3 Nephi 20-26

The Chosen People

On the second day of his visit to America, Christ talked about his covenants with the House of Israel, and told the Nephites that they were included in the family of Abraham.

”And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you… ”And behold, ye are the children  of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” (3 Nephi 20:22, 25) 

So today we are going to discuss why this was important, and what relevance it has to us.

           

Ask your class: By show of hands, how many of you in this class are members of the House of Israel, descendants of Abraham? If your hand isn’t up, raise it.  Being a member of the Church means being of the House of Israel.  When any member of the Church receives a patriarchal blessing, he finds out which of the tribes of the house of Israel he belongs to. 

           

The Lord made a marvelous covenant with Abraham.  How did this Abrahamic Covenant come to pass? What is necessary to receive any blessing or revelation of the Lord?  Desire, of course!  And worthiness.  

“And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.” (Abraham 1:2)  

Abraham had been “a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge,” but he was not content with this level of spirituality (remember last week’s lesson?) and he desired to be a “greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God,” therefore, he received the Priesthood, the “right of the firstborn.”  ”I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed.”  (Abraham 1:4) 

After receiving the Priesthood, because of his faith and desire, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham.  Because of this covenant, the House of Israel, or the descendants of Abraham, have been called the Chosen People.

Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant

1)      LAND: A promised land (Genesis 13:14-15; 3 Nephi 20:14)

2)      SEED:  A great posterity (Genesis 13:16; Abraham 2:9)

3)      PRIESTHOOD:  The Priesthood and its attached gospel (Abraham 2:9)

4)      MINISTRY TO THE WORLD:  The opportunity/ability to share all this with all the families of the earth (Abraham 2:10-11; 3 Nephi 20:25)

Foreordination to the House of Israel

Let’s discuss why these people were favored of the Lord.  If we imagine that it’s just by luck that any given person was born into the family of Abraham, then God is a respecter of persons.  But it isn’t just luck.  It’s a grand foreordination.  Elder Melvin J. Ballard said that Israel is “a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world…Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came.”  (quoted in Robert L. Millet, The Power of the Word, p. 212)  Therefore—and here I’m quoting Robert Millet—when the Patriarch declares your lineage in your patriarchal blessing, it is “as much a statement about who and what we were as it is about who we are now and what we may become.”  (The Power of the Word, p. 213)

The Responsibilities of the Chosen People

Elder Russell M. Nelson has said, “Once we know who we are and the royal lineage of which we are a part, our actions and directions in life will be more appropriate to our inheritance.”  (The Power of the Word, p. 214) I think this is why Christ spent so much time talking about the covenant with the Nephites.

A previous group of Nephites felt that they were a chosen people, only they had the idea twisted.  As you recall, the Zoramites had a podium in their chapel called the Rameumptom which had room for only one person on top of it. The person on the top would offer the prayer recorded in Alma 31:15-18, wherein they would say, “We believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren…we believe that thou has elected us to be they holy children…thou hast elected us that we shall be saved whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell…And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.”

           

To the Zoramites, being a chosen people meant exclusivity.  It meant being elevated, like on a spiritual Rameumptom, with no room for anyone else to join them.  It meant a separation between them and everyone else.  I think that many of the Jews in Jerusalem at Christ’s time felt the same way.  But this is not how the Chosen People should feel.

           

Kent Jackson, associate professor of ancient scriptures at Brigham Young University, says, “Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when gospel blessings have been on the earth, they have been made available through the House of Israel.  Thus, Abraham’s and Sarah’s descendants are a chosen people. They are chosen not because they have an easier path to salvation, or because God loves them more than other people.  They are chosen to service, in the same sense that individual Latter-day Saints are chosen for callings in the Church.” (Ensign, February 1990, p. 53)

FINDING OTHERS ONCE YOU ARE FOUND

An excellent example of members of the House of Israel gathering a new member into the fold in the year 1946 is found in the story, “Soldiers Were My Missionaries,” told by Kenneth D. Newman (Ensign, February 1990, pp. 47-49)  (You may, however, have equally uplifting stories of "gathering" among your own ward members, if you ask.  You can use this one as a back-up, or in case you have extra time.)

