Lesson 37: Alison

Alison's Class Notes

Lesson 37 Isaiah 22; 24–26; 28–30 “Thou Hast Done Many Wonderful Things”

Basic premises:

o   “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39)

o   What does this lesson teach us about the Savior?

o   What are the parallels in the Book of Mormon that help us understand better?

o   How can we apply this to our own lives?

Quotes:

Elder Packer, October 2014 General Conference (November  2014 Ensign)

“The mercy and grace of Jesus Christ are not limited to those who commit sins either of commission or omission, but they encompass the promise of everlasting peace to all who will accept and follow Him and His teachings. His mercy is the mighty healer, even to the wounded innocent.”

Lesson Notes

Isaiah 22:

Hezekiah has built a tunnel to get supplies and therefore forestalled the Assyrians siege. The Jerusalemites take this as proof of their own strength and instead of turning to the Lord, want to ally with Egypt. Isaiah prophesies of the fall of Jerusalem and the Assyrian captivity

15–20 Shebna is a high court official—representative of state of Jerusalem who plans a great tomb for himself, but has an ignominious death in a foreign land (captivity).

20–25 Eliakim is his successor—will have great power and authority, but even for him the “nail” will be sheared off, only Christ—nail in a sure place—will not fail. Vs 22—the Savior opens “the key of the house of David” this is temple terminology—sealing power?

Isaiah 24

5: “transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” [the gospel] Read D&C 1:14–15, “And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;”

13/22: “shaking of an olive tree” look at Jacob 5:63–64—the last time the Lord prunes the vineyard and gathers in the good fruit. Look at 3 Nephi 9:13, after the great and terrible destruction, who was left? “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous.” Even they were called upon to repent and come unto Christ. In the same way as Christ first conquers death and breaks open hell at His resurrection, then sends heavenly messengers to preach to those in spirit prison (see vs. 22), so He comes to bring light to the darkness for the Nephites.

Question: And us?

[What prison is referred to in Isaiah 24:21–22? (Spirit prison, the place where the spirits of some deceased mortals go while awaiting the Resurrection.) Why are the spirits of some deceased mortals in spirit prison? (See D&C 138:32. Some of them did not receive the gospel on earth, and others were not valiant in their testimonies.)

What did the Savior do for the spirits in prison? (See Isaiah 42:5–7; D&C 138:29–37. He organized righteous spirits to teach them the gospel.) How did this demonstrate the Savior’s love and mercy? (See Isaiah 49:9–10.)]

Isaiah 25

Refuge from the storm, shadow from the heat

Psalm 23:2–4 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

3 Nephi 10:10 “And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.”

Question: What storms do we have in our daily lives, and how does knowledge of the Savior become a refuge and a shadow?

Vs 6 feast in the mountain

Question: What is the feast in the temple?

Isaiah 26

19–21, clear prophecy about the resurrection and the last judgment. Look at 3 Nephi 23:9.

Joseph Smith, “When the voice calls for the dead to arise, … what would be the first joy of my heart? To meet my father, my mother, my brother, my sister; and when they are by my side, I embrace them and they me” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 295–96)

Question: Will we know our ancestors when we see them?

Isaiah 28

Vss. 9/10—line upon line

“And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith (D&C 98:11–12). This gives us a “sure foundation.”

[Question: What does Isaiah tell us about the Savior by referring to him as a “tried stone”? (See Mosiah 3:17.) How is Jesus Christ our “sure foundation”? (See Helaman 5:12.) What can we do to build on this foundation? What does the Lord promise if we build on this foundation? (See D&C 50:44.)]

Isaiah 29—Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon

JST 1–8 “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
2  Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; for thus hath the Lord said unto me, It shall be unto Ariel;
3  That I the Lord will camp against her round about, and will lay siege against her with a mount, and I will raise forts against her.
4  And she shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and her speech shall be low out of the dust; and her voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and her speech shall whisper out of the dust. [Moroni 10:27]
5  Moreover the multitude of her strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
6  For they shall be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. [ 2 Nephi 26:4–6; 3 Nephi 8]
7  And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
8  Yea, it shall be unto them even as unto a hungry man who dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man who dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite. Yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against mount Zion.” [compare the bread of life (John 6:35) and living water (John 4:10)]

Ariel = Jerusalem [translation is “lion of God/Judah”]

JST 29:11–26

11 And it shall come to pass, that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book; and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.

12 And behold, the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof. [see Jeremiah 32:11 for doubled, sealed documents]

13 Wherefore because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore, the book shall be kept from them.

14 But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust; and he shall deliver these words unto another, but the words that are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book.

15 For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.

16 And the day cometh, that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the housetops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be, even unto the end of the earth.

17 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it, save it be that three witnesses shall behold it by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.

"Caractors" transcribed from the Book of Mormon plates

18 And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said, that the words of the faithful should speak as it were from the dead.

19 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and woe be unto him that rejecteth the word of God.

20 But, behold, it shall come to pass, that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book, Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee.

21 And the learned shall say, Bring hither the book and I will read them; and now because of the glory of the world, and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God. And the man shall say, I cannot bring the book for it is sealed. Then shall the learned say, I cannot read it.

22 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say, I am not learned. Then shall the Lord God say unto him, The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.

23 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.

24 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men. [Stanley B. Kimball, BYU Studies 10/3 (spring 1970): 325–352: Martin Harris . . .

“took them to New York City for the evaluation of men of learning, and returned to relate the following to Joseph Smith: I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Anthony [sic], a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments;--Professor Anthony stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from Egyptian.  I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they wereEgyptian, Chaldeac [sic], Assyriac, and Arabac [sic]; and he said they were true characters.  He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct.  I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthony called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them.  I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him. He then said to me, 'let me see that certificate.'  I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him, he would translate them.  I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them.  He replied, 'I cannot read a sealed book.'  I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthony had said respecting both the characters and the translation.

25 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men, save it be according to their faith.

26 And again it shall come to pass, that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him, Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men, therefore I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people; yea, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.

Question: how is the Book of Mormon a “marvelous work and a wonder” in our lives?

Isaiah 30

Vs. 20—bread of adversity; water of affliction. Question: how does this contrast with 29:8—must we all face adversity and affliction if we take upon ourselves the name of Christ?

Vs. 23–28 continues the water imagery, now rivers wash clean; heal wounds as the Lord saves His people.