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FASTING
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker to this week, I like to just start with a simple word association activity. I’m going to give you a word or phrase and I want you to write down the first feeling that comes to mind. What is your initial reaction to it, or how does it make you feel. OK? Here we go:
Disneyland
The Temple
Christmas
Birthday
Sunday
Fast Sunday
Now I have no idea how you may have responded to those words so I can’t speak to everyone’s experience. But what I’d be most curious to know is how you reacted particularly to the last two words on that list. How do you feel about Sunday? And how do you feel about fast Sunday? Honestly. And I’m willing to bet that there are some of you out there who might not have come with the most positive words or feelings to the terms “Sunday” or “fast Sunday”. And maybe you don’t necessarily have negative feelings about the Sabbath and fast Sunday, but do you still find it hard to get excited about them. Are they something you look forward to and anticipate and express gratitude for? Maybe, maybe not. In fact, I sometimes like to show some of the following funny memes I found online about fasting, and perhaps you can relate to some of these. Or maybe you’ve had this experience before. You wake up, head down to the kitchen to start making breakfast, and a family member lovingly but triumphantly reminds you: “Ah, ah, Fast Sunday!” Ever had that happen before? I know that when I do this to my children, I’m often met by complaints, frowns, and moans. I know that when I was a kid, I felt that same way. But is that how our Heavenly Father intended us to experience the law of the fast? Is it meant to be a trial? I believe with a little more depth of understanding, we can come to love the law of the fast.
TRANSITION
Isaiah had something to say about fasting and the Sabbath in chapter 58 of his book. And chapter 58 kind of stands on its own in the Book of Isaiah—which is kind of refreshing actually. The themes found in this chapter aren’t found anywhere else in his writings. Isaiah has something powerful to teach us about fasting and also, the Sabbath Day.
SEARCH
To study this chapter, we’re going to do a bit of a marking activity. I want you to read 3-12 on your own with three different colored pencils in your hand. And here’s what I want you to look for:
Color #1=The Wrong Way to Fast
Color #2=The Right Way to Fast
Color #3=The Blessings of True Fasting
As a teacher, something you may want to try to do if you have the means and technology to do it, is to project the chapter up onto a whiteboard and then put out three different colored markers for your students to choose from. Then, you invite them to come forward and mark the phrases that they feel match those three ideas. And we’ll take a look at some of the things that you might see them mark.
The Wrong Way To Fast
Verse 3 begins with a complaint that the people are making to the Lord. They say:
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?
They are basically saying, “Hey, we’ve been fasting, but it doesn’t seem like you’re really seeing it Lord!” You’re not taking knowledge of it? Why are we doing it then if it doesn’t seem to do us any good? Why do we keep afflicting our souls here?” But there’s something revealed about their attitude towards fasting in the very way they ask the question. What do they refer to it as? They call it “afflicting their souls?” Is that the way the Lord wants us to view fasting? As an affliction a torment, suffering?
And are we sometimes guilty of this? Do we wake up with a groan and say, “Oh no, it’s fast Sunday. Gosh, has it been a month already?”
I don’t think that’s what he intended. Rather, I like the way the Doctrine and Covenants describes fasting. It gives us a synonym for it. In Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14 the phrase isn’t “afflicting our souls”, it’s what?
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.
Apparently, a synonym for fasting is “rejoicing”. So maybe we should stop calling “Fast Sunday” and start referring to it as “Rejoicing Sunday”. And I believe that when we have a proper understanding of fasting and its purpose, that’s exactly how we’ll see it.
But because they are seeing it that way, what effect does it have on them? Continuing in verse 3
3 . . . Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
So, when you guys fast, you do whatever you please and you exploit the people around you.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
And whoever wrote the footnotes for this chapter really hit the nail on the head with footnote 4b and their interpretation of the word “debate” in that verse. I love it. What does it mean to fast, with debate. It says, “Fasting without spiritual motivation only engenders discomfort and irritability.”
And, is that the effect that has on us? Do we find ourselves a little more irritable on that day—annoyed at any little thing, moping around just thinking about our stomachs? Does it make you, what some have humorously coined, “Hangry”? Hungry and angry at the same time. In fact, do you remember those Snickers commercials from a number of years ago? The, “When you’re hungry, you’re not yourself” ones? They’re hilarious. Well, does fasting turn you into somebody else? A less pleasant version of you? A Jekyll and Hyde?
Or when we fast, do we make our “voice to be heard on high”. Is our change of mood and aggravation so obvious that people can hear us coming from a mile away. Do we make sure that everybody else knows about it? Do we complain so much that we make everybody else miserable?
