Where Can I Turn For Peace?

After pondering over 1 Nephi 19-21 for quite some time, I have come to the conclusion that these chapters and their placement are no accident. From a quick-read point of view, they may seem out of place. Nephi is giving a narrative of his life and he pauses to talk about scriptures and especially Isaiah. He then throws out two random chapters of Isaiah and then moves on with his narrative. Obviously, there is more to it than this. It is true that at this point he is able to take time to make plates of ore and is commanded to do so by the Lord. However, I think there is more to it.

Nephi has been through one of the toughest trials of his life. He has endured months on the open sea. He has borne endless hours of pain and deprivation. He spent many days in mental and physical anguish tied before his brothers as they mocked him. He endured the anguish of his soul as they disrespected the very being who led them to a new land. He endured horrific storms and winds that brought them to the very brink of death. It brought sheer terror and hopelessness to the point of humbling his brothers who were completely passed feeling.

He made it! He made it to the promised land to safety. What is the first thing he does? He turns to Isaiah for comfort and hope. He was not done with trials and afflictions as his further narrative will show, but he has shown me where I can turn for peace when life gets dark and stormy. Isaiah's words when read by the Holy Ghost can bring incredible peace and comfort.

"Hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written." (1 Nephi 19:24)

Why? I believe because Isaiah's words testify of this life and the difficulties faced here in mortality. His words are symbolic of man's eternal nature, his glorious potential and his ultimate destination. And, Isaiah's primary focus is always on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His loving mission of mercy. This is what brings the most hope to me by reading Isaiah. My mind may have a hard time wrapping around his words but my spirit instinctively feels the peace and hope that comes from his words.

Why did Nephi quote Isaiah 48 and 49 here? These two chapters are a great introduction to Isaiah especially when paired with the Book of Mormon and its divine purpose. The title page explains it by saying that the Book of Mormon was "written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile." These two chapters embody this statement completely. Chapter 48 focuses on Judah and 49 focuses on scattered Israel and the Gentiles.

In addition, I can see how Nephi is preparing me to navigate through the difficulty of Isaiah's words with some early victories and helpful commentary as he strives to keep the scriptures plain and precious.

Maintain A Holistic View

Break into manageable chunks while still maintaining a holistic view.

This is the last skill before I get into Isaiah—I promise. This is a culmination of all of the skills so far. Each of the skills are used in the following step process where I start with a broad perspective, zoom into the details, and then transition into a holistic view so I can gain greater knowledge from complex scripture:

Step #1:
	I read the complete chapter trying to get a general feel for the contents. I try to pick out overall themes or principles. This is my first pass over the chapter so I am not expecting myself to understand the concepts and symbolism behind the verses rather I am looking for the general flow of the chapter to help me keep focused as I zoom into the verses in the next several steps. It may require several passes of reading the chapter in order to keep this fresh in my mind throughout this whole process.
Step #2:
	I break the chapter into manageable sets of verses—usually verses that feel connected—but I try to keep in mind the direction and themes picked out in step #1.
Step #3:
	I read through one set of verses at a time looking for symbolism. I take notes along the way so that I can make the connections and knowledge that I gain more permanent.
Step #4:
	I ask myself the following questions while pondering and praying: ▪ What would these verses mean to the people when it was initially given? ▪ Do I understand the geographical, political, and cultural significance of the verses? ▪ Do I understand the words being used and how they were used at the time it was translated? If I answer no to any of these question, I look through my sources and commentaries and read only the pertinent background information.
Step #5:
	I ask myself the following questions while pondering and praying: ▪ How do these verses relate to the last days? ▪ Do I understand the significance of the events being talked about and the timing within the last days? If not, I skim through my sources and commentaries reading only pertinent information pertaining to the last days. In this step, the last days is just an example. I may choose any other parallel such as during Christ's time or during the time of the Nephites. This helps expand my mind to start seeing the hidden symbolism contained in these verses in preparation for the next step.
Step #6:
	I ask myself the following questions while pondering and praying: ▪ How do these verses relate to me and my everyday life? ▪ How do these significant places, events, people and principles symbolically relate to me? This is often the hardest part and most time consuming because it is deeply personal. However, through fervent prayer and purposeful pondering the answer will come and it will be well worth the effort put into it.
Step #7:
	Once I feel satisfied, I finalize my notes and move on to the next set of verses by repeating from step #3 until I have completed the chapter.
Step #8:
	I reread the chapter putting the learned concepts together searching for overall meaning. A single verse or verses can be very enlightening but by putting them all together, I can unlock the additional knowledge and the deeper meaning that the writer intended for me. In addition, I compare the chapter with previous chapters—often concepts were artificially broken up into chapters.
Step #9:
	I ask myself the following questions while pondering and praying: ▪ What are the principles, invitations, and promises associated with this chapter or set of chapters? ▪ How can I implement them in my daily life? ▪ How will they bless me and help me on the path back to my Heavenly Father?
Step #10:
	Now that I have gained my own personal revelation and direction in regards to the chapter or chapters I am studying, I will consult my sources—including other scriptural commentary—in depth to broaden and expand my personal knowledge.