 

I don't have any pictures from 1946, 
but here's one from 2010:

 Army Basic Training Graduation 
at Fort Benning, Georgia

“Serving in the United States Army was a great opportunity for me, in view of the rich friendships I made, the goals I began to perceive for myself, and most important—exposure to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ…

“Two enlisted men from Utah gave freely of their time and shared their testimonies of the gospel. They made available many books dealing with the restored church…My LDS friends in the service also conducted some study meetings in the barracks…"

 Army Barracks at Fort Benning, Georgia
(I took the previous photographs in this blog post and hold the copyright.  
You are free to use them for any teaching purpose.)

“One evening during an instruction period, one of the elders said to me, after discussing Joseph Smith’s vision and the Word of Wisdom, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know for yourself, as we know, that our message of the Restoration is true? Surely you don’t want to sit on the fence for the rest of your life, wondering whether it is true.’

“I guess I replied in a rather noncommittal way. They then bore strong personal witness and made a specific challenge to me concerning the Word of Wisdom. One said, “I promise you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that if you will make the attempt to stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, and if you will pray about our message, the sure knowledge will be given you by the Spirit.

“The witness and the promise were too much for me to ignore. I tried to dismiss the urgings, and tossed that night in my bunk. I had seen these young men kneel nightly at their bunks, even when all kinds of distractions surrounded them, to pray fervently. I had observed how they faithfully sent home to their bishops that small part of an enlisted man’s modest pay in tithing. I had measured their behavior against the rest of us, their clean living habits and their wholesome attitude about their assignments; and I felt the bonds of our friendship and love…

“As I served as battery clerk for our battalion, it seemed every visitor to our headquarters office that morning was giving instead of ‘bumming’ cigarettes. I had to say no many times. During lulls in the work, I would find myself reaching for the shirt pocket where the cigarettes were always kept. I paced and swore. By noon I figured a few ‘drags’ on one cigarette couldn’t hurt. I went to the recreation room to light up, only to find the elders there, having sought me out to lend encouragement to my attempts to stop smoking. I later learned they were fasting for my success…

“But prayer finally won out. I dropped to my knees and asked for help and enlightenment—to know whether Joseph Smith, Jr., was visited by the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I waited; nothing happened. The fog was damp and chilling. The rocks hurt my knees. The thought passed through my mind, ‘It’s the same. My prayer isn’t going to have any different result than all the others through the years. I’m not going to get an answer.’ I arose.

” But at that moment I felt a surge of energy pass over me, through me, around me, until I dropped back upon my knees. The feeling intensified, subsided, repeated its motion, lifting me seemingly, gently receding, then pressing forward again. My entire being seemed filled with this sweetness. I let it happen. For a time I felt like I was a part of the ocean—the rhythm was the same. I seemed purged of all ugliness and doubt, and they were replaced with the witness of the Holy Ghost. It was not a momentary lapse into nothingness, but an extended period of enlightenment. I wanted the experience to stay with me, to sustain me, and for a long while I remained on my knees.

“When finally I arose, new waves of spiritual strength enveloped me, and I began walking, first hesitantly, then briskly, and finally I ran back to the barracks, up the stairs, two or three at a time, and burst into the large room where we bunked. I sought out the elders and told them I knew for myself about Joseph’s first vision and mission. It was a hallowed time.

“One of them said, ‘We’ve got to get you baptized.’…

“Nothing I have ever done, nothing I have ever learned in college and years of applied working skills can compare to the simple truth that I learned that night in prayer; and no decision I have ever made in life—in family, in church, in business—compares to that decision to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never made so wise and so fulfilling a choice.”

