Isaiah 61-64

Isaiah 61-64 Study Guide – to be discussed May 3

Day 1: Read Isaiah 61:1-3 (with footnote 1b), Luke 4:16-19
1. Read the chapter heading for Isaiah 61. From Isaiah 61:1-2, list what the Savior was anointed to do?


2. Read Isaiah 61:1-2 with Luke 4:16-20. Luke recorded in his gospel an account of Jesus reading these verses from Isaiah in Christ’s hometown of Nazareth. Why did the people who heard him first marvel, then become angry?


3. In Isaiah 61:3, we are taught something about the Lord’s mission and influence. List what the Lord wishes to give as replacement items for things less desirable. For example, he will give beauty in place of ashes. Why does he want to improve our situation?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 61:4-11 (with footnote 7b)
4. From Isaiah 61:4-6, what will be different when the Lord restores Israel to her promised state?


5. The term “double” in Isaiah 61:7 may have reference to the birthright blessings of Israel (see Deuteronomy 21:17). Of what two things does the Lord say Israel will receive a double portion?


6. Isaiah 61:10-11 gives us one of Isaiah’s songs of thanksgiving. List those things for which Isaiah was most grateful. How can we show gratitude for the tender mercies of the Lord?



Day 3: Read Isaiah 62:1-4 (with footnotes 4c,d)
7. Read the chapter heading for Isaiah 62. When will these prophecies occur?


8. How does the prophet describe righteousness and salvation in Isaiah 62:1?


9. From Isaiah 62:2-4, list promises to the righteous in the last days.*


Day 4: Read Isaiah 62:5-12 (with footnote 9a)
10. Note: The JST changes “thy sons” in Isaiah 62:5 to “thy God.” How is God’s relationship with his people like that of a bridegroom to his bride?


11. List promises to Israel from Isaiah 62:6-9.


12. As we approach Zion, the Lord admonishes us to “go through the gates” and prepare the way of the people. How can we build smooth roads today, inviting all to enter the gates of Zion?


Day 5: Read Isaiah 63:1-9 (with footnotes 1b, 2b, 6a), D&C 133:46-48
13. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 63. Who is described in Isaiah 63:1-2, coming from the east with garments dyed red? How does he travel and why is he coming?


14. Why are his garments dyed red? (See also D&C 133:46-48.)


15. Beginning in Isaiah 63:7, Isaiah describes the “lovingkindnesses” of the Lord. List examples of the Lord’s loving kindness, from Isaiah 63:7-9.


Day 6: Read Isaiah 63:10-19 (with footnotes 11a,c,e, 14a,c, 15c, 16b, 17a)
16. Why was the Holy Spirit “vexed,” according to Isaiah 63:10? How might we “vex” the Spirit today?


17. In Isaiah 63:11-14, Israel remembers how the Lord blessed his people in the past. List phrases from these verses that illustrate the Lord’s good care.


18. Isaiah offers up a prayer in Isaiah 63:15-19, in which he pleads for Israel. Using footnotes 15c, 16b, and 17a to help understand difficult phrases, rewrite Isaiah’s prayer in only four simple sentences.


Day 7: Read Isaiah 64:1-12
19. Using the chapter heading, for what does Israel pray in Isaiah 64?


20. Read Isaiah 64:1-5 with D&C 133:37-45. Both accounts suggest no one on earth can imagine the great blessings the Lord has prepared for those who wait for him. According to Isaiah 64:5, after our long wait, who will the Lord “meet”? (Note: The JST changes Isaiah 64:5-6 to read: “Thou meetest him that worketh righteousness, and rejoiceth in him that remembereth thee in thy ways; in righteousness there is continuance, and such shall be saved. But we have sinned; we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”)


21. In spite of (or because of?) our sins, we must look to our maker (or “potter”). How can we be more usable clay?



*From the Institute Manual, regarding Isaiah 62:4-5: Why Will the Lord Call Israel “Hephzi-bah” and “Beulah”? The words that Isaiah used to describe this latter-day condition of Zion are important. Hephzi-bah means “delightful” in Hebrew and may refer to Jerusalem and Zion’s latter-day righteousness. Beulah means “union” (see Isaiah 62:4 ). A marriage is once again the symbol of unity, but this time the marriage is not of the people and God but of the land and God. According to the Doctrine and Covenants, there will come a time when “the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided” ( D&C 133:24 ). In the days of Peleg the earth was divided into continents (see Genesis 10:25 ), but before that time it was all united in one land mass. The joining of the continents once again can be likened to a union or a marriage that is both hephzi-bah and beulah, that is, delightful and united. The lands, like a man and woman in holy wedlock, will be sealed by the authority of the one officiating (see JST, Isaiah 62:4–5 ).

Isaiah 58-60

Isaiah 58-60 Study Guide – to be discussed April 26
Day 1: Read Isaiah 58:1-7 (with footnotes 1c, 2a, 3d, 4b, 7c), D&C 59:12-14
1. Chapter 58 begins with the Lord speaking to Isaiah, instructing him to warn Israel. From Isaiah 58:1-3, what seems to be the problem with Israel’s worship?


