Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Hezekiah inherited a nation on the brink of crisis. The threat of invasion by the superpower of the time (Assyrian) was a dark cloud hanging over the people. What parallels are there to this invasion to events happening in our day? In this video, we study Isaiah 24-39 looking for teachings that are relevant and applicable to our day. The quotes that I use in this video can be found at BrotherMiller.org.
Some Book of Mormon Scriptures on the Relevance and Applicability of Isaiah
“In 721 BCE, the Assyrian army captured the Israelite capital at Samaria and carried away the citizens of the northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity. The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, Judah, to fend for itself among warring Near-Eastern kingdoms. After the fall of the northern kingdom, the kings of Judah tried to extend their influence and protection to those inhabitants who had not been exiled. They also sought to extend their authority northward into areas previously controlled by the Israeli kingdom... Although Judah was a vassal of Assyria during this time and paid an annual tribute to the powerful empire, it was the most important state between Assyria and Egypt.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
“When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he initiated widespread religious changes, including the breaking of religious idols. He re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. In response, Sennacherib attacked Judah, laying siege to Jerusalem.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
Hezekiah did three things to turn to the Lord:
Jerusalem’s Preparation for being sieged by Assyrian forces:
As the Assyrians began their invasion, King Hezekiah began preparations to protect Jerusalem. In an effort to deprive the Assyrians of water, springs outside the city were blocked. Workers then dug a 533-meter tunnel to the Spring of Gihon, providing the city with fresh water. Additional siege preparations included fortification of the existing walls, construction of towers, and the erection of a new reinforcing wall.
What advice was Isaiah inspired to give on the eve of a nation’s peril?
President Henrie B. Eyring: “[O]ne of the passages in Isaiah which you may sometimes pass by too quickly because you think you won’t understand it, makes perfect sense: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).
“But you might well say, “But do I have to wait until I am perfect and the people around me are perfect before I can live in peace?” I suppose the answer is yes if you mean to live in perfect peace. But there is a much happier answer, and a true one. It is this: We are promised peace in this life before we are perfect.” (Eyring, “Blessed are the Peacemakers”)
President Marion G. Romney observed this peace is obtainable in this life and is a taste of the peace that is in store for righteous Saints. He said: “The fullness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, but the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one’s calling and election sure is attainable in this life” (Romney, in Conference Report, October 1965)
The Destruction of Sennacherib
Sennacherib’s “false god failed to protect him an ironic contrast to Hezekiah’s prayer at the temple (37:15–20) and subsequent deliverance from his enemies (not to mention the irony of Sennacherib’s message to Hezekiah in Isa. 36:14-20 not to rely on the Lord because the Lord would not save him)” (Parry, Understanding Isaiah, 329)
Assyrian account
“Sennacherib's Prism, which details the events of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, was discovered in the ruins of Nineveh in 1830, and is now stored at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois.[2] The account dates from about 690 BCE. The text of the prism boasts how Sennacherib destroyed 46 of Judah's cities and trapped Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a caged bird." The text goes on to describe how the "terrifying splendor" of the Assyrian army caused the Arabs and mercenaries reinforcing the city to desert. It adds that the Assyrian king returned to Assyria where he later received a large tribute from Judah. This description inevitably varies somewhat from the Jewish version in the Tanakh. The massive Assyrian casualties mentioned in the Tanakh are not mentioned in the Assyrian version.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
In difficult times, Isaiah taught:
Some Book of Mormon Scriptures on the Relevance and Applicability of Isaiah
- 1 Nephi 19:23-24 - Persuade to believe in Christ, hope.
- 2 Nephi 11:8 - Lift up your hearts, rejoice, liken.
- 2 Nephi 25:7–8 - Great worth, understand, for our day.
- 3 Nephi 20:11–12 Words fulfilled then covenant fulfilled.
