Isaiah 33-35

Isaiah 33-35 Study Guide – to be discussed February 2
Day 1: Read Isaiah 33:1-6, Omni 1:13, Psalm 97:2
Note: The pronoun “thee” in Isaiah 33:1 may refer to Shalmaneser of Assyria, representing wickedness, oppression, and treachery. “Their” in Isaiah 33:2 should read “our.”
1. What will eventually happen to the wicked, even though they seem to get away with murder?


2. Read Omni 1:13 with Isaiah 33:2. How can we look to the Lord to be our “arm every morning” and our “salvation in time of trouble”?


3. With what has the Lord filled Zion? (See also Psalm 97:2.) What is His treasure?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 33:7-18 (with footnotes 8a, 15b,d,e), Bible Dictionary entry, “Sharon,” Bible Dictionary entry, “Carmel,” Bible Dictionary entry, “Bashan,” Psalm 24:3-4
Note: Isaiah 33:7-9 returns to the theme of an Assyrian attack.
4. Lebanon was the capital of Syria, an ally to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during Assyria’s attack. Look up “Sharon,” “Bashan,” and “Carmel” in the Bible Dictionary, then find them on map 1 in your Bible Map section. What do these three places have in common? What did Isaiah prophesy concerning these areas?


5. What is the end result of a wicked lifestyle?


6. Read Psalm 24:3-4 with Isaiah 33:14-17. Compare questions asked in each passage. List six qualities of discipleship from Isaiah 33:15 and six blessings of discipleship from Isaiah 33:16-17.



Day 3: Read Isaiah 33:18-24 (with footnotes 18a, 19a, 21a)
7. Another translation of the first phrase in Isaiah 33:18 reads, “You shall recount in your mind the terror….” When foreign invaders are gone, what are the righteous remnant encouraged to look upon? Why?


8. Rearrange the verses in Isaiah 33 as follows: 19, 20, 24, 21, 23, 22. The galleys and gallant ships mentioned in Isaiah 33:21 are enemy ships – which, according to Isaiah 33:23, will not be able to sail in the “broad rivers” (living waters) of Zion. List other promises to Israel from Isaiah 33:19-21.



9. Isaiah 33:22, explains why Zion is a goal to be desired. What can we count on the Lord to be and do for us when he comes again?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 34:1-10 (with footnotes 4a, 5a, 7a, 9a), D&C 1:1-3, Revelation 6:12-15, D&C 88:95
Note: Isaiah 34 contains harsh words to the wicked, followed by beautiful promises of hope to the righteous in Isaiah 35. In these chapters, “unicorns” should read “oxen”; “dragons” should be “jackals”; “satyrs” should read “goats.” “Idumea” is another name for Edom, and represents the wicked world.
10. Read D&C 1:1-3 with Isaiah 34:1-3. Although these passages were written nearly 2700 years apart, they have much in common. List similar themes or phrases from these scripture blocks.
11. Read Revelation 6:12-15 with Isaiah 34:4-5 and D&C 88:95. Comparing Isaiah 34:4 with Revelation 6:13, what might the “host of heaven” represent? According to D&C 88:95, what will be revealed when the “scroll” of heaven is unfolded or unrolled?


12. From Isaiah 34:8, what “day” is being described in these verses? (See also chapter heading.)


Day 5: Read Isaiah 34:11-17 (with footnotes 11c, 13a)
13. Look up “cormorant” and “bittern” in any dictionary. (“Bittern” is also in the Bible Dictionary.) What kind of animals are these? Why might they be associated with owls, ravens, and jackals?



14. All the beasts mentioned in Isaiah 34:11-15 are considered unclean according to Mosaic Law. What message might this send to Israel regarding the indignation of the Lord?


15. The JST for Isaiah 35:16 reads, “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read the names written therein: no one of these shall fail, none shall lack their mate; for my mouth it hath commanded, and my spirit it hath gathered them.” Read the note below from the Institute Manual.* List promises from Isaiah 34:16-17.


Day 6: Read Isaiah 35:1-4 (with footnote 1c), D&C 49:24-25, Review Isaiah 34:9, D&C 81:5, D&C 45:71
16. Read the footnote to Isaiah 35:1c and D&C 49:24-25. For whom will the wilderness and the solitary place be glad?