Break into Parallels Part 2

I want to share some examples of the skill Break into Parallels to help clarify what I mean. This can be a difficult skill to master and requires practice. Drawing parallels on the chapter or on the overall level is particularly difficult, so I find it best to start out with individual verses and build up to the whole picture. One of the ways I get started is to look for deja vu moments. Those moments where I'm reading along and something sounds really familiar. Here is an example that I ran into recently:

"For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another."
1 Nephi 20:11

The last part of the verse stuck out at me, "I will not give my glory unto another." It reminded me of the grand council in heaven as talked about by Moses. And, by checking the footnotes, I found a reference to the very verses that this brought to mind. It also brought context to the next several verses or parallel of interpretation.

Most of the time, it takes work—lots of hard work—to draw parallels, but sometimes verses immediately stick out with parallels becoming obvious. Here is an example of one of those rare moments for me when I could immediately see multiple interpretations from a single set of verses. There are many parallels that can be drawn from the verses in 2 Nephi  8:3-8. However, I have listed just a few of these parallels below:

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Meridian of Time

Jesus Christ brought peace and comfort to all mankind through the infinite Atonement. "Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." He brought forth a new law—a higher law. "For a law shall proceed from me." He overcame the sting of death that all men may live in the flesh again to be judged of Him. He brought forth salvation and eternal life to all those who turn to Him. He has overcome everything and so can I.

Early Latter-day Saints

The early saint must have found comfort in these words as he talked about the restoration,  "a law shall proceed" forth bringing a "light for the people." The desert blossomed like a rose as some described it when the saints were pushed out west, and "he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord." One of the first things the Lord did in this new dispensation was send out missionaries to the isles of the sea and "the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust." They must have found comfort that inspite of the revilings and persecution that God's "righteousness shall be forever, and [His] salvation from generation to generation."

Last Days

In the Millennium, Zion the place (the earth) will physically be healed, her waste places, deserts, and wildernesses will be turn into gardens and Zion the people will be comforted from pain, affliction, and weakness and will receive joy and happiness. The earth will pass away but will be renewed again just as the people who harken to the teachings of the Lord. "The earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."

Everyday Life

I can find comfort in Isaiah's words as I turn to the Lord. The "law shall proceed" forth in my life through the gospel of Jesus Christ and He will bring light and knowledge into my life through prayer and personal scripture study. I will be comforted from my waste places, wildernesses, and deserts or pains, afflictions, and weaknesses through the Atonement. If I turn to the Lord, I will find that He is greater than any force in my life and that what man does or thinks matters little. Man's power and authority seems puny in comparison to God's power. And, I will be amazed and thankful to the Lord for who I have become.

