In the previous chapter, Jacob established himself as a teacher very much after the pattern of
his brother (and current temporal and spiritual leader) Nephi, and their
deceased father Lehi.
Jacob’s
topic is the destiny of his people, the Nephites, who are a scattered branch of
Israel, and he now plunges into a passage from Isaiah to remind them of their
identity. Jacob’s quotes from Isaiah come from the brass plates his family
brought from Jerusalem, which Nephi also used in some chapters near the end of
the book of 1 Nephi.
The key
thing that distinguishes the tribes of Israel from everyone else is their very
special relationship with God. Why is God interested in “delivering” them from
their trials and their tormentors? Because He is bound to the people of Israel
by the covenant He made with their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). How is
God bound? By the love, goodness and absolute reliability that define Him.
Isaiah is
writing in a style that we call “messianic,” meaning that he takes on the voice
of the Lord as though there is no separation between the two of them. In the
chapter’s first verse, he reassures the Nephites that despite their sins and
other shortcomings, the Lord has not abandoned them. Isaiah compares the Lord’s
relationship to His people as a husband to his wife, and says that the Lord has
not and will not “divorce” them even though the Nephites have distanced
themselves from Him and become in debt to others through their sins.
By reminding
the Nephites that they remain bound to the Lord, Isaiah lays a foundation of
hope. He then explains how the Lord will honor His continuing covenant with His
people by referring to the Lord’s power. After all, if God can dry the waters
of the earth at a word, or darken the skies (verses 2-3), He can surely help
His sons and daughters get back on the right path.
This power
seems to me to be the power of example that Jesus Christ provided us by his
life on earth. In verses 4-5, Isaiah (again, speaking messianically) refers to having
the “ear” and the “tongue” of the learned. The reference teaches us that although
Jesus was beset by temptation, He made every effort to listen to what His
Father wanted Him to hear, largely so that He could take lessons from what He
heard and then speak to men and women as a true and authorized representative
of His Father. If we interpret these verses as also describing Isaiah’s
characteristics, we realize that Isaiah is telling us that God gave Isaiah some
very specific gifts (in particular, an ability to communicate in timeless,
sacred poetry) to inspire the people of Israel.
Beyond the
power of example, Jesus exercised power in a way very different than we are accustomed
to seeing ordinary people use it. Instead of grabbing glory for Himself by conjuring
a miracle of earthly force against the ruling Romans or Jewish elite, or
seeking to gain favor with the people of Judea and Galilee by satisfying their
appetites for comfort, position and wealth, Jesus humbly endured the full
injustice of being tried, tormented, and crucified for doing good and teaching
truth. He “gave his back to the smiter” without losing his bravery and dignity (verses
6-7). It’s still hard for us mere mortals to fully understand the process by
which Jesus’ humble suffering led to Him gaining ultimate power—the same power
that His Father has. But it’s clear that through His endurance, He displayed a
type of strength unmatched by any other human. A strength born of love for His
fellow men and women that somehow qualified Him to receive all power from the
Father. Only faith beyond words, and God’s own grace, can help us accept what
our minds find difficult to comprehend about the mechanics of the Atonement of
Christ.
Having
established that God has all power, in the chapter’s final verses Isaiah warns
those who oppose the Lord or His people that their efforts are doomed to
frustration and unhappiness. He goes even further in verses 10-11 to say that
those who try to do things their own way, who are unwilling to acknowledge
their need for the light only God can provide them, shall “walketh in darkness”
and “lie down in sorrow.”
As ever with
prophecy, it is a warning joined with a message of hope, a lamp showing the way
toward happiness and salvation. A way
defined by our willingness to follow the pattern Jesus Christ established: a
life of love for God and other people exemplified by sacrifice, sharing with
others what we believe or know to be true, and openness to hear and follow
God’s continuing direction.
You can read
the entire chapter and the analogous chapter from Isaiah at the following
links: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/7?lang=eng
and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/isa/50?lang=eng.
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