17. Compare Isaiah 35:2 with Isaiah 34:9. What is the good news for these areas in the Holy Land?


18. Read Isaiah 35:3-4 with D&C 81:5. How can we actively strengthen tired hands and revive stumbling knees today?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 35:5-10 (with footnotes 6a, 7b)
19. List phrases from Isaiah 35:5-7 indicating the gospel heals.



20. Isaiah 35:8 reintroduces the idea that there will be a “highway” for the righteous remnant in the last days (see Isaiah 11:16). According to Isaiah 35:8, what will this highway be called?


21. From Isaiah 35:10, with what will the “ransomed of the Lord” return? (See also D&C 45:71)


*From the Institute Manual: Isaiah 34:16–17 . What Is the “Book of the Lord”? Not all people, of course, are wicked, and those who are not will be saved from the destroying fire—both the spiritual (hell) and the physical (see 1 Nephi 22:15–17 ). The names of the children of the Lord who have kept their covenants are enrolled in a special book known as “the book of the Lord” ( Isaiah 34:16 ), “the book of the law of God” ( D&C 85:5 ; see also vv. 9, 11 ), or “the book of life” ( Revelation 20:12 ). Records of our works are kept on earth by the Lord’s clerks, but the book of life is the record kept in heaven. Both records should agree (see D&C 128:6–9 ). Of those whose names are recorded in the heavenly book, “no one of these shall fail” ( Isaiah 34:16 ). The promise that “none shall want [lack] their mate” (JST, Isaiah 34:16 ) is particularly interesting to Latter-day Saints since we know that only through the ordinance of celestial marriage can we have our mate eternally.

Isaiah 30-32

Isaiah 30-32 Study Guide – to be discussed January 26
Day 1: Read Isaiah 30:1-7 (with footnotes 2b, 5a, 6a,b), Jeremiah 2:17-19
Note: Chapter 30 was written approx. 705-701 BC. Sargon II of Assyria had died. Judah joined the Philistines and the Phonecians in rebellion against Assyria. Judah made a treaty for protection with Egypt. Oops.
1. How did the people of Judah “add sin to sin” (v.1) when they relied on their alliance with Egypt? See also Jeremiah 2:17-19.


2. If Egypt represents worldly attitudes and tyranny, how do we sometimes look to Egypt for help today? From Isaiah 30:3, what two things will be ours if we misplace our faith?


3. Read the footnote to Isaiah 30:6a and b. What is the “burden of the beasts of the south”?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 30:8-17 (with footnote 9a)
4. Why was it important for Isaiah to record this message of doom?


5. Why did the people reject Jehovah and His truth? In what did Israel put her trust, according to Isaiah 30:12?


BONUS: How is sin like a crack in the city wall?


6. Isaiah 30:16-17 describes the lonely state of scattered Israel. From Isaiah 30:15, what counsel did the Lord give Israel that, if followed, would have given strength and salvation?


Day 3: Read Isaiah 30:18-26 (with footnotes 18a,b, 20b, 21a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a)
7. According to the footnote for Isaiah 20:18a, for what will the Lord wait?


8. List temporal and spiritual blessings from Isaiah 30:19-26. Who is our Teacher?


9. How does the Lord give you the rain for your seed today? How does he “bind up the breach” (v.20)?


BONUS: Make a note of all the metaphors you find in Isaiah 30:18-26.



Day 4: Read Isaiah 30:27-33 (with footnotes 27a, 29a,b,d, 32a,b, 33a), Bible Dictionary entry, “Topeth”
10. When wickedness is destroyed, who will have a sacred, joyful song to sing? (See footnotes 27a, 29a.)


11. According to Isaiah 30:31, what power is greater than the Assyrian army (or forces of wickedness)?


12. Look up “Topeth” in the Bible Dictionary. Where was Topeth and for what was it known? Of what might it be a symbol?
Day 5: Read Isaiah 31:1-9, D&C 45:68-71 (with footnotes 2a, 3a,b, 5a, 8b)
Note from Institute manual: “This chapter follows a theme similar to that of the chapter preceding it . However, “the first warning speaks against trusting the wisdom of man, and the second against trusting the power of man” (Nyman, “Great Are the Words of Isaiah,” p. 118). “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help,” for there is none there ( Isaiah 31:1 ). “The Egyptians are men, and not God”; they themselves and those they help “shall fail together” ( v. 3 ). Only the Lord can save Israel. Isaiah said, “Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted,” and “then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man,” but of the Lord ( vv. 6, 8 ). The “Egyptian” and the “Assyrian” of the latter days may be those in whom a modern people trust rather than in the Lord.”
13. It must have seemed quite practical for Judah to trust in her alliance with Egypt. Why was this a big mistake?


