Old Testament Lesson 36: The Glory of Zion Will be a Defense

So who was Isaiah? We have few clues. The bible tells us that he was the prophet during the time of 4 Judean kings - Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He was a prophet for a span of close to 50 years, maybe more. And there is some suggestion that Hezekiah was his son-in-law and that Hezekiah's son Manasseh (Isaiah's grandson) killed Isaiah by putting him in a hollowed out tree trunk and having him sawn in half (cf Heb 11:37). So much for being able to enjoy your grandkids!

Isaiah's name means "Jehovah is salvation" and it is clear his name, ministry and life were meant to help point to Christ. Now before we start studying Isaiah it might be worth noting that 16 chapters of Isaiah are quoted in the Book of Mormon. For the next 5 lessons we will be studying Isaiah. The Saviour encouraged us to study Isaiah in 3 Nephi 23:1-3 ( I know some of us would prefer he had said the Book of Jarom or Omni) but interestingly although Nephi encourages a study of Isaiah also, he seems to recognize that people not of Isaiah's time and culture would struggle to understand his words. 2 Nephi 25:1-4. According to Nephi what is the key to understanding Isaiah?

The Great Isaiah Scroll of Qumran

Isaiah 1 we are told is a vision Isaiah had concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
What is the state of the people in v.2-4? rebellious, ignorant, sinful, evildoers, corrupted, gone away backward. Dumber than the dumbest animals - ox and ass.
What does that phrase "gone away backward" suggest?

How spiritually sick are the people? v.5-6 the whole head and the whole heart (leaders and the people) and notice what ails them - head is sick (unrighteous) hear is faint (weak and unrighteous), from head to toe it is ridden with wounds bruises and putrefying sores that have not been bound and closed or soothed with ointment. Based on that analogy what are the people sorely lacking? A good doctor? (cf Psalms 147:3). Who could heal them? And yet they hadn't even applied a band-aid yet. Why do people avoid repentance and healing?

What does he tell the people to do that are in this state? v.16-19 Repent, clean up.
v.18 "come now, and let us reason together" When? NOW. Don't delay.

v.29-30 alludes to the shrines set up and built with oak trees in gardens for idol worship
v.30 tow=tinder

Then he moves away from them and starts discussing the last days.

Isaiah 2:2-4 mountain of the Lord house to be established in the tops of the mountains.
It is interesting to note that when the Salt Lake valley was first settled, those that settled there wanted to call the region Deseret. However the US government in granting statehood insisted it be called Utah in common with their practice of naming states after the tribal people common to that area. Little did they realize they were helping fulfil this prophecy in Isaiah. Utah in the Ute language means "the top of the mountains".

Zion and Jerusalem to be the two centres of the Millenium. One the legal and judicial centre (constitutional) and one the spiritual centre (scriptural).
A world of peace and happiness is shown where there is no more war.

Why did Isaiah share this vision of the last days after telling people how sick they were? v.5  has the answer but try comparing to 2 Nephi 12:5 it's an invitation. You are wicked and suffering the calamities of your wickedness but there is a better way and one day it will be better. You can experience this if you walk in his light.

v.6-9 But currently you get your light and replenishment from psychics, eastern philosophies, marrying outside of the temple, your focus is on money, you have more cars and armies than you know what to do with, and you have sports idols, pop idols, movie idols and worship man-made things. Even your poor are proud! You give more credence to your own things than to the things of God. Google and Wikipedia are valued more than scripture. Which did you use more this week? We are far from the simple desire of the Lord's prayer - "give us this day our daily bread!" We chase riches and build armies in our vain efforts to self-preserve and forget the great Deliverer has promised us salvation and preservation if we just trust in Him.

What is the advice given if that is your state or condition in life - Hide! Crawl under a rock and hide! (cf Alma 12:14)

v.10. Why?
v.11-17 Because all the mighty and proud will be brought low. Cedars of Lebanon, Oaks of Bashan, Ships of Tarshish. All trees. Trees represent man. No matter how great you are, how powerful, how good-looking, how rich, He will bring you down!
v.10 and v.19 why will they hide? For fear - they will recognize he is greater than anything they put their trust in. Notice also it will be too bright for them..where do they go to hide? In dark places. Will their idols save them? No! v.20 in fact they are thrown to moles and bats. What do moles and bats have to with this? They also live in darkness and are blind!

And what is the lesson the Lord would have us learn from all of this? v.22  "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils..." We are nothing, we live - carried along by a mere puff of air. Can we save ourselves? NO. Only he who is mighty to save can save mankind, through the great atonement.

Notice that Isaiah 2 has two great heights that can be reached in life - the tops of the mountains where you will find the Lord's house OR the loftiness of man (pride). Which are you closest to scaling?