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?
Those are the words you’re going to use?
is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
More imagery here. Do we bow down our heads like a weepy weed, a bulrush, lethargically dragging our feet and hanging our heads? And then that next image is Isaiah using a little hyperbole here. I even take it as him being a little sarcastic. To spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself was a sign of mourning. Deep mourning. That’s what you did when someone had tragically died. So he’s saying. “Ok people, I’m looking around here at all the long faces, and I’m wondering, Is this fast Sunday or a funeral? I mean, who died?” Wilt thou call this a fast? And an acceptable day to the Lord? Give me a break, you’re not dying! It’s one day, people!”
So Isaiah’s just given us a really great description of how not to approach fasting. Don’t despise it, or see it as afflicting your soul. Don’t fast with strife and irritability. Don’t fast with your voice to be heard on high or a spirit of complaint and gloominess. Don’t fast with mourning, like you were at a funeral.
The Right Way to Fast
Now we have a shift here in verse 6. The Lord asks: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen”? All right, now let me tell you what I’ve always intended fast Sunday to be.
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
So where has the focus gone now? Outward. Fasting isn’t really about you. It’s about others. It’s about service.
That is the main thrust of the whole practice. He gives us this wonderful list of all the kinds of things we can do to serve others on the day you fast, particularly the poor and hungry. Now you might be wondering, “Ok wait, what’s the connection between me fasting, and helping the poor and hungry?” Well, what else do we do on fast Sunday? We’re asked to make a fast offering. The fast offering is just as important a part of the experience as the fasting itself. If we fast without making a fast offering, we’ve come up short. We’ve only sung the first verse of the song, built the walls and floor, but haven’t added the roof, made the cake but haven’t added the frosting. And, what’s the connection there? Have you ever thought of that? What is the connection between fasting and fast offerings? Hmmmm. Let’s think about that for a second. On the day I make myself hungry, I make an offering to help the hungry. Ahhhh? Now I get it. Perhaps one of the reasons the Lord asks us to fast before we make a fast offering is to give us just a small taste of what some people on this earth experience every day. Hunger. Deep hunger. Now honestly. I don’t believe that I have ever really a day of hunger in my life. I don’t think many of us really comprehend what that even means. Sometimes we say things like, “I’m starving to death”, but that’s such an exaggerated statement that is almost disrespectful to those who really are. There are many, many people in this world who literally ARE starving to death. Every day 25,000 people die of hunger, 10,000 of them are children. So why fast offerings? I think the Lord is hoping that our hunger will make us more sensitive and generous, because in our hearts we’re saying, “Wow, is this what some people are feeling all the time? There are people out there that experience this every day? This doesn’t feel very good. It’s uncomfortable. It’s difficult. Nobody should have to bear this burden all the time. I think I’m going to be more generous with my means. And, we do as verse 10 says: Draw out our souls to the hungry, and seek to satisfy the truly “afflicted soul.”
Now I want to also turn your attention to another phrase that we see in verse 7. He also says that fasting is intended to help us loose the bands of wickedness. How does fasting do that? Now maybe this one is a bit more personal in nature. So perhaps I misled you a bit there. Yes, our spirit should focus outward when we fast. It IS an act of service, and we shouldn’t be self-absorbed and narcissistic when we do it. But, I believe another purpose of fasting is to help the “faster”. It helps to loose the bands of wickedness. How? Any time we make a sacrifice, we’re exercising our spirits. King Benjamin taught us that there are two parts to ourselves that are constantly in opposition to each other. The saint and the natural man. The part that wants to do right, and the part that wants to do wrong. This is sometimes humorously depicted in cartoons and comics as an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Well, when we fast, we’re putting our spirit first and resisting the impulses of the natural man. Hunger is a fleshy desire. But fasting allows us to put our spiritual will above our physical one and exercises our spiritual muscles. Fasting feeds our spiritual man, at the same time it ignores the natural one. So fasting is not about afflicting our souls but strengthening them. We loose the bands of wickedness in ourselves. If we can be strong enough to resist hunger, maybe that will make us strong us enough to resist other natural man desires. It will make us stronger in resisting lust, greed, impatience, anger, and pride.
And besides fast offerings, what’s the other special thing we do on fast Sunday that’s unique? We have a testimony meeting. Is that a random pairing? I don’t think so. What do you think might be the connection between fasting and bearing testimony? My thought? Fasting strengthens our spirits and weakens our natural man. It fortifies our bond with heaven and allows us to feel the Spirit more intensely. Therefore we’re much more likely to bear testimony with inspiration and fervor. It draws us closer to divinity.
