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 (3 Nephi 23:1). like most
people, I do not understand everything that Isaiah wrote. But I understand one
thing. Isaiah wrote exclusively for the House of Israel. Hence Nephi, in his zealous attempt to keep his family in remembrance of their roots, taught Isaiah's teachings to them as they were found on the brass plates. These are the chapters of the Book of Mormon that usually get skipped. Perhaps it is the dual nature
of his prophecies in which Isaiah wrote that causes us to become unstuck. Dual in nature because his prophecies for ancient Israel are equally relevant for the modern day Israel
in this dispensation of time preceding the Saviour's return. If you want to
understand them fully you will need 'the spirit of prophecy' which
the Book of Mormon defines as: searching the scriptures, praying and fasting
(Alma 17:2,3).
I am not an intellectual nor a scriptorian but the kinship I feel with the
House of Israel and the love I have for its' God means I love the writings of
Isaiah. Added to this is Isaiah's poetic exposition which resonates with my
love of words. So eloquent and reverential was his written testament of Christ
that Isaiah always referred to Him as the Holy One of Israel or the Mighty One of
Jacob. These titles by themselves speak volumes of Isaiah's great understanding
of the God of Israel. And this is what appeals to my sensibilities when it comes to
Isaiah. The Saviour gave the Nephites an exact command to 'search' the writings
of Isaiah (3 Nephi 23:1) Why did he use this word? Why didn't He say 'study'?
Because when you 'search', you tend to 'find'. And in this instance, the
question is not 'what to find' but 'who to find'. To me it is obvious that
there is only one person to find.......In chapter 45 Isaiah reiterates that the Holy One of Israel is God and 'there is none else' 5 times.
Throughout His writings Isaiah enumerates all the sins of Israel, both
ancient and modern. But in every instance he concludes "for all this his
anger is not turned away BUT His hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah
1:18; 5:25;, 9:12,17,21; 10:4). He portrays the Saviour as ever beckoning, every inviting, ever wanting us
to come to Him. He then attempts to convince us.....they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their strength (40:31)....fear not, I will help thee
(41:10,13; 43:5).....I will not forget thee....I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands (49:15,16)....O thou afflicted....my kindness shall not
depart from thee....I will lay thy foundations with sapphires (54:10,11)....the
Lord shall guide thee continually and thou shalt be like a watered garden and
like a spring of water whose waters fail not (58:11).
Why did the Saviour want us to 'find' such references of Him in Isaiah's
writing? Because of His inexhaustable mercy towards the House of Israel. More important than understanding the prophecies is how we feel about Christ when we walk away from Isaiah. And equally important is that we discover how He feels about us. Not the world, but the House of Israel; the preserved, the atoned, the redeemed, they who would have Him be their God (1 Nephi 17:40) Because He himself has said: "I am the father to Israel; and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9).
So search and find because "great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1)
- Cathryne Allen
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