Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
I was asked to teach an adult religion class on Isaiah. These are the notes and a little narrative video for my first class. I hope this is a great resource for you as you study the book of Isaiah.
Some Book of Mormon Scriptures on the Relevance and Applicability of Isaiah
Historical Background (Isaiah 1:1)
King Uzziah (792-740 B.C.)
King Jotham (740-734 B.C.)
King Ahaz (734-728 B.C.)
King Hezekiah (728-697 B.C.)
King Manasseh (697-642 B.C.)
“Oliver Cowdery referred to thirteen passages from Isaiah which the angel Moroni told Joseph Smith were being fulfilled in these latter days: Isaiah 1:7, 23–26; 2:1, 3–4; 4:5–6; 11:14, 16; 13:10, 13; 24:21; 28:21; and 29:11–14” (Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, February 1835, 79–80; April 1835, 109–112).
Theme 1: In times of spiritual peril, God promises He will help us remain on the covenant path.
"Isaiah compares the sins of a nation to being scarlet (Heb. towla’) in color. In Isaiah’s time, scarlet dye was made from the dried body of the female scarlet worm called “coccus ilicis.”
"When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs eposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to leave and enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. (Morris, 73.) (ISAIAH: A PROPHET’S PROPHET, VOLUME 1, p. 24)
Theme 2: In times of spiritual peril, God will teach us of his ways so we can walk on His path.
•Path – “Generally a narrow way or track laid down for walking or made by continual treading.”
•Way – “Any line of passage or travel.”
•Road – “a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use.”
•Highway – “a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities.”
•Freeway – “an express highway, especially one with controlled access.”
Lord's Paths
Way (noun) Dictionary.com
The Lord's Way:
In the Temple, We Learn the Lord’s Way
President Russell M. Nelson: "Each temple is a beacon of light and hope. The temple, the House of the Lord, stands as a symbol of our faith in life after death and as a stepping stone to eternal life for us and our families. The temple is a sacred and essential part of God’s plan for our happiness, now and forever.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/inside-temples)
Theme 3: In times of spiritual peril, God warns us not to add ‘dross’ to our lives.
So if God wants to “purely bpurge away thy dross,” what adds ‘dross’ to our lives?
Theme 4: In times of spiritual peril, God reminds us often that it will work out for the righteous.
Elder David A. Bednar: “… trends of the world frequently promote a false individuality that is nothing more than a superficial and curious outward conformity. True individuality is the product of spirituality and is not a function of trinkets or ornaments attached to or hanging from parts of our body.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2001/09/ye-are-the-temple-of-god?lang=eng
Theme 5: In times of spiritual peril, God gives us lasting bravery to endure our days ‘well.’
True [lasting] Bravery comes from:
President Russel M. Nelson: “With the help of two Hebrew scholars, I learned that one of the Hebraic meanings of the word Israel is “let God prevail.”4 Thus the very name of Israel refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life. That concept stirs my soul!” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng)
President Russel M. Nelson: “When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier - so many issues become non-issues.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng)
Winston Churchill: Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others. (1931 June 27, Collier's, Unlucky Alfonso, p. 49).
Theme 6: In times of spiritual peril, God wants, and will help Israel to prevail.
"Here is how you could read this verse applying the symbolism to us in our day. “And the Lord [Jesus Christ] will create upon every dwelling place [home] of mount Zion [Church], and upon her assemblies [wards and stakes], a cloud and smoke [the visible presence and protection of God] by day, and the shining of a flaming fire [presence and protection of God] by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence [to each saint in Zion]. And there shall be a tabernacle [temple] for a shadow in the daytime from the heat [a place of comfort], and for a place of refuge, and for a covert [protection] from storm [personal difficulties] and from rain.” (ISAIAH: A PROPHET’S PROPHET, VOLUME 1, p. 61)
Isaiah verses five and six of this chapter were quoted by the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith. Moroni said that these verses “were soon to be fulfilled.” (Messenger and Advocate, April 1835, p. 110)
Theme 7: In times of spiritual peril, God gives us knowledge to help us prevail.
