Isaiah51-54

Isaiah 51-54 Study Guide – to be discussed April 12
Day 1: Read Isaiah 51:1-8 (with footnotes 1b, 4a, 6a,b), Abraham 2:9-10
1. Read the footnote to Isaiah 51:1b. From which rocks are we hewn? (Note: “hole of the rock pit” = rock quarry.)


2. Read Abraham 2:9-10. With what were Abraham and Sarah blessed? Why should this be a comfort to the righteous?


3. Isaiah 51:1, 4 and 7 begin with the instruction “Hearken unto me.” Who is asked to listen and obey in each passage? List instructions given in each case.


Day 2: Read Isaiah 51:9-16
4. In Isaiah 51:9-11 the righteous reply to the Lord. What is their request?


5. The Lord addresses Israel again, beginning in Isaiah 51:12. What does he say about their fears? (See also 2 Nephi 8:12.)


BONUS: Read the footnote to 2 Nephi 8:13c. Who are “the oppressors”?

6. From Isaiah 51:16, what will the Lord do for his people?*


Day 3: Read Isaiah 51:17-23 (with footnote 20a), 2 Nephi 8:19-20, Revelation 11:3-12
7. What does the Lord ask Jerusalem to do in Isaiah 51:17? Why?


8. Isaiah 51:18 indicates Israel has gone through a period without prophets to guide her. Read 2 Nephi 8:19-20 and Revelation 11:3-12 with Isaiah 51:19-20. What critical change is made in 2 Nephi 8:19? How might these verses from Isaiah be related to the message in Revelation 11:3-12?


9. What does the Lord mean when he says he will take the “cup of trembling” out of the hand of his covenant people and give it to her enemies?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 52:1-15 (with footnotes 2b, 4a, 8c, 9a, 12b, 13a, 14a,b, 15a), D&C 113:7-10, D&C 82:14-20, Mosiah 15:18-20, 28-29
10. Read D&C 113:7-10 with Isaiah 52:1-2. What is the “strength” of Zion? How does revelation free Israel from the curses of God?


BONUS: Read D&C 82:14-20. What is one way Zion might put on her beautiful garments?


11. Read Mosiah 15:18-20 and 28-29 with Isaiah 52:7-8. Abinadi quoted Isaiah in an attempt to explain the mission of the Lord and his true prophets to the wicked priests of King Noah. Why are the Lord’s feet beautiful? What is the role of his watchmen? (See also 3 Nephi 16:10-20, 3 Nephi 20:29-35.)
12. The Lord quoted extensively from Isaiah when he visited the Nephites. Parts of Isaiah 52 were recorded in 3 Nephi 20. Look through Isaiah 52:9-15 and list major themes that are important for Israel in every generation.


Day 5: Read Isaiah 53:1-12 (with footnotes 2d, 9c), 2 Nehi 9:21-22
13. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 53. Who is Isaiah talking about throughout this chapter? If the “tender plant” in Isaiah 53:2 represents the restoration of truth, and the “dry ground” represents the apostasy of Judah, how has this prophecy been fulfilled?


14. Read Isaiah 53:4-5 and 7 with 2 Nephi 9:21-22. Why did the Lord bear our griefs and sorrows?


15. From Isaiah 53:10-12, what are the fruits of the Lord’s sacrifice?**


Day 6: Read Isaiah 54:1-8 (with footnotes 5a, 6d)
16. Read the chapter heading for Isaiah 54. What time frame is discussed in this chapter?


17. Who is the bride of Christ? If she never went through labor, how did she get so many children?


18. Why will the Lord gather his people in spite of their inconsistent devotion?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 54:9-17 (with footnote 16a)
19. Isaiah 54:10 describes the true nature of God. What do we know about Jehovah from this verse?


20 Note: The “fair colors” with which precious stones will be laid may indicate “hard mortar.” What kind of house does the Lord build for his people?


21.List phrases from Isaiah 54:14-17 that indicate the Lord will protect his people.



BONUS: Read Isaiah 54:13 with D&C 45:58-59. When might these prophecies be realized?


