REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE AND WHOSE YOU ARE

Jacob wanted the people of Nephi to understand who they are in relationship to their God. They were more than 40 years away from Jerusalem and most had never experienced life in the Holy Land. He chose reminders from the writings of Isaiah; reminders of the Lord's promises to Israel and of the promises Israel owed to God.

In the symbolic poetry of Isaiah, the Lord often used the image of Himself as the loving husband and Israel as the backsliding wife. In the role of husband, the Savior fulfil the responsibilities to Preside, Provide, and Protect.* When Israel became blind to the fact that the Lord was doing all three, she forgot her duties as a wife.  She blamed her husband for the sense of distance between them and used her failures as a rationale to accuse Him of abandonment. 

Isaiah wrote (and Jacob quoted)
Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of  my creditors have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is you mother put away. (2 Nephi 7:1)

Abraham expelling Hagar 

In ancient Israel, if a man wanted to put away his wife, all he had to do was give her a written bill of divorcement and escort her from his home.  The wife had no say in the matter and no legal recourse.  Christ wants His people to understand that He was not the one who instituted divorce proceedings. He did not send us out of His home or sell us to another.  As an unfaithful wife, Israel had walked away. This was particularly shameful because the wife had no legal right to do that under the Law. 

This left the wife in dire straights.  The woman was left a non-person, who had to beg or prostiture herself just to survive.  She needed a strong male relative to take her into His home for her salvation. The analogy holds true for us: we also need someone to save us from death and a fate worse than death.  This is what Jesus Christ does for us.  When we come unto Him for safety, He adopts us as loving Father and the elder Brother of all Heavenly Father's children.

As we read Isaiah, the question is asked: What do I learn about the Savior's love for me? What comfort does He offer to those who seek Him? From these very verses we learn some key points to remember about Jesus Christ:

He is the Creator and has power over everything in the Universe.  why should we doubt His ability to deliver us from sin and death? (see verses 2-4)

He is the promised Messiah. (see verse 6 for a strong Messianic prophecy)

He is committed to stand with us as Advocate against the accusations of the adversary. (See verses 7-9)

He is even more.  He answered the demands of Justice from the Fall and saves us from both Death and Hell, but He also offers us exaltation if we by wait upon the Lord.**

© February 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* Preside, Provide, and Protect

** This was my father's favorite scripture.  He had it carved on his headstone as a declaration the he is one who waited upon the Lord.