From the Desolate Vineyard to the Majestic Ensign - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Fifteen (2 Nephi 15 and Isaiah 5)

Much of Isaiah’s writing is allegorical, which means that some of the expressions he uses might not be precisely verifiable statements of fact. Rather, these expressions make their point in a more symbolic manner. It does not take away from the truth or importance of what Isaiah says. In fact, an allegory can often be more powerful than a literal assertion of truth, as we know from the parables Jesus taught.

In this chapter, Isaiah begins with a parable of his own, sometimes known as the “parable of the vineyard.” The vines represent the Lord’s covenant people (Israel), and the vineyard represents the world Israel lives in. Nothing could be more true to life than what we learn almost right away. Despite the master of the vineyard (the Lord) doing everything possible to nurture his vines, providing them with the most favorable conditions, they produce wild grapes (verse 2). In other words, the “fruits” of the Lord’s people are very much flawed.

What ensues seems to be an unorthodox gardening technique. Instead of coddling his vines with even better conditions, the Lord allows the vines to experience greater adversity. He takes away protective hedges and walls, and allows thorns and drought to afflict his plants. What do the Lord’s new gardening methods accomplish? Well, we don’t precisely know from the parable itself. Strictly speaking, Isaiah’s description of the vineyard ends in verse 10 after he reports that instead of being productive of themselves, the people of Israel are left desolate because they oppress others in an attempt to steal and scavenge what these others produce.

It’s a bleak tale, and as it ends, Isaiah continues by describing the very harrowing account of the captivity that Israel has brought upon itself. In what way have the Lord’s covenant people become prisoners? We do have historical evidence of their captivity under people such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and (later) Greeks and Romans, but the most grievous form of captivity Isaiah describes is the Israelites’ own tragic choice to become slaves to sin. Verse 18 observes that many have bound themselves with “cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart rope.”

Even though Isaiah doesn’t specifically explain the Lord’s reasoning for subjecting Israel to greater adversity, in other scriptures it is made clear that doing so reminds people that to become better, they need to cast off their own pride and selfishness, and focus on how they can look to the Lord for his example of love and service. Ultimately, there needs to be a recognition that we need God in order for us to have true happiness and prosperity—not the counterfeit version of temporarily glorifying ourselves at others’ expense.

Isaiah’s words may seem harsh, but by laying bare our own tendencies to commit sin, he is doing us an important service. Maybe if we are forewarned, we can make an effort to avoid the traps toward which Satan wants to lead us. Two of the particularly dangerous traps that Isaiah points out in this chapter are

·       When we think we know better than others, including God, and are stubbornly unwilling to take counsel.

(This is exemplified in verse 19 when Isaiah describes people of Israel who are deluded enough to think that they are in a position to tell God what he should do.)

·       When we rationalize our evil thoughts and deeds, and in doing so unfairly demonize those things which are in fact good and virtuous.

(Verse 20 is one of Isaiah’s most compellingly poetic lines: “Wo unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” It also is darkly prophetic of all ages of human civilization, including ours, when we find men, women and societies willing to encourage, legalize or even impose immoral practices by unfairly condemning bedrock, time-tested principles in a way that forces even the most stalwart defenders of righteousness to draw upon every ounce of strength and discernment they have in reserve in order not to be deceived.)

In verse 13, Isaiah reveals that, ultimately, it is lack of knowledge that leads to captivity. Knowledge, in this case, seems to focus on an understanding of how true happiness and strength comes only through living principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ—faith, hope, charity, humility and sacrifice.

At the point where Isaiah’s words have made us think that the Israelites’ situation is almost without hope, the tone shifts at the end of verse 25 with the familiar reminder that the Lord’s hand remains outstretched to his covenant people, to his children. And then Isaiah reinforces this by describing how the Lord will swiftly and powerfully “lift up an ensign to the nations from far” (verse 26).

This ensign is the restored gospel of Christ, which continues to spread across the globe and grow. In Isaiah’s telling, once the ensign is revealed, many among the nations of the earth will respond positively. These will be the Lord’s covenant people, and like the pillar of cloud and fire described by Isaiah in the previous chapter, the image of many people coming together in the Lord’s righteous cause with a “roar like young lions” (verse 29) is meant to give courage to us who want to be righteous, and pause to those who would oppose the Lord’s cause.

You can read the entire chapter at these links: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/15?lang=eng and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/isa/5?lang=eng.

Picking Up the Pieces - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Fourteen (2 Nephi 14 and Isaiah 4)

With this brief chapter, the Lord (through Isaiah’s words) begins to pivot away from describing the harsh consequences his covenant people will endure as a result of their pride, and toward a description of their redemption.

Where we left Israel in the prophecy from the previous chapter, it was decimated. Jerusalem and Judah had fallen, and even the flower of its virtue (its young women) were corrupted. Now, we learn something of the aftermath, as the stunned Israelites try to pick up the pieces from the destruction they’ve experienced, and reestablish their civilization and their righteousness.