2. In the first part of Isaiah 58:3, Israel asks the Lord why she has not been adequately blessed for her fasting. List the Lord’s responses in Isaiah 58:3-5.


3. Give the true purpose of fasting, as identified by the Lord in Isaiah 58:6-7.


BONUS: Read D&C 59:12-14. How can we improve our fasting?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 58:8-14 (with footnotes 8c, 9b, 10b, 11c)
4. List blessings of sincere fasting from Isaiah 58:8-11.


5. According to Isaiah 58:12, by what two names might we be called if we are obedient to the letter and spirit of the fast?


6. What is the “if-then” promise in Isaiah 58:13-14, regarding Sabbath worship? Why do you think this promise is included in Isaiah’s discourse on fasting?


Day 3: Read Isaiah 59:1-8 (with footnotes 2c, 8b), Bible Dictionary entry, “Cockatrice”
7. Isaiah 59:1-8 describes how Israel has distanced herself from God. What caused the separation?


8. How many times is the word “iniquity” used in Isaiah 59:1-8? List some of the sins cited by Isaiah in these verses.


9. What is a “cockatrice”? (See Bible Dictionary entry, “Cockatrice.”) What was Israel really “hatching”?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 59:9-15 (with footnotes 9a, 14a)
10. In Isaiah 59:9-15, Israel begins to recognize and confess her sins. How is living a sinful life like walking in darkness?


11. How do our sins testify against us (Isaiah 59:12)?


12. Isaiah 59:14 states, “truth is fallen in the street, and equity [honesty] cannot enter.” What conditions might these phrases indicate? What kind of society allows this to happen? How does that society typically treat those who want to repent?


Day 5: Read Isaiah 59:16-21 (with footnotes 16a,d, 19a)
13. Beginning in the last half of Isaiah 59:15, the Lord responds to repentant Israel with merciful promises. List promises from Isaiah 59:16-18.


14. Why will people reverence the name of the Lord from east to west? When might this prophecy have fulfillment?


15. In Isaiah 59:21, the Lord speaks of his covenant with Israel. What will he do for his people, and for how long?


Day 6: Read Isaiah 60:1-9 (with footnotes 1a, 2a,c, 5a,b,c, 8a)
16. Read the chapter heading for Isaiah 60. When will the events described in this chapter have fulfillment?


17. According to the footnote to Isaiah 60:2a, what does the darkness in verse 2 represent? Whose light will draw Gentiles to Zion?


18. Midian, Ephah, Sheba, Kedar and Nebaloth represent countries historically considered enemies of Israel (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, etc.). What will these nations bring when they come to Zion?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 60:10-22 (with footnotes 11b, 13b, 21b, 22c)
19. What does it indicate when a city’s gates are “open continually” (Isaiah 60:11)? (See also Revelation 21:25)


20. According to Isaiah 60:14, how will Israel’s former enemies behave when they come to Zion?


21. List blessings to which we can look forward, as explained in Isaiah 60:18-22.



From the Institute manual: Isaiah 59:16–21 . What Time Periods Do These Verses Refer To?
Isaiah 59:16–21 refers to Jesus Christ, our intercessor with the Father. He came to earth because “there was no man” and “there was no intercessor” ( v. 16 ) for the people. If the Savior had not been sent, our state, because of iniquity, would have been grim indeed (see vv. 1–15 ; compare 2 Nephi 9:8–9 ). Therefore, Jesus was sent to earth. “His arm brought [man’s] salvation unto him,” which was possible because “his righteousness, it sustained him,” much as a breastplate protects a soldier in battle ( v. 16 ). On His head was a “helmet of salvation,” and He was clothed in “garments of vengeance,” for He deals with men “according to their deeds” ( vv. 17–18 ).
When the Savior comes again, He will “come to Zion,” and if Jacob, or the house of Israel, will “turn from transgression” ( v. 20 ) to the Lord, He will place His Spirit upon them. Elder Orson Pratt said of that promise: “Certainly Jesus, when he came eighteen centuries ago, did not turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for they then were filling up their cup with iniquity. They have remained in unbelief from that day to this; hence, there did not come a Deliverer out of Zion eighteen centuries ago. But the Zion of the last days, that Zion that is so frequently and so fully spoken of by the ancient prophets, especially by Isaiah, is the Church and kingdom of God; and out of that Church or kingdom or Zion is to come a Deliverer, who will turn away ungodliness from Jacob after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (In Journal of Discourses, 14:64.)

Isaiah 55-57

Isaiah 55-57 Study Guide – to be discussed April 19

Day 1: Read Isaiah 55:1-7, 2 Nephi 26:23, 2 Nephi 9:50-51
1. Read Isaiah 55:1-2 with 2 Nephi 26:23-27. What do the waters, wine, milk and bread represent; or in other words, what does the Lord offer us at no charge? (See also 2 Nephi 9:50-51.)



