish the Gospel and the Church.  Before this moment he never imagined all that he was to do and become. He hadn’t thought beyond the concept of fulfilling his command to publish the book. He hadn’t realized there would be so much more.