Lesson 9: “My Soul Delighteth in the Words of Isaiah”

2 Nephi 11-2, 15-16

Purpose: To inspire class members to read the prophecies of Isaiah and to help them understand how these prophecies apply in their lives.

LESSON DEVELOPMENT

1. Nephi testifies of Isaiah’s writings and gives keys for understanding them.
2. Isaiah sees the latter-day temple and the gathering of Israel.
3. Isaiah prophesies that the Lord will raise an ensign and gather Israel.

Scripture Discussion and Application

In March 1839, Joseph Smith and a handful of friends had been imprisoned in Liberty Jail for several months. Physical conditions were terrible, their legal appeals were not going well, they were worried about their families and the other Saints. Joseph was discouraged, and wondered why the Lord had not come to their rescue. Then the Lord spoke to him in words that you’ve heard a hundred times before:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.” (D&C 121-7-9)

If you love Joseph Smith – or even if you can just take pity on a captive lying in a dungeon – you are moved by those words, and are glad that a prisoner was comforted.

But relief for Joseph Smith is not why you love that passage, is it? Why do you find comfort in those words at some points of your life?

How is scripture able to do that – to speak to people in different times and circumstances? [It speaks to eternal principles rather than solely to one set of circumstances. We learn to “liken the scriptures unto ourselves.”]

Prophets speak to the people of their own time: I don’t think you will ever hear President Uchtdorf or Elder Oaks or anyone else stand in the Conference Center and say, “This won’t make any sense to you, Latter-day Saints of the 20-teens. Just ignore me for a few minutes while I speak to the Latter-day Saints of the 23rd century.” The 23rd century will have its own prophets to teach the people what they need in their day and won’t have to rely solely on what our prophets teach.

The same is true of prophets in the past: Isaiah spoke to the Jews of his day, telling them why they had been conquered and comforting them with the assurance that one day they would be saved. Nephi spoke to his own people, telling them that Jerusalem had fallen, as prophesied, but that God had not abandoned them in the New World, and that he would remember and save their posterity. Joseph Smith spoke to the Saints of the early 19th century, restoring the ordinances that had been lost and correcting the gospel that had become corrupted. Our prophets speak to us today, warning us of behavior to avoid and truth to follow.

But of course we find the most scriptural value in “likening the scriptures unto ourselves,” as Nephi said we must do. So, lets dive into the Book of Mormon again, and see what we can find, spoken to ancient peoples, that is of benefit to us today.

Let’s start by reading Jacob 4:1-2:

1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;

2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

Jacob’s book is a rather short one, only seven chapters, although some of the chapters are rather long. What reason does he give us here for not having written more? Does that seem realistic to you? Reasonable?

Okay, then explain to me, please, why Nephi copied so much of the prophesies of Isaiah onto the plates? Our lesson today is supposed to cover 2 Nephi 25-33, which comes immediately after Nephi has copied 12 entire chapters of Isaiah onto the plates, in addition to all he had copied before. Why did he do that?

Nephi introduced this long quotation from Isaiah this way:

2 Nephi 11:8

8 And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.

Then Nephi quotes 12 chapters of Isaiah, then immediately tells his people that they can’t understand Isaiah. He makes three points about why they can’t understand.

2 Nephi 25:1-3

1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.

2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.

What does Nephi tell his people about why Isaiah is hard for them to understand? Clue: Each points is introduced by the word “for,” meaning “because.”

1. For they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews
2. For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews
3. For their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations

When Isaiah wrote his prophecies, who was he specifically writing for or speaking to?

Nephi is in something of a bind. He sees value in the words of Isaiah, value to his own people, not just to the Jews of a century earlier. But they can’t understand those words, because Nephi hasn’t taught them how to understand. Nephi, through the spirit of prophecy, will tell his people what Isaiah wrote, in plain terms that they can understand.

2 Nephi 25: 3-5

3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken.

4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.

5 Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.

He starts by telling them the Isaiah’s words about the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people have been fulfilled.

2 Nephi 25:10

10 Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into Babylon.

He repeats Isaiah’s assurance that the people will be redeemed from captivity:

2 Nephi 25:11

11 And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to the land of their inheritance.

Both of those prophecies are relatively easy to understand in Isaiah, who warns the people of destruction, but assures them that one day a remnant will be saved and will return.

But then Nephi goes on to tell the Nephites of the future history of the Jews, that is either not present in such detail or that is so veiled in the language of Isaiah that it is not recognizable.

2 Nephi 25:12-14

12 But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.

13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.

14 And behold it shall come to pass that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church.

How is Nephi able to speak with such plainness and detail about the life and death and resurrection of the Messiah? Nephi himself tells us how:

2 Nephi 25:4

4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.

What do you think about that? Should you be able to fully understand Isaiah without the help of Nephi or other prophets?

What is the spirit of prophecy?

There can be many definitions, I suppose, but John, in his revelation on Patmos, gave one idea:

Revelation 19:10

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

What is the testimony of Jesus? How did Nephi get that testimony? How can we? [Try to develop this into the major discussion of the lesson, drawing out the ways Nephi developed that testimony: he listened to his father; he was obedient to counsel; he studied – long years – the scriptures; he prayed; he sought revelation for himself. This testimony did not come casually or easily or immediately – it, and the spirit of prophecy associated with it, required time and effort and persistence, and the same is required of us. Ask for examples of what class members have done to understand Isaiah, whether in the Old Testament or in the Book of Mormon. Can we claim the spirit of prophecy based on what we have done so far to understand? If *that* is required for understanding Isaiah, are we surprised that we do not?]

Depending on time, discuss other “plain” prophecies that Nephi presented to his people as a commentary on what he had read in Isaiah. Discuss what these prophecies meant to people at different points (i.e., some of them spoke to Joseph Smith’s era in a way that we might overlook today, and that certainly would have been different from what they meant to the Nephites: the Nephites might have heard the assurance that “none would be cast off” in light of their own separation from Jerusalem, while those in Joseph Smith’s day would have heard it in light of debates over predestination and universalism)

Gathering

2 Nephi 25: 15-17

15 Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.

16 And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind—and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things.

17 And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.

Acceptance of the Messiah

2 Nephi 25:18-20

18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.

19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

of Messiah in the New World

2 Nephi 26:3, 9

3 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.

9 But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.

Coming forth of the Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 26: 15-16

15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.

16 For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Universal Invitation to Salvation

2 Nephi 26: 23-28

23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

Openness of the Canon

2 Nephi 29:1-8

1 But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

6 Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

Restoration of Lost Tribes

2 Nephi 29: 12-14

12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.

[Conclude with a summary of these and others of Nephi’s “plain” prophecies that may or may not have been discussed in class, and a testimony of the value of both studying past scripture and listening to the words of contemporary prophets.]