Conclusion

“Those of Israel who follow the Light of Christ in this life will be led eventually to the higher light of the Holy Ghost and will come to know and come unto him.  In time they come to know of their noble heritage and of the royal blood that flows through their veins.  They come to earth with a predisposition to receive truth, with an inner attraction to the message of the gospel.  ‘My sheep hear my voice,’ the Master said, ‘and I know them, and they follow me’ (John 10:27)”  (Robert Millet, p. 214)  

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.”  (3 Nephi 20:39)

It is our responsibility as found members of the House of Israel to find the others who are literal descendants of the family.  W. J. Cameron said, “God’s grading is always upward.  If He raises up a nation, it is that other nations may be raise up through its ministry…The divine selection is not a prize, a compliment paid to the man or the race—it is a burden imposed.” (ibid., p. 214)

But it is a glorious and joyful burden.  

“And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” (3 Nephi 20:40)

(For a little more on the Abrahamic Covenant, see Old Testament Lesson #7.)



THE IMPORTANCE OF MALACHI

When Lehi left Jerusalem, he took with him the Brass Plates.  These plates contained many of the same books that we find in our Old Testament.  But there was a very important book that was not included, and that was the book of Malachi.  The name Malachi means "messenger," and that's about all we know about the authorship of the book.  The reason it wasn't in the Brass Plates was very simple:  It wasn't written yet.  It wasn't written until nearly 200 years after Lehi left.  but the Lord felt that this scripture was so important that he brought it to the Nephites personally.  On the second day of his visit to America after his resurrection, after reciting a passage from Isaiah, he recited chapters 3 and 4 of Malachi to them.  We find them recorded as 3 Nephi 24 and 25.  This passage is so important and so relevant to us of the latter days that Moroni recited it to Joseph Smith three times on the night he first visited him in his bedroom.  This is the passage we get to study today.

 This is what happened after Jesus recited the words of Malachi:

"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he did expound all things unto them, both great and small."  (3 Nephi 26:1)

So what did Jesus tell them about this scripture as he "expounded" upon it?  We can read the whole chapter and not find out.  

"And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; but behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people."  (3 Nephi 26:6-7)

If we had the big plates, the Plates of Nephi, we could read about it, but we don't have them yet.  Yet!  This scripture is a test for us.

"And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them."   (3 Nephi 26:9)

This photo comes from lds.org and may be

copied and used for the classroom

If we totally exhaust the Book of Mormon with our study, then we will get the Plates of Nephi and that will be a great blessing.  But that's not the only consequence of the test.  There is a bad one as well, if we flunk.

"And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them unto their condemnation.  Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people."  (3 Nephi 26:10)

If we don't "use up" the Book of Mormon and never get the Plates of Nephi, we're going to be in big trouble. President Spencer W. Kimball said, "I have had many people ask me through the years, 'When do you think we will get the balance of the Book of Mormon records?' and I have said, 'How many in the congregation would like to read the sealed portion of the plates?'  And almost always there is a 100-percent response.  And then I ask the same congregation, 'How many of you have read the part that has been opened to us?'  And there are many who have not read the Book of Mormon, the unsealed portion.  We are quite often looking for the spectacular, the unobtainable.  I have found many people who want to live the higher laws when they do not live the lower laws" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 531-532).

So, we are left to try to figure out Malachi for ourselves, and our willingness to try is part of our test.  So let's see what we can do with it today.

MALACHI 3--THE ACCUSATIONS

"Thus said the Father unto Malachi--Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

"But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?  For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." (3 Nephi 24:1-3)

This passage tells us the Lord is going to come again, and asks the question, "Who may abide the day of his coming?"  The answer is those who have been purified by His Atonement.  

And in this chapter, the Lord makes two accusations of wrongdoing.  Since this chapter was given to Joseph Smith and is about the latter days, these accusations apply to us.  We've got to take care of these wrongs in order to qualify to be purified.  After each accusation, the children of the Lord (us) ask the Lord a question, the kind of question kids often ask their parents when they are in trouble, a "what do you mean? what did I do?" kind of a question.  The Lord answers and explains, and then tells what blessings will come if we change and correct the wrong.

(Divide the class in two and have half of the class study the first accusation [verses 7-12] and the other half study the second accusation [verses 13-17].)

The first accusation is found in verse 7:

"Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.  Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts.  But ye say: Wherein shall we return?"  The word "return" might more clearly be translated as "turn" or "change."  So Team One needs to find out what actions we need to change, or in what ways we need to turn toward the Lord, and what blessings we will get if we change.  I found 4 distinct blessings; see what you find.