From the Institute Manual: *In Isaiah 51:4–16 , great emphasis is placed on the pronouns me and my: “my people,” “my nation,” “my judgment,” “my righteousness,” “my salvation,” “mine arm,” “my law” ( vv. 4–8 ). The Lord emphasized these things to stress His relationship with us. He is our Creator, He is our Judge, He is our Savior, and He is our perfect Exemplar. And though the earth itself “shall vanish away like smoke, and . . . wax old like a garment” ( v. 6 ), the qualities He claims for Himself will endure forever. God is permanent, stable, upright, and dependable. Those who trust in Him need not fear “the reproach of men” ( v. 7 ) but should “awake” and “put on strength . . . as in the ancient days” ( v. 9 ). This call is from God to His latter-day children to return to Him and “come with singing unto Zion” where “sorrow and mourning shall flee away” ( v. 11 ).

**Also, regarding Isaiah 53:10: Elder Bruce R. McConkie summarized what Abinadi taught as follows: “The seed of Christ are those who are adopted into his family, who by faith have become his sons and his daughters. ( Mosiah 5:7 .) They are the children of Christ in that they are his followers and disciples and keep his commandments. ( 4 Ne. 17 ; Morm. 9:26 ; Moro. 7:19 .)”

Isaiah 48-50

Isaiah 48-50 Study Guide – to be discussed March 29
Day 1: Read Isaiah 48:1-8 (with footnotes 2b, 4a), 1 Nephi 20:1-8
1. To whom is Isaiah 48 addressed? Read Isaiah 48:1 with 1 Nephi 20:1. What phrase is added in 1 Nephi 20:1 that helps clarify the phrase “the waters of Judah” in Isaiah 48:1?


2. One way of viewing Isaiah 48 is as a contract between God and Israel. In this context, we can read Isaiah 48:1-2 as the “preamble” and Isaiah 48:3-8 as an “historical review” of God’s dealings with Israel. The “former things” (Isaiah 48:3) refer to ancient prophecies and/or miracles. From Isaiah 48:4-5, give two reasons the Lord sent Israel prophecies and showed them the fulfillment of these prophecies.


3. The phrase, “They are created now” means prophecies are being fulfilled now. What was the reaction of Isaiah’s people to the fulfillments of these prophecies?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 48:9-22 (with footnote 14a), 1 Nephi 20:9-22
4. If we are reading Isaiah 48 as a contract between God and Israel, Isaiah 48:14-15 outlines conditions of the contract. How will the Lord fulfill his part of the contract?


5. Isaiah 48:12-13 and Isaiah 48:16 list witnesses to the contract. What three witnesses are listed? Note: Read 1 Nephi 20:16 with Isaiah 48:16.


6. List the blessings which are the results of Israel’s righteous acts and the Lords mercy, as given in Isaiah 48:17-22.


BONUS: How might peace be like a river and righteousness like waves?


Day 3: Read Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Nephi 21:1-6, D&C 86:8-11, D&C 113:7-8
7. Wilford Woodruff said of Isaiah 49 that this prophetic vision of the last dispensation “is having its fulfillment.” Read Isaiah 49:2 with D&C 86:8-11. How has the Lord refined, protected, and prepared Israel? (Note: The pronoun “me” in v. 1 refers to Israel – see Isaiah 49:3.)


8. In Isaiah 49:4, the servant (broadly, Israel) laments the fact that no one seems to listen or heed his counsel. In this same verse, where does he find comfort?


9. Read Isaiah 49:5 with D&C 113:7-8. What is the strength of Israel?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 49:8-16, 1 Nephi 21:7-16, 1 Nephi 22:8-12, D&C 45:26
10. According to the chapter heading for Isaiah 49, who will be a light to the Gentiles? Is Israel also commissioned to be a light to the Gentiles?


11. From Isaiah 49:8-13, what has the Lord done for his people? (See also 1 Nephi 22:8-12, D&C 45:26.)

12. In Isaiah 49:14 we have the first excuse offered by Israel for her unfaithfulness. Here, Israel claims the Lord has forgotten her. What evidence does the Lord produce to the contrary? (Other excuses are in Isaiah 49:21 and 24.)


Day 5: Read Isaiah 49:17-26 (with footnote 20a), 1 Nephi 21:17-26 (with footnotes 24a, 25JST), 2 Nephi 6:16-18
13. A bride puts on her finest clothing for her wedding. With what will Israel adorn herself in the last days? Who is her Bridegroom?