The Blessings of Fasting
And now, our final section. And this is really fun—the blessings of fasting. We know that God always rewards us with more in return than we’ve ever given up in the sacrifice. There are so many blessings listed here. It’s the largest section! Bigger than the “how to” and “how not to” parts.
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
Thine health shall spring forth speedily is an interesting one. Modern nutrition studies have shown that occasional fasting is actually very good for your body. It’s an important part of a healthy regimen. A reset.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
I like to pair that thought from this one in verse 11: And the Lord shall guide thee continually.
Fasting is also a way of bringing the help and guidance of the Lord to us. If there is heavenly counsel or personal revelation that you need, try fasting, and then asking your questions. I can’t assure you that you will get an answer at that time, because that’s not really how God works, but I can promise you that it will make a difference. Remember that the official “fast Sunday” is not the only time that we can draw on this powerful spiritual practice. We can turn to it at times when we feel we need some extra help from God. It shows an increased desire to appeal to him and seek his guidance. And when call, he shall say “Here I am”.
I’m intrigued by a story in the New Testament where a man brings his son to be healed by some of Jesus’s disciples and they can’t do it. They can’t heal him. And so the man brings his son to Jesus and Jesus heals him. And then afterwards, his disciples come up to him and ask why they weren’t able to do it, and he answers:
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:20-21)
Those first three words in verse 21 really stand out to me. They seem to suggest that there are some problems that can only be solved by this potent one, two punch: prayer AND fasting. I think that very often, when things go wrong, we quickly turn to the first element in that pair. We hit our knees and start praying. But how often do we add that second element? How often do we add fasting to our petitions. Probably not as often, I would imagine. If there is something that we are sincerely struggling with and praying just doesn’t seem to be making a difference, maybe we should say, “Hmmm, perhaps this is the kind of problem that “goeth not out but by prayer AND fasting.”
Continuing with our blessings here:
If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Such great promises there to those who are willing to make this small occasional sacrifice. He’ll make sure our lives are filled with the light of his truth and intelligence, we will have enough and to spare, we’ll set a foundation of faith for future generations, and we will bring restoration and healing to ourselves and others. I think one of my favorite blessings of fasting that comes automatically to me every time I do it, is a deeper and more profound sense of gratitude for what I have. You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. The best meal of the month is always fast Sunday dinner, right? That food always tastes so much better when you’ve gone without for awhile. It repairs our breaches and restores our paths. Why wouldn’t we fast!
TRUTH
Fasting without spiritual motivation only engenders discomfort and irritability.
But, fasting with spiritual motivation engenders _________________ (how would you end that principle after what we’ve discussed here? It engenders generosity, health, gratitude, spiritual strength, and help from God.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
From what we’ve learned today, is there anything you plan to do differently this next fast Sunday?
And then, why wait until then? Is there a problem you’re facing right now? Would you be willing to try this out. Try doing a special fast for that problem, question, doubt, or that person you love who is struggling. See what happens.
CONCLUSION
So the next time we fast, let’s try having a bit of a mind shift. Let’s resolve to make it a true fast this next fast Sunday. Instead of seeing it as afflicting our souls, we can allow it to strengthen our souls. Instead of it making us irritable to others, we can allow it to inspire us to bless others. Instead of filling our hearts and mouths with complaints, we can fill our hearts and mouths with gratitude and thanksgiving for all that our Father in Heaven has blessed us with. Fast Sundays don’t need to be slow. They can actually help us to hold fast to the iron rod. No wonder the Doctrine and Covenants calls it rejoicing! Together, let’s make fast Sunday—rejoicing Sunday.
SABBATH DAY
Now in chapter 58, Isaiah is also going to tackle the commandment of keeping the sabbath day holy, but much more briefly. He only gives it two verses, but those two verses do have some great insights in them.
SEARCH
Now take two of the colors that you used in the previous activity, and you can use them here as well. In one color, mark the things that identify true sabbath day worship and with your other color mark the blessings of true Sabbath day observance.