Joseph Smith: “The … happiness of any community goes hand in hand with the knowledge possessed by the people” (“Knowledge Is Power,” an editorial published in Times and Seasons, Aug. 15, 1842, pp. 889–90).
Isaiah 5 contains warnings to Israel so that they can avoid captivity.
1. Greed is a poison that leads to ignorance (Isaiah 5:8).
“We make poor and irrational decisions if our decision is motivated by greediness: greed for monetary gain; greed that results in a conflict of interest; desire for power, titles, and recognition of men” (Bishop Robert D. Hales, CR, October 1988).
2. A passion for pleasure promotes ignorance (Isaiah 5:11-12)
"When the passion for pleasure has become uppermost in a person’s life, passion for God and his truth and his ways are squeezed out" (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 174).
3. Cords of vanity choke knowledge (Isaiah 5:18)
"The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance." Samuel Butler
4. Sign seeking blinds us to new knowledge (Isaiah 5:19).
The sign-seeker tells God to hustle (‘make speed’) and get His job done (‘hasten his work’) as a prerequisite for their belief (that we may know it) (see Isaiah 5:19).
5. Deception keeps us in ignorance’s prison (Isaiah 5:20).
Deception blinds us to the light that illuminates our understanding and obfuscates the truth from our minds.
Without absolute truth, deception, especially self-deception, along with uncontrolled passion result in the rationalization and justification of almost any act. (see Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 178).
6. Intellectual wannabees (Isaiah 5:21).
“For decades it has been popular in America for the cynical intellectuals to sneer and scoff at that which they do not understand, or want to understand.” (President David O. McKay said, CR, October 1966).
7. Justification entrenches ignorance (Isaiah 5:22-23).
"A man who cannot admit his mistakes will soon justify his ignorance." Hryhorii Skovoroda
Isaiah promises God’s help in our day in Isaiah 5:25-26.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “When the Brethren stood on the summit, they looked over this valley to the south of them. It was largely barren, except for the willows and rushes that grew along the streams that carried water from the mountains to the lake. There was no building of any kind, but Brigham Young had said the previous Saturday, ‘This is the place.’
“The summit where they stood was named Ensign Peak out of reference to these great prophetic words of Isaiah: ‘And he [speaking of God] will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly’ (Isaiah 5:26.) (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/11/an-ensign-to-the-nations?lang=eng
“This Church is the standard which Isaiah said the Lord would set up for the people in the latter day.”(Marion G. Romney C.R. Apr. 1961, p.19)
Teaching Thoughts:
Some Book of Mormon Scriptures on the Relevance and Applicability of Isaiah
- 1 Nephi 19:23-24
- 2 Nephi 11:8
- 2 Nephi 25:7–8
- 3 Nephi 20:11–12
- 3 Ne. 23:1
Historical Background (Isaiah 1:1)
King Uzziah (792-740 B.C.)
King Jotham (740-734 B.C.)
King Ahaz (734-728 B.C.)
King Hezekiah (728-697 B.C.)
King Manasseh (697-642 B.C.)
“Oliver Cowdery referred to thirteen passages from Isaiah which the angel Moroni told Joseph Smith were being fulfilled in these latter days: Isaiah 1:7, 23–26; 2:1, 3–4; 4:5–6; 11:14, 16; 13:10, 13; 24:21; 28:21; and 29:11–14” (Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, February 1835, 79–80; April 1835, 109–112).
Theme 1: In times of spiritual peril, God promises He will help us remain on the covenant path.
"Isaiah compares the sins of a nation to being scarlet (Heb. towla’) in color. In Isaiah’s time, scarlet dye was made from the dried body of the female scarlet worm called “coccus ilicis.”
"When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs eposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to leave and enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. (Morris, 73.) (ISAIAH: A PROPHET’S PROPHET, VOLUME 1, p. 24)
Theme 2: In times of spiritual peril, God will teach us of his ways so we can walk on His path.