(Write on the board: "What did we do wrong?")

The second accusation is in verse 13:

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord.  Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee?"
Team Two can find out what we have said that is wrong, and what 3 blessings we will receive if we change.

(Write on the other side of the board:  "What did we say wrong?")

What Did We Do Wrong?
We've been lax in paying our tithing.  Howard W. Hunter compared not paying tithing to embezzlement.  "The Lord's share came into his hands lawfully, but he misappropriated it to his own use."  (April 1964 General Conference)  Ezra Taft Benson said, "Tithing is not a donation.  It is not optional...It is a commandment."  (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 470)  Dean L. Larsen said, "For many who live in conditions of poverty, there may be no other way to escape their impoverishment than to give obedience to this law."  (October 1994 General Conference)

The blessings:  1) Opening of the windows of heaven, 2) the rebuking of the devourer, 3) the growth and preservation of crops [or possibly other types of profits], 4) being respected by all nations.

Money from Philippines,

in honor of my reader who teaches there

Regarding the blessings that come to tithe-payers, Harold B. Lee said, "The opening of the windows of heaven, of course, means revelations from God to him who is willing thus to sacrifice."  (Harold B. Lee, October 1971 General Conference.)  One clear evidence of this blessing is found in temple-building.  Tithing builds temples, and it is my understanding that areas with a majority of full tithe payers are the areas considered for temples.  Of course, the temple is a really big "window to heaven."

What Did We Say Wrong?
We've been jealous of those with the "easy" life of entertaining themselves on the Sabbath, not keeping the commandments, living by their own rules, spending their money on luxuries precluded by our tithes and donations, wearing what they like, eating and drinking what they like, living unmarried if they like.  It looks like they are having fun all the time.  (Think:  beer commercials.)  Sometimes, when we get tired of doing our duties or when our trials get hard, we look with envy on the neighbors without them.  We say, "What good is it to live the gospel, when those people look so happy?"  But, "When all of the evidence is in, the world's graduate school of hard knocks will teach what you young men were taught in the kindergarten of your spiritual training.  'Wickedness never was happiness'" (Glenn Pace, October 1987 General Conference)

The blessings:  1) their names are recorded in the Lord's book of remembrance, 2) they will belong to the Lord's family and fall under his protection, 3) they will be spared (at the judgment, and also from the trials of sin in this life).

MALACHI 4--THE JUDGMENT

Now, Malachi tells what is going to happen if you are on the right side or the wrong side at the judgment day.  It may not be readily apparent in this life that things go better if you're righteous, but there will be no doubt that the Lord rewards the righteous there and makes all things fair.

"For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

"But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall."  (3 Nephi 25:1-2)  Calves in the stall are provided with shelter, with food, with a caring owner, with every need met.  Besides being "burned as [in] an oven" the wicked will be left "without root or branch:"  without their parents and ancestors, without their children and descendants.  We occasionally hear stories in the news of people whose homes burn to the ground, "but," they say, "we still have each other; all our family got out safely," and that makes it a happy ending.  The wicked will suffer the fire as well as losing their family, so they will truly lose everything.  Families are the real treasures, one of the few treasures we can take with us to the next life.

 The copyright of this photo of my brother 
Gary Wyatt's family is held by him, 

but you may use it for teaching purposes.

In the Old Testament, Malachi is the very last book, and these are the very last verses we read before we start reading about the Savior's birth in Matthew of the New Testament:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (3 Nephi 25:5-6 or Malachi 4:5-6)

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the word "turn" here could better be translated as "bind" or "seal."  This is the blessing that will be of great worth to the righteous; the opportunity to belong to our families in the eternities.

ISAIAH 54--THE LATTER DAYS

This would be a good point to backtrack a little and overview what the Lord quoted to the Nephites from Isaiah, recorded in chapter 22 because there are a few real gems here.  I'll elaborate on four:

First, (verse 2-3) the church will spread over the earth, and that church organization can be a protection and a strength to us, as a tent is in a storm.