2. According to Isaiah 55:3, what are the “sure mercies of David”?


3. When should we seek the Lord and call upon him? Why?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 55:8-13 (with footnote 13a), Moses 6:63
4. How does the Lord say his thoughts and ways are different from our thoughts and ways?


5. How is the word of God like rain?



6. Read Isaiah 55:12-13 with Moses 6:63. How does the earth bear witness of the divinity of Christ?



Day 3: Read Isaiah 56:1-8
7. Compare Isaiah 56:1-2 with the first phrase in the chapter heading for Isaiah 56. How can we “keep judgment” and “do justice”?


8. What is the promise to the faithful in Isaiah 56:5?



9. Which specific commandment is mentioned three times in Isaiah 56:1-8?*


Day 4: Read Isaiah 56:9-12 (with footnote 9a), John 10:12-13
10. When the watchmen are blind and watchdogs dumb, what happens to those they watch over?


11. Whose interests are the shepherds and dogs concerned with?


12. What has caused the watchmen to be blind? (See also John 10:12-13.)


Day 5: Read Isaiah 57:1-6 (with footnotes 3a, 5b), D&C 59:1-2
13. Read Isaiah 57:1-2 with D&C 59:1-2. What comfort does the Lord offer those whose righteous friends or family members have died?
14. The footnote to Isaiah 57:3a indicates those whom the Lord condemns are not born into evil, but have chosen it. List the sins mentioned in Isaiah 57:4-5.



15. Note: The German translation for the first part of Isaiah 57:6 reads (in English): “You base your whole existence on your false god, idols! You have chosen them over me, therefore, you will have to depend on them for your reward.” How does the Lord feel about our relying on idols? Does idol worship require faith?



Day 6: Read Isaiah 57:7-12 (with footnotes 7a, 8a, 9a, 10b)
16. How do we make “covenants” with idols today?


17. How far will people go to find new ways to sin? Are there really any new ways? Why do people do this?



18. Who do we fear most when we forget our covenants?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 57:13-21 (with footnotes 14a, 17c, 19a), Proverbs 10:2
19. Where and with whom does the Lord dwell?


20. Who will the Lord heal?


21. Why is there no peace for the wicked? (See also Proverbs 10:2.)


*From the Institute Manual: Isaiah 56:1–8 . Who Are the “Son of the Stranger” and the “Eunuch”? What Is Their Significance? To understand Isaiah’s meaning in 56:1–8 , one must understand the significance of three words and their meaning to ancient Israel. The words are Sabbath, strangers, and eunuchs. Sabbath. Modern readers think only of Sunday, or the Lord’s day, as the Sabbath, but for ancient Israel Sabbath had a wider meaning. The weekly sabbath was only one of several days called the Sabbath. All of the feast days, including Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, and the day of Atonement, were also called sabbaths (see Samuel Fallows, ed., The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia and Scriptural Dictionary, s.v. “Sabbath”; James Hastings, ed., A Dictionary of the Bible, s.v. “Sabbaths.”) Thus, to “keep my sabbaths [plural]” ( v. 4 ) implied a keeping of the whole law of Moses, since the various feasts covered many aspects of the Israelites’ commitment to God. Also, by revelation, the Lord told Moses that keeping the Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between Israel and God (see Exodus 31:13, 16–17 ). When Isaiah talked about polluting the Sabbath, he meant far more than simply working or playing on Sunday (Saturday for the Jews). Strangers. “A stranger in the Mosaic law, and in the Old Testament generally, means one not of Israelitish descent dwelling with the Hebrews, as distinguished from a foreigner temporarily visiting the land [ Exodus 20:10 ; Leviticus 16:29 ; 17:8 ; 2 Samuel 1:13 ; Ezekiel 14:7 ]. The stranger was not a full citizen, yet he had recognized rights and duties. He was under the protection of God, and the Israelites were charged to treat him kindly [ Leviticus 19:33–34 ; Deuteronomy 10:18–19 ].” (Fallows, ed., Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. “strangers.”) Eunuchs. Under the Mosaic law, anyone who had been sexually mutilated was not allowed into full fellowship in the house of Israel (see Deuteronomy 23:1–2 ). The law was likely written because wholeness of body typified or symbolized spiritual wholeness. (See Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel [religion 301, 2003], pp. 229–30 .) A priest or Levite who was a eunuch could not function in the priesthood offices (see Leviticus 21:17–23 ).
With an understanding of these three words, one can see the beauty of Isaiah’s promise given in Isaiah 56 . Strangers (Gentiles) and eunuchs (those previously excluded from full fellowship with the covenant people, and who felt they could produce no fruit in the covenant, being “a dry tree” [ v. 3 ]) would now find the full blessings of God extended to them if they kept the sabbaths (epitomizing the law of God). Not only will the “outcasts of Israel” (those who were scattered) be gathered in the last days, but so will “others” ( v. 8 ). Whether one is a literal descendant of Israel will not matter as much as whether one will make and keep the covenant with God. In the age of restoration, the house of God will be “an house of prayer for all people” ( v. 7 ; emphasis added).