Isaiah 3 is a continuation of the vision Isaiah had and here he is told in vision that the Lord will take away his support from the people. He will no longer feed them, taking away the wise and replacing them with immature leaders v.1-4

v.16-26 even the women are guilty of pride and being followers of fashion more than faithful followers of their God. They will be shamed and their families torn apart by war.

How great will be the desolation and destruction according to Isaiah 4?   7 women will ask 1 man to give them his name. Don't feed or clothe us just let us belong. (v.1) Only the righteous will be left in Jerusalem and Zion.
v.5-6 Every home (dwelling place), every congregation of his people (assembly) shall be protected by a pillar of fire at night, and by a cloud and smoke during the day. What else will be there - a tabernacle (temple). How is it described? As a shadow from the sun and heat, a cover from rain and storms and a place of refuge. Could we use a place to get away from the storms and the stresses of our life? Could we do with having a place of refuge and protection for us? Go to the temple!

Isaiah 5:1-7 The Lord now compares his people to a vineyard. How did he look after it? Built a fence (protection and defence), gathered out the stones (made life a rich place to grow for us) planted the choicest vine (the best, the chosen people were given for their roots Abr. 3:22-23), built a tower in the midst (a place of gathering and a sign of God's presence in our midst - the temple), made a winepress (gave us challenges to bring the best out of us). What was the result - sour grapes! What was the Lord's reaction - take away the protection and stop looking after it.
v.8-24 a expansion on who these sour grapes are.
wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil:

Spencer W. Kimball

Jesus Christ our Lord is under no obligation to save this world. The people have ignored him, disbelieved him, failed to follow him. They stand at his mercy which will be extended only if they repent. But to what extent have we repented? Another prophet said, "We call evil good, and good evil." Men have rationalized themselves into thinking that they are "not so bad." Are they fully ripe? Has the rot of age and flabbiness set in? Can they change? They see evil in their enemies, but none in themselves. Even in the true Church numerous of its people fail to attend their meetings, to tithe their incomes, to have their regular prayers, to keep all the commandments. We can transform, but will we? It seems that we would rather tax ourselves into slavery than to pay our tithes; rather build protections and walls than drop to our knees with our families in solemn prayers night and morning. (Conference Report, Oct. 1, 1961, p.31)

v.25 his hand is still stretched out against them - there is more destruction to come.
v.26 in the last days an ensign will be lifted and people will gather to it swiftly with the aid of young lions (missionaries).

LeGrand Richards

Since there were no such things as trains and airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have mentioned them by name, but he seems to have described them in unmistakable words. How better could "their horses hoofs be counted like flint, and their wheel like a whirlwind" than in the modern train? How better could "Their roaring...be like a lion" than in the roar of the airplane? Trains and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified in saying "none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken"? With this manner of transportation the Lord can really "hiss unto them from the end of the earth," that "they shall come with speed swiftly." (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 236)

Isaiah 6
Isaiah is called of God but feels unworthy of his call saying he has unclean lips and lives among people with unclean lips. How was Isaiah made worthy? v.6-7 Where did the coal come from? Why was it hot? What does the coal symbolize?

Once cleansed and purified Isaiah answered his call saying, "Here am, I send me" alluding to the Saviour's own mission call in the pre-existence.

Our first study of Isaiah has been a study full of symbols and imagery. But it is clear that the wicked are being called to repentance. The righteous are promised great blessings and all can still be saved through the cleansing power of the great atonement.
As we are cleansed, attend the temple and live the commandments we will find that the Lord's Glory will attend us and will protect us.

Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 36 "The Desert shall Rejoice and Blossom as the Rose"

Salt Lake Valley c.1849

On the right are two images.

This top image is a drawing from around 1849 that depicts the Salt Lake Valley at that time. Notice while there are structures up, the ground looks hard and dry and there is very little vegetation.

Salt Lake Valley c.1949

This bottom image is a photo from around 1949 that depicts the Salt Lake Valley at that time.

Notice now all the vegetation, the green, lush view. The desert truly has blossomed as the rose.

The obvious question to ask based on the lesson title, taken from Isaiah, is how do you get a desert to rejoice and blossom like a rose? There is little doubt a lot of hard work went into it but what else really made this settlement of a dusty, salty valley such a success for the Saints?

In this lesson we will focus on 3 things that not only helped the Saints back then but can help modern Latter Day Saints reclaim the wilderness places in their lives.

1. Making the Temple a central focus in their lives.

On 28 July 1847, President Brigham Young stood on the spot where the Salt Lake Temple now stands. He struck his cane on the ground and said, “Right here will stand the temple of our God”. Did you notice the date? When is pioneer day celebrated? That's right - 24th July. Just four days after arriving in the valley the temple site was identified. Within a week of that the Saints began surveying the new city, with the temple at the centre of the survey. The layout of the city focused the people on the temple.

