Saturday, February 15, 2014

Ohhh boy I made it to Isaiah….




























Well folks its that time of week again Old Testament post. We have got to the part of the Old Testament that I have been dreading, but it hasn't been that bad. Here are my questions and answers. I hope you enjoy!
(a) Isaiah is the only book of scripture that the Lord commanded by name that we should read and search diligently (see 3 Nephi 23:1). To better understand Isaiah, read 2 Nephi 25:1–7; 3 Nephi 20:11; 23:1–3 and the chapter in the institute student manual entitled “Enrichment E, Understanding Isaiah” (pgs. 131–35). If you were to explain to someone who didn’t understand Isaiah, and you could only emphasize three helps from this chapter, record which three you would choose and why.
The three helps I would recommend are search diligently,  use the Book of Mormon, and have the spirit of prophecy. Nephi states that we need to not only read Isaiah, but he states that we need to study Isaiah diligently. To study diligently means steady energetic effort. I feel that as we study Isaiah we can't read it just once we must re-read. After we re-read we need to use other scriptures to help understand. Another way to diligently search is to use the study helps like the Bible dictionary to decode what Isaiah was saying. My second help is use The Book of Mormon.I find it interesting the Nephi states "Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand". The he states the purpose for him putting Isaiah's writings in The Book of Mormon "that they may know the judgments of God". Nephi included Isaiah's writings because they are for us I feel that the Book of Mormon is written in a way for me to understand, so as I read the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon I will be able to understand it. The final help is to have the spirit of prophecy because that is something that Nephi specific states why people can't understand it. He states "Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not conceding the manner of prophesying". To have the spirit of prophecy with us we need to first pray for understanding before we read, and thank Heavenly Father when we are done. We need to be worthy to have the Holy Ghost, and we need to stay away from the things of darkness. I know that as you use these three things you will be able to understand the plainness of Isaiah. 
(b) The prophet Nephi quoted from the book of Isaiah as did the Savior when He ministered to the Nephites. In doing so they identified some of the major themes of the book of Isaiah. Read 1 Nephi 15:20; 19:23; 2 Nephi 11:2–5; 25:4–8; 3 Nephi 20:11–13 and the Bible Dictionary entry “Isaiah” (pg. 707). From what you read, list the prevalent themes in the book of Isaiah.
Some is Isaiah's major themes are: the restoration of the Jews, the gathering of the Jews, the Lord, the things of the Jews, events of his time, events beyond his time, the coming of the Redeemer, God requires righteousness, and Zion. 

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