Ally Yourself with the Lord - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Seventeen (2 Nephi 17 and Isaiah 7)

You can read the entire chapter at the following links: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/17?lang=eng and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/isa/7?lang=eng.

This chapter is rooted in a very specific historical context. Isaiah finds himself counseling with Ahaz, the King of Judah. For those who know their Biblical history, Israel split into two kingdoms—Ephraim (sometimes known as the kingdom of Israel) in the north and Judah in the south—after Solomon’s reign in around 975 B.C.

Now it is around 740-735 B.C. (don’t be confused by the 2 Nephi 17 chapter heading—its reference to 559-545 B.C. is to when Nephi decided to transcribe these excerpts from Isaiah’s preexisting record onto the metal plates Nephi created), and we see some of the perils that have come about because of the disunity among the Lord’s covenant people (the house of Israel). The northern kingdom of Ephraim and its king, Pekah, have made an alliance with Syria (located northward from Ephraim) and its king, Rezin.

This alliance threatens Judah. Even though verse 1 tells us that Ephraim and Syria do not have success in overthrowing Jerusalem (Judah’s capital), the insecurity that King Ahaz presumably feels from this persistent threat makes him feel as though he needs to make his own alliance with another kingdom. Although this chapter does not make specific reference to Ahaz’s possible ally, the historical record confirms at this time that Judah became close with the Kingdom of Assyria (also well to the north of Judah and Israel, and a little east of Syria).

By the normal rules of the world, Ahaz’s strategy makes sense. Whether it’s the ancient or the modern Middle East, the basic rules of geopolitics teach weak countries surrounded by enemies to make an arrangement with a stronger country to ensure its survival. But of course, nothing comes for free, and usually such alliances cost the weaker country much of its independence, as the stronger country dictates the terms of the pact.

And so, the Lord sends Isaiah to Ahaz with a very clear and direct message. Don’t worry about the world’s rules here. The threat you think you see from Syria and Ephraim is a mirage. As verse 7 says, “It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” Why? Because, in Isaiah’s words, even though these two kingdoms are plotting against Judah, they are “smoking firebrands.” Their power is waning, being snuffed out. Isaiah even shares the very specific prophecy (in verse 8) that Ephraim will be “broken” within 65 years, and the historical record bears out that this is the time where Ephraim and its ten tribes of Israel are overrun by the Assyrians and largely scattered abroad. (Incidentally, those left behind mixed with non-Israelite people, producing the Samaritans—with their hybrid of traditional Mosaic and heathen beliefs and practices—whom Jesus was to know 700+ years later.)

Isaiah doesn’t directly forbid King Ahaz from joining with the Assyrians, but the meaning seems pretty clear when he warns Ahaz (in verse 9) that if he does not heed Isaiah’s words about Syria and Ephraim, Judah “shall not be established.” The concern appears to be that making alliances with heathen kingdoms does not reduce Judah’s vulnerability, but increases it, because putting one’s trust in mortal man is a fool’s game.

What’s the alternative? Isaiah comes to this in verse 11 when he asks Ahaz to turn to God for a sign. Instead of trusting man, we need to have faith in the Lord. Ahaz tries to justify his reluctance in turning to the Lord by saying that he doesn’t want to “tempt” the Lord, but Ahaz’s real reason is a crisis of faith. He is having trouble placing his faith in an invisible God when faced with a military threat that is easier to detect through the physical senses.

This is where Isaiah’s teaching intersects directly with our lives. You and I might not face threats from ancient kingdoms on our borders, but we constantly face challenges that we think are on the verge of overpowering us. We look all over the place for ways to avoid or overcome these challenges, usually looking first for a solution from our own limited wisdom and physical senses. But it is only when we enlist the Lord into the problem-solving process, allowing Him to enhance whatever initial capabilities we bring to bear on the challenge, that we find our capacities and our confidence boosted to truly become equal or superior to what we face.

And so, even though Isaiah warns of days of great turmoil and desolation to come (verses 17-25), the pivotal verse in the chapter is verse 14:

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Most of us can recognize the allusion to a virgin birth and to “Immanuel,” a name that means “God with us.” This is clearly a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. Jesus Christ, as the literal son of God, came to earth in this way a little more than 700 years after Isaiah is writing (and about 550 after Nephi copies Isaiah’s prophecy for his people—and for us).

Why is the prophecy of the birth of Jesus relevant here? Because it is the ultimate shot in the arm for our faith that the Lord is there for us. We need not ally ourselves with the Assyrians of the world, who are liable to treacherously turn on us at some point, if we know that God is able and willing to manifest Himself in our lives. The birth is a symbol of the many other ways He can bless us—the comforting presence of His Spirit, the helping hand of another person, or something else that happens to reminds us we are not alone in fending for ourselves.

The prophecy also apparently alludes to the birth of Isaiah’s own son. The Hebrew word for virgin can also be read to refer to a woman of great purity such as Isaiah’s wife. In this context, the prophecy Isaiah shared with King Ahaz pointed to the birth of Isaiah’s son as a sign that the Lord was with Judah, and that Ahaz should therefore avoid joining with the Assyrians. Ahaz did not obey Isaiah’s counsel, and events later bore out that Judah’s dependence on Assyria hurt it far more than it helped, because Assyria ended up overrunning much of Judah after gaining control over Syria and Ephraim.