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A NOTE
A brief note to begin this week of study. Many of you may notice that a lot of the ideas, the activities, and the teachings I present in this video are very similar to some of the lessons I did back in the Book of Mormon two years ago. Why is that? Well, you probably know that Nephi included many of Isaiah’s teachings, almost word for word and chapter by chapter in the book of 2 Nephi. The infamous, “Isaiah Chapters”. And I thought to myself, why reinvent the wheel here? The ideas and activities I presented there, will work here as well. So you may notice that similarity. I hope that’s ok. But, of course, there are some differences, for sure. For example, Nephi didn’t include Isaiah chapter 1 in his writings. And Isaiah chapter 1 has some really key within it. So we’ll spend some time there. But some of you might ask, “Why did Nephi include so many of Isaiah’s teachings in the Book of Mormon, if the Lord knew that we would already have his words in the latter-days here in the Bible? My theory? It basically forces us as a people to take the writings of Isaiah seriously. If there were no Isaiah chapters, do you think we would study him as much? I mean how much time do you spend studying Jeremiah, or Ezekiel? Without the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon, his words probably wouldn’t get as much attention as they now do. So I, for one, am very grateful that they're in there and that we get the chance to study them twice as we make our way through the standard works.
UNDERSTANDING ISAIAH
ICEBREAKER
To introduce the Book of Isaiah to my students I like to begin with this hilarious little video. I’ll provide a link to it for you in the video description below, but I invite you to take a minute to watch this yourself consider if you’ve ever felt like this when studying the Book of Isaiah or the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon”?
And if you took the time to do that, how did you feel? Were you like, “What on earth is he talking about?!” It’s almost like listening to someone speak a foreign language.
Rockwell Retro Escalator Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXJKdh1KZ0w)
TRANSITION
Well that may be a very similar type of experience many have when they first begin reading the Book of Isaiah. His writings are a bit more challenging to understand than most of the other books we’ve studied so far this year. If you’ve ever felt that way in the past as you’ve read Isaiah, have no fear. There are a lot of things that have helped me to gain a better grasp of this book that I’d like to try and pass on to you. And perhaps with a little bit of help, maybe you’ll come to love this book just as much as I do. And perhaps one of the reasons I love this book so much is that it requires a lot of time and effort to really understand it. But like most things in life, that which we work hardest on, becomes most dear to us. Nephi understood this as he made the following comment. He said, “My soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah” (2 Nephi 11:2). I believe that if you take the time to get to know this great prophet and really dig deep into his teachings, that eventually you’ll say the same thing. You’ll delight in Isaiah. Oh, and one more reason to study the words of Isaiah. Look what Jesus himself said in 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.”
Now can you think of any other prophet that gets that kind of endorsement from Jesus? I can’t. And notice the language he uses there. He says, “a commandment I give unto you”. Jesus didn’t just endorse or suggest or encourage us to study Isaiah, he commanded us to. I wonder what grade we would get as a church on living that commandment. But we’re going to do just that right now. Let’s diligently study Isaiah as Jesus instructed us to. And I can promise you that whatever effort you’re willing to expend on seeking to understand his writings, it will be rewarded fourfold, guaranteed. So let’s dig in.
SEARCH
The first thing I’d like to do is give you a few tools for working with the words of Isaiah. You and I know that certain jobs require specific tools to accomplish a project efficiently and successfully. As a teacher, you may even pull out a few tools as an object lesson as you talk about these suggestions. And actually, these ideas for understanding Isaiah don’t really come from me. I can’t take credit for them. They actually come from Nephi who we know “delighted in the words of Isaiah.” In the Book of Mormon, after reviewing a large portion of the teachings of Isaiah, he took almost a whole chapter to teach his people “HOW” to understand Isaiah. So we’re going to jump to 2 Nephi 25 to do a brief review of Nephi’s top 7 tools or suggestions on how to get more out of our study of Isaiah. To engage my students in that study even more, I might give them this bookmark activity for them to fill in the 7 suggestions of Nephi. You may even want to print it on cardstock so that it will last longer for them. You can encourage them to use it as they study Isaiah and have it there as a ready reference. And we’ll fill that in together now.