This photo of the Brigham City temple

was taken by my friend, Debbie Raymond,

who holds the copyright.

It may be used for church or home purposes.

Second, the Savior takes care of those who are without family or spouse in this life:

"For thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel--the God of the whole earth shall he be called.  For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit...For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee...for the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."  (3 Nephi 22:5-6, 10)

Although we in the church often refer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, as our Brother, He never refers to Himself as such in the scriptures.  He refers to Himself as our Father, the one whose name we take upon ourselves when we come into His kingdom/family.  His perfection and Atonement put Him on a peak so far above us that we hardly seem to be siblings. He calls us friends, He calls us His children if we qualify, but He never calls us siblings.  And it seems too casual, almost, for us to do so.  

BUT, here in 3 Nephi, to those who are bereft of a companion here on the earth, who are alone, who feel rejected, who have been widowed, abused, divorced, or never married, He refers to Himself in an even more intimate association: Husband!  And to emphasize the incredible power of this Husband, he flanks that title with several other mighty identities:

• "Thy Maker"--the God of the universe, the Creator 
• "The Lord of Hosts"--the all powerful leader of the heavenly army, the one in charge of the outcomes of earthly battles as well
• "Thy Redeemer"--a title in ancient Israel that refered to a kinsman who would cover the debts of a family member in trouble, saving them from slavery
• "The Holy One of Israel"--the one who is perfect and without sin, and is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose works are well-known throughout the Old Testament

(See Susan Ward Easton [now Black], "Names of Christ in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, July 1978)

This photo from lds.org and free to copy for class.

And thirdly, to those who are have been challenged by, unsuccessful in, unsure of, or helpless in their roles as righteous parents, whose children may have wandered, He gives this wonderful promise:

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children."  (3 Nephi 22:13).  Many translations of the Bible clarify this verse by substituting "all thy children shall be taught by the Lord," which does work very well with Hebrew word usage.  In the last days, through the Holy Ghost, through our temple covenants, the Lord will teach all of the children of the righteous, not just those who are at church each week or who are agreeable at family home evening, but even those who have strayed.

 President Hinckley teaching children.

This photo from lds.org and free to copy for class.

And lastly, although there will be a lot of trouble of all sorts in our day, we can take comfort in the final verses of this passage, which President Ezra Taft Benson always carried in his wallet, and which he displayed on his desk:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."  (from his funeral, reported in the July 1994 Ensign, p. 82)

THE IMPORTANCE OF RECORD-KEEPING

Jesus, in chapter 23, emphasized how important record-keeping is to him.  He asked Nephi to bring their records forth, and he went through them and said, "Why can't I find the story of Samuel the Lamanite here?  Didn't he come?  Didn't he prophesy a lot of important things?  Didn't these things all come to pass?  Didn't a lot of the righteous rise from the dead?"  And he commanded those things to be written.

Likewise, can we imagine Jesus saying to us, "Didn't I answer your prayer?  Didn't I heal you when you were sick?  Didn't you feel my Spirit in that fast and testimony meeting?  Didn't I tell you the Book of Mormon was true?  Why have these things not been written down?"  If we record the workings of God in our lives, our journals can become our personal scriptures, through which we can strengthen our own testimonies as we re-read them, and through which we can teach our children's children's children long after we are gone.

Old Testament Lesson #36 "The Glory of Zion Will Be a Defense"

Isaiah 1-6

APPRECIATING ISAIAH

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto is commonly considered one of the most challenging piano pieces ever written.  It is not often performed because it is so difficult to play (although it is often used in international competitions for the very same reason), and it requires skill on the part of the listener to understand it and enjoy it. 

You can hear the great Russian pianist, Vladimir Horowitz, play this piece with the New York Philharmonic if you click here. (By the way, Rachmaninoff, when he heard Horowitz perform it, said he would never play it himself again.)

1) Listen to the first 24 seconds of music, and notice the beautiful melody that is played on the piano. This is the main theme of the piece, the part you will find yourself singing the rest of the day, if you listen to the entire movement. This phrase is an antecedant, or a question.  You can hear how it is open-ended; it goes upwards; it sounds incomplete.  Later on, of course, there is a similar phrase that "answers" it, and provides a feeling of closure.

