This revelation was given to Joseph Knight sen. who may well have been the first one to believe Joseph Smith after Joseph's family. And yet it would be four years before he would be baptized. He said he wanted to read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself. After another revelation in 1830 (Section 23) where the Lord admonished him to be baptized, he finally became a member of the church. He was well enough off to help Joseph in a variety of ways numerous times from 1826 on. By the time the Saints got to Nauvoo, Father Knight, as he was called by everyone, was very poor and suffering from bad health. The Saints thought so much of him they donated a house for him to live in. One day, Joseph saw Father Knight hobbling along and putting his arm around him gave him his cane saying Father Knight needed it more than he did. The cane has been passed down in the family to this day. In 1847, when the Saints left for the west, Father Knight made it as far as Mount Pisgah, Iowa where he died at the age of 74.
Section 12 is similar to all of the early revelations (those before the organization of the church) given to priesthood holders. It admonishes them to be prepared to help in the cause of Zion, to do missionary work with the promise that if they do it with their might, they will see much success. In this, the Lord tells Father Knight that "no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care." In a tribute written by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Joseph said that Father Knight possessed all of these characteristics.
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