Tool #1
Nephi begins this chapter by acknowledging that Isaiah is a little tougher to grasp. He admits that even his people found Isaiah’s words “hard to understand”. Which is kind of comforting when you think about it. We’re not the only generation to struggle with Isaiah’s words. But he tells us why they struggled with them. It’s because they knew not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews. And what does that mean? What is the manner of prophesying among the Jews? It’s poetry. It’s figurative and symbolic language. Much like the Book of Revelation, God often uses imagery and metaphor to teach his people. So if you want to understand Isaiah better, approach it like poetry. Don’t look so much for the literal as you do the allegorical. When he presents you with a symbol, stop and ask yourself why he chooses to represent that idea with that object. Be prepared to approach Isaiah the same way you would Shakespeare, or Wordsworth, or Dickinson. It’s serious poetry and needs to be read slowly, carefully and deliberately. So Nephi’s first suggestion to understanding Isaiah. Know the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
Tool #2
Nephi’s second suggestion comes in vs. 4
Isaiah’s words will become plainer to you if you are filled with the spirit of prophecy. Well what does that mean? You might say, I’m not a prophet, so do I have any hope? Yes. John tells us what the spirit of prophecy is in Revelation 19:10. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. So if you have a belief and testimony of Jesus Christ and you seek the Spirit, Isaiah will be far easier for you to understand. So be sure to have a mind and heart open to the Spirit while you seek the Savior on every page. Tool #2 is: Seek the Spirit of Prophecy (the testimony of Jesus)
Tool #3
You’ll find tool #3 at the end of verse 5.
There is none other people that understand the things which were spoken to the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.
Suggestion #3 is to be taught after the manner of the things of the Jews. It really helps if you have an awareness of their history, their culture, their geography, and religion. The better understanding you have of that background, the better able you will be to know what Isaiah’s message for us is. No, you don’t have to have a degree in Ancient Hebrew studies to appreciate Isaiah, but you should do a little bit of homework to get your bearings. And I’ll help you with some of those things here, but the church has provided manuals, and articles, and the Bible Dictionary to help you with some of the “things of the Jews” you would do well to understand.
Tool #4
Tool #4 comes in vs. 7
In the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.
So the suggestion is to look for fulfillments of prophecy. When Isaiah speaks of the Mountain of the Lord’s house being established in the tops of the mountains, ask yourself how that may have been fulfilled. When he speaks of an Ensign being lifted up to the nations and an army answering it’s call to go out and conquer, ask yourself how that might be fulfilled. When he speaks of establishing a vineyard with a fence and building a tower in the midst of it, ask yourself if and how that prophecy has been fulfilled. Isaiah’s writings are there to help instruct us about the latter-days. And that’s part of what makes him difficult. He speaks about his time, Christ’s time, and our time, all at the same time.
Tool #5
In vs. 8
Nephi says, “I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them.”
Nephi tells us that we in the last days will be able to value Isaiah’s writings more in the last days because we will understand them. Now I hope that this isn’t too much of a stretch, but I have to ask myself, “Why will we understand them better in the last days?” I think the reason is because we have so much more help and resources to understand his writings. We have prophetic commentary to help us, we have manuals that explain and clarify, we have the study aids right there in our scriptures, the footnotes, the chapter headings, the Bible Dictionary. Use these things. We really don’t have much of an excuse not to understand Isaiah’s writings nowadays. The resources are out there—resources that previous generations had no access to. For us, it’s right at our fingertips.
Tool #6
Is all over Nephi’s writings. He says it again and again. In fact, let me put these verses and a few more up here at once and you tell me what they all have in common. What is Nephi’s (and Jacob also) #1 suggestion to studying Isaiah? Do you see it? It’s to liken his words to yourself. Seek to find personal meaning in the Isaiah chapters. Look for its relevancy to your life. How does it change you? How you act? What you believe? On this channel, you frequently hear me talk about “likening the scriptures”. Well this is where I got that phrase from and it’s specifically referring to the writings of Isaiah.
Tool #7
And finally, tool #7 doesn’t actually come from Nephi. It comes from the Savior himself in that verse that we already took a look at earlier. HOW does Jesus suggest we study the words of Isaiah in 3 Nephi 23:1?
Diligently. Be diligent in your study. It takes effort, it takes time, it takes pondering, it takes digging deep to learn from him.