- 3 Ne. 23:1 - Search diligently, great are the words of Isaiah
“In 721 BCE, the Assyrian army captured the Israelite capital at Samaria and carried away the citizens of the northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity. The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, Judah, to fend for itself among warring Near-Eastern kingdoms. After the fall of the northern kingdom, the kings of Judah tried to extend their influence and protection to those inhabitants who had not been exiled. They also sought to extend their authority northward into areas previously controlled by the Israeli kingdom... Although Judah was a vassal of Assyria during this time and paid an annual tribute to the powerful empire, it was the most important state between Assyria and Egypt.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
“When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he initiated widespread religious changes, including the breaking of religious idols. He re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. In response, Sennacherib attacked Judah, laying siege to Jerusalem.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
Hezekiah did three things to turn to the Lord:
- he went to the temple (see 2 Kings 19:1)
- he sought the counsel of the prophet (see 2 Kings 19:2–5)
- he prayed to the Lord (see 2 Kings 19:14–19).
Jerusalem’s Preparation for being sieged by Assyrian forces:
- Kidron Valley (Isaiah 22:1)
- Upper pool – Hezekiah’s tunnel (Isaiah 22:11) – lower pool (Isaiah 22:9)
- Broken down houses to fortify the wall (Isaiah 22:10)
As the Assyrians began their invasion, King Hezekiah began preparations to protect Jerusalem. In an effort to deprive the Assyrians of water, springs outside the city were blocked. Workers then dug a 533-meter tunnel to the Spring of Gihon, providing the city with fresh water. Additional siege preparations included fortification of the existing walls, construction of towers, and the erection of a new reinforcing wall.
What advice was Isaiah inspired to give on the eve of a nation’s peril?
- 22:11-14
- 25:3-4
- 25:6-9
- 26:1-3, 7-9, 12
- 27:1-3
- 28:16
- 29:14
- 30:18-19, 25-26
- 32:17 ( Doc and Cov 59:23)
- 33:13-16
- 35:3-4, 10
- 37:1, 5-7, 15, 20, 21, 26, 31, 35-38
President Henrie B. Eyring: “[O]ne of the passages in Isaiah which you may sometimes pass by too quickly because you think you won’t understand it, makes perfect sense: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).
“But you might well say, “But do I have to wait until I am perfect and the people around me are perfect before I can live in peace?” I suppose the answer is yes if you mean to live in perfect peace. But there is a much happier answer, and a true one. It is this: We are promised peace in this life before we are perfect.” (Eyring, “Blessed are the Peacemakers”)
President Marion G. Romney observed this peace is obtainable in this life and is a taste of the peace that is in store for righteous Saints. He said: “The fullness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, but the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one’s calling and election sure is attainable in this life” (Romney, in Conference Report, October 1965)
The Destruction of Sennacherib
- The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold,
- And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
- And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
- When the blue waves roll lightly on deep Galilee.
- Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
- That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
- Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
- That host on the morrow lay wither’d and strown.
- For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
- And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass’d;
- And the eyes of the sleepers wax’d deadly and chill,
- And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still:
- And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
- But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
- And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
- And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
- And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
- With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
- And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
- The lances unlifted, the trumpets unblown.
- And the widows of Assbur are loud in their wail,
- And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
- And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
- Hath melted like snow at the glance of the Lord!
Sennacherib’s “false god failed to protect him an ironic contrast to Hezekiah’s prayer at the temple (37:15–20) and subsequent deliverance from his enemies (not to mention the irony of Sennacherib’s message to Hezekiah in Isa. 36:14-20 not to rely on the Lord because the Lord would not save him)” (Parry, Understanding Isaiah, 329)
Assyrian account
“Sennacherib's Prism, which details the events of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, was discovered in the ruins of Nineveh in 1830, and is now stored at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois.[2] The account dates from about 690 BCE. The text of the prism boasts how Sennacherib destroyed 46 of Judah's cities and trapped Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a caged bird." The text goes on to describe how the "terrifying splendor" of the Assyrian army caused the Arabs and mercenaries reinforcing the city to desert. It adds that the Assyrian king returned to Assyria where he later received a large tribute from Judah. This description inevitably varies somewhat from the Jewish version in the Tanakh. The massive Assyrian casualties mentioned in the Tanakh are not mentioned in the Assyrian version.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem)
In difficult times, Isaiah taught:
- There is peace in righteousness
- Personal preparation must include God
- Wait patiently on the Lord
- God will always keep his promises
- Be a strength to the needy in their distress, a refuge
- Strengthen the weak hands, confirm the feeble knees
- Seek council from God, and His prophet.