True Sabbath Day Worship
True sabbath day worship requires that we turn away our foot from doing our pleasure our own will on that day. And instead honor him, and not do our own pleasure or speak our own words. The Sabbath is a day to put aside our own things and give just one day in the week to God. In other places in the scriptures, the Sabbath is known as a day of rest, but I think rest can have some different implications here. I don’t think he meant it to be just a day of physical rest. It certainly can be, and I for one do enjoy taking a quick nap after my meetings and interviews on Sundays. But as a bishop, and I know many other callings also carry heavy Sunday responsibilities, it may not always seem like a day of rest. But the rest could be defined differently as well. I think he meant that the Sabbath was to be a day of rest from worldly and personal labors and concerns. It’s good for our souls to take at least one day in the week to get away from the labors, and diversions, and temporal concerns of everyday life and devote our time to spiritual matters. It's a day of rest from the world, from the secular, from the temporal. When I look at it that way, it totally changes the nature of the so-called shouldnt's of the Sabbath. We're not looking for a list of things that we can't do on Sunday, but things that we get to rest from for just one day. We get to rest from professional concerns, from shopping and errands, and from mundane needs. We get to turn our focus towards God and spiritual renewal. We get to honor him. And it’s good for us! Turning away from our own pleasure, actually does turn out to be in our own self-interest in the end. I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who understands the importance of rest and renewal in our lives, just as much as he encourages and extols the values of hard work. He set the example himself in the creation.
The Blessings of the Sabbath
And if we do honor him in that way on the Sabbath, what will be the result? What’s the word Isaiah uses? We will call the Sabbath a delight. The Sabbath can be a delight for us. Delight is more than just enjoying. It’s not just to please someone, but to please them greatly. I know that as I was growing up, my parents did some things to help make the Sabbath more of a delight for us. They always had a positive attitude towards going to church, or having the home teachers over, or enjoying a family gospel lesson together. I know they put forth extra effort to try to stay patient and upbeat even when trying to get five kids ready for church was sometimes challenging. They would eagerly ask us what we learned in church that day and the songs we were learning and the activities we did in primary. Sometimes we would play board games together or do puzzles. Then, we always had the three D's in the evening. Dinner, Disney, and dessert. My mother would always make a big special meal on that day and afterwards we would sit down and watch a Disney movie together and eat ice cream. It helped to make the Sabbath a delight. Church and family were the focus, instead of work, and school, and friends. My wife and I have sought to implement these same things into our Sabbath day worship with our own children and I think that our children do look forward to our Sundays because of those things.
He will cause us to ride upon the high places of the earth. The Sabbath day lifts us up! It lifts us spiritually and physically. Life is like swimming upstream and we can’t just keep going forever. So once a week, the Lord invites us to come to the shore and take a rest. Then when Monday rolls around again we can jump back in refreshed, renewed, and more able to ride the high places.
Being fed with the heritage of Jacob is a reference to the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. Attending our church meetings and focusing on God for at least one day of the week will bring those blessings more profoundly into our lives. What are the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant you might ask? Priesthood power, knowledge of the gospel, a righteous posterity. Think of how keeping the Sabbath day holy increases these things? I believe the connections should be pretty clear.
TRUTH
If I refrain from doing my own thing on the Sabbath and instead honor God, then it will become a delight to me, I will ride upon the high places, be fed with the heritage of Jacob.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
What about the Sabbath day delights you?
How has the Sabbath helped you ride upon the high places and fed you with the heritage of Jacob?
CONCLUSION
Attitude is everything. With both of these topics, fasting and Sabbath day observance, it may be easy to start to view these things and commandments in a negative light. But when we do these things in the proper spirit and with the right understanding, they become rejoicing and delight. If they aren’t for us yet. If we wake up on Sunday with a reluctant or glum disposition, then I’m afraid we probably haven’t quite grasped or internalized their purpose and importance. Remember what Jesus taught the Pharisees, that “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27) And he said that to them because they were treating it too seriously, too restrictively. But we may need the same message from the other perspective, treating it too lightly. And so he reminds us, “I created the Sabbath FOR YOU! This day is to bless and inspire and renew YOU.” So let’s enjoy them. Our lives are better week by week because of this delightful day.
THE RACE-ISAIAH 59
ICEBREAKER
I like to begin by showing a little video of a really incredible race. It comes from the 2008 College Indoor Track Championships. And it’s the women’s 600-meter race. The athlete favored to win is a young woman by the name of Heather Dornidan. Now you should see a little link appear at the top of the video, and I encourage you to pause from this video for a minute and watch that race, and then come back and we’ll continue.
Now if you watched that, it was quite an amazing comeback wasn’t it. You would think, that after falling, she would have absolutely no chance of ever catching up, especially with the level of talent in that field. Every single one of those runners was the best of the best. I mean, these were the championships. But she shocked everyone in the end and miraculously, still won the race.