Now with those seven things in mind, let’s jump into Isaiah chapter 1 and try them out.
ISAIAH 1-WHITE AS SNOW
ICEBREAKER
To teach the principle of Isaiah chapter 1, I might do the following object lesson. Actually, it’s a whole bunch of object lessons at once. I tell them that I have four different object lessons and that I want them to decide which one is the best illustration of repentance and why. So I take a board and a nail and say: Sin. And I pound the nail into the board. Then I say “repentance” and I use the back of the hammer to pull the nail out. Then I take a clear cup full of water and say “Sin” and I drop some red food coloring into the water. Then I say “Repentance” and take some bleach and pour it into the cup, which will make the food coloring turn clear again. Then I ask if anyone has ever gotten sick or injured before. And of course they all say they have. Then I say, “Sickness is like sin”. Then I pull out a prescription bottle, or a bottle of medicine, or first aid kit, and say “Repentance”. And finally, I have in my backpacking supplies a water filter or purifier. So I’ll take a glass of obviously dirty water and say “Sin”. And then I’ll pump some water through the filter into another glass which comes out clear and drink it in front of everyone and say “Ahhhh, repentance”. Now which of those do you feel is the best representation of the principle of repentance? Then just let your students share. There are no right or wrong answers here. You just allow them to share their thoughts and insights.
TRANSITION
Now Isaiah’s people had some problems with sin. Let’s review verses 2-15 and mark all the problems Isaiah says his people have.
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
So, the people are acting dumber than farm animals in Isaiah’s opinion. At least oxen and donkey’s know who their masters are. They know where to go to be fed. But not Israel. They don’t consider this. They are rejecting their master, and refusing to be fed with his words.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
So here, Isaiah is comparing sin to sickness. They have spiritual wounds, bruises, and sores. But they won’t allow them to be bound up or softened with ointment. They need a doctor! They need healing. But they refuse to go to the hospital.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isaiah is prophesying literally what will eventually happen to Jerusalem. It will become a besieged city. It will end up like a little shack in a garden instead of a glorious city. And if weren’t for the fact that God will allow a remnant to eventually return (think Nehemiah and Ezra) they would basically become like Sodom and Gomorrah, completely wiped off the face of the earth.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Now why would the Lord be fed up with their sacrifices, burnt offerings, feasts, sabbaths, prayers, and solemn meetings? Those are all good things. They’re doing them. So why would he say his soul “hateth” them. Probably because there’s no sincerity in them. They’re just going through the motions. They’re outwardly worshipping, but their heads and hearts aren’t in it. The Lord is saying that he’s tired of their hypocritical, false show of religious practices. Now can you imagine the Lord saying the same thing to us? Remember that we are to liken the scriptures to ourselves here. Try substituting some of our religious practices in those verses. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrament meetings unto me. I am full of your tithing offerings. I delight not in your testimony meetings, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the temple attendance.” Are we ever guilty of just going through the motions?
THE CURE
Now all is not lost for the Israelites, nor us. Isaiah is going to offer us the solution to the problem, the cure for the sickness. He’s going to shift the tone here. Now we’re going to hear the soft, mellow, loving Father in Heaven. Take a different colored pencil and mark the cure.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Now what do those verses teach you about repentance? Even if you’ve gone astray, even if you’ve sinned deeply, there is HOPE! There is a way back. There’s a doctor, and medicine, and ointment for you. So it’s time to wash up and get clean and put away the evil. To repent you’ve got to forsake the sin and put it away. This is the sacrifice he really wants from his people, not the burnt offerings, not the blood of lambs and goats. He wants their hearts. They’ve got learn to do well. So if you wish to repent. Study the scriptures. Listen to the words of the living prophets. Look for positive examples to follow. Ponder what you need to do to make restitution. And apparently from verse 17, part of repentance is service. Save yourself by serving others. Go out and relieve the oppressed, help the widows. That kind of selfless service can cover a multitude of sins.
