Old Testament # 40
“Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent”
Isaiah 54–56; 63–65
Introduction
There are two compelling images that come to mind in these scriptures. The one being that of the tent
Admittedly this is a somewhat stylized version, but as a representation of a place of safety in a hazardous environment, it fits well the symbolism of this lesson. The obvious correlation is that of the tent being extended as the stakes are placed farther away. But in light of the recent revelation on a greater emphasis on a Christ-centered home, I also tend to feel that it refers to the righteous influence we can have as we go out in the world from our own Christ-centered home.
The second image is one that Ruben Arredondo posted on Instagram, that he took in the Glenbow Museum in Canada, to which he added this quote from Shelley.
How stern are the woes of the desolate mourner
As he bends in still grief o'er the hallowed bier,
As he bends in still grief o'er the hallowed bier,
However, perhaps more apt for this blogpost, are the words later in the poem:
Rest awhile, hapless victim! and Heaven will save
The spirit that hath faded away with the breath.
Eternity points, in its amaranth bower
Where no clouds of fate o'er the sweet prospect lour,
Unspeakable pleasure, of goodness the dower,
When woe fades away like the mist of the heath. [1]
The spirit that hath faded away with the breath.
Eternity points, in its amaranth bower
Where no clouds of fate o'er the sweet prospect lour,
Unspeakable pleasure, of goodness the dower,
When woe fades away like the mist of the heath. [1]
The reason I include this compelling imagery is Isaiah 64:8: “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.” A gifted sculptor can catch a moment in clay, but the Lord captures our every second; through His Atoning sacrifice, he is able to share with and comfort us through all our trials, until “woe fades away like the mist of the heath.” He shapes us, but gives us our agency to decide if we are better sculptors than He is!
Because the Bishop talked to us about this a couple of weeks ago, I am going to concentrate the rest of this blogpost on the Law of the Fast, which is part of the additional material in the lesson manual. We will go over the main points of the lesson material in class.
Isaiah 58:6–11 gives us some of the blessings of living the Law of the Fast. But first of all, I will admit to wanting to know exactly what that entails for us. For instance, in April 2001, Elder Wirthlin said
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members are encouraged to fast whenever their faith needs special fortification and to fast regularly once each month on fast day. On that day, we go without eating or drinking for two consecutive meals, commune with our Heavenly Father, and contribute a fast offering to help the poor. The offering should be at least equal to the value of the food that would have been eaten.[2]
However, in 2014, Bishop Dean Davies said:
As followers of the Savior, we have a personal responsibility to care for the poor and needy. Faithful Church members everywhere assist by fasting each month—abstaining from food and water for 24 hours—and then giving to the Church a financial fast offering equal to at least the value of the food they would have eaten.[3]
In today’s day and age where we are exhorted to eat small meals, rather than 3 large ones a day, the second quotation seems to clarify the first. And in fact, if you go to topicson LDS.org, you will find a similar instruction that seems to embody both.
In the Church today, one Sabbath day each month is set aside for the purpose of fasting. Members of the Church go without food and water for two consecutive meals in a 24-hour period and then contribute the money that would have been spent for that food to those in need (see Alma 34:28).[4]
In line with the need for us to increase our spiritual capacity to receive revelation, it appears that how we fast within that 24-hour period is between us and the Lord. Important, though (and again between us and the Lord) is how much we give in fast offerings. Here’s President Kimball:
I think that when we are affluent, as many of us are, that we ought to be very, very generous … and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 184).
Affluence is relative, but I think this applies to all of us, since we are talking about mathematics here, not dollar sums. We shouldn’t need blessings to be an incentive, but let’s look at some of the blessings promised to us as we live the Law of the Fast, integral to which are fast offerings:
- We become stronger in resisting temptation (Isaiah 58:6).
- Our burdens are lightened (Isaiah 58:6).
- Our physical and spiritual health are improved (Isaiah 58:8).
- We become humble and prepared to communicate with the Lord (Isaiah 58:9).
- We assist the poor and the needy (Isaiah 58:10).
- We receive continual guidance from the Lord (Isaiah 58:11).
- We have our souls satisfied in drought and become “like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isaiah 58:11).
One thing we haven’t mentioned is preparing for the fast. Drummed into my head is something Victor Ludlow said in an Isaiah class I attended at BYU. “Fasting without a purpose is just going without food.” I have tried to prepare on Saturday so that I have a distinct, prayerful purpose for my fast. However, working through this, I realize that I need to incorporate all four elements (including prayer) into my fasting experience. I don’t think I have been doing that. Rather, they have been disparate.
If you have slogged through this rather long, introspective blog post before Sunday 4thNovember, when we will have this lesson, then I hope it has been helpful in preparing to fast. It has certainly brought my perception of what Fast Sunday means up a rung.
Additional Material
The Institute Manual has an enrichment section on Isaiah, here
BYU Professor Don Parry put out a book called Visualizing Isaiahwhich you can read here
[1]http://www.poemswithoutfrontiers.com/Bereavement.html. I am very grateful to Ruben for permission to use his beautiful photo of this incredible sculpture and for pointing me to a beautiful poem.