14. What question will Israel ask, regarding the abundance of her children? (See Isaiah 49:21.) How does the Lord answer?


15. The third excuse from Israel comes in Isaiah 49:24. What question is asked, and how does the Lord answer? (See also the footnote to 1 Nephi 21:25, which gives the JST of this verse, and 2 Nephi 6:16-18.)


BONUS: How do you see the fulfillment of the prophecy that kings will be nursing fathers and queens nursing mothers to Israel in the last days?


Day 6: Read Isaiah 50:1-6, 2 Nephi 7:1-6, 1 Nephi 22:15-17
16. Read 1 Nephi 22:15-17. It has been suggested that these verses, in which Nephi quotes Isaiah, might originally have been in Isaiah’s record, between Isaiah 49 and Isaiah 50 (see OT Institute manual, 17-10). Why, ultimately, do the righteous have no need to fear?


17. Read Isaiah 50:1 with 2 Nephi 7:1. What extra information did Nephi include in his record? What is the message to Israel?* Read Isaiah 50:4 with 2 Nephi 7:4. Who gave the Lord “the tongue of the learned,” and how does he use that gift? (Note: Isaiah 50:4-9 is a “servant song.” In this case, the servant is Christ in the meridian of time.)


18. What proof do we have that the Lord is perfectly obedient to the Father?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 50:7-11, 2 Nephi 7:7-11
19. Compare Isaiah 50:8 with 2 Nephi 7:8. Who justifies, or approves of the Lord’s work?


20. The Lord asks a semi-rhetorical question in Isaiah 50:10. How would you answer this question?


21. What do we get when we try to navigate life without the light of Christ?


*From the Institute Manual, regarding Isaiah 50: “The Lord employed the figure of a divorce and the sale of a slave to teach that though Israel’s past apostasy scattered them among the nations, the Lord had not set aside the original covenant He made with His people. Chapter 50 continues the theme begun in chapters 48 and 49 that in the last days Israel would be gathered and established again. Under Mosaic law a man who divorced his wife was required to give her a written bill of divorce. She was then free to marry again (see Deuteronomy 24:1–4). Likewise, under the ancient laws, a man could sell himself or his children into slavery to satisfy his creditors.”

Isaiah 45-47

Cyrus the Great

Isaiah 45-47 Study Guide: To be discussed March 22
Day 1: Read Isaiah 45:1-8 (with footnotes 1c,e, 3a, 8b), Bible Dictionary entry, “Cyrus,” Isaiah 46:1-4, Psalm 85:11
1. Read the Bible Dictionary entry, “Cyrus”. Was Cyrus part of covenant Israel? Why did the Lord call Cyrus his “anointed,” decades before his birth?* (See also Isaiah 46:1,4.)


2. What did the Lord promise to do for Cyrus? (Note: “loose the loins of kings” means the Lord would take away the swords of Cyrus’ enemies.)


3. Read Isaiah 45:8 with Psalm 85:11. Can you think of a time when truth has come down from heaven and up from the earth? (Hint: Read Ezekiel 37:15-20.)


Day 2: Read Isaiah 45:9-19 (with footnotes 10a, 11c, 13a, 14b), D&C 38:7-8
4. How might our relationship with God be like the relationship between a piece of clay and a potter?


5. Read D&C 38:7-8. What did Isaiah mean when he wrote, “Verily thou art a God that hideth thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior”? (Isaiah 45:15.) Who is the God of the Old Testament, and how does Isaiah bear witness of Him?



6. How does Isaiah 45:18-19 answer the insolent questions raised in Isaiah 45:9-10?



Day 3: Read Isaiah 45:20-25 (with footnote 23b)
7. Who does the Lord say has “no knowledge” in Isaiah 45:20? (See also Isaiah 44:18.)


8. Read Isaiah 45:22 with D&C 6:36-37. What qualifies Christ to offer salvation?


9. In Isaiah 45, the Lord invites Israel to compare Him to false gods and graven images, knowing there is no comparison. Isaiah 45:22-25 invites us to compare ourselves to the Lord’s righteousness if we have any lingering doubts. What then does it mean when the Lord promises, in Isaiah 45:25, that “… all the seed of Israel [will] be justified….”? What does it mean to be justified?



