I long to reside in Your presence;
To never know sadness
Or the wretched heat of my tears.
I know I will be safe there
Where fears cannot find me
And trials cannot scar me.
I know there will be safety
In the shadow of Your wings
My burdens You will lift
And wipe away my sins.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
I have had the “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in my possession for many years. Even though it is an excellent guide to understanding Isaiah, it is rather comprehensive and daunting for most people who find reading Isaiah a struggle.
One of Elder McConkie’s simple suggestions is to study Isaiah’s works employing the Book of Mormon which he claims is the world’s greatest commentary on the book of Isaiah. Besides being the greatest commentary, it offers three important keys for understanding Isaiah which is a more manageable guideline for such intense study, especially for a beginner. These three guidelines come from Nephi who recognized the complexities of Isaiah’s writing. Nephi acknowledged that Isaiah was hard for many of his own people to understand (2 Nephi 25:1). Nephi loved the teachings of Isaiah and quoted him frequently. His formula for comprehending Isaiah's writings is found in 2 Nephi 25:1,4,7:
1. Understand 'the manner of prophesying among the Jews’. This manner of prophecy can best be learnt through scriptures and their commentaries: "The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the New Testament - provide quotations and commentaries from 42 of the 66 chapters in the current text of Isaiah. There are also allusions and paragraphs from eight of the other 24 chapters. Thus Isaiah is broadly commented upon by these three sources. No more reliable or enlightening sources are available, and Latter-Day Saints would do well to search these scriptural commentaries along with the book of Isaiah itself to obtain a deeper and fuller understanding of the great words of Isaiah."(Monte S. Nyman, Great Are The Words of Isaiah, Gospel Link 2001). Historical background of the place and time is crucial to understanding Isaiah as he wrote to people of his day using metaphors relative to their way of life and referring to places they were familiar with not explaining in detail what he meant by each word or phrase.
2. Have
the “Spirit of Prophecy”: “Nephi taught that the words of Isaiah “are plain unto
all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:4). The
testimony of Jesus [which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost] is the spirit
of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). The spirit of prophecy, however, is far more
than just a belief that Jesus lives. It includes an understanding that Jesus is
the literal Son of God. It includes a correct knowledge of His purpose in
coming into mortality and of the significance and nature of His mission. It
includes an understanding of the gospel plan for His children, particularly
those who spiritually become His sons and daughters through the covenant of
baptism. All of this comes through the power of the Holy Ghost. The prophet Isaiah
wrote under the influence of the spirit of prophecy. His writings must be
interpreted under the influence of that same spirit. Those who desire to
understand Isaiah should learn of Christ and seek the companionship of the Holy
Ghost.” (Understanding Isaiah, Enrichment E, Old Testament Student
Manual). It is true
that knowing the historical background and the manner of prophesying amongst
the Jews is most helpful but in the end, the depth of our understanding of
Isaiah comes from the depth of our own testimony.
3. Recognise when the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled. This is probably the most important one but yet the most overlooked. This is our advantage because we live in the times that have been prophesied of. It is of great importance that we recognise fulfillment of these prophecies to gain proper appreciation and testimony of them. Nephi declared that "in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass" (2 Nephi 25:7). One evidence of this is the fulfillment of a prophecy in chapter 29 of Isaiah concerning a sealed book being taken to a learned man. As Latter-day Saints we know that this fulfillment came through Joseph Smith. Non-LDS scholars, however, are still pondering the meaning of this chapter. Personally, it astounds me to read of events of our day that have been written about so long ago and this particular one about the Book of Mormon is a classic.
One cannot read and study Isaiah without feeling his passionate plea to the House of Israel to come unto their God. Isaiah wrote to Israel about the God of Israel. We cannot help but see the admonition to repent and turn to Him who longs to forgive us and to encircle us in the arms of His love. How can we not know Him when we read: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5).
And
how can we not trust Him when we hear Him say: "For the mountains shall
depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath
mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10). When scriptures such as these help us find
the Saviour of the world, we will come to proclaim with Him, "Great are
the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
I
will look for Thee my God
When
I am oppressed;
I
will look for Thee
When
I am unloved;
I
will look for Thee
When
I am wronged;
I
will look for Thee
When
I can walk no more;
I
will look for Thee
And
I will find Thee
Who
waits for those who call
To
mount them up with wings as eagles,
To
renew their strength
To
save them from their fall.
-
CATHRYNE
ALLEN
We are about to study Isaiah. Most people don’t. They
consider his writings a hefty challenge but there is a way to understand the
beauty of his revelations and his testimony of Christ.
Imagine
being a prophet, a writer and a poet. Now imagine that your revelations and
literary works are so great that Jesus Christ himself issues a command that
they should be studied and understood. Jesus quoted Isaiah more frequently than
any other prophet. He issued the following edict to all who would be his true
disciples: ".....a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things
diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1). The
operative word in this commandment is to 'search'. To search something means
having the intent to find and discover. This takes reading Isaiah to another
level.
Nephi
loved Isaiah and referred to him simply as ‘the prophet’. He quoted him
extensively to his people, for one reason, that they may have hope (1 Nephi
19:24)…..and hope is something we desperately need in this, what has become, a complex
and disturbing world.
“Isaiah
is everywhere known as the messianic prophet because of the abundance, beauty,
and perfection of his prophetic utterances foretelling the first coming of our
Lord. And truly such he is. No old world prophet, whose inspired sayings have
come down to us, can compare with him in this respect. Moreover, the first
coming of the Messiah is past, and so even those among us who are not overly endowed
with spiritual insight can look back and see in the birth, ministry, and death
of our Lord the fulfilment of Isaiah’s forecasts.
