Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 9: My Soul Delighteth in the Words of Isaiah, 2 Nephi 11-25

#1 Elder Bruce R. McConkie tells us: If our eternal salvation depends upon our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood themand who shall say such is not the case! how shall we fare in that great day when with Nephi we shall stand before the pleasing bar of Him who said; Great are the words of Isaiah? (CR, October 1973) Nephi gave us some keys to understanding Isaiah: 1. Learn the manner of prophesying among the Jews (2 Ne. 25:1) 2. Have the spirit of prophecy (2 Ne. 25:4) 3. Know the regions round about [Jerusalem] (2 Ne. 25:6) 4. Live in the last days (2 Ne 25:8) #2 Victor L. Ludlow wrote: Old Testament prophets usually delivered their messages orally at the city gates or in a public assembly place, such as the temple courtyards in Jerusalem. Their important...prophecies were written down These written prophecies had only a limited circulation, however, and most ancient Israelites...learned of the prophetic messages as they were repeated and discussed orally. Because of this oral transmission, prophets organized their material into forms that could be easily remembered and transmitted. The written copies of their literature were primarily used to verify the correct oral transmission and to serve as a witness or record of the Lords counsel and promises to the people. (Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer and Poet, 4) #3 [Isaiah] delivered his prophetic messages in such sophisticated and exalted poetry that his writings attain heights of spiritual, intellectual, and artistic expression almost unparalleled in world literature Isaiahs style is unsurpassed
(Ibid., 3)

#4 The Jewish historian Josephus wrote: ...he was, by the confession of all, a divine and wonderful man in speaking truth; and out of the assurance that he had never written what was false, he wrote down all his prophecies, and left them behind him in books, that their accomplishment might be judged of from the events by posterity. (Nyman, Great
Are the Words of Isaiah, 5)

#5 Isaiah takes the poets approach, sweeping excitedly and impressionistically through the heights and depths of his visions, rather than methodically recording each phase of the revelation the way most prophets have done. Isaiah, when describing a problem relevant to his own time, will frequently (without the slightest warning to his readers) skip to a discussion of an identical problem which he knew would arise in the latter days. Nephi tells us that within 200 years after Isaiahs time, a branch of his own people were complaining that Isaiahs writings were already too difficult for them to comprehend. Nephi therefore had to interpret Isaiah for them.
(Skousen, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times, 6-7)

#6 John Bytheway wrote: Some people are uncomfortable talking about the idea of a chosen people. They think it sounds self-congratulatory and elitist. A few ideas may help soften that reaction. First, being chosen doesnt mean were chosen to sit on thrones and be admired. Its more like being chosen to mow the lawn (or more appropriately, to bring in the harvest). Were chosen to work, chosen to accomplish a difficult mission, chosen to bear this ministry to all the world. But we do enjoy the blessings of the gospel while performing the task! Those who are truly chosen feel no arrogance, but instead sense a tremendous obligation to do the Lords work. Second, that chosen-ness did not begin on earth. If we have no problem with the idea that what we do here on earth will determine our station in the next life, we should have no problem with the idea that what we did in the premortal existence has determined our station here in mortality. As strange as it may sound, you were of

the house of Israel before you were born! Elder Melvin J. Ballard taught: There was a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world, and the Lord provided a lineage for them. That lineage is the house of Israel, the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their posterity. Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came here. Remember too that rarely does Isaiah praise the chosen house of Israel what he does most of the time is tell them (and tell us) to get with the program and start behaving as chosen people are supposed to behave. (Isaiah for
Airheads, 12-13)

#7 Bruce R. McConkie: Why is the Lord gathering Israel in these last days? It is to fulfill the covenant made with Abraham and renewed with Isaac and Jacob and others Jehovah promisedor covenanted with his friend Abraham that in him and in his seed, meaning the literal seed of his body, should all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal (Abr. 2:8-11). (The Mortal Messiah, 4:337-338)

Elder David A. Bednar: Missionary work is a manifestation of our spiritual identity and heritage. We were foreordained in the premortal existence and born into mortality to fulfill the covenant and promise God made to Abraham. We are here upon the earth at this time to magnify the priesthood and to preach the gospel. That is who we are, and that is why we are here today and always. (Becoming a Missionary, Ensign, November 2005, 47) Other thoughts too great not to include: Have you ever taken a class in Hebrew? Neither have I. But the fact is, you know more than you think! Take a look at these names and their meanings: Nehemiah = comfort of the Lord Obadiah = servant of the Lord Zachariah = the Lord has remembered Zedekiah = the Lord is righteousness Jeremiah = exalted of the Lord Hezekiah = the Lord gives strength Hallelujah = praise the Lord Isaiah = the Lord (Jehovah) is salvation ...we can deduce that yah means Lord, and it does Now, while were on the subject of names, you might be interested to see some other Old Testament characters, who also have the name of God within their names. Gabriel = man of God Ezekiel = God will strengthen Emmanuel = with us is God Samuel = name of God Israel = one who prevails with God Nathanael = God has given Daniel = a judge is God Bethel = house of God Michael = who is like God Ishmael = God heareth ...See? You know more Hebrew than you think. (John Bytheway, Isaiah for Airheads, 14-16) President Joseph Fielding Smith clarified the phrase the spirit of prophecy and how we might attain this gift: Revelation may be given to every member of the Church. The Prophet said that every man should be a prophet; that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It is not only the privilege but the duty of each member of the Church to know the truth which will make him free. This he cannot know unless it is revealed to him The gift of the Holy Ghost is given to the members of the Church so that they may have the spirit of prophecy and revelation. (Book of Mormon, Student Manual, Religion 121-122, 92) President Boyd K. Packer has written: 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 prophecies of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, notwithstanding they become a barrier to the casual reader. (Things of the Soul, 8)

