2 Nephi 22

2 Nephi 22

This beautiful chapter of Isaiah is a Psalm.  Note the sentences of praise:

O Lord I will praise thee.

God is my salvation.

I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song.

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things.

Sounds like David, doesn't it?  But believe it or not, it’s Mr. hard-to-read, hard-to-understand Isaiah.

2 Nephi 21

2 Nephi 21

This delight that Nephi shares from the book of Isaiah is designed to prove the truth of the coming of Christ.  Nephi had seen a vision of the Savior, and now he quotes Isaiah, who talks plainly of the Messiah.  Note Isaiah’s description of the Messiah:  He shall be filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, in the which he shall be of quick understanding.  He shall judge, not after what he sees or hears, but with righteousness.  As we reflect upon the life of the Savior as recorded by the gospel writers, we readily find examples of all these things.  At the Second Coming He shall be clothed with righteousness and faithfulness.  Note that in the millennium there will be no hurt nor destruction because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord (v. 9).  Why wait until the millennium?  Can we end hurt and destruction in our families by filling them with the knowledge of the Lord?

2 Nephi 20

2 Nephi 20

Woe unto those who mistreat those less fortunate, the Lord warns us in this chapter.  The destruction of Assyria is described.  The Lord warns that He will allow Jerusalem’s destruction because of the hypocrisy of the people of Jerusalem.  As we read of the destruction of Assyria, knowing that history often repeats itself, how accurate will this description of destruction be to that of the world at the Lord’s Second Coming?  Does the Lord’s warning of allowing destruction because of hypocrisy apply to us today as much as it did to the people of Jerusalem back then?

2 Nephi 19

2 Nephi 19

This chapter is filled with what Nephi would refer to as “delights,” for there are so many prophesies about Christ.  In verse 2 we read of the coming of the Savior and His mission to restore us to God and to overcome death:  “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”  Then there’s the incredible verse 6 announcing His birth and sharing the poetic recitation: “and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  Those are delightful prophesies, aren’t they?  But it doesn’t end with the birth, death and resurrection of the Savior.  Later in the chapter Isaiah talks of one of those ongoing delights that helps us to love the Lord.  After describing the abominations of the human race, we read these words that can comfort those who are worried about “wayward” loved ones:  “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”  The Lord never gives up on us.    

2 Nephi 18

2 Nephi 18

Rezin was the king of Syria and Remaliah was the crown prince of Israel (the Northern kingdom), who joined together in chapter 17 to attack Jerusalem.  They didn't prevail at that time because the Lord  was still with them in Jerusalem.  Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord explains why the people should trust in Him and not join their attackers.  Assyria was to come and destroy not only Syria and Israel, but also all who joined with them.  For those times when we wonder if we should continue to fight or if we should save ourselves and join our attackers, the message is:  Trust in the Lord, and not in man.  Or as Isaiah says it:  “Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”  Why? See verses 13 – 14.  “And he shall be for a sanctuary” to those who trust Him.  But to those who do not trust in Him, He shall be “for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense…for a gin and a snare.”

2 Nephi 17

2 Nephi 17

This is one of those chapters in the Book of Mormon that helps me to understand why Nephi loved Isaiah’s writings so much that he included them in his record.  In verse 8, Isaiah prophesied of the fall of the Northern Kingdom (those ten tribes now “lost”).  The prophecy was fulfilled in 721 BC, which was a little over 100 years prior to Lehi’s leaving Jerusalem.  At the time Nephi was reading Isaiah, the fall of the Northern Kingdom was, historically speaking, in recent memory.  Lehi and Nephi both had prophesied of the fall of Jerusalem, and were both ridiculed for it.  Indeed, both their lives had been endangered because of that prophecy.  Verse 8 must have been one of those “I-told-you-so” verses that validated Nephi’s faith.  Perhaps he rejoiced over it.  Whether he did or didn't, surely he rejoiced over verse 14, for Nephi told us he delights in proving to his people the coming of Christ.  Isaiah wrote: “Behold,a virgin shall conceive, and shall bare a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” which means:  God with us.

2 Nephi 16

2 Nephi 16

Isaiah’s idea expressed in verses 9 – 10 that the gospel would be preached to those who would not hear must have resonated familiar to the struggling prophet Nephi.  Despite his best efforts to prevent it, association and commerce had been lost with those of his family who followed his brother Laman (now collectively known as Lamanites), and they had even become enemies with the Nephites (those who followed Nephi).  Their separation “far away” must have seemed like “a great forsaking in the land” (see verse 12).  Imagine Nephi’s joy as he read this part of Isaiah’s writings to learn that the Lord’s covenants weren’t in vain; that a tenth would return of the outcast, and that the substance would still be in them” (see also Ezra 9:2).