TRANSITION
Well that little video reminds me a lot of Isaiah chapter 59. This is a chapter that draws heavily from race imagery. In the language used and the metaphors drawn, it revolves around the idea of racing.
SEARCH
And so we have a number of different symbolic runners in this race. I want you to imagine this. A bunch of runners come up to the line and start stretching. Here are all of their names:
MANKIND (Or THEY) (:7-8)
JUDGMENT (:9, 11, 14)
JUSTICE(:9, 14)
LIGHT (:9)
OBSCURITY (:9)
BRIGHTNESS (:9)
DARKNESS (:9)
SALVATION (:11)
TRANSGRESSIONS (:12)
SINS (9:12)
INIQUITIES (:12)
EQUITY (:14)
TRUTH (:15)
And then we have a MYSTERY RUNNER that we’ll identify a little bit later.
And what I’d like you to do here is just to read verses 7-15 looking for how each of these runners is doing in the race. Updates on how some of the runners are doing appear multiple times in the chapter so keep an eye on their progress. Just fill in what you learn about each using the verses
:7-8
So first, mankind. What are the people of the earth doing. We have large amounts of people on the earth running where and to do what? They run to evil, they haste to shed innocent blood. And what’s in their path? What are they running towards? Wasting and destruction. And then in verse 8 we find they are running in crooked paths. That’s a pretty good description of our world. Right? Well, according to verse 8, what direction should they be running? The Lord wants them to be running in the way of peace, but they don’t know that way, they don’t have the race map. Or, they did have it, and they tore it up and said, “I don’t want the Lord’s race, I’m going to choose my own path. I don’t want a strait and narrow one, I’ll take this crooked one instead. And what is the result of not choosing the “way of peace”? Obviously, they shall not know peace. If we don’t run the path that leads to it, it shouldn’t surprise us if we don’t find it.
:9
So in verse 9 we find some of our other runners. We’ve got JUDGMENT in this race (judgment here would mean righteousness or wisdom, you know, as in, they have good judgment) But how is JUDGMENT doing in the race? He’s far from us. He’s way behind, you can hardly see him back there. He’s not doing very well in the race. Then JUSTICE is in there too. How’s he doing? He’s not overtaking anyone. He’s also behind. He just can’t seem to catch up with all the evil everyone is running to. Next. LIGHT is in the race. How’s he doing? The crowds are waiting for him, like watching on the sidelines during a race, and LIGHT just doesn’t ever seem to show up. My son was on the Mountain Biking team a few years ago, and I remember the anxiety and anticipation of waiting to see him in the race. You look intently at each rider as they come around the corner wondering if it’s going to be him. And you wait, and wait, and hope to see him soon. Well that’s what we’re doing here for light, but what happens? We’re like “Where is he? I thought he’d be here by now?” But who does run by instead? OBSCURITY, he’s doing just fine. He’s winning the race, not LIGHT. Is BRIGHTNESS doing any better? Nope, still waiting for him too, he must be back there with LIGHT. Darkness comes round the corner though, running with full strength. And because obscurity and darkness are doing so well . . .
:10
What effect do they have on MANKIND? They grope for the wall and stumble at noonday like they were blind. But here’s the interesting thing. Are they blind? Are they actually in the dark? No they grope, AS IF they had no eyes, they stumble at noonday AS IN the night. Truth and light and goodness are available to us, but sometimes we don’t want to see them. Much of mankind don’t want prophets, and scriptures, and commandments, and truth. They want to make their own light, but that just doesn’t work. Instead they “compass themselves about with sparks,” like we talked about last week.
:11
And how does that often cause people to react? They roar like bears or mourn sore like doves. When running to evil brings no peace, people usually react in one of these two ways. They get angry, and roar like a bear, or despair and mourn sore like doves. Anger and discouragement, instead of peace. And now a race update. How’s JUDGMENT doing now? We’re looking for him, but he’s not there, he’s still way behind. And then another runner: SALVATION, how’s he doing? He’s far off from us. Wow, team righteousness doesn’t seem to be doing very well in this race.
:12-13
But, another team is really killing it right now. Here come three more runners, TRANSGRESSIONS, SINS, and INIQUITIES. How are they doing? They’re before us, in the lead, running strong—multiplied before us, testifying against us, running right there with us, we know them, we can see them plain as day.
