Isaiah 6-7

Isaiah 6-7 Study Guide – to be discussed October 27
Day 1: Read Isaiah 6:1-4 (with footnotes 1e,4a), D&C 77:4, Exodus 19:18
1. The “year that king Uzziah died” (v.1) was around 740 BC. This chapter contains Isaiah’s mission call. As the vision opens, where does Isaiah see the Lord? What might his “train” represent?



2. Read D&C 77:4. Although the question in Section 77 refers to symbolism in John’s revelation, it gives insight to the seraphim seem by Isaiah. What might their wings represent? Why might the seraphim cover their face and their feet?


3. Read Exodus 19:18. Why did Isaiah see smoke and feel the foundations of the temple tremble?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 6:5-8 (with footnotes 5a, 6a)
4. Why did Isaiah feel “undone” (literal translation: “I am destroyed” or “I am lost”)? Have other prophets felt this way?


5. What might the live coal from the altar represent? Why do you think it was placed on Isaiah’s lips?


6. How did the live coal prepare Isaiah for his mission? How did he respond to the question, “Whom shall I send…?”



Day 3: Read Isaiah 6:9-13 (with footnotes 10a,b, 11a, 13b), 2 Nephi 16:9
7. What was Isaiah called to preach? What does Isaiah 6:10 say about the condition of the people in 740 BC?* Read 2 Nephi 16:9. How does this translation help your understanding? (See also D&C 136:32-33, Matthew 13:13-15.)



8. How long was Isaiah’s mission to last?


9. Did the Lord give Isaiah any hope that his mission would bear fruit?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 7:1-9 (with footnotes 2a, 3a,b,c, 4a, 6a, 9b)
10. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 7. Who were Ahaz, Rezin, and Pekah? Against whom were the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the nation of Syria allied?


11. What did the name of Isaiah’s son mean? Why do you think Isaiah (name = Jehovah is salvation) and his son went together to advise the king of Judah?



12. “Smoking firebrands” indicate a torch that is burned out. What was the message to the quaking king? (See also footnote 7:4a.)


Day 5: Read Isaiah 7:10-16 (with footnotes 12a, 14e, 15a, 16a), Matthew 1:20-23
13. Why do you think the Lord wanted to give Ahaz a sign?


14. Was Ahaz wise or foolish in not requesting a sign after it had been offered?


15. What sign would Judah eventually have? What comfort might this prophecy give during Isaiah’s day? How might this prophecy have blessed the descendants of Ahaz for years to come? (See also Matthew 1:20-23.)



NOTE: The term “the land that thou abhorest” in Isaiah 7:16 refers to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Day 6: Read Isaiah 7:11-20 (with footnotes 17a, 18a,b, 20a)
16. What country did the Lord say would be a bigger danger than the alliance between Israel and Syria?


17. Why would the Lord summon flies and bees? What images come to mind as you read Isaiah 7:19?



18. What “razor” would the Lord use to “shave” the land?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 7:21-25 (with footnotes 21a, 22a, 23a, 25a,b)
19. According to the footnotes for Isaiah 21a and 22a, how will the situation of Israel change after the invaders attack?


20. What kind of harvest might one expect from briars and thorns?


21. How popular a missionary do you think Isaiah was if this was his message?



From the Institute Manual:
*(13-37) Isaiah 6:9–13 . Prophecy of the Rejection of Spiritual Things
The words the prophet Isaiah was commissioned to deliver were in part to bring the people to a full accountability for their choices, so that they would be left without excuse. The Book of Mormon rendering of verse 9 shows that the Lord was telling Isaiah the people would for the most part reject his words: “And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not” ( 2 Nephi 16:9 ; emphasis indicates differences from the King James Version).
The people claimed to hear and see, but they did not understand the spirit of the message.
The command to “make the heart of this people fat, . . . their ears heavy, and shut their eyes” is used to describe the process of making the people accountable. The command, of course, refers to “their spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, and spiritual feeling.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:200). “There is a self-hardening in evil. . . . Sin from its very nature bears its own punishment. . . . An evil act in itself is the result of self-determination proceeding from a man’s own will.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:201). An individual cannot resist or reject the truth without eventually becoming spiritually hardened (see History of the Church, 4:264). Isaiah’s indictment of the kingdom of Judah was cited again in the New Testament to show that the people of that time were no different. The inability of many to understand the parables is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (see Matthew 13:10–17 ; Luke 8:9–10 ). The significance of many of the miracles was also misunderstood (see John 12:37–41 ). The testimony of the Messiah and His Sonship was understood, at least in part, by the disciples, but it was rejected by others (see Luke 10:21–24 ).