GREAT ARE THE WORDS OF ISAIAH

People who know me well know that I love to study and research.  I work in an integrated fashion, linking ideas from varied scriptures and the words of modern-day prophets.  My sister, Darlene, once asked me if it was scary living in my head.  My brain doesn't work in a linear fashion but in webs and mind maps. The more I study, the more I realize how interconnected the things of the gospel are. That is certainly true of the writings of the Prophet Isaiah.

Nephi taught his family using the prophecies of Isaiah. He paid the price to understand and found in the prophet's writing a grand overview of the eternities.  Laman and Lemuel did not.  They understood the language and read the words, but it may as well have been written in some foreign tongue in terms of their understanding.  When they questioned things, Nephi would ask, Have you inquired of the Lord? The answer was that they hadn't bothered to ask because they knew the Lord would not make things known to them. The sad thing was that if they had asked with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10:4) They had insufficient faith; they didn't even ask. Are we like them?

In 1973, Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave us 10 keys to understanding Isaiah.  Briefly, here are the points:*

1. You need an overall knowledge of the plan of salvation. For example, it takes knowledge of the War in Heaven to understand Isaiah 14.
2. Understand the importance of the House of Israel as a theme weaving throughout.
3. Know which points of doctrine Isaiah chose to address.
4. Use the Book of Mormon as a reference.
5. Use Latter-day revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the words of modern prophets.
6. Find the quotes from Isaiah in the New Testament (there are more than 50)
7. Study him in the Old Testament context of the world in which he lived.
8. Learn as much as you can about the style of prophesying in Israel, i.e., Hebrew poetry, symbolism, parallelism, chiasmus, and so on.
9. Pray to have the Spirit of prophecy; it took that Spirit for Isaiah to write, it will take that same Spirit for us to understand.
10. Be willing to put the time and effort into your study.

Several years ago, I was undergoing a series of injections because I had been bitten by a rabid cat. (True story!) I would get an injection every Monday and would feel achy and ill for about 4 days.  Our ward gospel doctrine teacher was traveling and asked me to teach his lessons about the Book of Isaiah.  Because I was pretty much confined to my bed, I had my scriptures, journal, and other reference material on my bed. I literally ate and slept with Isaiah for a week.  By Sunday, I felt well enough to teach.  On Monday, it would be time for the next injection and the pattern repeated.  This went on for four weeks.  For the first time in my life, I felt as if I had an understanding of the words of Isaiah.  For those few weeks, I became as Nephi and likened the scriptures to my family and friends.  It was so powerful, I felt as if my feet barely touched the ground.

We all need to ask ourselves: Am I like Nephi or am I like Laman and Lemuel? Don't wait to be bitten by a rabid cat to find out!

©February 2020, Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* If you follow the link below, you can read his article (and it is worth the read.)
Elder McConkie on Isaiah