•Path – “Generally a narrow way or track laid down for walking or made by continual treading.”
•Way – “Any line of passage or travel.”
•Road – “a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use.”
•Highway – “a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities.”
•Freeway – “an express highway, especially one with controlled access.”
Lord's Paths
- Lead us to follow the example of Jesus Christ
- Continually treading.
- Take us to new vistas.
- Expand our perspective and help us to see a broader horizon.
- As we walk His paths, they influence us.
- Traversed individually, or with a smaller group.
Way (noun) Dictionary.com
- manner, mode, or fashion.
- characteristic or habitual manner.
- a method, plan, or means for attaining a goal.
- a direction or vicinity.
- passage or progress on a course.
- an old Roman or pre-Roman road.
- any line of passage or travel, used or available.
- space for passing or advancing.
- a habit or custom.
- a course of life, action, or experience.
The Lord's Way:
- The manner, in which we look at life, the way we reply to adversity.
- The characteristic or habitual manner of a disciple.
- The method to attaining a goal of becoming more like Christ.
- A direction that leads us to our Heavenly home.
- The joy of progress on our course.
- Is ancient (pre-Roman).
- Guides us through, and out of the dense woods in life.
- Clears a way for us to pass by selfishness.
- Is a habit or custom.
- Is a course of life, action, or experience.
In the Temple, We Learn the Lord’s Way
- The eternal perspective in which we may look at life, the way we reply to adversity.
- The characteristic or habitual manner of a disciple.
- The method to attaining a goal of becoming more like Christ.
- God’s plan that leads us to our Heavenly home.
- The joy of progress of our eternal course.
- His plan for happiness that the ancients found comfort in.
- Helps and guide us through periods of difficulties in our lives.
- Clears a way for us to pass by selfishness.
- Is a habit or custom.
- Is a course of life, action, or experience.
President Russell M. Nelson: "Each temple is a beacon of light and hope. The temple, the House of the Lord, stands as a symbol of our faith in life after death and as a stepping stone to eternal life for us and our families. The temple is a sacred and essential part of God’s plan for our happiness, now and forever.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/inside-temples)
Theme 3: In times of spiritual peril, God warns us not to add ‘dross’ to our lives.
So if God wants to “purely bpurge away thy dross,” what adds ‘dross’ to our lives?
- 2:12 – pride
- 3:5 – “…oppressed, everyone by his neighbor”
- 3:8 – “…their tongue and their doings”
- 3:9 – “…they declare their sins…”
Theme 4: In times of spiritual peril, God reminds us often that it will work out for the righteous.
Elder David A. Bednar: “… trends of the world frequently promote a false individuality that is nothing more than a superficial and curious outward conformity. True individuality is the product of spirituality and is not a function of trinkets or ornaments attached to or hanging from parts of our body.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2001/09/ye-are-the-temple-of-god?lang=eng
Theme 5: In times of spiritual peril, God gives us lasting bravery to endure our days ‘well.’
True [lasting] Bravery comes from:
- Trust God that “it will be well with” us (Isaiah 3:10)
- Becoming united with a community of saints (Isaiah 3:10; 2:2-3)
- Have an eternal perspective. (Isaiah 3:13)
- Think less of yourself and your trinkets (Isaiah 3:18) and more on Israel (Isaiah 4:2).
President Russel M. Nelson: “With the help of two Hebrew scholars, I learned that one of the Hebraic meanings of the word Israel is “let God prevail.”4 Thus the very name of Israel refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life. That concept stirs my soul!” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng)
President Russel M. Nelson: “When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier - so many issues become non-issues.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng)
Winston Churchill: Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others. (1931 June 27, Collier's, Unlucky Alfonso, p. 49).
Theme 6: In times of spiritual peril, God wants, and will help Israel to prevail.