“But
if we are to truly comprehend the writings of Isaiah, we cannot overstate or
overstress the plain, blunt reality that he is in fact the prophet of the
restoration, the mighty seer of Jacob’s seed who foresaw our day and who
encouraged our Israelite fathers in their spiritually weary and disconsolate
state, with assurances of glory and triumph ahead for those of their
descendants who would dreturn to the Lord in the last days and at that time
serve him in truth and righteousness.” (Elder
Bruce R. McConkie, Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah, Special Issue: Old
Testament, Exodus to Malachi)
Before
studying Isaiah, one needs to know and remember that his writings are meant for
the converted. It is imperative that we already have at least the basic
knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and that we have a testimony of the Lord
Jesus Christ, that through Him only salvation comes and “that faith,
repentance, baptism the gift of the Holy Ghost, and righteous works are
essential to an inheritance in His Father’s kingdom. To illustrate, it takes a
prior knowledge of pre-existence and the war in heaven to recognise in Isaiah
14 the account of Lucifer and his hosts being cast down to earth without ever
gaining mortal bodies” (ibid).
Isaiah’s
writings basically focus on these themes: 1. The everlasting Covenant; 2.
Restoration; 3. Christ’s Return; 4. Millenium; hence the reason for basic
conversion. However, Isaiah’s role was to take the basic to another level, the
level of spiritual maturity:
“Many
of the people of Jesus’ time were spiritually immature and unprepared to
receive the doctrines He taught. Through parables He was able to teach the more
spiritually mature and at the same time veil His teachings from those who were
not prepared to understand or follow them. In that manner He kept many from
being condemned for having a knowledge of principles they were unable to live
(see Alma 12:9-11)” [this is the mercy of Christ]…..”Spiritually speaking,
Isaiah’s writings are meat; not milk (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:13-14;
Isaiah 28:9).” (Understanding Isaiah,
Enrichment E, Old Testament Student Manual)
If
you are already spiritually mature and want to enrich that maturity, study Isaiah.
If you are not spiritually mature yet, there is one way to become so….pay the
price in study and effort….and have the desire to understand and know the
weightier matters of doctrine by the power of the Holy Ghost which will reveal
all things to you…..”for behold, there are many that harden their hearts
against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast
many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught” (2
Nephi 33:2)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
My soul is rent with anguish
In this vale of sorrow and tears;
I dim, I dim like a candle,
hoping the wind will set me free.
My pleas ascend to Thee,
Seeking Thy mercy to rescue me.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
“An
anonymous text from the Tradition says that, in life, each person can take one
of two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over
their tasks, but one day they finish what they are doing. Then they find they’re
hemmed in by their own walls. Life loses its meaning when the building stops.
“Then
there are those who plant. They endure storms and all the many vicissitudes of
the seasons, and they rarely rest. But, unlike a building, a garden never stops
growing. And while it requires the gardener’s constant attention, it also
allows life for the gardener to be a great adventure. Gardeners always
recognise each other because they know that in the history of each plant lies
the growth of the whole world.” (Paulo
Coelho, Brida)
For
centuries men have been found on scaffolds of buildings but women were found in
gardens. With their inherent qualities women have put into motion chains of
goodness that outlast generations. They did this primarily through giving birth
and raising children but mostly through those qualities that befit only their
gender, the sensitivities that men do not possess.
Unfortunately,
in our world today many of us women have lost the desire to garden. We are too
busy climbing the scaffolds to prove ourselves capable and invincible. When the
mother of King Lemuel asked that famous question: ”Who can find a virtuous
woman? For her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:1, 10), women were very
much valued. They were valued for their virtue and their gardening skills…..their
willingness to bear future generations was their crowning glory. They produced
kings, leaders, philosophers, educators, conquerors, inventors, and more
gardeners who sow plants that multiply, adapt, and give back more than they
take. Today women kill their children before they can even draw breath, they
neglect, abuse and destroy.
Now
here is something interesting about rubies: Even though they vary in colour,
the most valued rubies are bright red....The Mogok Valley in Upper Burma
was for centuries the world's main source for rubies and has produced some of
the finest rubies ever mined. However, in recent years very few good rubies
have been found there…..…. just as a virtuous woman, as valued as a bright
red ruby, is fast becoming a rare possession in today's world.
The
dictionary defines virtue as: moral excellence, goodness, righteousness,
uprightness, effective force, power or potency. Instead of becoming a force for
good that can change the course of this world through this one meaning of the
word, we have made it all about us. We have become dissatisfied with our inherent gardening skills and we have
acquired an insatiable need for want of power, recognition, praise, wealth and
prominence.
The
freedoms we enjoy today as women have no precedence. We have, however, abused
our rights to these freedoms. Instead of building upon our true natures to
yield an influence in the world that would combat evil and change the course of
our imminent destruction, we have joined those very forces which cause
immorality, destroy families and bring emotional and physical distress. We are
sick, unhappy and discontented.
Yet
there is hope in those women in the world who are yet true to their womanhood
and their gardening skills. These are the virtuous, the devoted, the believers,
the rubies who will one day be the jewels in Christ’s crown when He appears
(Malachi 3:17).
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
There is none like Thee,
My Saviour and my King
With power and glory in Thy wings.
There is none like Thee,
Showing mercy and kindness
To someone insignificant like me.
Who can compare and who can equal Thee
In Thy unfailing care of me?
Let me worship Thee
With my lips and my heart
And let me be steadfast
From Thy favour never to part.
- CATHRYNE
ALLEN
