I Have to Read Isaiah? Exercise Your Spiritual Muscles!

Come Follow Me October 12-18

The new year has started — you are motivated! You are going to read the whole Book of Mormon this year. You do great UNTIL you come to the “Isaiah” section. Some of you may love Isaiah, some of you may just read the words and “get through it” the best you can. Some may stop and not go any further. So, why are Isaiah’s writings there? Is it ok to leave it to the “scholars”? Nope, sorry. We are COMMANDED to read Isaiah.

“And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things, Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.”

Book of Mormon, 3rd Nephi 23:1-2

Book of Mormon writers quoted 32 percent of Isiah’s writings and paraphrased another three percent. Why? Because Isaiah tells us who we are and where we are going. His prophecies are especially vital now as we are preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming.

The Lord always provides a way for His children to fulfill His commandments (see 1 Nephi 3:7). When He gave instructions to study the words of Isaiah, He fully intended that those who followed His instructions would be able to understand Isaiah’s message and be positively affected by it. To those who are willing to pay the price, Isaiah can become an open book. Its greatest message is for the Saints of today, who live in an era when one can see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies. For all who seek, Isaiah provides enlightenment that will be of great value in their efforts to perfect their lives and to contribute to the building up of the Lord’s kingdom. Understanding will come, though not all at once. It will come “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30), according to the efforts of the seekers of truth.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Website
Understanding Isaiah
Enrichment

There are dozens of articles and manuals giving advice as how to understand Isaiah.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/search?lang=eng&query=Study%20Isaiah&highlight=true&page=2

Here are four simple resources to help you get started.

The LDS edition of the scriptures contains several resources that can help you as you study Isaiah:

Chapter headings. If you read the chapter headings first, you’ll get a good overview of the book of Isaiah, as well as clues to some of the meanings of his prophecies.

Footnotes. Whenever you read something you don’t understand, that strikes you as unusual or interesting, or that you want to know more about, look to see if there is a footnote for it.

Bible Dictionary. The “Isaiah” entry in the Bible Dictionary gives a good explanation of who Isaiah was, what the major themes of his writings were, and what we need to bear in mind as we read his book.

Topical Guide. One way to get an idea of what Isaiah said about a certain topic is to look it up in the Topical Guide and then scan for references to Isaiah under that topic. (A good place to start might be the various topics related to Jesus Christ.)

How Can I Understand Isaiah?
By Ryan S. Gardner
Seminaries and Institutes
and David A. Edwards
Church Magazines

When you study scriptures, particularly Isaiah, they can become a Urim and Thummim for receiving personal revelation. While reading, I recommend always have a scripture journal where you can record your questions, thoughts, and impressions as they come to you. Even if you do not understand every word (most of us do not!) you are opening the door to receive revelation.

We have barely scratched the surface of the knowledge the Lord wants us to have.

“And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.”

Book of Mormon, 3rd Nephi 26:9

This week, the one small thing you can do, is to read the chapter headings and footnotes of this lesson and record the impressions which come to you.