"Here is how you could read this verse applying the symbolism to us in our day. “And the Lord [Jesus Christ] will create upon every dwelling place [home] of mount Zion [Church], and upon her assemblies [wards and stakes], a cloud and smoke [the visible presence and protection of God] by day, and the shining of a flaming fire [presence and protection of God] by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence [to each saint in Zion]. And there shall be a tabernacle [temple] for a shadow in the daytime from the heat [a place of comfort], and for a place of refuge, and for a covert [protection] from storm [personal difficulties] and from rain.” (ISAIAH: A PROPHET’S PROPHET, VOLUME 1, p. 61)
Isaiah verses five and six of this chapter were quoted by the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith. Moroni said that these verses “were soon to be fulfilled.” (Messenger and Advocate, April 1835, p. 110)
Theme 7: In times of spiritual peril, God gives us knowledge to help us prevail.
Joseph Smith: “The … happiness of any community goes hand in hand with the knowledge possessed by the people” (“Knowledge Is Power,” an editorial published in Times and Seasons, Aug. 15, 1842, pp. 889–90).
Isaiah 5 contains warnings to Israel so that they can avoid captivity.
1. Greed is a poison that leads to ignorance (Isaiah 5:8).
“We make poor and irrational decisions if our decision is motivated by greediness: greed for monetary gain; greed that results in a conflict of interest; desire for power, titles, and recognition of men” (Bishop Robert D. Hales, CR, October 1988).
2. A passion for pleasure promotes ignorance (Isaiah 5:11-12)
"When the passion for pleasure has become uppermost in a person’s life, passion for God and his truth and his ways are squeezed out" (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 174).
3. Cords of vanity choke knowledge (Isaiah 5:18)
"The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance." Samuel Butler
4. Sign seeking blinds us to new knowledge (Isaiah 5:19).
The sign-seeker tells God to hustle (‘make speed’) and get His job done (‘hasten his work’) as a prerequisite for their belief (that we may know it) (see Isaiah 5:19).
5. Deception keeps us in ignorance’s prison (Isaiah 5:20).
Deception blinds us to the light that illuminates our understanding and obfuscates the truth from our minds.
Without absolute truth, deception, especially self-deception, along with uncontrolled passion result in the rationalization and justification of almost any act. (see Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 178).
6. Intellectual wannabees (Isaiah 5:21).
“For decades it has been popular in America for the cynical intellectuals to sneer and scoff at that which they do not understand, or want to understand.” (President David O. McKay said, CR, October 1966).
7. Justification entrenches ignorance (Isaiah 5:22-23).
"A man who cannot admit his mistakes will soon justify his ignorance." Hryhorii Skovoroda
Isaiah promises God’s help in our day in Isaiah 5:25-26.
- “His hand is stretched out still (v. 25).
- Establish an ‘Ensign’ (v. 26) or His Church.
- Feeding His lambs (v. 17).
- ‘…sanctified in righteousness’ (v. 16).
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “When the Brethren stood on the summit, they looked over this valley to the south of them. It was largely barren, except for the willows and rushes that grew along the streams that carried water from the mountains to the lake. There was no building of any kind, but Brigham Young had said the previous Saturday, ‘This is the place.’
“The summit where they stood was named Ensign Peak out of reference to these great prophetic words of Isaiah: ‘And he [speaking of God] will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly’ (Isaiah 5:26.) (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/11/an-ensign-to-the-nations?lang=eng
“This Church is the standard which Isaiah said the Lord would set up for the people in the latter day.”(Marion G. Romney C.R. Apr. 1961, p.19)
Teaching Thoughts:
- Relevance, Applicability and hope found in teachings of Isaiah.
- Focus on the themes in Isaiah. For example, keep a list of what you find that will help you in times of spiritual peril.
- The Lord’s paths and ways – where do they lead? Is there any other way that will lead to more joy in your life?
- What in the gospel of Jesus Christ encourages you and increases your ‘bravery?’
- What did Isaiah prophecy that would help you (Israel) prevail in your life today? 6.Goal – make your home a refuge.