Then 18 has got to be one of the most beautiful, powerful verses of the entire Book of Isaiah. He starts with, “Come now”. There’s a message of repentance. The time to do it is when? Now! Don’t procrastinate the day of your repentance. Don’t hide your sins. Don’t delay! Come now and let us reason together. I like that too. Repentance is reasonable. You’ll feel better. It works. It just makes sense to leave yours sins behind. And let’s do it together. This isn’t something you have to do on your own. I’ll help you. I’ll be with you. And then, the great promise of forgiveness. Though your sins be as scarlet, or as crimson. Now those are both deep, deep colors of red. Have you ever gotten a red stain on your white clothing? It’s very hard to get out. In fact, to this day on my basement carpet is a red stain from a child’s soda spill. I must have tried every cleaner, every solution, every home remedy out there possible to get that stain out. And I rubbed it with a wet cloth for hours, and still, it’s there. Red is a very hard color to get out of fabric. But! Is there anything that is capable of covering the scarlet and the crimson? Only the atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior. He can take the deepest and even most serious of sins, and make them like what? As white as snow, as pure as wool. What a fantastic contrast there. And do you really believe that? Do you believe that Christ can wash away your sins so completely that there isn’t even a stain left behind? I think we sometimes struggle with this. When we’ve sinned and repented, we may be grateful that we’ve been forgiven but we still wonder if we are less of a disciple because of it. We wonder if we can ever be as good or pure as we once were? Do we still have the opportunity to fulfill the divine potential that we once had? Yes! But in my experience, there are way too many “pink people” in the church, or people who see themselves this way. Pink people are those who really struggle with the idea of Isaiah 1:18. They struggle to accept the truth that they can become as white as snow. They say, “Yes, I know Christ’s forgiveness can wash me through repentance, but that can only go so far. It can leave me a nice shade of pink.” And what does Isaiah say to this? No, no. In God’s kingdom, there are no pink people. Only white as snow, white as wool. When we sin and repent, it’s as if we had never sinned at all in the first place. There is no tell-tale stain on the basement floor. There’s no reminder. What is it that the Doctrine and Covenants taught us last year? “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, And I the Lord remember them no more”(Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). But sometimes we struggle with that. We sometimes find it difficult to forgive ourselves. But we must! What if Paul had not been willing to put his former life behind him? What if Alma the Younger had dwelt on the sins of his youth forever? When Christ has forgiven you, allow him to have his victory over your sins. Allow him to wash your red away and make you as white as snow. I like that last image a lot. Can you picture it? What does snow do? It covers everything in a beautiful blanket of striking white. That’s what Christ’s atonement will do. In fact, that’s what the word “atonement” means—to cover.
TRUTH
When I repent, I can be perfectly purified of my sins (even serious ones) through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Is there any “sickness” you need to bring to the healer?
CONCLUSION
Isaiah chapter 1 is a great introduction to the teachings and spirit of Isaiah. Can you see what Nephi meant by likening the scriptures unto us? If you are sick with any sin at this time, I plead with you to heed and find hope in Isaiah’s counsel. Come now, and reason together with the Lord. I believe in the power of repentance. It can make you as white as snow and as pure as wool. I know that I’ve felt the power of repentance and God’s mercy in my own life, and I can assure you that it’s worth it to bring your sins, as crimson and scarlet as they may be, to Christ. Bring your sicknesses to the healer and be cured of all that afflicts you. That’s the introductory message of this book and, in a way, the whole message of Isaiah. His book is one giant invitation to come unto Christ. Will we heed the call, is the real question.
WAR GAMES
ICEBREAKER
Now, as an icebreaker to the remaining chapters in this week’s study of Isaiah, I like to show my class the following little church video called “Enemy Territory” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2012-06-0006-enemy-territory?lang=eng&alang=eng). In it, Elder Boyd K. Packer compares his experiences with serving in World War II to modern day spiritual battles that we fight with the adversary. As your class watches, tell them to think about ways that life in the latter-days is like a war. After the video you may even ask them to consider the modern-day counterpart to these different aspects of war:
Where is the battlefield? It’s everywhere. It’s at school, the workplace, on our cell phones, or sometimes we may find that the war is being waged right within our own hearts and minds.
Who is the enemy? I would say Satan, temptation, the world, or sin.
What are some of his weapons? Hatred, pride, drugs, pornography, violence, dishonesty.
And what are some of our weapons? Testimony, love, covenants, the scriptures.
