Isaiah 54

I have found a couple of new resources for studying Isaiah during the last few days. I have so much to learn. I will try to post a few of my thoughts as I study the remaining chapters.

Compassion is Synonymous to Covenant

After listening to the analytical lecture by Avraham Gileadi, I learned at least one new thing. He mentioned that the word covenant and compassion are synonymous. In Isaiah 54:7-8, he translates the word mercy to compassion. I also found at least one thesaurus website that confirms this (http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/charity) in which it links charity to compassion and covenant.

Precious Stones

In Isaiah 54:11-12, the "afflicted" are those who are tried and go through a refiner's fire. As a result, they are no more common. They are gifted with pleasant or precious stones. In today's world, wickedness abounds and surrounds us. If we successfully navigate through these waters, we emerge refined and are more highly valued because we are rare. We also inherit and refined and glorified earth which too must pass through a refiner's fire in the Last Days.

Mobs Gather to Oppose Righteous

In Isaiah 54:15, we learn that mobs will gather against the Lord's people. In the recent elections, California passed an amendment making marriage legal only between a man and a woman. The citizens of that state voted against gay marriage several years ago. Again in 2008, they voted against gay marriage. The backlash against the Church and its members was strong during the election and after the election. Several newscasts showed mobs of gay marriage supporters acting lividly against those who support the sanctity of marriage. This trend will undoubtedly continue in the future.

Summary of Isaiah 54 (Ludlow)

Ludlow gives a nice summary of Isaiah 54 (see page 462):

Husband Provides Wife
1. Children (1-3)
2. Love (4-8)
3. Commitment (9-10)
4. Material comfort (11-12)
5. Protection (13-17)

Jehovah Provides Israel
1. Great numbers (1-3)
2. Reconciliation (4-8)
3. Covenant relationship (9-10)
4. Prosperity (11-12)
5. Peace (13-17)

Isaiah 51

Look to Abraham (v 1-3)

The Lord reminds and comforts Israel as he commands them to "look unto the rock whence ye are hewn" and to "look unto Abraham your father" (Isaiah 51:1-2). As a continuation from the previous chapter, the Lord is trying to comfort Israel by telling her to trust in Him. He provides more evidence to Israel by showing her how He has blessed Abraham and his posterity. Abraham was a single man. Now his posterity are nations.

The covenants the Lord made with Abraham were in effect during Isaiah's time and are still in effect today. They were fulfilled and being fulfilled in Isaiah's time and they are fulfilled and still being fulfilled today.

Being heirs and descendants of Abraham, we too can receive the same blessings Abraham was promised if we keep the covenants we've made with the Lord.

Elder Nelson summarizes the blessings we will receive as we keep our covenants.

"Abraham’s posterity would be numerous, entitled to eternal increase and to bear the priesthood;

• He would become a father of many nations;

• Christ and kings would come through Abraham’s lineage;

• Certain lands would be inherited;

• All nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed;

• That covenant would be everlasting—even through “a thousand generations.”"
(Russell M. Nelson, “Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 32)

He references the following scriptures in his talk:
Gen. 17:1–10; Gen. 22:15–18; Gal. 3:28–29; Abr. 2:9–11.
Gen. 26:1–5, 24.
Gen. 28:1–4, 10–14; Gen. 35:9–13; Gen. 48:3–4.
1 Chr. 16:15. See also Gen. 17:1–10, 19; Lev. 26:42; Acts 3:25; LDS Bible Dictionary, “Abraham, Covenant of,” p. 602.

The Work and Glory (v 4-8)

The Lord further comforts Israel by telling her His work will last forever. In Isaiah 51:6 he says "the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."

Like Joseph Smith has declared, the Lord's work cannot be stopped. My parents sent me a quote from Joseph Smith while they and I were on missions. They said they repeated this quote every conference and were asked to memorize it.