2) Listen to those 24 seconds again, and this time, notice that it is not a single note that is being played, but two notes in different registers.  The pianist's skill deceives us into thinking it is one note at a time, but having the two sets of strings ringing at once gives a richer, more beautiful ringing sound.

3) Listen to it again and hear how the bassoon brings in its voice in the background to provide a complementary melody.  It adds a melancholy feel.

4) Listen again, and notice the first thing you actually hear, before the piano or the bassoon, is the bass violin providing a backbeat, lending a sense of urgency.  (The Beatles were not the first to use a backbeat.)  Although you don't really notice it, it draws you in, and carries you away throughout the piece.  It keeps you from relaxing.  It provides an anxious heartbeat.

5) If you continue to listen beyond the first 24 seconds, you hear this main theme repeated in the string section, with the pianist accompanying.  You hear it come up again and again, with different feelings, sometimes with great dissonance and chords that crash together with great pathos.  (Unfortunately, YouTube only allows 10-minute segments, so you don't get to hear the entire movement played by Horowitz.  You can find it in other places on the internet, however, played by other pianists.)

I love this piece more every time I listen to it, because I pick up something new each time.  I also love it because I was able to hear it for the first time at the International Tchaikovsky Competition at the Moscow Conservatory during the one evening my husband and I had available on my first reluctant trip to Russia--an amazing coincidence.  I had never heard the complete concerto live, and, being a pianist and a piano teacher myself, I had long wanted to, so this blessing was tailored to my desire.  So, in addition to enjoying the depth and meaning of the piece itself, there is a depth and feeling of love that accompanies it for me, as I remember my Heavenly Father's gift to me that day.  Hearing this performance was a high point of my "musical life."  I don't think I will ever tire of listening to Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, and having learned something about the composer since, I have a great desire to meet him myself in the next life.

There are all kinds of music to enjoy.  Some of it is just fun, and very easy to understand, like, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.  She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."  The message is: She loves him.  A three-year-old could figure it out.  But this concerto isn't lightweight, wallpaper-type music that you can listen to in the background while you are doing something else.  It requires rapt attention.  You have to sit down in front of the speakers.  You have to close your eyes.  You have to be uninterrupted.

Isaiah is to gospel literature as Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto is to music. Isaiah requires commitment.  You don't just breathe it in; you have to sit down at the table with your knife and fork.  But, like the concerto, you can also enjoy it and gain something from it in your very first reading, and each time you come back to it, you can pick up a little more.  As significant events happen in your spiritual life, the Lord may speak to you through the scriptures, and then you add the depth of feeling that accompanied that experience.  You are moved as you hear Isaiah performed musically, such as in Handel's Messiah (40:1-5, 11; 53:3-6), in the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation" (41:10; 43:2), and in other sacred songs (40:31; 52:7).  You gain a desire to one day meet the Author of those passages, Jesus Christ.  Additional feelings may be evoked when you see Isaiah in unexpected places, such as in front of the United Nations Building in New York City, below (2:4). 

Each time you read it, you love it more, and you understand it better. There are so many levels, you will never reach the bottom of Isaiah. In fact, Isaiah was commanded to make his writings hard to understand (6:9-10) that those who were not sincere would not be quickly converted, fall away, and then be held responsible for knowing better than they were willing to behave. You have to pay a price to understand Isaiah, therefore you receive more joy with each bit of understanding you gain. Christ commanded the Nephites to "search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Ne. 23:1) "Note the word diligently. Casually doesn't work; we've already tried that" (Gary Poll).

STUDYING ISAIAH

You can study Isaiah so many ways:

1) You can simply read it, enjoying the rhythm and beauty of the words.

2) You can pick it apart into tiny pieces, word by word, noting minute details, and researching them in depth.  (See ideas for storing your information in a previous entry.)

3) You can watch for repetitions of the main themes.  (See ideas in the next section.)

4) You can follow different aspects, like the different voices of the orchestra, such as the geography, the poetic style of the day (see a previous blog entry for help with that), the symbolism, references to mountains and temples, the historical time periods, etc.