Day 4: Read Isaiah 46:1-4 (with footnotes 1a,b, 2a, 4b), Bible Dictionary entry, “Bel,” Bible Dictionary entry,"Nebo" (2)
10. Read the Bible Dictionary entries for "Bel" and “Nebo” (entry 2). Where were these idol-gods worshipped? Of what was Nebo the god?


11. Read the footnotes to Isaiah 46:1b and Isaiah 46:2a. How is Isaiah being ironic in his description of these false gods?


12. Who carried the idols? Who carries us? How many pairs of footprints are really in the sand?



Day 5: Read Isaiah 46:5-13 (with footnotes 10b, 11a, 12a, 13b), D&C 1:38
13. Think about the false gods we worship today. Who carries them? Why?


14. In Isaiah 46:9, we are asked to “Remember the former things,” or past miracles. Name a miracle ancient Israel could recall. Now name a miracle from latter-day church history or a personal miracle. Why is it good to reflect on these?


15. Read D&C 1:38 with Isaiah 46:10-13. What evidence do we have that we can count on the Lord to fulfill all his promises?


NOTE: The “ravenous bird from the east” in Isaiah 46:11 is a metaphor describing Cyrus, who would swiftly humble Babylon. From the Institute Manual: “This is a fitting insertion and serves as a prelude to chapter 47….”
Day 6: Read Isaiah 47:1-9 (with footnotes 1b,c, 2a,b, 3a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8b, 9a)
16. According to the footnotes to Isaiah 47:1-2, what should the Babylonians prepare to become? This prophecy was fulfilled around 539 BC, but Isaiah wrote between 740-701 BC. Imagine yourself a citizen of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege of 609-587 BC. How might you feel about Isaiah’s 100-year-old prophecy?


17. According to Isaiah 47:6, how did Babylon treat her prisoners? How does spiritual Babylon, or wickedness, do the same?


18. What two things would come upon Babylon “in a moment in one day” (Isaiah 47:9)? Why?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 47:10-15 (with footnote 11a)
19. List phrases from Isaiah 47:10, indicating Babylon was prideful enough to believe she could exercise wickedness without consequence. Compare to 2 Nephi 9:27-28.


20. According to Isaiah, how much help would Babylon receive from Bel and Nebo at the day of reckoning?


21. Note: The term “merchants” in Isaiah 47:15 refers to religious leaders in Babylon. They are here lumped in with astrologers (sorcerers), stargazers and prognosticators. According to Isaiah 47:14, will they even be able to deliver themselves?


*From the Institute Manual: How could Cyrus, a Persian king, be called the Lord’s “anointed”? Alfred Martin, in his work on Isaiah, gave an excellent answer to this question: “Cyrus is the only Gentile king who is called God’s ‘anointed.’ Since this is the translation of the Hebrew word which we spell in English as Messiah, Cyrus is in a sense a type of the Anointed One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Typology is often misunderstood and abused. A type is a divinely appointed prophetic symbol, usually of Christ. When a person or a thing is called a type, that does not alter its literal meaning or deny its historical reality. Cyrus was a Persian king, and we have no evidence that he ever really knew the true God, although the Persian religion was relatively free from the gross idolatries of the Babylonians. Consequently when it is asserted that Cyrus is a type of Christ, it is not said that he was like the Lord Jesus Christ in every respect. The only intended resemblance is in the fact that Cyrus was the anointed one who delivered the people of Israel from their captivity. As such he points us to the greater Anointed One who saves His people from their sins.” (Isaiah, the Salvation of Jehovah, pp. 77–78.)

Isaiah 43-44

Isaiah 43-44 Study Guide – to be discussed March 15
Day 1: Read Isaiah 43:1-7 (with footnotes 1a, 6b, 7a), Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:7
1. Read Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7 with Isaiah 43:1 and Isaiah 43:7. What verbs, used in Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7 in the context of God’s relationship with man, are repeated in both Isaiah 43:1 and Isaiah 43:7? What does this tell you about the Lord? About you?*


2. From Isaiah 43:2 and Isaiah 43:4, how do we know we can trust God?


3. Read Isaiah 43:5-7. What do these verses teach about the gathering of Israel and the power of Christ’s atonement to save and renew?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 43:8-13 (with footnotes 10a, 13a)
4. According to Isaiah 43:8, what two groups of people were/are being gathered? What rhetorical question is asked in Isaiah 43:9?


