Lesson
40 “Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent”
Isaiah
54–56; 63–65
Quotes: “It is the gospel of Jesus
Christ that provides this foundation upon which we can find lasting peace and
build eternal family units. Of this I testify in the name of our Lord and Savior,
even Jesus Christ, amen” (L. Tom Perry, October 2014 General Conference).
“The world has had a fair trial for
six thousand years; the Lord will try the seventh thousand Himself; "He
whose right it is, will possess the kingdom, and reign until He has put all
things under His feet;" iniquity will hide its hoary head, Satan will be
bound, and the works of darkness destroyed; righteousness will be put to the
line, and judgment to the plummet, and "he that fears the Lord will alone
be exalted in that day" (Joseph Smith, History
of the Church, 5:64–65).
Isaiah
54
Quoted by the Lord in 3 Ne 22, but
prefaced by Him with events that will precede the fulfilment of the promises: 1.
Gentiles will receive the Gospel; 2. Gospel preached to the Lamanites; 3.
Gospel preached to all the dispersed including the Twelve Tribes; 4. Israel’s
remnants will gather to Zion; 5. Remnants will return to the lands of their
inheritance (3 Nephi 20–21).[1]
Vs. 2: Tents convert uninhabited,
often exposed areas into places of refuge. The bigger the tent, the more people
can be rescued and kept safe from the elements—not “tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). But only if they
are held firmly down with stakes. The Stakes of Zion anchor the protecting tent
of the Gospel until it eventually “roll[s] forth unto the ends of the earth, as
the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth,
until it has filled the whole earth.” (D&C
65:2)—mixed metaphor but the imagery is sound. Our part is to “Lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes” Question How?
Ancient
Israel had the tabernacle in the desert that they carried with them—do we
personally have a protecting covering and are we strengthening it and enlarging
it to invite and protect others?
Vs. 10–11, 17: Question:
How can these verses help us in times of trial?
Isaiah
55
Vs 1: Eat and Drink—the metaphor
of Christ and His teachings as the
Living Bread and Water has permeated Isaiah’s teaching. Question—what is the significance of “without money and without price?”
“Understanding the Savior’s freely
given atoning love can free us from self-imposed, incorrect, and unrealistic
expectations of what perfection is. Such understanding allows us to let go of
fears that we are imperfect—fears that we make mistakes, fears that we are not
good enough, fears that we are a failure compared to others, fears that we are
not doing enough to merit His love”[2]
vs. 3—what are the “sure mercies of David?” (see Acts 13:34—resurrection
of Christ; Ps. 16:10 “For thou wilt not
leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see
corruption”).
Vs. 8—my thoughts/my ways—Why is it important to understand that?—example
of Planetarium show—vast universe and creation—could we contain that?
Vss 12–13—millennial prophecies.
Isaiah
56
Vs. 2–6—How much emphasis does the Lord put on keeping the Sabbath, why?
Vs. 8 (Seemingly miracles will
follow those who do—barren will bear, temple blessings—“mine house shall b
called an house of prayer for all people.”
Vs 10—the imagery of blind and dumb.
Isaiah
63
Vs. 3—I have trodden the winepress alone: Elder Maxwell, “Another
fundamental scripture describes Jesus’ having trodden the winepress of the
“fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God” (D&C 88:106; see also D&C 76:107; D&C 133:50). Others can
and should encourage, commend, pray, and comfort, but the lifting and carrying
of our individual crosses remains ours to do. Given the “fierceness” Christ
endured for us, we cannot expect a discipleship of unruffled easiness. As we
seek forgiveness, for example,
repentance can be a rough-hewn regimen to bear. By the way, let us not, as some
do, mistake the chips we have placed on our own shoulders for crosses!”[3] Elder
Holland: “To all such, I speak of the loneliest journey ever made and the
unending blessings it brought to all in the human family. I speak of the
Savior’s solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly
He would say: “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was
none with me. … I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there
was none to uphold [me].”[4]
Vss. 17–19—WHY? Compare 3 Nephi 8:24–25. Question: How easy is it to repent after the cataclysmic events—what
stops us repenting before?
Isaiah 64
Vs. 4 “ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard,
nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what
he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”—Question: How are we blind, deaf, and dumb? What faith does it take to “wait for Him.”
Vs. 8 “We are the clay.” Pres. Harold B. Lee, “Isaiah said: “But now, O
Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are
the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8.)
I’ve read that verse many times but had not received the full
significance until I was down in Mexico a few years ago at Telacapaca, where
the people mold clay into various kinds of pottery. There I saw them take clay
that had been mixed by crude, primitive methods, the molder wading in the mud
to mix it properly. Then it was put upon a potter’s wheel and the potter began
to fashion the intricate bits of pottery, which he was to place on the market.
And as we watched, we saw occasionally, because of some defect in the mixing,
the necessity for pulling the whole lump of clay apart and throwing it back in
to be mixed over again, and sometimes the process had to be repeated several
times before the mud was properly mixed. With that in mind, I began to see the
meaning of this scripture. Yes, we too have to be tried and tested by poverty,
by sickness, by the death of loved ones, by temptation, sometimes by the
betrayal of supposed friends, by affluence and riches, by ease and luxury, by
false educational ideas, and by the flattery of the world.”[5]
Isaiah 65
Conditions of the Millennium—
The Lord will create new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17).
There will be great joy and no more weeping for the Lord’s people (Isaiah
65:18–19).
People will not die young; they will live to be 100 years old (Isaiah 65:20).
People will enjoy the fruits of their own labors (Isaiah
65:21–23).
Prayers will be answered immediately (Isaiah 65:24).
There will be no enmity among beasts (Isaiah 65:25).
Elder Hales: In recent decades the Church has largely been spared the
terrible misunderstandings and persecutions experienced by the early Saints. It
will not always be so. The world is moving away from the Lord faster and
farther than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth. We
watch, hear, read, study, and share the words of prophets to be forewarned and
protected. For example, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was given
long before we experienced the challenges now facing the family. “The Living
Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” was prepared in advance of when we will
need it most.”[6]
[1]
Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer,
and Poet (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982), 458.
[2]
Gerrit W. Gong, https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/07/young-adults/becoming-perfect-in-christ?lang=eng.
[3] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/04/plow-in-hope?lang=eng.
[4] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/none-were-with-him?lang=eng.
[5] https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-harold-b-lee/chapter-22?lang=eng.
[6] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/general-conference-strengthening-faith-and-testimony?lang=eng.
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