TRANSITION
Well what Elder Packer just did in that little video is exactly what Isaiah is going to do, especially in these initial chapters of his book. Isaiah wrote these at a time when the kingdom of Judah was under threat of military attack from the Assyrians. You might remember us talking about that back in the book of 2 Kings. Everyone would have had war on their minds at the time Isaiah’s writing this. And he’s going to use that situation to teach them (and us, consequently) about the more serious spiritual attack that they were facing. Isaiah was far more concerned about their spiritual defenses than their national defenses. In fact, he knew that if they prepared themselves spiritually, that they WOULD be defended literally from their enemies—because the Lord would be with them and fight their physical battles for them. With that theme of war in mind, here’s how I would break down and label some of the sections of these initial chapters of Isaiah.
We have:
Satan’s Attack: Isaiah 2:7-8, Isaiah 3, Isaiah 5:8-25
Our Defense: Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah 4:5-6
Our Offense: Isaiah 5:26-30, Isaiah 6
Our Captain: Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 11:1-5
The Winners: Isaiah 11:6-16, Isaiah 12
And then, let’s go ahead and also label some chapters that we’ll be covering next week but that thematically fit here. We’re also going to take a look at
The Losers: Isaiah 2:9-22, Isaiah 13
Their Captain: Isaiah 14
SATAN’S ATTACK
We’ll begin with the attack—Satan’s attack. What are his weapons and war strategies? We’ll do this as a matching handout. Read each of the suggested verses on the left and then, try to match them with the spiritual problem they describe that the Israelites are having on the right. And when you correct it with your classes, be sure to ask the following questions after each answer: Is this still a problem in our day? Can you think of any examples? Here we go.
Isaiah 2:7 F. Materialism (Certainly a problem today as well, especially in the United States and other first world countries)
Isaiah 2:8 K. Idolatry (We may not struggle as much these days with worshipping statues, but an idol is anything we place before God. Money is an idol, popularity is an idol, our own appearance can be an idol, power is an idol, success is an idol)
Isaiah 3:1-3 D. Relying on man instead of God (These verses describe what the people consider to be their “stay and staff”. Who is it that the people are looking to? Who are their heroes? It’s a list of the wrong kinds of people. The man of war, the cunning artificer, the eloquent orator. The celebrities, so to speak. And by the way, when it says prophet in there, that’s referring to false prophets)
Isaiah 3:5 E. Persecution and Disrespect (the child behaving himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable)
Isaiah 3:9 G. Open and proud of their sins (It says that they declare their sin as Sodom, and they hide it not) It’s one thing to sin and keep it hidden. It’s completely another when you actually parade it around or brag about it to others. That’s a whole other level of sin.)
Isaiah 3:14-15 A. Taking advantage of the poor. Or ignoring them. “Grinding the faces of the poor” is a stark bit of imagery here)
Isaiah 3:16-24 B. Obsessed with having the “right look”, Outward appearance is everything. These verses describe the daughters of Zion, although the attitude could certainly apply to both male and female. It’s a description of people’s tendency to obsess about their outward appearance. The daughters of Zion are haughty, or prideful. They walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes. That would mean seductive eyes. And they walk with mincing or tinkling steps. Mincing steps are tiny little steps. Can you picture that? How they’re walking? They’re society was celebrating and emphasizing the sensuality of women, not virtue. They we’re oversexualizing things. Does our society do the same? I’ll let you be the judge of that. And then we have this long list of items that they’re wearing. I know there are some tough words in there and you may wonder if they are talking about women or cars here, but if you look at the footnotes it will help you understand what he means by those words. And it’s a long list for a reason. You’re almost supposed to get tired reading it. He’s saying, look at everything you have to have to get “the right look”. You have to buy this and this and this and this in order to be “in style”. Maybe it would be interesting to ponder what our modern list would look like.
Isaiah 3:11-12, 22 C Drinking and partying
Isaiah 5:20 I. Calling good, evil, and evil, good.
Isaiah 5:21 J. Learned but not wise.
Isaiah 5:24 H. They despise commandments and the gospel.
And perhaps you’ve noticed that these are all the same problems that we face today, aren’t they. Satan hasn’t changed his attacks much, has he? He’s been using these weapons on mankind for millennia. And you can probably figure out why. They work. He knows the strategies and attacks that are the most effective.
