isaiah for airheads by john bytheway

Understanding the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon

Let’s map out what we’re going to do...

Prepare to visit Isaiah National Forest

♦Four “Guides”♦Four “Trees”♦Four “Keys”♦Examples using the “trees” and “keys”♦Modern resources for understanding Isaiah

Born in 775 B.C., began his ministry in 740 B.C.

Our Four Guides:

NEPHIJACOB

ABINADI

JESUS

Our Four Guides:

NEPHIJACOB

ABINADI

JESUS

1 Nephi 20, 21

2 Nephi 12-24

2 Nephi 7-8

Mosiah 14

3 Nephi 20, 22

Isaiah National ForestFour types of “C” trees...

Covenants Christ

Current Events

Coming Events

Covenants♦What covenant? Covenant Israel

♦It’s impossible to understand Isaiah unless we understand the Lord’s interest in the House of Israel

♦Why Nephi’s brother Jacob quotes Isaiah (2 Nephi 9:1-3).

♦“and also many covenants...” (1 Ne 13:26)

♦Title Page – two major purposes of the Book of Mormon

♦Last Page – Moroni 10:31-32

ChristWhat does the name “Isaiah” mean?

♦Hezekiah♦Nehemiah♦Obadiah♦Jeremiah♦Zachariah♦Zedekiah♦Isaiah


♦Hezekiah = The Lord gives strength♦Nehemiah = Comfort of the Lord♦Obadiah = Servant of the Lord♦Jeremiah = Exalted of the Lord♦Zachariah = The Lord has remembered♦Zedekiah = The Lord is righteousness♦Isaiah = The Lord is salvation


♦Hezekiah = The Lord gives strength♦Nehemiah = Comfort of the Lord♦Obadiah = Servant of the Lord♦Jeremiah = Exalted of the Lord♦Zachariah = The Lord has remembered♦Zedekiah = The Lord is righteousness♦Isaiah = The Lord is salvation♦These names share the “yah” sound. The root

word is Yawveh or Jehovah or LORD in KJV

Look at these names...♦Gabriel = Man of God♦Samuel = Name of God♦Daniel = A judge is God♦Ezekiel = God will strengthen♦Israel = One who prevails with God ♦Bethel = House of God♦Emmanuel = God with us♦Nathanael = God has given♦Michael = Who is like God♦Ishmael = God heareth

Look at these names...♦Gabriel = Man of God♦Samuel = Name of God♦Daniel = A judge is God♦Ezekiel = God will strengthen♦Israel = One who prevails with God ♦Bethel = House of God♦Emmanuel = God with us♦Nathanael = God has given♦Michael = Who is like God♦Ishmael = God heareth♦They share the root “El” meaning the divine being, as

in “Eloi” or “Elohim”

Christ

♦The Law of Witnesses♦Another “Three witnesses” early

in the Book of Mormon

ChristThe “Three Witnesses” of Christ – 2 Nephi 11:2

♦And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words...for he verily saw my redeemer [there’s one], even as I have seen him [there’s two]. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him [there’s three] as I have seen him.

ChristElder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 35.

♦After reading these three witnesses from the small plates of Nephi, the reader knows two things in bold relief: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that God will keep his covenants and promises with the remnants of the house of Israel.

Christ

♦Another “Three witnesses” early in the Book of Mormon

♦“Persuade them to believe...” (1 Nephi 19:23)

♦All prophets testify of Christ♦Jacob 7:11, Mosiah 13:33

♦He will come (not he has come)♦King Noah’s priests thought

salvation came through the law

Current Events

♦Isaiah was an advisor to Kings of Judah

♦Don’t make alliances with other nations! Let the Lord be your King, let the Lord be your ally.

Coming Events

♦“A virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son” (2 Nephi 17:14)

♦“For unto us a child is born” (2 Ne 19:6)♦“The Lord’s house shall be established in

the tops of the mountains” (2 Ne 12:2)♦“The words of the book which were sealed

shall be read upon the house tops” (2 Ne 27:11)

♦“in that day” (2 Ne 22:1)♦Bruce R. McConkie: “[Isaiah] is above all

else the prophet of the restoration”

Who’s Got the Keys?

Isaiah National Forest or Bust

Nephi’s Keys for Understanding Isaiah (2 Nephi 25:1-8)

Know the manner of prophesying

Have the spirit of prophecy

Know the geography

Live in the last days

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2

3

4

Nephi’s Keys for Understanding Isaiah (2 Nephi 25:1)

Know the “manner of prophesying”

♦Business writing♦Clear, direct, concise♦Deny the reader the right to misunderstand

♦Humanities writing♦Conceal your meaning♦Don’t use the same noun too often♦Move through past present and future♦Use past tense to talk about future events♦Use complex symbols

1



♦Revelation 19:10 “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”♦“God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149).

2


Know the geography

♦If you don’t know the geography of the ancient holy land, you’re in good company♦“Emma, does Jerusalem have a wall around it?” “Yes, Joseph, Jerusalem has a wall around it. Everybody knows that” “Thank goodness; I thought I was being deceived”

3



♦Nephi said, “for I know that they [the words of Isaiah] shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them”

4

Nephi’s Keys for Understanding Isaiah (2 Nephi 25:1-8)

Know the manner of prophesying


Know the geography


1

2

3

4

Now EnteringIsaiah National Forest...

Brother Bytheway’s Airhead Approach for Isaiah Understanding

♦Read the Synopsis (slowly)♦Identify Trees (Four “C”’s)♦Identify which keys to Use

Example One:2 Nephi 15:26-29

♦26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor stumble among them.