5. Read the footnote to Isaiah 43:10a. Who is being addressed, beginning in Isaiah 43:10? What are they/we being called to do or to be?


6. From Isaiah 43:10-13, list what the Lord said he has done for his people.



Day 3: Read Isaiah 43:14-21 (with footnotes 17a,b, 20a, 21a), Exodus 14:15-18, John 7:37-39
7. How does the Lord identify himself in Isaiah 43:15?


8. Read Exodus 14:15-18 with Isaiah 43:16-17. When, in Israel’s history, did the Lord make “a way in the sea” and extinguish “the chariot and horse”?


9. Looking forward, what did the Lord promise to do for his people in the future? (See Isaiah 43:19-20, also John 7:37-39.)


Day 4: Read Isaiah 43:22-28 (with footnotes 23a, 24a,b, 26a, 28a,b), Isaiah 1:11-13, Mark 12:28-34, D&C 97:8-9,
D&C 20:77, D&C 58:42-43
10. In Isaiah 43:22-24, the Lord reviews Israel’s history of disloyalty. How are we disloyal when we forget to pray (v. 22)?


11. Read Mark 12:28-34 and Isaiah 1:11-13 with Isaiah 43:23-24. Why were Israel’s ritual offerings scorned by the Lord? How can we make our offerings acceptable? (See also D&C 97:8-9.)


12. Compare Isaiah 43:25-28 with D&C 20:77 and D&C 58:42-43. List keys to repentance.

Day 5: Read Isaiah 44:1-8 (with footnote 3a), Deuteronomy 33:26, footnote “a”
13. Read the footnote to Deuteronomy 33:26a. What does “Jesurun” mean? To whom, then, is Isaiah 44:1-8 addressed?


14. List promised blessings from Isaiah 44:3-5.



15. Isaiah 44:6-8 issues a challenge to false gods to care for and prophesy for Israel as God has. How can we be “witnesses” (v.8) of who God is?


BONUS: List names or titles of Christ in Isaiah 44:6.


Day 6: Read Isaiah 44:9-20 (with footnotes 9b, 11a)
16. Isaiah 44:9-20 deals again with the evils of idol worship. List messages regarding the foolishness of idol worship from Isaiah 44:9-11.


17. In Isaiah 44:12-17, the Lord points out the simple facts of idol manufacture. Who fashions worldly idols? Out of what are they made?


BONUS: Read about how careful and precise idol makers are in their craft (Isaiah 44:13). How might exactness in worship of God overcome idol worship?


18. In Isaiah 44:18, the Lord points out that idol worshippers are as blind and numb as the graven images they worship. How are those whose hearts are set on things of this world living a lie, or feeding on ashes?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 44:21-28 (with footnote 21a)
19. Once again, who forms idols and of what are they made? Now, who formed man? Who formed the earth? Who remembers and redeems you? What are you made of?


20. How does the Lord support his own?


21. List the very specific promises in Isaiah 44:28.


*From the Institute manual: Isaiah 43:1–7 . A Shadow and a Type for One Who Is Called, Before He May Be Owned by the Lord. In these verses, as Isaiah promised the eventual restoration and regathering of Israel, he compared it to a person’s walking on a perilous journey where fire and flood threaten. The metaphor is as valid for an individual as it is for the house of Israel. The Lord called her by name, for Israel is the name given her by covenant and symbolizes the fact that she would eventually be preserved and belong to Him (see Genesis 32:28–30 ). He then promised that as she passed through the perils of her journey back He would be with her. Neither waters nor flood nor the fires of trial and persecution could take away His protection of His chosen people. There may also be a spiritual symbolism in these promises. When Israel escaped from Egypt, she passed through the water (the Red Sea) and was overshadowed with fire, the pillar of fire, and smoke (see Exodus 13:21–22 ; 14:21–22 ). Paul saw these phenomena as types or symbols of the baptism of water and the Holy Ghost (see 1 Corinthians 10:1–4 ). Here Isaiah showed Israel being gathered. One is gathered into the fold by becoming baptized; thus, the symbolism is both spiritually and temporally significant.