14. What did the Lord compare himself to in Isaiah 31:4? In Isaiah 31:5? Why are these appropriate symbols?


15. Read D&C 45:68-71. Why will the princes of wickedness (or heirs of sin) retreat and be afraid in the face of the Lord’s ensign?


Day 6: Read Isaiah 32:1-8 (with footnotes 2a, 5a,b,c, 6a, 7a, 9b)
Note from Institute manual: Orson Pratt saw this scripture (Isaiah 32) as applying not only to ancient Israel but also to the Latter-day Saints, who were driven from their homes in the East to the deserts of the Rocky Mountains. “Did you see it, Isaiah, as well as the people that live in our day? Did you see a people go into the desert and offer up thanksgiving and the voice of melody? Did you see that desert and wilderness redeemed from its sterile condition and become like the garden of Eden? ‘O yes,’ says Isaiah, ‘I saw it all, and I left it on record for the benefit of the generation that should live some two or three thousand years after my day.’ But Isaiah, are we to understand that the people are to be gathered together in that desert, and that the gathered people are to be instrumental in the hands of God, in redeeming that desert? Yes, Isaiah has told us all this. We will go back to what we read in his thirty-second chapter —’Until the spirit be poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.’ What fruitful field? Why, the wilderness that will be converted into a fruitful field. ‘The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever; and my people shall dwell in peaceable habitations, and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places.’
16. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 32. Who is the “king” and “man” referred to in Isaiah 32:1-2?


17. From Isaiah 32:3-4, describe what effect this ruler will have on his people. Would you like to be a citizen in his realm?


18. Isaiah 32:6-8 contain an elaboration on the three types of people listed in Isaiah 32:5. Use the footnotes for Isaiah 32:5 to describe the three types of people (liberal = bountiful). Isaiah’s point is that their true worth will be seen clearly.


Day 7: Read Isaiah 32:9-20 (with footnotes 9b, 12a, 14a, 19b)
19. If the women described in Isaiah 32:9-11 represent all the proud and complacent, what counsel and warnings are extended to them in Isaiah 32:9-14? (Note: Isaiah 32:12-14 describe a long period of destruction to come.)


20. Isaiah 32:15-20 prophesy regarding peaceful conditions to come upon Israel in a future day of righteousness. Look again at the chapter heading. When will this promise be realized?


21. What will the works of righteousness bring?

Isaiah 28-29

Isaiah 28-29 Study Guide – to be discussed January 19
Day 1: Read Isaiah 28:1-8 (with footnotes 1b,c, 4a, 5a, 7a), 2 Nephi 27:1, D&C 104:7
(Note: This message to Israel was given around 724 BC. By 721, the Northern 10 tribes would be conquered.)
1. What kind of crown was Ephraim (representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel) wearing? Why might this cause Israel to be spiritually “drunk”? See also 2 Nephi 27:1.


2. (Note: In Isaiah 28:2, the “mighty and strong one” may refer to Shalmaneser of Assyria and his armies.)
In what ways would Israel be like an early fruit before summer (Isaiah 28:4)?


3. Isaiah 28:5-6 is parenthetical, and refers to a future day. What is the promise to the righteous remnant, outlined in Isaiah 28:5-6? See also D&C 104:7.


BONUS: Read the footnote to Isaiah 28:7a. Who is named specifically in the Lord’s condemnation of a later apostasy?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 28:9-17 (with footnotes 9b, 13b, 15b), 2 Nephi 28:30, Helaman 5:12
4. Read 2 Nephi 28:30 with Isaiah 28:9-13. Why is learning truth a life-long process? What happens when we think we have enough knowledge?


5. What kind of covenant had the rulers of Jerusalem made? Where was their supposed refuge?


6. Read Helaman 5:12 with Isaiah 28:16-17. What foundation stone has been provided for Zion?


Day 3: Read Isaiah 28:18-29 (with footnotes 18a, 29a), D&C 101:93-95
7. How comfortable is a man whose bed is too short and blanket too narrow? What might these symbols in indicate (Isaiah 28:20)?