♦27 None shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;


♦28 Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.

♦29 They shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry away safe, and none shall deliver.


♦Synopsis: The Lord’s vineyard (Israel) shall become desolate and scattered – Woes shall come upon them in their apostate and scattered state – The Lord shall lift an ensign and gather Israel – compare Isaiah 5.

♦“C” Trees: Christ, Covenant Israel, Coming Events

♦Keys – Live in the last days

Elder LeGrand RichardsA Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 230.

♦Since there were no such things as trains and airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have mentioned them by name, but he seems to have described them in unmistakable words. How better could "their horses' hoofs be counted like flint, and their wheel like a whirlwind" than in the modern train? How better could "Their roaring . . . be like a lion" than in the roar of the airplane?

Elder LeGrand RichardsA Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 230.

♦Trains and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified in saying "none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken"? With this manner of transportation the Lord can really "hiss unto them from the end of the earth," that "they shall come with speed swiftly."

Example Two: 2 Nephi 20:28-31♦He is come to Aiath, he is passed to

Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages. They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

Example Two: 2 Nephi 20:32-34♦As yet shall he remain at Nob that day;

he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Example Two: 2 Nephi 20:28-32♦Synopsis: Destruction of Assyria is a type of

destruction of wicked at Second Coming - Few people shall be left after the Lord comes again -Remnant of Jacob shall return in that day - Compare Isaiah 10

♦What trees are we talking about here?♦Current Events♦Christ♦Coming Events♦Covenants

Example Two: 2 Nephi 20:28-32

♦What keys should we use?♦Know the manner of prophesying♦Live in the last days♦Know the geography♦Have the spirit of prophecy♦Notice the number of proper names we we

begin verse 28:

2 Nephi 20:28-31

♦Because we live in the last days, we have more resources than ever before to help us understand Isaiah.

♦Let’s use a map, which will help us know the geography.

This map is from The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint

Families, p. 120

2 Nephi 20:28-31♦He is come to Aiath, he is

passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages. They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.


Families, p. 120

2 Nephi 20:32-34♦As yet shall he remain at Nob

that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.


Families, p. 120

Example Three: 2 Nephi 8:22-25♦Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God pleadeth the

cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.

♦But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul: Bow down, that we may go over—and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over.

♦Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

♦Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Example Three: 2 Nephi 8:22-25♦Synopsis: In the last days, the Lord shall comfort

Zion and gather Israel – The redeemed shall come to Zion amid great joy – Compare Isaiah 51, 52:1-2

♦What trees are we talking about here?♦Coming Events♦Covenants♦Christ

♦What keys shall we use?♦Live in the last days (use modern scripture)♦Have the spirit of prophecy

Example Three: 2 Nephi 8:22-25D&C 113:7-8

♦Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?

♦He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost.

Example Three: 2 Nephi 8:22-25D&C 113:9-10

♦What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse?

♦We are to understand that the scattered remnants are exhorted to return to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in their scattered condition among the Gentiles.

Moroni 10:31An example of Isaiah phrases used by other Book of

Mormon writers

♦Awake and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever...

Moroni 10:31Think hard – what was Isaiah saying?

♦Enlarge thy borders♦Strengthen thy stakes♦Put on thy beautiful garments

Moroni 10:31

♦Enlarge thy borders (Proclaim the Gospel)♦Strengthen thy stakes (Perfect the Saints)♦Put on thy beautiful garments (Redeem the Dead)

Modern Resources for Understanding Isaiah...Blessings of Living in the Last Days

♦Restoration Scripture♦“The Book of Mormon is the world’s greatest

commentary on the book of Isaiah” – Bruce R. McConkie♦The Doctrine and Covenants gives commentary and

interpretation of Isaiah passages♦New Scriptures♦Synopsis♦Footnotes (different in OT Isaiah than in the BofM)♦Bible Dictionary

Modern Resources for Understanding Isaiah...

♦New Resources from faithful LDS Scholars♦Book of Mormon Reference Companion♦Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families♦Article – “Ten Keys for Understanding Isaiah” by

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Oct 1973♦Unlocking Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, by Victor

Ludlow♦Isaiah and the Book of Mormon, by Terry Ball♦Isaiah Made Easier, David Ridges

Elder Boyd K. PackerEnsign, May 1986, p. 61.

♦"The prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah . . . loom as a barrier, like a roadblock or a checkpoint beyond which the casual reader, one with idle curiosity, generally will not go. . . . Perhaps only after you read the Book of Mormon and return to the Bible will you notice that the Lord quotes Isaiah seven times in the New Testament; in addition, the Apostles quote Isaiah forty more times. One day you may revere these prophetic words in Isaiah in both books. The Lord had a purpose in preserving the prophesies of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, notwithstanding they become a barrier to the casual reader."

Elder Bruce R. McConkieChurch News, January 24, 1976, 4.

♦I think that people who study the scriptures get a dimension to their life that nobody else gets and that can't be gained in any way except by studying the scriptures. There's an increase in faith and a desire to do what's right and a feeling of inspiration and understanding that comes to people who study the gospel – meaning particularly the standard works – and who ponder the principles, that can't come in any other way.

Jesus really did say...3 Nephi 23:1

♦And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah

Isaiah helps us to:♦Remember who we are – House of Israel♦Remember whose we are – Jehovah’s♦Does Jehovah remember us?

1 Nephi 21:14-15(Compare Isaiah 49)

♦Behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me – but he will show that he hath not.

♦For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?

1 Nephi 21:15-16(Compare Isaiah 49)

♦“Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;”

isaiah for airheads by john bytheway

Spiritual