:14
And then verse 14 how’s JUDGMENT doing now? He’s turned away backward. He’s given up. He realizes he doesn’t stand a chance in this world, so he’s going home. It’s not worth even staying in the race. JUSTICE? He stands afar off. He’s not running anymore, just standing there. And isn’t that a good description of how justice is doing in our world right now? Does it seem as if the wicked are receiving justice for their actions? Not really. The wicked prosper, people get away with it. And a new runner now, EQUITY, or honesty, as the footnote tells us, is he at least running? No, he cannot enter, they wouldn’t even let him enter the race.
:15
And TRUTH? He’s failing. And now, what about those good people in the race of life that have decided to actually run the course God designed for them. Those that aren’t running to evil? The ones that do try to run the way of peace and depart from evil? What happens to them? It says that make themselves a prey. The wicked take advantage of them. They trip them up. Persecute them. Exploit them and Mock them.
And then there’s God up there looking down at this race from the stands of heaven and He’s displeased. He thought judgment would be doing much better than he is. But he can’t even see him.
Can you see how Isaiah has set this race scenario up?
So now we come to our mystery runner. Who might he be? Read verses 16-21 for the answer.
:16
Picking it up again in verse 16, as the Lord looks down at the state of this race of life with displeasure, he in a way says, “Something must be done”. Somebody needs to “intercede” here. An intercessor is required. And now, our race metaphor gets a little mixed here. Now salvation and righteousness are no longer runners, but what according to :16-17. Now they are pieces of armor. The Savior is going to put some armor on as he intercedes in this mess of a race of mortality. Righteousness as a breastplate and the helmet of salvation. And you’ve probably heard of those items before, haven’t you? The apostle Paul is going to draw on this armor of God imagery centuries later when he teaches the Ephesians. But here, we get to add two more pieces to the armor of God that we don’t usually mention. We’re familiar with the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation, but what else does he wear? The garments of vengeance, and the cloke of zeal. There will be justice in the end. All those evil runners are going to fail. And:
:18-20
18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As the Savior enters the race, he is the champion, and he’s so strong, that he carries all those other runners that were ignored: judgment, justice, light, brightness, truth, salvation, equity, he’s rallied them around him, and here they come with incredible speed and strength, just like Heather Dornidan from the video and they overtake all those others before the finish line can be reached. It’s an amazing comeback. The Redeemer, redeems these fatigued virtues. And those that have chosen not to run to evil, that have turned from transgression, they are saved, and team Zion wins the race!
TRUTH
Even though it seems as if evil is winning and righteousness is losing, in the end, justice, truth, and light will triumph, through the power of our Redeemer.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A personal question to ponder. Which of the racers is winning in your life?
Are you running the crooked paths of evil and sin, or the strait and narrow path of peace? Is it justice, and equity, and light that have taken the lead, or are iniquity, obscurity, and darkness dominating.
CONCLUSION
However your race is going, there is one individual I know you can count on to get you successfully to the finish line. Your Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ. Even if you stumble and fall, I promise that he will be there to lift you back up and keep you running. You can catch up! You can still triumph! Just like Heather Dornidan, the race is never over until it’s over. Don’t count yourself out. Just be sure to choose the right team to run with. Together with judgment, truth, and light, you can cross the finish line with your Savior and win the greatest victory possible. As Paul said to the Hebrews:
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1
NOTE
Now in my mind, it is chapters 58-59 that hold the most unique and key messages in this block of scriptures, but the final six chapters also hold some great things as well. We’ll cover these more briefly, just focus on some of the highlights.
DIG AND DRAW
The way I might cover these chapters is with an activity I call Dig and Draw. It’s a great activity that helps train your students to read the scriptures a little more carefully and closely. There are no teams involved, just the class competing with itself. I tell them there will be a treat, or we'll watch a Studio C video, or there will be some kind of reward if they can collectively as a class earn at least 80% of the possible points. To earn points, I have them read a certain section of scripture and ask them to be prepared to answer questions about it. The catch is, that once I start asking the questions, they have to close their scriptures and answer from memory.
Then once they’ve read, I have either an individual card, or a popsicle stick, or a piece of paper with each of their names written on them. I ask them a question and draw one of the names. If the person who I draw can answer the question correctly, then the entire class earns 2 out of 2 points. If they can't answer or they get it wrong, then I ask if there is anyone in the class who thinks they know the right answer. If that person gets it right, then the entire class earns 1 of 2 points. If that person answers incorrectly or nobody knows the answer, then they earn 0 out of 2 points. That's the dig portion of the activity. Then, every 3 or 4 questions we do a "Draw" round. For this, you randomly select a name from your cards and have that person come forward to be the artist. You show them a word that comes from the section they read. And in this activity, I have an easy word, a medium word, and a difficult word that you could choose from depending on the maturity of your class. Then it's like Pictionary, they have to get the class to guess the word by drawing only pictures, no words. If the class can guess it in 20 seconds or less, they earn 2 out of 2 points. If they can guess it in 40 seconds or less, they earn 1 out of 2 points. If they can't guess it in 40 seconds, you reveal the word, and they earn 0 points. It's a really fun way to engage your class and it helps them to learn how to read the scriptures more carefully.