8. Read D&C 101:93-95 with Isaiah 28:21. What is God’s “strange work” or “strange act”?


9. Read Isaiah 28:23-29, an agricultural metaphor. Would it make sense for the Lord to plow if he didn’t intend to sow and eventually reap? What can you infer from the footnote to Isaiah 28:29a?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 29:1-5 (with footnotes 1b,c), JST Isaiah 29:1-5, Moroni 10:27, 2 Nephi 26:15-16
10. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 29. In what ways have the Nephites spoken in the latter days “as of one that hath a familiar spirit” (like a dead relative) or “as a voice from the dust”? (See also Moroni 10:27, 2 Nephi 26:15-16)


11.What does the name “Ariel” mean? To what city does it refer?


12. List phrases from Isaiah 29:5 indicating Judah’s enemies will be numerous.


Day 5: Read Isaiah 29:6-12, JST Isaiah 29:6-8, 2 Nephi 27:2-10, 15-18, JS-H 1:63-65
13. Why do you think the enemies of Zion will be “as a dream of a night vision” or “as when an hungry man dreameth… and his soul is empty…” (See Isaiah 29:7-8 and 2 Nephi 27:3.)


14. What is the “spirit of deep sleep” mentioned in Isaiah 29:10 and 2 Nephi 27:5, caused by rejecting the prophets?


15. Read Isaiah 29:11-12 with 2 Nephi 27:6-10, 15-18, and JS-H 1:63-65. Why might this prophecy regarding a book to come forth in the latter days have been recorded by Isaiah around 720 BC and by Nephi around 550 BC?*


Day 6: Read Isaiah 29:13-17 (with footnote 13f), 1 Nephi 22:8-9, JS-H 1:19, 2 Nephi 29:1-22, Nephi 26:22-24
16. What is the “marvelous work and a wonder” (1 Nephi 22:8-9, Isaiah 29:14) the Lord is doing in the latter days? Why is it necessary for the eternal happiness of mankind?


BONUS: Read 2 Nephi 29:1-2. List five reasons the Lord will proceed with his marvelous work.


17. Read Isaiah 29:15 with 2 Nephi 26:22-24. Who is the father of “works of darkness” and why are these works so effective to his purposes?


18. In what way are people who try to justify sins dumber than pots?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 29:18-24 (with footnotes 21b, 23b), D&C 45:50
19. How has the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 29:18 been fulfilled today, both spiritually and physically?


20. Read Isaiah 29:20-21 with D&C 45:50. What kind of people “watch for iniquity”?


21. (Note: the pronoun “he” at the beginning of Isaiah 29:23 refers to Jacob, as spoken of in verse 22.) How will Jacob (Israel) feel about his posterity after the Lord accomplishes His “marvelous work” in the latter days? What amazing tool has the Lord given us so we will “come to understanding” and “learn doctrine”?


*From the Institute Manual: Isaiah 29:11–12 . What Was the “Book That Is Sealed” and to Whom Were Its “Words” Delivered? Early in the process of translating the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris desired proof that the translation Joseph Smith was making was genuine. He obtained permission to carry a copy of several of the “words” from the plates, together with their translation, to some learned men. Martin Harris’s account given to the Prophet Joseph Smith states that he took the copy to Professor Charles Anthon of New York City, who certified that the characters were real and correctly translated. But when Professor Anthon discovered that the record from which the characters were obtained was itself received by supernatural means, he retracted his statement by asking for his certificate back and tearing it to bits. Martin Harris reports that Anthon said that “if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, ‘I cannot read a sealed book.’ I left him, and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation.” ( Joseph Smith—History 1:65 .)The unlearned man to whom the book was delivered was, of course, Joseph Smith. Elder Orson Pratt once said: “Now in regard to Joseph Smith’s qualifications or attainments in learning, they were very ordinary. He had received a little education in the common country schools in the vicinity in which he had lived. He could read a little, and could write, but it was in such an ordinary hand that he did not venture to act as his own scribe, but had to employ sometimes one and sometimes another to write as he translated. This unlearned man did not make the same reply that the learned man did. For when the book was delivered to this unlearned youth and he was requested to read it, he replied, ‘I am not learned.’ I suppose he felt his weakness when the Lord told him to read this book; for he thought it was a great work.” (In Journal of Discourses, 15:186.)