Break into Parallels

I love the words of Isaiah and one of the things that really fascinates me about his writings is the complexity of the language that he uses. The Hebrew language facilitated such complexity with multiple interpretation, see Cultural Differences, but these writings go well beyond the norm of the day. There is no doubt in my mind that his writings were inspired of God—no mere man could produce such works as he did.

Find focus in your study by breaking scripture into parallels of interpretation.

Many different parallels or interpretations can be drawn because of the greatness of Isaiah's writings. There are no correct or incorrect ways to break his words into parallels—one must choose what works for them. I have found that by having different parallels in mind while studying the scriptures that it helps me see the word of God in different ways. However, it can become quite overwhelming to take in too much all at once so I generally choose a primary parallel of focus for each study session.

For my purposes and for this blog, I have combined parallels into sets of events or timelines centered around the coming of Christ.

1. My first timeline starts in Isaiah's time and includes the warning and destruction of the wicked in preparation for the coming of Christ. He lived around 700 years before Christ and things were ripening for destruction which happens shortly after his time. The names, places and events mentioned by Isaiah were literally fulfilled during that time. It includes the coming of Christ as the Savior of the world and His ministry here on the earth and His overcoming of both physical and spiritual death. The Millennial reign in this case is a figurative spiritual peace and safety brought about by Christ and the higher law of the ever lasting gospel that he taught. This timeline wraps up with a final destruction as Satan takes control of things leading into the apostasy. The saints of Christ's time were concerned about Isaiah's words for them and how they would be fulfilled in their time. Christ also prophesied of the final destruction of the Jews in His time and what the saints should look for to see those events unfold. No matter what parallels are drawn, knowledge of Isaiah's time and Jewish history and tradition are critical to understanding Isaiah's writings.

2. My next parallel or timeline occurs here in this land with the Nephites and Lamanites. It starts with the prevailing wickedness, destruction and darkness leading up to the coming of Christ. It includes the coming and ministering of Christ and the time of peace following. It wraps up with the Nephites ultimate demise. This is probably why Nephi and Jacob found Isaiah's words so important because it prophesied of these events and put them before the eyes of their people. I find this parallel very useful for understanding the Isaiah chapters placed in the Book of Mormon.
3. The last days are another obvious parallel to me. These same prophecies will be fulfilled in these days as things ramp up for Christ's second coming. It includes the prophetic warnings, wickedness and destruction as Christ comes a final time. It includes the Millennial peace and wraps up with a final loosening of Satan. One of the focuses of this timeline for me is to understand the signs of the times and to recognize the fulfillment of prophecy. Most sources, such as the institute manuals, focus on this parallel.

4. My last parallel is the life of the everyday saint and the timeline is this life and beyond. As I personally heed the warnings of the Lord, I can avoid the pain and destruction that sin leaves in its path. When I do fall short, all is not lost—I can turn to Christ for comfort and resolution. Christ will symbolically visit me as I turn my heart towards Him so that His light and love will enter my life. Peace and hope will reign in my heart as I exercise faith in Christ. This last parallel has to do with the welfare of the souls of God's people and their ultimate destiny, eternal peace or eternal destruction. Isaiah is speaking specifically to the house of Israel or Christ's church; thus, his teachings apply directly to each individual and their spiritual struggle to hold onto Christ and avoid personal destruction and desolation. It also applies to families, communities, and nations and how they can avoid both physical and spiritual destruction. It can be applied in every day and age—Isaiah's time, the saints of Christ's time, to Lehi's descendants, and to latter-day saints. This parallel will be my primary focus for this blog. However, to fully comprehend this, I find that I need to at least have a basic understanding of the other parallels.

Understand the Back Story Part 2

I want to share a quick example that shows the Understand the Back Story skill in action. I came across the following phrases while studying Isaiah in 1 Nephi 20:

He will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.

Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Babylon throughout the scriptures is used as a symbol of the world so that was a given. But, what about the Chaldeans who where they and why are they mentioned here. I could have at this point just made an educated guess and moved on which is what I did with my initial reading. Knowing that Babylon represented the world, I guessed that the Chaldeans were those that pushed the ideals of the world. However, I decided to do more research into the Chaldeans so I could illustrate this skill and found it to be fascinating, enlightening and very enriching towards my goal of unlocking symbolism.

First, I turned to the Bible Dictionary and found Chaldea which gave me a very brief synopsis of the land and people:

The portion of Babylonia that lay south and east of Babylon, though the name was sometimes used after the days of Jeremiah to denote the whole district lying between and adjoining the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. In Dan. 2:2, 10 the name is applied to a learned class in Babylon who made a special study of astrology.

This answered some of the questions I had but added several more. For instance, what was the significance of this small region or group of people of Babylonia? The Bible Maps helped visualize where these people lived in conjunction to Babylon. A scripture search returned that this name was used quite often during the time of prophets such as Jeremiah, Daniel and Habakkuk which made sense since they lived during the height of the Babylonian empire which I could easily see using the Old Testament timeline bookmarker and the Bible Chronology.

I next turned to secular learning since these were people of a well known world power in the annuals of world history. Wikipedia gave a detailed rundown of the Chaldeans and their significance to Babylonia. I learned that they moved into the Euphrates and Tigris river area late in the game after Babylonia had been established for many years and came under the control of Babylonia which at this point was paying tribute to Assyria. Over the next several centuries, they sought after the throne with small success until just before 600 BC when they not only dominated the throne of Babylonia but with the help of other nations overthrew the Assyrians. The Chaldean dynasty of Babylon conquered and subdued many nations that had been under the rule of Assyria and added several additional nations including Judah. And, the greatest of the Chaldean leaders was King Nebuchadnezzar.

The Babylonian empire declined after King Nebuchadnezzar until its overthrow by the Persians. Babylon eventually faded into obscurity and the Chaldeans by this point had become totally absorbed into Babylonian culture to the point that there was no distinction between them. The name Chaldean continued on to describe a societal class of learned men of astrologists and astronomers whom the Persians described as masters of reading and writing, and especially versed in all forms of incantation, sorcery, witchcraft, and the magical arts. Even, this societal class eventually fell by the wayside dropping into oblivion.

He will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.

This little exercise gave me a better understanding of what Isaiah is trying to teach me about the world and what I am fleeing from. He not only taught me that the Chaldeans were those that aggressively pushed the ideals of the world but I was taught how to recognize those ideals. Not everything I learned was intellectual but I also gained a feeling of being connected with these verses. I felt the urgency of the Lord's message to flee from the world and to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and about the infinite Atonement—the great counter weight to the world's teachings which will bring both peace and hope to all mankind.

Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Understand the Back Story

I want to share a few more skills that I have learned before starting into the first two chapters of Isaiah. These new skills add onto the skills previously discussed, so now may be a good time to review them:

• Use Other Sources
• Using Other Sources Properly
• Time, Effort and Patience
• Listen to the Spirit
• Write It Down
• Cultural Differences

Know where to go for information on Jewish history, tradition, geography, politics, and major events.

Unlocking scriptural interpretation from Isaiah's writings requires an intimate knowledge of the history, tradition, geography, and politics of God's people. This can be a difficult and overwhelming task. However, I have found that I do not have to be an expert in Jewish culture but rather it is a matter of knowing where to go for the information. This is a companion skill to Use Other Sources and adds some additional sources that I use for difficult scriptures like Isaiah. I rely on these resources whenever I run into names, places and events that are not familiar.

Timeline - the Bible Chronology gives a great rundown of major events and their timing including external political events and people. The Old Testament seminary bookmark gives a great visual representation of Israel in the Old Testament times including approximate timeline, general locations, lists of people (judges, kings and prophets) and external conquering empires.