In the Wentworth Letter, Joseph Smith wrote, "Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, Australia, the East Indies, and other places, the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." (see Joseph Smith Jr., “The Wentworth Letter,” Ensign, Jul 2002, 27)

Our Protector, Our Comforter (v 9-16)

The Lord reminds Israel that he has comforted and protected them. He has done so in the past and he will continue to do so in the future. If ever we feel fear or doubt, reading Isaiah 51:12-16 will bring us comfort.

Two Sons to Lead (v 17-23)

The Book of Mormon version of Isaiah 51 sheds some vital information that is left out in the Old Testament version. I've marked the key difference between the two sources.

Isaiah 51:19-20 says, "These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? Desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

"Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of they God."

2 Nephi 8:19-20 reads, "These two sons are come unto thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword—and by whom shall I comfort thee?

"Thy sons have fainted, save these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God."

Ludlow notes that in Revelation 11:1-6, "John the Revelator describes two great servants of God who will stand and fight for Jerusalem against the armies of the world. For three and one-half years they will have power over the heavens, earth, and their enemies. Then they will killed." (431) The entire chapter of Revelation 11 is a great source for more information on these two prophets.

Joseph Smith also spoke of these two great prophets in D&C 77:15 teaching us that they will be "raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of Jerusalem in the land of their fathers."

This article (Brent Bulloch, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Dec. 1981, 58–60) notes that "Two prophets will be raised up unto (not from) the Jewish nation after the gathering." They key point being that they will not be Jewish.

In another article (Daniel H. Ludlow, “The Future of the Holy Land,” Ensign, May 1972, 96) the author quotes Orson Pratt, “We might bring up, also, the declaration of John in relation to the two witnesses who are to prophecy about that period. They are to prophecy three and a half years, and their field of labor will be Jerusalem, after it shall have been rebuilt by the Jews. By means of their prophecies and the power of God attending them, the nations who are gathered together against Jerusalem will be kept at bay, these Prophets will hold them in check by their faith and power. By and by these nations overcome the two witnesses and, having finished their mission, they are slain, and their bodies will lie three days and a half in the streets of the city. Then a great earthquake will take place, and these two witnesses will be caught up to heaven.” (JD, vol. 16, p. 329. Italics added.)"

Bruce R. McConkie has also commented on these two great prophets. "These two shall be followers of that humble man, Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord of Heaven restored the fullness of his everlasting gospel in this final dispensation of grace. No doubt they will be members of the Council of the Twelve or of the First Presidency of the Church. Their prophetic ministry to rebellious Jewry shall be the same in length as was our Lord's personal ministry among their rebellious forebears." (McConkie, Bruce R. Doctrinal New Testament Commentary. 3:507-511. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-73)

On a personal note … I have always been fascinated with this prophecy. As a kid, I imagined that the whole world will see these two prophets' bodies lying in the streets dead. I can almost hear the commentary of the newscasters and the world rejoicing that they are dead. Then they will be resurrected and fear will grip the world … much like the fear that gripped the people of Ammonihah when they saw Alma and Amulek stepping out of the ruins of the prison in which they were held. The people fled before those two prophets "as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions" (Alma 14:29)

I don't know when all this will happen, but deep down inside, I feel strongly that it will happen in my lifetime.

Isaiah 48

Ludlow lumps Isaiah 48 and 49 together. They should go hand in hand, but because of the volume of content, I will split them into two entries.

Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

Ludlow makes a few notes about these two chapters in the Book of Mormon. He says, "chapters 48 and 49 are the first Isaianic chapters to be quoted in their entirety in the Book of Mormon. (1 Nephi 20-21.) Also, approximately one-third of the Isaianic verses in the Book of Mormon containing major changes are located in these two chapters." He goes on to explain that some of these changes found in the Book of Mormon help clarify passages that have confused scholars in the past. (399)

Covenant Form

Isaiah 48 is in covenant form. Ludlow explains that there are six parts to a treaty between a king and his vassal or in this instance, a covenant between the Lord and his people.

