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 ).
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