Geography - Bible Maps is very useful for finding areas, cities, mountains, and routes that are referenced in the Bible. Modern day maps such as Google maps can be used to locate places; however, keep in mind that places quite often changed names or disappeared over time so additional research may need to be done. Also, the Bible Dictionary can be useful for finding the historical significance of geographical locations.

Political - the political story can be found by following the judge or king of the time. The Bible Dictionary is a good source for getting summary information about these individuals. Additonally, I find searching for the individual in the Topical Guide or doing a word search in the electronic version of the scriptures to be extremely useful for figuring out what is going on during their time period and what kind of person they were. Following the prophet of the time can also give clues to what major events are going on. Understanding external politics of the time is extremely important to getting the big picture. Much of this kind of information is not only available through scriptural sources but also through secular learning sources. For example, I found a 1982 Ensign article that gives a quick rundown of the major powers during the Old Testament times.

Tradition - the children of Israel have a rich tradition built upon covenant keeping and faith in God. To understand that tradition, it is important to understand where it came from. I have found that one of the best ways to understand Jewish tradition is to look at the major events within its history. Now is good time to brush up on Old Testament stories. These will provide the background information that tradition is built on. These events show God's love for His children and if read in a symbolic manner will show a pattern for this life and its purpose. In my opinion, the greatest of these stories, the most influential on tradition, and most referenced is the Exodus. Therefore, I think it is critical to study and be familiar with this event and the symbolism behind it. Another major source of tradition also comes from this event—the law of Moses. Unfortunately, this is a little harder to grasp because of the complexity and monotony of the law. This is where other sources come into play such as Keil and Delitzsch or the Old Testament institute manuals which do have Jewish law and tradition expertise.

Introducing Isaiah | 1 Nephi 19

It has been a while but I am back. Life can become overwhelming at times but I find that as I hang in there and turn to the Savior, it eventually stabilizes into the new normal.

I left off with Nephi reaching the promised land and making plates of ore to record his journey. Before moving forward, I want to take some time to prepare for the words of Isaiah which will be coming in the next couple of chapters and will be sprinkled throughout the Book of Mormon.

In addition to being an introduction to the small plates of Nephi, chapter 19 is also an introduction to the writings of Isaiah. They follow the same pattern for scriptures as outlined in Wise Purpose; however, they also have a special mission that can be revealed through the spirit of prophecy. I have listed some of the central themes that Isaiah puts forth and the specific audiences which he addresses.

He speaks of the mission of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. "Isaiah declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was anointed to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound." (D&C 138:42) "But that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah." (1 Nephi 19:23) "He verily saw my Redeemer." (2 Nephi 11:2) "And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God." (2 Nephi 6:4)

He speaks directly to the house of Israel and shows all of their doings. "For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel." (3 Nephi 23:2) "Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel." (1 Nephi 19:24) "And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah." (2 Nephi 6:4) "And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake." (3 Nephi 23:3)

He speaks to the Gentiles in the latter days. "Therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles." (3 Nephi 23:2) "Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy." (2 Nephi 25:4)  "For I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them." (2 Nephi 25:8)

He speaks of the restoration of the house of Israel and the renewal of the Lord's covenants with Israel. "And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again." (1 Nephi 15:20) "Those saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, shall cry, yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with them." (Mormon 8:23)

He speaks to the everyday saint for their profit and  learning. "I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning; [...] hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves." (1 Nephi 19:24) "And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God." (2 Nephi 6:4) "Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men." (2 Nephi 11:8) "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." (3 Nephi 23:1)

The Lord promises great blessings to those that take the time and effort to read and study the words of Isaiah.

Mercy: "For had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also." (1 Nephi 19:20)
Hope: "Hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, ... that ye may have hope." (1 Nephi 19:24)
Delight: "I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words." (2 Nephi 11:2)
Joy: "And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men." (2 Nephi 11:8)

I am grateful for Isaiah's words and the peace and joy that they have brought into my life. I know it will be a blessing to those that take the time to dig a little deeper.