The six parts are 1) Preamble, 2) Historical prologue, 3) Stipulations, 4) Witnesses, 5) Curses and blessings and 6) Perpetuation of the contract.

Isaiah 48 has all these elements, although they slightly different order (400).

Preamble (v 1-2)

The preamble is an introduction to the people.

"or out of the waters of baptism"

The 1 Nephi 20:1 rendition of Isaiah 48:1 adds the phrase "or out of the waters of baptism." This phrase did not originally appear in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. It first showed up in the 1840 edition. Ludlow cites Daniel H. Ludlow to explain this.

The term "or out of the waters of baptism" did not appear in the first edition of the Book of Mormon. It first appeared in the edition of 1840 on page 53, and the sentence in which it appeared was punctuated as follows: "Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, (or out of the waters of baptism,) who swear by the name of the Lord," etc. It is not absolutely clear who was responsible for the insertion of this phrase, although the title pages of this edition indicates that it was the "Third Edition, Carefully Revised by the Translator" and was published in Nauvoo, Illinois.

In the "Committee Copy" of the Book of Mormon that was used by Elder James E. Talmage and his committee in making changes for the 1920 edition, the words "or out of the waters of baptism" were not printed in the text although they had been inserted in red ink in parentheses. However, the parentheses were crossed out by red pencil. These words are printed in the current edition of the Book of Mormon without parentheses. (A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 120).

Israel

When Isaiah speaks to Israel, he may be addressing three different groups of people.

Blood Israel - those who are literal descendants of Jacob or Israel.

Covenant Israel - those who accept God and the covenants of Israel.

The people who live in the land of Israel - those inhabitants of the land that was granted to the tribes of Israel.

Historical Prologue (v 3-8)

In this section, "Isaiah reviews Israel's covenant relationship with the Lord." (403)

The Lord's Foreknowledge

The reason the Lord "declared the former things from the beginning" was so that Israel had no doubt it came from the Lord and would not be able to say that their dumb idols were responsible for the events.

Regarding the foresight and foreknowledge of the Lord, I have found it interesting how even today the Lord gives ample warning to his people. I remember in October 1998 sitting in a chapel in Provo listening to President Hinckley warn all of us priesthood holders to get our houses in order (Gordon B. Hinckley, “To the Boys and to the Men,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 51). He made it clear he was not prophesying that there would be a famine, but he made it clear that he was giving counsel.

To fully understand the context of this talk, you need to understand that 1998 was a great year. The economy was virtually booming. The Internet as we generally know it had been around for a few years and businesses were jumping on board with on-line models and such. It is not a far stretch of the imagination to think that some scoffed at the idea of a prophet counseling to reduce debt and cut back.

Yet just a few years later, the .com bust occurred and scores of on-line companies went out of business. Then September 11, 2001 happened and the world has never been the same. I remember filling my car up at the Chevron across from the football stadium for $.99 a gallon in 1998. Today, the gas prices are $3.50 a gallon and were up to $4.00 a gallon earlier this year. The dollar has hit historical lows against the euro. There were stories of food shortages around the world earlier this year too. Wheat and rice were very expensive and still are. The housing bubble has finally "popped" and there has been a lot of uneasiness in the economy since October 1998.

But looking back to President Hinckley's talk, it is amazing to see the wisdom in his counsel. No doubt he was inspired by the Lord.

Stipulations of the Covenant (v 8-13)

In this next section, the Lord "explains that his efforts are in fulfillment of the covenants made with Israel. He promises that in spite of Israel's rebellions, he will not completely destroy her; still, he will not let her disregard her covenant without punishment." (404)

"but not as silver"

The phrase "but not as silver" found in Isaiah 48:10 is not found in 1 Nephi 20:10. Ludlow states that this phrase has confused scholars for many years. But as the Book of Mormon version stands, the verse is crystal clear in its meaning.