So now the question becomes: “What can we do to not be overcome?” One suggestion. Know his tactics and be prepared for them. The better you know your opponent, the less likely you are to be fooled by them. And this is one of the great reasons for studying the scriptures. They reveal Satan’s tactics. Like right here in these chapters. If we know what weapons our enemy is going to be using on us, we’ll be far better prepared to face them when they come.
OUR DEFENSE
Now, despite that attack, we have a defense available to us. God has provided us with holy places of safety. Yes, Satan may attack us, but we have a refuge. The Doctrine and Covenants has instructed us to “Stand in holy places, and be not moved” (Doctrine & Covenants 87:8) Well what are those holy places? There are 3 that Isaiah will specifically mention in , and Isaiah will help us to recognize them in Isaiah 4:5-6. And look, he even uses that word. Defense in vs. 5. But can you find the three places of defense?
Every dwelling place of mount Zion- Our homes are a place of defense. Our family values, strong marriages, effective and loving parenting, home-centered church-supported gospel instruction. These are the things that will help our households to be places of safety.
Her assemblies- Any place where Saints assemble themselves together. Our stakes, and churches, seminaries, and institutes, the conference center, or any time two or more gather together in his name.
And third, a tabernacle. Now what was the tabernacle to them, the Israelites and what is our modern-day tabernacle? The temple
Those are our three holy places of defense. Our homes, our churches, and our temples.
And what does he promise he will provide on each of these places? A cloud of smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Does that sound familiar to you? Has God ever done that before? Yes, remember the beginning of the year while studying the Exodus. In those days, God placed a cloud of smoke by day and pillar of fire by night over the tabernacle, or their temple. And what does that imagery suggest? The warmth, light, and comfort that God’s holy places can offer us. Consider this too—If you drove by somebody’s home at night and saw all the lights on, or during the day and you saw smoke coming out of the chimney, what would you assume about that home? Somebody was there, somebody was home. Well that description suggests that somebody is home in these places. Who? The Lord. He’s always there, ready to welcome us. But isn’t that cool, in the latter-days, that blessing isn’t just on the temples, but upon every assembly and every home of Zion. That’s probably because we’re going to need all that extra protection and blessing in these last days.
Then look how he describes the blessings of these defenses in vs. 6. He compares them to what 3 things?
A shadow from the heat
A place of refuge
A covert from storm and from rain
Do you get what he’s saying. He’s saying that life is like a heatwave, and you’re going to need some shade. It’s 115 degrees and you’re thirsty. Come in, he calls you, cool off, be refreshed, drink from my stream.
Or life is like a battle, and you’re going to need a refuge. So here we are in the world, day by day, at school, at the workplace, and we’re swinging our swords, fighting evil, and the Lord calls, “Come home for a moment, come to my refuge, put your sword down. There are no battles to be fought in here. Your enemies can’t reach you for a time here, rest. Then you can go back out and fight the battles of life with more strength.
Or life is like a terrible storm, and you’re going to need some shelter. A hurricane is moving in, and the Lord says “Come, dry off, find shelter here, sit by the warmth of my fire, be cheered, no storm can overcome you in here.”
Our holy places can provide this for us, spiritually.
Perhaps a quick sharing activity. Pick one of the 3 holy places and one of the 3 symbols and share how that place has been like one of those symbols for you. So. The home, church, or temple is like a shadow, a place of refuge, or a shelter from storm because, and fill in the blank.
For me, I lived in Arizona for 15 years, so I know what heat is like. And sometimes in the summer I would have to go out and mow my lawn. And what was it like to get out of that 115-degree weather and sit in the shade with a glass of water, or to run inside to air-conditioned bliss? It was amazing. It felt so good to get out of the heat. Spiritually, that’s what the temple is like for me. Same feeling. It’s a place of shade, in a spiritually scorching world.
Well speaking of the temple, take a quick look at Isaiah 2:1-5 and answer the following question.
What object does the Lord compare the temple to here?
A mountain
Now, “How is the temple like a mountain?” This is a great discussion question and, in my experience, always yields great answers.
A few thoughts: They’re beautiful, they bring you closer to God, they give you a higher perspective, the problems of the world below become smaller, they require climbing or effort. There are lots of great analogies your class could possibly come up with.