5) You can take advantage of the many references and commentaries available in the LDS scriptures, starting with the footnotes about alternate translations and the Joseph Smith Translation, and the commentary provided in the Book of Mormon.  The best references for interpreting scriptures are always other scriptures.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie said you cannot really understand Isaiah without the Book of Mormon.  It is "the world's greatest commentary on Isaiah."  Not only does the Book of Mormon quote 446 verses of Isaiah, and comment on many of them, it also brings the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, which will heighten understanding.  So read the Book of Mormon as you read the Old Testament.

6) Each time the Old Testament comes around in Sunday School study, you could purchase another book of commentary by an LDS gospel scholar. Unlike the Ethiopian in Acts 8:27-31, we have no need to ask, "How can I understand except some man should guide me?" when so many books are available to us.

7) You can create an "emergency spiritual food storage" for times of trial to come, by highlighting in a different color all the verses you find about the mercy and love of the Lord.   

SOME MAIN THEMES FOUND IN ISAIAH

The Lord is Ever Merciful

"A correct knowledge of God's character traits and attributes, his personality and disposition, is of vital import in mankind's quest for exaltation...We must know a Being who asks our all before we can place trust, faith, and ultimately, our complete submission on the altar. Isaiah addresses this theme at the very onset of his writing and weaves it as a cord throughout." (Mark Eastmond)

Pattern of the Old Testament:
1)Statement of the problem; 2)Consequences, 3)Statement of the Cure, 4)Reason for Hope

1) The Problem:  The children of Israel don't know they belong to God. (1:2-4)
2) The Consequences:  Wounds, bruises, sickness, desolation. (1:5-7)
3) The Cure: Wash you, put away evil, relieve the oppressed, seek justice for the fatherless. (1:16-17)
4) The Hope: Sins as scarlet will be white as snow, the good of land will be a reward. (1:18-19) (Michael Wilcox)

God's Plan to Fulfill His Covenant

"Isaiah blends the imagery of the tabernacle from his day, the mortal and postmortal mission of Christ, and the restoration of the gospel and construction of temples in the latter-days to reveal the Lord's plan for restoring the children of Israel to the covenant.  Isaiah blends these ideas over and over, going back and forth in both time and event, leaving readers to engage themselves more in the finished tapestry than to look for each individual thread."

1) Many of the house of Israel will die before receiving the covenant.

2) Christ must come and open the way for all people to be taught the gospel and enter into the presence of God.

3) "Mountains" (temples) will provide a way whereby all, including the dead, may receive the covenant.

4) The Gentiles of the latter days will be instrumental in helping ancient Israel receive the covenant.  (Michael King)

Isaiah is written in "3-D," or is multi-dimensional.  There is more than one meaning, more than one angle to take.  We can look at it from the front and see one thing, and walk around it to the back side and see another.  Rather than reading it literally, we need to put on our "3-D glasses" to see the meaning of the symbols.  In addition, Isaiah is full of dualism in that most of the prophecies were to be fulfilled in two different time periods. 

Keeping these things in mind, here are some ideas on chapters one and six.

CHAPTER ONE: THE INTRODUCTION

1:1 is the title.

