Week 7 - Looking Back

Pres. Boyd K. Packer counseled: “Most [readers] readily understand the narrative of the Book of Mormon. Then, just as you settle in to move comfortably along, you will meet a barrier. . . . Interspersed in the narrative, are chapters reciting the prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. They loom as a barrier, like a roadblock or a checkpoint beyond which the casual reader, one with idle curiosity, generally will not go.

“You, too, may be tempted to stop there, but do not do it! Do not stop reading! Move forward through those difficult-to-understand chapters of Old Testament prophecy, even if you understand very little of it. Move on, if all you do is skim and merely glean an impression here and there. Move on, if all you do is look at the words” (Ensign, May 1986, 61).

I’m happy to report that the McMinnville Seminary Class has broken the “barrier” of the brass plates version of the book of Isaiah found in 2 Nephi 12-24. We are undeterred in our reading and study of the Book of Mormon. In fact, we found and discussed some interesting things from the writings of Isaiah. And, we tried to follow the counsel that Nephi & Jacob gave to their people to “liken” those scriptures unto us. We do that by identifying principles that the scriptures teach and then determining how those principles can guide our decisions.

Isaiah wrote a little over 100 years before Nephi’s time (740-700 B.C.). While the writings seem quite distant from our day, for Nephi and Jacob, they were closer than the revelations and prophecies of Joseph Smith are for us. Isaiah’s inspired prophecies of Israel’s scattering and the Lord’s merciful plan to redeem His people influenced Nephi to include major portions to support his own written testimony and prophecies of the Messiah. These Isaiah portions underscore four major themes: (1) the judgments of God and needed repentance, (2) the covenants of God and His promises to the house of Israel, (3) Christ’s first and second coming, and (4) major events relating to the latter days.

The Bible Dictionary states this: “Isaiah is the most quoted of all the prophets, being more frequently quoted by Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John (in his Revelation) than any other [Old Testament] prophet. Likewise the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants quote from Isaiah more than from any other prophet.

“The reader today has no greater written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. As we understand these works better we will understand Isaiah better, and as we understand Isaiah better, we more fully comprehend the mission of the Savior, and the meaning of the covenant that was placed upon Abraham and his seed by which all the families of the earth would be blessed” (Isaiah, 707).

I hope as we read, searched, and discussed some of the words of Isaiah, you found some things that you were better able to “liken” unto yourselves. Here are a few things that became more “real” to me:

The symbolism that Isaiah used at the beginning of chapter 15 obviously tells the story of the Lord of Hosts and the house of Israel. The lord did everything for his vineyard. He fenced it, got the rocks out of it, planted it with the best vines, built a tower in the middle of it so that he could watch over it and protect it, and even made a wine-press and place it in it with the expectation of a bountiful harvest of excellent fruit. Nevertheless, the harvest that the vineyard produced was wild grapes. Now, consider the deep places in his heart from whence these words came, “What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?” (v. 4). The consequences for the choices the Israelites made were that some were destroyed (just like the vineyard) and the rest scattered. We’re left to wonder why – after all that they had seen and heard and been promised – could they reap such a fate. But what of us? How much has been done for us? Well, a short list would have to include (1) we were born in a free land, (2) we have access to the restored gospel, (3) we have been taught what the Savior did for us. Do you think He ever looks at us and with sadness in his voice says, “What could I have done more?” There may be times when we look at someone who is close to us and utter those same words, “What could I have done more?” If/When we do, we more fully appreciate the feelings Jesus Christ has for us. But the rest of the vineyard story makes it clear, that He has done all that He can, the rest is up to us. How will we use our agency? Will we use it to choose Him? Will we produce good fruit?

The other really “eye-opening” discussion we had concerns 2 Nephi 24 at the beginning when Isaiah identified “Lucifer.” He is the only prophet in the scriptures to call the devil by that name. He also included his title, “son of the morning.” In much the same tone as the lord of the vineyard, Isaiah’s words evoke sadness and wonderment. How could it be that one so high could fall so low? We noticed the message in the words that Isaiah used to tell Lucifer’s story. The pronouns are all “I” or “my”. Conversely, if you look at the Savior’s words in Abraham 3:24-25, He used the pronoun “we.” What does that say about a fundamental difference in Jesus Christ and Lucifer? It’s a sad story that Isaiah tells about the “son of the morning.”

Everything that Lucifer said he wanted was just the opposite of what he received. To understand and apply the message from Isaiah’s account, it’s good to have written in the margin of your scriptures these references: Matthew 23:1-12 and Mark 8:35. In those verses the Savior clearly teaches how one can “save his life” and “be exalted.” What is it that each of us really wants? And if it is that we really do want all that has been prepared for us, what a tragedy if we make choices that deny us of those blessings.