2 Nephi 12-24

Isaiah Chapters!

Ok, I am knocking out all the Isaiah chapters in one go! Again, I want to be careful to emphasize that the Isaiah chapters are very important and packed with meaningful prophecies, doctrine, and life insights. I just don’t feel I have the time or personal understanding to do it justice. So I am going to highlight a handful of key passages from these 13 chapters and call it good.

Nephi and Jacob make it clear that they include so many Isaiah passages in their records because Isaiah clearly teaches & testifies of the Savior Jesus Christ. So I think some of the most important passages are those who prophecy of Christ—both of His 1^st coming and His 2^nd coming. Here are a few (and most of these may be familiar to you):

17:14 Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

19:6 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, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

21:1-5 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

2nd Coming Prophecies

21:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

And a few other random topics I found of interest:

15:4-6 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth wild grapes. And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard—I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down; And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

In this parable the Lord mourns over His vineyard that has produced wild/sour/useless grapes despite his every effort to care for it. I take two significant lessons from these passages. First, the Lord does EVERYTHING for us that we need… and ultimately each person has the choice to make their life good or not. It is up to us.

Second, when we choose to not be good, it isn’t the Lord that destroys our lives. He removes his protection and his nourishment… and then the destructive and dangerous influences in the world have full access to attack us (notice He removes the protective hedge and walls, He stops pruning and stops watering. Then it is someone/something else that “troddens down” the vineyard, and it is the briers and thorns that choke it.). The Lord doesn’t attack and destroy. He simply removes His protection if we refuse it or no longer qualify for it, and then we destroy ourselves in our vulnerability, pride, and weakness. 

12:2-3 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

I believe these verses refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and specifically our temples which are the House of the Lord (and the best-known temple is in Salt Lake City, at the foot of the hills/mountains, and many nations flow unto it—for many occasions such as the semi-annual General Conference of the church, but also bigger events like the 2002 Olympic Games). 

There are many strong Isaiah passages that prophesy the destruction of the proud and arrogant in “the last days.” It would be healthy for everyone to use these verses for a careful self-analysis.

12:17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

15:14-16 Therefore, hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. But the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

20:15 Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!

15:20-23 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight! 

2 Nephi 11

2 Nephi 11

We are headed into the largest chunk of quoted “Isaiah chapters” in the Book of Mormon. Take a big breath and get ready to push through (I'll probably just cover all of them together briefly in my next post). But even though the Isaiah chapters are difficult to understand, I think it’s awesome to understand WHY Nephi and Jacob want to quote Isaiah so much. To them, Isaiah’s words testify the most clearly of Christ, because Isaiah SAW Christ… and we learn that Nephi and Jacob did, too:

 2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.

 3 And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.

This concept about “God sending more witnesses to prove all his words” is so important. The New Testament says multiple times that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established (1 Corinthians 13:1, Matthew 18:16, and more). And that’s what the Book of Mormon is all about!—it is “another Testament of Jesus Christ” sent by God as a second witness to the Bible that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of mankind. Its purpose is to bring mankind to Jesus Christ:

4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

 5 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.

 6 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.

And now as we jump into the Isaiah chapters, just remember that if any of the verses jump out at you, you can apply any of them to you—Nephi says so!

 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.

2 Nephi 9 & 10

2 Nephi 9

This is one of the most beautiful, rich, and valuable chapters of the Book of Mormon. It provides answers to many of life’s “Big Questions” and strongly teaches why we need a Savior. I have listed below many of the important principles/doctrines taught in this chapter, along with the verses that teach them. I hope you will take time to read this chapter and think about it, and to pray to ask God your questions. I am grateful to know the principles taught in this chapter—they give peace and purpose in life.

Principle #1: Every person will die, but every person will live again. We will all be resurrected someday—meaning our spirits or souls will be reunited with perfect, immortal bodies, never to die again. This is a free gift given to EVERYONE through the Atonement (or sacrifice) of Jesus Christ.

6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection…

11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

Principle #2: All men/women also experience “spiritual death”—which is separation from God, due to our sins and the fallen nature of mankind. Jesus Christ’s atonement has made it possible for all men/women to be rescued from this spiritual death as well, but this part depends on us. We must choose Christ and follow Him in order for Him to be able to save us from this spiritual death. He has already paid the price—but each person chooses whether or not to accept the gift.

21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.

Principle #3: When we die, our spirits go to a waiting place that is either a hell or a paradise until the time of the resurrection. Eventually, all spirits are delivered up to be resurrected and to stand before Jesus Christ to be judged. The judgment will be fair—we will know very clearly what we deserve. 

12 ... wherefore... hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.

14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

15 And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.

Principle #5: God does not hold anyone accountable for things they did not know; the Atonement of Jesus Christ pays the price for sins that were committed ignorantly. I am amazed and so grateful at this mercy. It brings me peace to know there is mercy available to people who don’t know about Jesus Christ or don’t understand why we need Him as our Savior (there are a lot of people in that boat). 

25 Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; 

26 For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell... and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

Principle #6: Being smart or educated or “learned” is good IF, and only if, you still seek and follow the counsel of God (because no mortal will ever come close to the wisdom and understanding of God). Your "wisdom" becomes foolishness if it causes you to think you know better than God.

28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

Principle #7: God’s truth is loved and embraced by people who are living it (or willing to live it), and it offends people who are not willing to live it.

40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words... Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

2 Nephi 10

This chapter has interesting commentary on the Jews, regarding the intensity of their wickedness at the time that Christ will live ('lived' from our time perspective) among them, and regarding the punishments or consequences that would come—but also the mercy the Lord has promised to extend to them in the future if they repent (vs. 3-8). It also has interesting commentary about the “Gentiles”—specifically the American nation (vs. 10-14).

2 Nephi 6-8

The next 5 chapters are Nephi’s brother, Jacob, preaching to the people. He says (6:4):

And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.

He is serious when he says he “will read you the words of Isaiah.” The rest of the chapter is quotations from Isaiah and his commentary on it, and then chapters 7 and 8 are just quotes from Isaiah. I mentioned before that the Book of Mormon contains a lot of the writings of Isaiah (especially in the books of Nephi). I think it is very important to study and understand these prophecies of Isaiah… but not for an initial overview/understanding of the Book of Mormon. It is complex, multi-layered, and symbolic—too much for me to cover in a blog post (and I don’t know what a lot of it means yet anyway, to be honest). 

But this commentary from Jacob in 2 Nephi 6:8-11 gives a good overview about the general topic of these three chapters. He is speaking/prophesying about the future of the Jews and the covenant people of the Lord.

8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive.

 9 Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me that they should return again. And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me.

 10 And after they have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold, the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they shall be smitten and afflicted.

11 Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.

I’ll also point out these verses that I especially like in Chapter 8. They are an important reminder for me to care more about what the Lord thinks and does than what other people think and do.

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass?

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/6?lang=eng2 Nephi 6-8