LESSON OUTLINE
Theres an old joke about an LDS soldier whose life was saved because a Book of Mormon was in his shirt pocket. When asked how such a small book could stop a bullet, the soldier replied, Heynothing gets through Second Nephi! (see John Bytheway, Isaiah for Airheads, 1) The title of our lesson is My Soul Delighteth in the Words of Isaiah. How many of us would use delightful to describe Isaiahs writings? Im not quite there yet! Id probably use the word, impossible, but that would imply lack of faith. My hope is that we will walk away from todays lesson with at least a hope of understanding and maybe even, like Nephi, enjoying what Isaiah has to say. ~But whats the big deal, anyway? Does it really matter that we study Isaiah? 3 Nephi 23:1 ~So we know its a commandment to study Isaiah. Is our salvation dependent on keeping this commandment? Quote #1 ~Well okay, but why does it have to be so difficult? Any Ideas? ~Why did Christ speak in parables? (Luke 8:20, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. So it is intended to give knowledge to those it will help, but withhold it from those it will hurt. So next time youre struggling with a verse from Isaiah, just remember its hard because Heavenly Father loves us!) Someone once said: What we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. Maybe thats part of it, too. When we have to work to understand something, not only is it more valuable to us, but well not soon forget it. Nephi gave us some keys to understanding Isaiah: (see handout) 1. Learn the manner of prophesying among the Jews (2 Ne. 25:1) 2. Have the spirit of prophecy (2 Ne. 25:4) 3. Know the regions round about [Jerusalem] (2 Ne. 25:6) 4. Live in the last days (2 Ne 25:8) So at least weve got one key covered for sure! Hopefully #2 is covered as well. How might we receive the spirit of prophecy? (prayer) 2 Nephi 25:8 Lets briefly touch on the manner of prophesying among the Jews. ~Did most ancient Israelites have scriptures, or scrolls, in their homes? ~Then how did they learn about the words of the prophets? Quote #2 Did you know that over 90% of Isaiahs writings are in poetic form? And Isaiahs vocabulary exceeds that found in any other Old Testament book. Quote #3 No wonder his words must be studied to be understood! And did you know that Isaiah is the most quoted of all the prophets? Hes quoted more than any other Old Testament prophet by Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John. Hes also quoted more in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants than any other prophet. (see Bible Dictionary) Even Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, singles out Isaiah: Quote #4

But back to the manner of prophesying. To cover this key properly would take much more time than Sunday School provides. There is plenty of information in books and on the internet to help us here. Lets sum it up with one more quote: Quote #5 Nephis 3rd key, knowing the geography, and history, of Isaiahs time is a little easier: ~The house of Israel moved around, a lot. What was Israels birth name? (Jacob) ~How many sons did he have? (12) ~The youngest, Joseph, was sold into slavery and sent where? (Egypt) ~Then a famine caused the whole family to move where? (Egypt) ~Later, the children of Israel, the Israelites, were led out of Egypt by whom? (Moses) ~After wandering 40 years, they were led by Joshua where? (The Holy Land area) ~Then the land was divided among the descendants, or tribes, of the 12 brothers into 12 what? (kingdoms) Put up Map ~Eventually, around 925 BC, the northern 10 tribes became known as what? (The Kingdom of Israel) ~The Southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin) became known as what? (The Kingdom of Judah) ~What was the capital city of the Kingdom of Judah? (Jerusalem) ~What was the capital city of the Kingdom of Israel? (Samaria. Ephraim was the dominant tribe) ~Did Ephraim and Judah get along? (No, but thats a story for another time) ~In 721 BC the Assyrians came out of the north and took the Kingdom of Israel captive, as Isaiah prophesied. As the people were assimilated into other nations, what did they become known as? (the lost tribes of Israel) ~In 701 BC the Assyrians were miraculously defeated by the Kingdom of Judah. Then in 587 BC, who took Judah captive? (Babylonians) ~In 537 BC, who allowed the Jews to return to the Holy Land? (Cyrus) And thats the gist of it! Knowing this history is helpful to understanding Isaiah. Another help is understanding the different meanings of the word Israel. ~What 3 things can Israel refer to? (Jacob the person, Jacobs posterityhouse of Israel, Kingdom of Israel northern 10 tribes) The best way to get a handle on this is to read the Bible Dictionary, Israel, Kingdom of. Finally, lets discuss the concept of the House of Israel: who they are and their obligation. ~Who is the House of Israel? (Jacobs descendents, the 12 tribes of Israel) ~Do we belong to the House of Israel? (yes, most are Ephraimites, others baptized are adopted in) Were good at understanding that were all children of God. But perhaps were not as good at accepting the idea of being part of a chosen lineage within Gods family. Maybe this will help: ~Does being chosen mean better than others? What does it mean? (chosen to bear a responsibility) Quote #6 ~And how are we supposed to behave? (like missionaries) This is how the children of Abraham will bless all the families of the earth. 2 Nephi 15:26 ~What is an ensign? (banner, flag, symbolizes the gospel of Jesus Christ) ~What nations is Isaiah referring to? (all the nations of the world) ~What does hiss mean? (whistle, a signal to gather) ~Who is doing the hissing? (we are! Missionary work)

~Who shall come with speed? (converts, having been gathered to the truth) ~Does the work seem speedy to you? (considering that the Church was restored less than two hundred years ago, and had 6 members, it is growing exponentially!) Lets close with two more quotations: Quote #7 I pray that we will seriously consider these thoughts, and pray for missionary experiences...