It seems
appropriate that the first words we hear from Isaiah are written as though it
were the Savior Himself speaking. Nephi is showing his brothers and us how the
Lord views the men and women of the world—his imperfect children. We call it
writing in a “Messianic voice” because it is meant to represent the Messiah’s
thoughts and intentions.
God does not
choose His spokesmen lightly. So it seems important to provide a little
description of who Isaiah was. The Latter-day Saint Bible Dictionary tells us
that in Hebrew, his name means “The Lord is salvation,” and then provides the
following description
(in italics below):
Son of Amoz, a prophet in Jerusalem during
40 years, 740–701 B.C. He had great religious and political influence during
the reign of Hezekiah, whose chief advisor he was. Tradition states that he was
“sawn asunder” during the reign of Manasseh; for that reason he is often represented
in art holding a saw.
Chapter 6 of Isaiah
implies that he was called to be a prophet by the Lord while in the temple
(probably signifying that he served as a high priest in the Temple of Solomon,
probably in the “holy of holies” where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, covered with a lid known as the “mercy
seat” that appeared to be a kind of throne attended by angels). At the
time, the people of Israel had been divided into a northern kingdom (known as
the Kingdom of Israel) centered in Samaria and a southern kingdom (Kingdom of
Judah) centered in Jerusalem. Isaiah represented the Lord to the leaders and
people of Judah, and the Kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by the
Assyrians during Isaiah’s tenure as a prophet. The defeat of Israel and
persistent threat to Judah doubtless provided some of the context for his
prophecies about tribulation, captivity, and renewed freedom.
More on
Jewish traditions regarding who Isaiah was and his eventual fate can be found
in the Jewish Encyclopedia here.
In addition
to providing some of the most compelling accounts of the Savior’s life, death,
Resurrection, and Second Coming found in scripture, Isaiah prophesied about
many key events that would befall the people of Israel and Judah. By starting
with a part of Isaiah’s writings known today as Chapter 48 (with slight changes given that the record Nephi transcribed from the brass plates was probably a bit more accurate than the version handed down through the generations over 2,000 years before being translated into English), Nephi puts us right
in the middle of the action. Previous chapters in Isaiah explain that Jerusalem
will be ransacked and the people will be taken captive by the armies of Babylon
(which happens in 587 B.C.), but that Cyrus of Persia will conquer Babylon (which
happens in 538 B.C.) and allow the Jews to return to their land.
For Nephi’s
family, the capture of Jerusalem is a current event, and the liberation of the
Jews about 40 years off. Clearly, Nephi is using Isaiah’s account from the
brass plates to reassure his brothers that their departure from Jerusalem was
necessary. But of course there’s more to it. At this point, there’s no going
back after their long sea voyage. So what’s the point of sharing this passage
from Isaiah?
I’m not sure
there’s only one correct answer, but here’s my opinion. Nephi knows that he and
his family have left everything they knew and are now starting over in a
completely new place. There is great loneliness in this enterprise, and also
it’s very easy to feel cut off from your heritage. So this chapter from Isaiah
is important because it reminds them of the following fundamental truths at a
time when they are very vulnerable:
- The Lord is in charge (not we or any other “idol” whose value we sometimes overestimate—money, worldly leaders, technology).
- The Lord’s people do not escape the sufferings of life, as verse 10 says they are “chosen” in the “furnace of affliction.” (In fact, in some way that we probably cannot fully comprehend or appreciate, it appears that challenges are a necessary part of growth for those who want to become closer to God.)
- Most importantly, the Lord wants desperately to bless us. And not just a little, but in great abundance.
And so, as
we puzzle through Isaiah’s poetic and symbolic language, we can detect a basic
invitation being extended. Come out of Babylon (wickedness), and “come ye near unto
me [the Lord]” (verse 16). If you do this, you will reap blessings that are
both named—peace as a river, righteousness as the waves of the sea, seed
(offspring) as the sands (verses 18-19)—and strongly implied (redemption and
eternal salvation). And you don’t have to physically return to Jerusalem to
reap these blessings. They are accessible half a world away on an undiscovered
continent as well. This is a message that should not be lost on Nephi’s family,
having left all the comforts of life behind for affliction, and now just beginning
to get used to new comforts from the prosperity of the promised land.
In the Lord’s
reminders of His relationship to us and how He can bless us in a way
incomparable to anyone or anything else, we hear echoes of what He has already
done. When Isaiah writes that the Lord has both declared and shown “former
things from the beginning,” I can't help but imagine, in addition to the Exodus from Egypt (verse 21), and
the Creation (verse 13), a time before we were born, when
our spirits lived in the Lord’s presence and He showed and taught us many
things.
There’s this wonderful sense of the
Lord’s merciful nature all through the chapter. He will not forget those who have stumbled, and will
continue reaching out for as long as possible to give them second chances. But in
the chapter’s final verse, Isaiah speaks for the Lord with a very terse warning
(meant for us as well as for Laman and Lemuel): “And notwithstanding he hath
done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the
wicked.”
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