It appears as though the process of destruction and rebirth is to some extent a way for the Lord to purge or cleanse his people. It is hard to fully understand how this process works, because historical experience teaches that virtuous people often endure terrible things, and those with little or no virtue may find themselves with the advantage. In short, life can be unfair. But in writing about a moral cleansing of the people who claim to be followers of the Lord, Isaiah may be pointing to the spiritual consequences of our actions, which will reflect perfect justice and help us to recognize the need to take advantage of the redeeming power of Christ’s Atonement. Isaiah may also be referring to a future day on earth when the physical consequences of our actions may more closely mirror the moral qualities we demonstrate.

Isaiah gives us a few observations to ponder. One is that the survivors among the “branch of the Lord” will be “beautiful and glorious” and they will be able to enjoy the beautiful fruits of the earth. Another is a somewhat pitiful image of a society ravaged by death and captivity, where so few men remain that the women are desperate for their companionship. Verse 1 says that every man will have seven women competing for his companionship and his name.

Maybe this signifies those temporary situations where a nation needs time to recover from a traumatic event. But I tend to see the image as indicative of a tragic trend that recurs in history and may be at its worst in today’s world. This trend is the rapid decline in the number of men who are truly willing to accept responsibility for themselves and others. The women in verse 1 seem so starved for even the smallest sign of a man’s willingness to engage in family life that they insist they don’t even need the man to provide them the daily essentials of food and clothing. If men can’t be trusted to provide such basic things, how can a society expect them to become proactive partners in marriages and families with the purpose of leading their wives and children closer to God in their thoughts, words and actions?

But Isaiah provides us with some hope in the form of a third observation. This observation foresees a time when the people of Zion (Israel) will be protected by a “cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night.” This hearkens back to Exodus 13, where the Lord provides a cloud by day and fire by night to both guide and protect Moses and the Israelites in their flight from Egypt.

There are two important aspects to note about this observation. The first is that the Lord will help reestablish and even glorify those of his imperfect people who humble themselves and seek His strength. It can be a great source of hope to us and really to anyone who would like to become better and feel like they can still make a difference.

The second important aspect is that the cloud and fire are not only a source of protection and guidance to those who follow the Lord, but also a sign to all other people of where to look for good in the world, more than any flag, banner or building. Those who seek to unite themselves with what radiates light and warmth will be able to find it if they are truly looking. Likewise, those who seek the darkness of the world will be reminded of what they lack when they confront the places where the Lord’s followers dwell. They will think twice before trying to disturb this haven, knowing that the Lord’s protection is over it. Maybe some will even reconsider their path in life.

You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/14?lang=eng

Humility Before Salvation - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Thirteen (2 Nephi 13 and Isaiah 3)

In the previous chapter, Isaiah begins by emphasizing the glories that will attend the days leading up to and following the Lord’s Second Coming. But as the chapter continues, we learn that as wonderful as this may sound for the Lord’s covenant people (the Israelites), they don’t automatically share in these glories unless they are able to humble themselves.

The message carries over into this chapter that those who persist in pride will be brought down. Isaiah’s images are meant to provide a vivid warning both to the Jews of his day and to the faithful of future ages of the calamities that can result from putting one’s trust more in other sources than in the Lord. Isaiah wants to shake them (and us) out of the complacency that most people are tempted to lapse into when they have possessions and privileges. He’s making sure that we understand that today’s order can be gone tomorrow, and that the only true safety and security is through the Lord.

The first verses of the chapter show that things can change very suddenly. We may seem on top of the world now, but that reality can be upended very quickly and find us in desperate straits before we know it. It doesn’t matter how physically strong or learned or accomplished we are. And when things fall apart, it will partly be because no one wants to take responsibility for a failing society. They’ll say, “No, not me,” virtually ensuring that things will get even worse.

Why will the Lord bring the prideful low? Because he cannot abide when those who themselves have been given much “beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor” (verse 15). If the leading classes are unable to take care of the needy, it speaks to a want of virtue on their part. Maintaining the appearance of virtue is not sufficient. And in order to teach His people about what they need to aspire to if they are eventually to be happier and more like Him, sometimes the Lord has to expose the lie of false virtue. Isaiah very aptly uses the image of the “daughters of Zion” (verses 16-24) to show us that the very people who make an effort of showing how superior they are will in fact lose all their appeal, and the unimportant, superficial things they depended on for their status and feeling of self-worth will turn out to have had no lasting value.

Ultimately, Jerusalem and all of Judah will have to fall before they can pick themselves back up. After Isaiah’s prophecy, Jerusalem is literally sacked twice. First, when the Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and carry many away in captivity in 589 B.C. And second, when the Romans destroy the temple and force the Jews of the area into the inconspicuous corners of the world over a period of time roughly stretching from 70 to 120 A.D. Of course, the fall of Jerusalem is more significant in a spiritual sense, showing that the Lord’s covenant people periodically lose their focus. Temporal struggles are the only way to remind them that they need to turn back to the Lord. Although these struggles seem very harsh, and have very real consequences, in them are also the seeds of renewal. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation it is a part of, the Lord will give his people another chance to follow Him and take part in the glorious world order He promises to establish.

You can read the entire chapter at the following links: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/13?lang=eng and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/isa/3?lang=eng.