Isaiah 25-27

Isaiah 25-27 Study Guide: To be discussed January 12
Day 1: Read Isaiah 25:1-5 (with footnote 5a), D&C 56:18-20
(Note: A major theme of Isaiah 25 is that it is worth it to be righteous! Isaiah 25:1-5 is a hymn of praise; Isaiah 25:6-12 foreshadows the “Great Supper of the Lord” which will be attended by all the righteous. See also Revelation 19.)
1. Isaiah 25:1 states, “I will exalt thee”; and Isaiah 25:3 notes, “… the strong (righteous) people glorify thee.” How do we exalt and glorify the Lord, if He is already exalted and glorified?
(Note: Isaiah 25:2 should read “For thou hast made of a wicked city an heap… it shall never be rebuilt.”)



2. How might the Lord’s “counsels of old” (v.1) be “faithfulness and truth”?



3. Read D&C 56:18-20 with Isaiah 25:4-5. Who will ultimately be subdued by the Lord? Who will receive his blessing?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 25:6-12, D&C 58:6-9, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 21:4
4. List promises to the faithful in Isaiah 25:6-8.



5. Read D&C 58:6-9 with Isaiah 25:6. What is the “feast of fat things” promised by the Lord?



6. Read Revelation 7:17 and Revelation 21:4 with Isaiah 25:8. When and how will the Lord wipe away all tears?



BONUS: Notice the repetition in Isaiah 25:9. What does it mean to “wait upon the Lord”?



Day 3: Read Isaiah 26:1-8 (with footnote 7a), Helaman 3:28, 2 Nephi 31:17, D&C 64:22
7. Read Isaiah 26:1-2 with Helaman 3:28 and 2 Nephi 31:17. How has Christ opened the gates of salvation and invited us in?


8. Give two reasons from Isaiah 26:3-7 why we should trust in the Lord.



9. According to the footnote for Isaiah 26:7a, who is “most upright”? Read D&C 64:22 with Isaiah 26:8. Why is it important for us to always keep the Lord in remembrance?



Day 4: Read Isaiah 26:9-15 (with footnotes 11a, 14a, 15b)
10. In Isaiah 26:9, the prophet promised the Lord “I will seek thee early.” How can we seek Christ early?

11. Read the footnote to Isaiah 26:11a. Why will the wicked be ashamed at the last day?


12. (Note: Isaiah 26:15 should read, “… thou hast increased the righteous nation….”) List phrases or thoughts from Isaiah 26:12-15 that indicate millennial conditions.



Day 5: Read Isaiah 26:16-21 (with footnotes 16a, 18a, 20a, 21a)
13. According to Isaiah 26:16-17, what do God’s people do when faced with trials?



14. What is the good news, described in Isaiah 26:19, that should be shared with the world? How is going through the pains of mortality without sharing the gospel like going through labor, and delivering only the wind?



15. Isaiah 26:20-21 contains Passover symbolism. If you need to review Passover symbolism, read the section on Passover in the Bible Dictionary entry, “Feasts” (p. 672 in the Bible Appendix). How do we symbolically put the blood of the atonement on our doorposts today?



Day 6: Read Isaiah 27:1-6 (with footnotes 1a,c, 2a, 6b), Revelation 20:2
16. According to the footnote for Isaiah 27:1c, what does Leviathon represent? (See also Revelation 20:2.)


17. Isaiah 27:2-6 includes a song about the ultimate destiny of Israel. What will the Lord do for Israel (his vineyard)?


18. What will Israel (the vineyard) do because of the Lord’s good care?



Day 7: Read Isaiah 27:7-13 (with footnotes 9a, 12a,b, 13a), Jeremiah 30:10-11, D&C 49:23-27
(Note: A little help with Isaiah 27:7-8: The question in Isaiah 27:7 might better read, “Has God been as hard on Israel as her enemies have been? The answer (no!) is seen in verse 8, which might read, “God metes out to Israel what is needed to set them straight so he can set them free.”)
19. Read the above notes on Isaiah 27:8-9 with Jeremiah 30:10-11. How and why does the Lord “correct” his covenant people?


20. (Note: The “defenced city” in Isaiah 27:10 refers to a wicked city or nation.) How much idolatry will remain during the millennium?

21. What reward does the Lord offer to those who remain faithful even in the midst of wickedness (represented by Assyria and Egypt)? See also D&C 49:23-27.



BONUS: Read Numbers 10:1-8. What did the blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel indicate?