And then look in vs. 3-5 for the blessings the temple can bring us. He’ll teach of us his ways there. We’ll learn to walk in his paths. We’ll receive his law. He’ll bring us peace. All the images of verse 4 are of taking weapons and turning them into tools of peace. And there, we will walk in his light.
And you might ask: When have you seen the temple bring one of those blessings to you?
OUR OFFENSE
Well that’s our defense. But you know what. God doesn’t expect us to just hunker down in our defenses and hope the enemy doesn’t get through. God also has an offense. We get to fight back against Satan’s kingdom. And what is the plan for that? He describes it in Isaiah 5:26-30. It’s very visual and symbolic. I’ll read it to you, and you see if you can figure out what he’s talking about. How do we fight back against Satan?
26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far,
An ensign is a flag, so somebody lifts up a huge flag for all the world to see
and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth;
Hiss means to whistle. So the flag bearer lets out a loud whistle, you know like some people can put their fingers in their mouths and whistle really loud. I’ve always wished I could do that. But he whistles. And what happens after he’s raised the flag and whistled?
and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
So who comes, they, come. Who are they? Let’s figure it out. They come quickly, they’re strong and enthusiastic.
27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;
So they are prepared, ready, alert, their belts are cinched up and their shoes are tied.
28 Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent,
They’re archers. Their arrows are sharp, and to have your bow bent means it’s pulled back, ready to let an arrow fly. So this is an army we’re talking about here. God’s army. Who are they? Have you figured it out yet?
and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind,
They are archers on chariots, they are coming quickly, they are unstoppable. They’re powerful. If you’ve ever seen the chariot race in Ben Hur, that’s the imagery here. Can you imagine thousands of those racing towards you?
And then one of my favorite descriptions of this army
29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
They’re like lions, and they roar their message, and they lay hold of the prey, and carry it away not to devour it, but carry it away safe, never to let it get away again.
30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
These lions, this army will have to fight and roar during dark times.
So did you figure it out? What army is being described here? Who are these archers with sharp arrows? Who are these roaring young lions?
They’re missionaries. Young men, young women, senior missionaries and couples, and all members who seek to spread the message of the gospel and gather Israel. Isn’t that the coolest description of missionaries ever?! So the prophet stands on the hill and raises the flag, and whistles and says, come all worthy able individuals. Come fight for the Lord, come join his army. And they come, right now they come 55,000 strong. And they are powerful, unstoppable, and effective, like 55,000 chariot archers racing toward you. And they are sent throughout the world to fight against Satan’s kingdom. We beat him, by winning souls to our side. That’s our attack, saving souls. And so what kind of missionary are you?
Are you a come with speed swiftly missionary? A girdle cinched, shoe latchet tied missionary? Are you an arrow sharp and bow bent missionary? I love that image. What is a missionary’s arrow? His testimony, right. Is yours sharp, is it ready to fly at a moment’s notice. You see an investigator across the way, and out comes your arrow and (make sound) thump! And they’re like, uh baptize me. Your testimony went straight to my heart. Are you a roaring lion missionary. That’s another great one. Missionaries are lions. They are powerful, they roar the gospel, not meow it. Their message is clear, loud, and forceful. I love that. Maybe we shouldn’t ask people where they served their missions, but where they roared. I roared in Brazil. My wife roared in Australia. My brothers roared in Peru and Portugal, and my sister roared in Taiwan. Where will you roar? Maybe right there in your own community, on your own street. The Lord needs his archers, he needs his young lions. Will you answer the whistle? Will you flock to the ensign? I hope you will.
And speaking of mission calls, that’s the theme of the next chapter. This is Isaiah’s mission call. And look for what it teaches you about answering that call when it comes. Isaiah at first says:
Wo is unto me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. He doesn’t feel worthy or ready. This is a common fear amongst many prospective missionaries. And so the Lord sends an angel to him with a live coal and places it on his lips. And can you just hear the sound of that? PSSSSSSS. And the angel says:
Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
He cleanses him and makes him worthy. I believe that the Lord will do this for all prospective missionaries that desire to serve him but have fears and insecurities.
Then the Lord asks: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
And how does Isaiah answer now “Here am I, send me” I want to go!
And you can just sense the enthusiasm in his response. That’s the kind of missionary the Lord needs. The “Here am I, send me” missionary, not the “Ok, I’ll go if I have to, I’ll go to make Mom and Dad happy” missionary.