1:2 states the main problem.
1:3 People are dumber than animals.  At least animals are aware of where their food comes from.  People turn away from the Source.  Wickedness does not promote rational thought ("doth not consider").
1:5 "Head" denotes the leaders of the people; "heart" denotes the core of the people.
1:6 "Putrifying sores" tells how spiritually diseased they are.  They have not even used simple first aid to clean the wound.
1:7  The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans all conquered the children of Israel.  This also has connotations in the 20th-21st Centuries.
1:8  A "lodge" is a little shade hut for a gardener; not a secure place.  About the shoddiest construction the Jews would have known.
1:9  If God hadn't intervened, there would have been nothing left.  Although it is assumed to be at the bottom of the Dead Sea, there is no remnant of Sodom and Gommorah that has ever been found by archeologists.  It has completely vanished from the earth without a trace.
1:10 "Rulers of Sodom"--a slap in the face to the Israelites.  An equivalent insult in our day might be to compare someone to Hitler.
1:11  Why pretend to worship?  Like people who are schemers and cheaters or viewers of pornography during the week, but are still taking the sacrament every Sunday in their suits and ties.
1:13  For "new moons," see Bible Dictionary, p. 738.  The people are simply "following the dots," but the worship is empty.
1:16  "Wash you" means to be baptized or, if already baptized, to renew the covenant.  "Cease to do evil--learn to do well" are linked: When you leave behind your sins, you need to fill that void with good works.
1:18  Scarlet and crimson were some of the very few colorfast dyes of ancient days.  Wool takes a lot of work to be made nice and white: the shearing, washing with fuller's soap, scrubbing, carding.
1:21  A harlot takes something sacred and holy and sells it for money: it's not just wicked, it's profane.
1:22  Dross is the waste from the metal processing.  (David J. Ridges)

 CHAPTER SIX: ISAIAH'S CALL

6:1  "Train" refers to the hem of his garment, signifying his great power, the great robe of his righteousness, filling the temple of Heaven.

6:2  The word seraphim comes from the Hebrew root sarap, which means "to burn."  Therefore, in this context it means "the burning ones," or "the bright, shining ones," which describes the glorious condition of the angels who are in the Celestial Kingdom near God's throne.  (See D&C 109:79)  That they have two wings covering their eyes may refer to being veiled, as in temple clothing, from the glory of God.  The two wings covering their feet may also denote temple clothing and the holiness of the ground upon which they walk.  The wings with which to fly symbolize the ability to act quickly and unimpeded.
6:3  Repeating something three times, such as "Holy, holy, holy," signifies the ultimate, the maximum.  This is the Hebrew superlative.  This particular cry points to the Godhead.  "Lord of hosts" refers to the Captain of the Heavenly army.  "Lord of Hosts" is used 62 times in Isaiah.
6:4  "Posts of the door moved."  The passageway trembles when the Lord speaks.  The presence of smoke indicates the presence of the Lord (Rev. 15:8).
6:5  "I am undone" means "I am destroyed," or "I am lost," for (or because) he has found himself unworthy in the presence of the Lord.  Isaiah realizes his nothingness and unworthiness next to God, much as did Moses (Moses 1:9-11).
6:6-7  But one of the seraphims flies to him with a live coal (remember, the "burning" is because of holiness, as in verse 2), which he has taken from the altar that symbolizes Christ's Atonement.  When he touches Isaiah's lips (the entrance to the inward parts of the body), Isaiah is cleansed and purified. It is similar to our sacrament, in which taking a token into our mouths allows us to be forgiven through the Atonement, and purifies us once again with the Holy Ghost.
6:8  "Here I am" in Hebrew signifies more than mere presence, but readiness to do what is asked.  In fact, it shows a willingness to give one's life for the person asking.  This is the same phrase Christ used.  Isaiah is a type of Christ.
6:9  Check all the footnotes at the bottom of the page for Christ's references to this commandment given to Isaiah to make the scriptures hard for the casual reader to understand.  Also see John 12:37-41.
6:10  "Heart" in ancient Hebrew refers to the center of thought and motivation, therefore the New Revised Standard Version reads, "Make the mind of this people dull."
6:11-12  "How long" will men choose spiritual blindness?  The answer: Until they are desolate--to the end.
6:13  A small remnant of the people will be preserved, and as a tree that is dormant or felled, that stump will regenerate because its substance is the holy seed:  Christ and his gospel.  (Parry, Parry and Peterson, plus my own interpretation)

Sources: 

Gary Poll, "Keys to Understanding Isaiah," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2002.

Mark Eastmond, "Images of Mercy in the Writings of Isaiah," Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, p. 196-197.

Michael Wilcox, "Finding Themes and Patterns in the Scriptures," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2008.

Michael L. King, "Isaiah's Vision of God's Plan to Fulfill His Covenant," Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, p. 162-179

David J. Ridges, "Isaiah Made Easier," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2002

Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah, p. 62-67.