I’ll make a handout available that will list all the questions for the teacher, and the Pictionary words on cards that you could hand to the student who is going to be doing the drawing.
The sections I’ve decided to include here cover two of the themes that we’ve seen many times in Isaiah: The hope of Israel or the millennial future of Zion, and the character of Christ.
So first, the Hope of Israel
Have your students read 60:17-22. These verses contain a description of what it will be like to live on earth during Christ’s millennial reign. In fact, the entire chapter is a great exclamation point to the race imagery of chapter 59 before it. After Christ has redeemed the world, all nations will flow unto Zion bringing their treasures and causing a traffic jam at its gates in an effort to create a glorious New Jerusalem.
· Instead of brass Christ will bring what precious material? Gold
o This comes from verse 17 where Christ promises to bring the building materials for the New Jerusalem. So he’ll bring gold instead of brass, silver instead of iron, brass, instead of wood, and iron instead of stone. It’s his way of saying, life is going to be better then. We’re going to the next level. The standard of living will be raised, and you will be surrounded by beauty and precious things.
· What will no longer be heard in the millennium? Violence
o Oh, won’t that be wonderful. No more war, crime, hatred, or fighting. World peace will become a reality instead of a platitude.
· We won’t need the sun and moon anymore for light according to these verses. Why? Christ or God will be our light.
o I wouldn’t take that one literally, of course, but the promise is one of the continual light of Christ shining around us. He will be the great source of all truth, guidance, warmth, comfort, energy, and life!
· DRAW
o Easy: Branch
o Medium: Brightness
o Hard: Praise
Now 61:10, 63:1-6
· Name at least one thing that we will wear during the millennium.
o 61:10 We will wear our righteousness and we will wear our salvation. I love that idea. Somewhere out there is the giant locker room in the sky and a locker with your name on it. Inside is what you will wear to the second coming. Every act of righteousness, obedience, and sacrifice we make in this life is adding a thread to that clothing. If our lives have been full of those kinds of things, the women will find a beautiful wedding dress inside, and the men, a very handsome looking three-piece suit. But if our lives have not been full of those things, perhaps we’ll be embarrassed about our appearance at his coming. I mean, would you like to show up to Christ’s wedding in shorts and a tank top? Probably not. That’s why the Book of Revelation talks about some people hoping for the rocks and mountains to fall on top of them to hide them from his presence. But the righteous will be fully clothed and glorious in their robes of righteousness and suits of salvation.
· What color will Jesus be wearing to the Second Coming?
o 63:2 He will be dressed in red. In some of the more well-known paintings depicting the Second Coming, Jesus is typically shown dressed in a white robe. However, according to Isaiah 63, we’re told that Jesus will come wearing red.
· Why is he dressed in that color?
o Well, the reason he’s dressed in red is a little chilling. He says:
§ 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
§ 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
o So the imagery, is one of treading down and trampling the wicked. And as he does, their blood is sprinkled up on his clothing. Now I definitely don’t believe that that is to be interpreted literally. I can’t imagine Christ coming down and actually trampling people. But the red clothing is symbolic. He’s coming in judgment. At his first coming, he came as a meek little baby born in a manger. At his second coming, he comes as a conquering king. At his first coming, he came in humility, and mercy, and gentleness. At his second, he comes with rebuke and consequence. At his first coming, he came in peace riding on a donkey. At his second, he comes with judgment riding a warhorse. Yet another example of the dual nature of Christ, the balance between his justice and his mercy.
· DRAW
o Easy: Crown
o Medium: Bride
o Hard: Royal
Now let’s go to Isaiah 64:4, 65:17-25 More millennial promises for us to examine.
· What is it that “men have not heard, nor perceived by ear, neither hath eye seen” according to Isaiah?
o The things that God has prepared for those that wait for him. That’s a thought we’ve seen before in both the Doctrine and Covenants and the New Testament. Isaiah is the originator of that thought. We just can’t comprehend how amazing it will be. I once had a student who made the comment that heaven sounded boring. See, when she pictured heaven, she was thinking of the cartoon version where we sit on a cloud and play a harp for eternity. Or she thought it was going to be like going to Church 24/7. Well I brought her to this verse and said. Oh no, we can’t even grasp the magnitude of the blessings and the splendor of exaltation. I don’t know exactly what it will be like, but I can guarantee, it won’t be boring.