The Right Hand

In Isaiah 48:13, the Lord's "right hand hath spanned the heavens." Ludlow commentates that favoring the right hand is not an invention of man, but it comes from the Lord and is a symbol of righteousness. (405)

I found one Ensign article that discusses using the right hand when making covenants, especially with regard to taking the sacrament.

“I Have a Question,” Ensign, Mar 1983, 67–69

Perpetuation of the Covenant (v 13-15)

In Isaiah 48:13-15, Ludlow identifies the person referred to here as Jesus Christ or Cyrus. Whether Christ or Cyrus, this person will "foretell the future, fulfill the Lord's word, wield power over Babylon, and ultimately succeed in his foreordained mission." (405)

Witnesses of the Covenant (v 16)

It appears in Isaiah 48:16 that the Lord himself and Isaiah are witnesses to this covenant.

Blessings and Curses (v 17-22)

The blessings or curses for obeying or disregarding the covenant are: peace as a river and righteousness as the waves of the sea or tumult and wickedness (Isaiah 48:18), seed as the sand and not being cut off from the Lord or no posterity and living in apostasy (Isaiah 48:19).

Isaiah 24 & 25

An Empty Earth

The main theme of Isaiah 24 is that the earth will become desolate.

Isaiah 24:1 reads, "the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof."

Isaiah 24:3 reads, "The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled."

Isaiah 24:6 clarifies, "the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."

Isaiah 24:20 also reads, "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard" (see also D&C 45:48; 49:23; 88:87).

We don't know how the earth will be emptied of its people and become desolate, but we do know that many prophets have foreseen the day the earth will be burned. Some suggest it will be by nuclear destruction. Others may think it will be by global warming.

When I read scriptures as these, I always recall 2 Peter 3:10 which states, "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (see also 3 Nephi 26:3; Mormon 9:2). D&C 101:25 goes a bit further and adds, "all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth."

Why an Empty Earth?

Isaiah explains why the earth will become desolate. He teaches that the earth is "defiled under the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hat the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left" (Isaiah 24:5-6).

I like how Ludlow explains this verse. He says, "Each gospel principle, commandment, and ordinance was designed by God to help his children grow spiritually. Isaiah emphasizes that their changes have occurred upon three levels of the gospel: the knowledge level (teachings, instruction, or understanding), the action level (laws, commandments, or guidelines), and the contractual level (covenants, ordinances, or promises)" (242).

Not only will the earth become desolate because her people disobey the gospel, but as verse 6 states, "they that dwell therein are desolate." To me, that means their souls become void or are empty and of no worth. The destiny of the earth is linked to the destiny of our souls. If we care for our souls, we will care for the earth.

Many voices today declare that mankind has caused global warming. These same voices advocate a change in everyone's lifestyle. They demand everyone drive cleaner cars, use less and recycle more. Instead, if we want to "save the earth" we must clean the inward vessels first (Matthew 23:25-26).

Zion

Isaiah 24:13-14 talks about those who will be saved in the last days. "When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea."

I searched to see if there was any reference to Zion with regard to these two verses, but I did not find anything. But as I read these two verses, it seems to me that Isaiah saw the establishment of Zion.

A Glorious Worked Finished

In Isaiah 25, Isaiah teaches that we will rejoice in the last day when the victory over death and sin has been fully achieved. Christ will "swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth" (Isaiah 25:8)

There will be many who will have waited patiently for the Lord. They will say, "this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Isaiah 25:9).

Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation.
No longer as strangers on earth need we roam.
Good tidings are sounding to us and each nation,
And shortly the hour of redemption will come.

In faith we'll rely on the arm of Jehovah
To guide thru these last days of trouble and gloom,
And after the scourges and harvest are over,
We'll rise with the just when the Savior doth come.

Then all that was promised the Saints will be given,
And they will be crown'd with the angels of heav'n,
And earth will appear as the Garden of Eden,
And Christ and his people will ever be one.

(Hymns, "Now Let Us Rejoice", 3)