Our missionary force, that’s our offense.
THE CAPTAIN
Now that army has a captain, a leader, the head lion or leader of the pride. Who would that be? Jesus Christ of course. He is our captain, and Isaiah has a lot to say about this Captain of our souls. In the Book of Mormon, Nephi had something to say about the writings of Isaiah in 1 Nephi 19:23. He said:
23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.
What apparently will be one of the benefits or blessings of studying Isaiah? It will help us to be more fully persuaded to believe in the Lord our Redeemer. We will come to know our Savior on a much deeper and personal level. We’ll understand why we should choose him as our leader.
ICEBREAKER
A fun way to begin this discussion would be to see if you could complete these famous titles.
Alexander the _________ GREAT
Ivan the _____________ TERRIBLE
Abraham Lincoln: __________ Abe HONEST
Elvis: The ______ of Rock and Roll KING
Babe Ruth: ______, ______,______ THE SULTAN OF SWAT, THE GREAT BAMBINO, THE COLOSSOS OF CLOUT,
Michael Jordan: ______ Jordan AIR
Shaquille O’Neil: _________ SHAQ
TRANSITION
What are Christ’s titles according to Isaiah 9:6-7?
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
And what kind of leader will he be according to 11:1-5? While you read this, ask yourself why would you want to choose Jesus as your captain?
He will have the Spirit of the Lord with him
He’s wise, he’s understanding, he’s willing to counsel us, he’s a strong leader, he’s smart, and respectful.
Again, understanding and respect.
He’ll be our judge, but what kind of judge? He’ll judge not by the outward appearance, but the heart. He’ll judge with righteousness, meekness, and justice to the wicked.
Now I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of being that I want judging me.
He will lead by righteousness and faith.
THE SPOILS
And those that choose Him as their leader. What will be their reward? What are the spoils of victory?
I want you to find and mark them in verses 6-16. But maybe a quick commentary on some of them. Look closely at the pairs of animals in 6-9. They are predator and prey. But when Christ overthrows Satan’s kingdom, there won’t be predator prey relationships. I know we usually picture the lion and the lamb lying down together, but we get it wrong. It’s the wolf and the lamb, and the lion and the fatling. That’s the scripture pairing. And then, innocent children will not need to fear poisonous snakes. I know we almost always read that literally. And I believe it is literal, there will be peace in the animal kingdom. BUT, more importantly, I think he’s saying that there will be no more predator prey relationships among mankind. No more strong nations conquering and dominating the weaker ones. No more rich preying on the poor. No more physically strong exploiting the weak. No more abuser preying on the abused. And like the child and the poisonous snakes, the deceitful and cunning will no longer poison the innocent. The con man won’t swindle the senior out of their retirement savings, the sexual predator will not take advantage of the trusting. The intelligent will not deceive the naive. It will be a time of peace and assurance. The world will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
There are more in the remaining verses, but I’ll let you find them. But do take a look at vs. 13. It says that the envy of Ephraim shall depart. What was the envy of Ephraim? The temple. Ephraim was the Northern Kingdom and one thing they did not have in their borders was the temple. And why do you think that in the last days there will there be no more envy? Because there will be temples everywhere. There already are!
And then chapter 22. I would label this chapter “The Victory Song”. This is the song we will sing if we have chosen the correct captain in this conflict. Read it! Or better yet, sing it in your heart. Even if you don’t know the tune, you can feel the harmony and the joy of the lyrics.
And perhaps just one phrase from that song that I’d like to point out to you. Check out verse 5. He hath done excellent things.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A great concluding “Liken the Scriptures” question you could ask here: What are some of the “excellent things” has he done for you?
CONCLUSION
Now it’s important to note that we’re not completely done with this particular theme of wars and winners. Next week, we’ll take a look at what happens to the other side. What if I choose the other captain in this conflict? What are the results then? Isaiah helps us to make an informed choice in this conflict. But so far, have you been persuaded more fully to believe in the Lord your Redeemer? I hope so. And I pray that we will choose Him as our latter-day leader, as our captain. He will do excellent things for you. Choose the wonderful, the counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. I can promise you; you will never regret it and one day, we will all sing chapter 22 in triumph.