· Name at least three of the blessings God promises the righteous during the millennium.
o There are quite a few things they could say here.
§ New heavens and new earth.
§ All the former things of this earth (I assume the difficult, bad, and evil things are what he means here) will not be remembered
§ We will be glad and rejoice. That comes up quite a few times in these verses.
§ There will be no weeping or crying
§ Children will not die
§ We will build and plant and enjoy the work of our hands.
§ Our labor will not be in vain.
§ The wolf and the lamb will feed together, meaning, there will be no violence or predatory behaviors on the earth. We went into more depth on that prophecy back in Isaiah 11.
· Isaiah taught us something about our prayers in the millennium. What was it?
o Verse 24: 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
§ Oh I love that promise. Isn’t that superb?! Before they even pray, before they even ask him anything, he will be right there to hear and answer them. Sometimes in this life, it seems like God delays his answers, or we wonder if he’s even listening. But not there. He’s going to answer before the words even leave our mouths. How is that possible? Because we’re going to be with him!
· DRAW
o EASY: Heaven
o MEDIUM: Joy
o HARD: New
CHARACTER OF CHRIST
Now to our other major theme from Isaiah. The one we’ve seen basically every week. Let’s see what these chapters have to teach us about the character of Christ.
Our first scripture block to study will be chapter 61:1-3
· Who will the Lord bind up? The brokenhearted
· What will he proclaim to the captives? Liberty
· What will he give them for ashes? Beauty
o I really love verse 3 there. Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirt of heaviness. The promise is that Christ will bring better things for those that have waited for him.
· Verses 1 and 2 are very key set of verses because these are the very verses that Jesus reads in the synagogue in Nazareth during his mortal life in the New Testament. If you go to Luke 4, you read about Jesus reciting these verses and then publicly declaring that “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” So of all the verses from the Old Testament that Jesus could have chosen to describe his mission and purpose, these are the ones he selected. This is Jesus’s job description. And why do you think he chose these? Think of ways that he accomplished these things during his lifetime. AND, think of ways that he continues to do these things. Not only did he preach good tidings to the meek in his day, but he continues to do so now, through his scriptures and his living prophets. He not only bound up broken hearts then, but he continues to bind up hearts now. And he always has, and always will be the great liberator of those that find themselves in the prisons of darkness, ignorance, and oppression.
· DRAW
o Easy: Prison
o Medium: Spirit
o Hard: Comfort
Isaiah 63:7-9, 15-16
· Can you fill in the blanks? It’s the same answer for both. “I will mention the _________________ of the Lord.” OR “according to the multitude of his ___________________.” The answer is: Lovingkindnesses.
o Such a great word. He’s not just loving, he’s not just kind, he’s lovingkind.
· In verse 9, we’re told that Jesus would do three things for Israel in his love and pity. Can you name at least one? Those three things are, he redeemed them, he bare them, and he carried them all the days of old.
· Isaiah prayed that Christ would look down from heaven with mercy on them, but expressed confidence that God would always be THIS to them? Their father. He says in verse 16, doubtless thou art our Father. And then assures that even if Abraham and Jacob were ignorant of them, or not able to help them, He, as their father always would be.
o Well I fervently believe that each of these statements are true of us as well. He is still a Savior of lovingkindnesses, and great goodness, and mercies. We are his people, and in his love and pity he will redeem and carry us. Doubtless, he is our father. He never forgets his children.
· DRAW
o Easy: Love
o Medium: Carry
o Hard: Save
CONCLUSION
To conclude our study of the book of Isaiah, I truly hope and pray that you have come to appreciate and love the writings of this great prophet more than you ever have before. Remember that the Savior commanded that we search his words diligently. And now that we have, do you understand why he pled so earnestly with us to do so. Do you see why Nephi said that the reason he read the words of Isaiah to his brother and was so that they would be more fully persuaded to believe in the lord their redeemer. Have you been more fully persuaded to believe in the Lord your redeemer. I know that my Redeemer lives. I believe that knowing him and understanding his character are some of the most important truths we can gain a testimony of in this life. If we believe in him and have a testimony of him and love him then all the questions, doubts, criticisms, issues, trials, pains, that we experience will fade into insignificance because that love will provide us with all the reassurance and faith that we need.
