My Soul Delighteth in the Words of Isaiah Book of Mormon Lesson #9

Purpose: To inspire class members to read the prophecies of

Isaiah and to help them understand how these prophecies apply in their lives.

2 Nephi 2:11

And it shall come to pass that the ________________ looks of man shall be

___________________, an the haughtiness of men shall be ___________ down, and the Lord alone shall be _________________ in that day.

In 2 Nephi 2:6-21 we read that the Lord’s judgment will come upon the

worldly. President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Let

us choose to be humble”.

What are some ways that we can choose to become humble and to avoid the judgment that Isaiah is describing?

D&C 38:24 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jacob 4:10 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ D&C 64:10 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ D&C 58:43 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Nephi 11:11 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Moroni 10:32 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mosiah 2:16-17 __________________________________________________________________________________________________

The humble are easy to recognize They’re the one who do more than asked, more than required, and they do it with joy and grace. They are the ones who seek to served, not

be served. Retaliate not in kind, but in kindness. The humble read Jesus’ statement, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” and nod their heads. Whey they hear the

admonition, “He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it”, they understand. They have discovered what the world never will. Self help is no help. Self sacrifice is the way…the way to finding your purpose, your divine

destiny, your Savior.

Isaiah and Nephi testify of Jesus Christ’s redeeming power (2 Nephi 16; Isaiah 6)

Symbols in Isaiah 6

Verse Symbol Meaning

2 Seraphims with 3 pairs of wings

These angels have three pairs of wings. With one pair they covered their faces, a picture of reverence, of the impossibility of looking at the full glory of God. With one pair they covered their feet. The feet in scriptures are a picture of earthly personal activity. By covering their feet the angels are testifying that their authority is a derived authority; that it does not spring from them, but from the one that they worship and serve. With the final pair of wings the seraphim fly, a symbol of ceaseless activity and swiftness in service.

3 “Holy, holy, holy” The thrice repeated word, “holy” is a recognition of the three distinct members of the Godhead.

4 The voice of him that cried

According to John 12:41 Isaiah is seeing a vision of the Savior

4 smoke A cloud, a symbol of God’s presence, glory, and active participation in the unfolding events (Exodus 19:18)

5 Lips Scripture frequently uses the symbol of the lips, tongue or mouth, as revealing what is in the heart.

6-7 Coal The coal was not taken from the altar of incese but from the brazen altar in the courtyard where the sacrifices were offered. It speaks of the cost of redemption, the cost of forgiveness. It foreshadows the One who would lay down his life that we might be forgiven.

Isaiah 6:5

Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips amidst a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

When Isaiah beheld the glory and majesty of God it made him see himself in a new light,

for see God as He is, is to see man as is. When we see ourselves in the light of the greatness of God, we see, with Isaiah, how far we have fallen from that image. What other prophets

have felt inadequate after beholding the glory of God?

If you have ever felt this way, unworthy of all that the Lord has blessed you with, be grateful, for God never uses anybody without first bringing him to an awareness of his

own weakness. Nothing hinders our being used by God more than pride and self-sufficiency. When Isaiah saw the majesty, the glory, and the power of God, there came burning in his

heart a desire to be used of God, to have a part in God’s glorious work. But when he became aware of that desire, he also became aware that he was not fit to be used. This is not a

very pleasant way to feel, but it is a very hopeful place to be because, as Paul stated, “My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my

infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). As soon as we recognize our weakness we become able to depend entirely on Christ. Throughout the Bible

we learn that brokenness is strength. In other words, for God to use men and women to their fullest potential, the Lord needs to demonstrate a new kind of strength that is not human in origin. It is the strength from the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God, that

is provided by God. Paul was broken on the Damascus road, Peter was broken after Yeshua was taken prisoner, Jacob was broken at Peniel, and David was broken after his

sin with Bathsheba. The list could easily multiply of those the Lord had to break in different ways before they could be used in the Kingdom.

It is not until we experience brokenness that we see the frailty of human strength and

come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength. After acknowledging this, new strength emerges that God provides, His strength that He uses mightily. As Scripture tells us in 1 Samuel 2:4, “The bows of the warriors are broken, but

those who stumbled are armed with strength.” God resists the proud but gives grace, power, and strength to the humble. Do not fear weakness or brokenness, for it may be the

missing component to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength, not previously known. Pray for a broken and contrite heart that God will abundantly bless.

Choose to walk in faith, not fear; leaning in grace, not guilt. Hearing God’s voice more and your voice less.

How has God used your feelings of weakness and inadequacy to teach you about his power

and grace?

2 Nephi 21:1

And there shall come forth a _________ out of the stem of ______________, and a branch shall grow out of his ________________.

This verse hints at the fact that the Messiah will appear on the scene in a very obscure way. Like a great tree that has been cut down, the ancestry

of Jesus represented in David and his father Jesse has been reduced to obscurity and insignificance. But out of that lowly stump will arise a shoot,

a single sprout. When Jesus is referred to as “the son of David” in the gospels, it is always to frame his royal heritage. But, when he is called “the

root of Jesse”, it is a reference to his humble beginnings.

2 Nephi 21:2-4

This scripture testifies of seven of the divine gifts that the Savior will carry with him. They are the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of counsel, the spirit of the might, the

spirit of knowledge of the Lord, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord. These gifts correspond to the Jewish candlestick, the Menorah. A Menorah has a

central staff that parallels this phrase, “The spirit of the Lord will rest upon him”. Linked to that central staff are three pairs of light holders.

These correspond to the gifts of the spirit elucidated in this passage. The spirit of wisdom and the spirit of knowledge and understanding are linked together. Likewise, the spirit of counsel and of might and the spirit of the

knowledge of the Lord and the spirit of the fear of the Lord.

The first pair, The spirit of wisdom and knowledge speak of Jesus

The second pair, “the spirit of counsel and of might” speak of Jesus’ authority. Counsel is the ability to give good and right advice while might is the ability to help carry it out. This is described more fully in verse three,

“He shall not judge…”

The third pair, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord speaks of Jesus’ intimate relationship with the Father out of which flows the

amazing peace for which Jesus is known.

2 Nephi 23

Isaiah is prophesying of the destruction of Babylon. He says that Babylon would be destroyed for their pride and their refusal to bend their will to the will of the

Lord. If Jesus was utterly reliant upon the Savior how much more are we? What gift can you give that He did not give first? What truth can you teach

that he didn’t teach first? You give love, but who loved you first? You can serve, but who served the most?

Journal: What are the most important lessons you have learned from this study

of the worlds of Isaiah?