Just this last week the current St Paul's Minnesota temple president, President Hugh spoke to the Duluth Minnesota Stake of the importance of attending the temple. Sometimes we find it hard to attend because of distance, or family circumstances, or work. In teaching us the importance of attending the temple, President Hugh quoted Rene Daumel, a famous mountaineer who said:

"You cannot always stay on the summits. You have to come down again . . .So what’s the point? Only this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.
There is an art to finding your way in the lower regions by the memory of what you have seen when you were higher up. When you can no longer see, you can at least still know..."
                              Rene Daumel as quoted by Pres. Hugh, Sept 2013

I think this is a great metaphor for temple attendance. We may not all be able to go every week but if we make it our focus, it changes our perspective, and it changes our lives.

Some of us are blessed with a temple in our backyard, and maybe our challenge is not taking it for granted. Sometimes things so close to us can also be as blurry as those things far away in the distance. Whether near to or far from a temple, it is about where we focus our hearts and our homes.

2. Obedience to their priesthood leaders and gospel principles

During this time President Brigham Young would often call brethren to colonize an area, much like going on a mission and often called from the pulpit without prior warning or notice. By 1877 when Brigham Young died, more than 350 successful colonies had been created across the Salt Lake Valley and around the Utah territory, Southern Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, Nevada and California. 

Two brethren called on such colonization missions were Charles Lowell Walker and Charles C. Rich.

Charles Lowell Walker had finally beaten the desert landscape of the Salt Lake Valley and had a home and garden that was just beginning to bear fruit. This is what he said of his call to leave and colonize another area:

"Here I learned a principle that I shall not forget in awhile. It showed to me that obedience was a great principle in heaven and on earth. Well, here I have worked for the last seven years through heat and cold, hunger and adverse circumstances, and at last have got me a home, a lot with fruit trees just beginning to bear and look pretty. Well, I must leave it and go and do the will of my Father in Heaven, who overrules all for the good of them that love and fear him. I pray God to give me strength to accomplish that which is required of me in an acceptable manner before him."

Charles C. Rich had been called to colonize a colder more severe climate and on arriving found conditions harsher than expected. This is what he said as others around him gave up:

"There have been many hardships. That I admit … and these we have shared together. But if you want to go somewhere else, that is your right, and I do not want to deprive you of it. … But I must stay here, even if I stay alone. President Young called me here, and here I will remain till he releases me and gives me leave to go."

I wonder if that sounds familiar to the Young Men's/Women's President who loves his/her calling and has just got settled only to be told he/she is being released. Or how about the quiet member in nursery who feels they have been left in this calling and forgotten and who long to return to the warmth of Gospel Doctrine class?
This speaks to the great gospel theme of "my will" vs "thy will". Consider Jonah who found his calling too tough and as a result of disobeying his call and choosing his will over the Lord's will had to endure sitting in the guts of a giant fish for 3 days. The Lord blesses those who are obedient (cf Doctrine and Covenants 58:2-4; 64:33-34; 82:10).

3. Sacrifice brought forth blessings from heaven
During this busy time building the temple in Salt Lake and building colonies across the territories, Brigham Young also recognized the importance of building the kingdom. In 1849 several members of the Quorum of the Twelve along with newly called missionaries were called to serve foreign missions.
In 1852, 106 new missionaries were called to go on missions throughout the world. Like those called to colonize, this brought trials and much sacrifice. Many were arrested and imprisoned. Many became very sick as they visited foreign lands and traveled vast oceans. But the result of their labours created a foundation of Latter Day Saints across the world. Many of these new saints heeded the call to gather to Zion. One such family were Charles and Elizabeth Wood:

"Elizabeth and Charles Wood sailed in 1860 from South Africa, where they had labored several years to acquire money for their travel. Elizabeth kept house for a wealthy man, and her husband made bricks until they obtained the needed funds. Elizabeth was carried aboard the ship on a bed 24 hours after delivering a son and was given the captain’s berth so she could be more comfortable. She was very ill during the journey, almost dying twice, but lived to settle in Fillmore, Utah"                                                                           Our Heritage, p. 86

These stories are not uncommon and as Latter Day Saints, having heard many similar tales of sacrifice we may run the risk of taking such stories for granted. But they teach an unfailing principle - sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. Why do we hear so many of these stories? What should we learn from them? How do they make you feel?


In 1973, Spencer W Kimball gave a wonderful talk to the students at BYU, entitled "Marriage is Honorable". In his address to the students he touched on the topic of temples. At this time there were 15 operating temples across the world. This is what he said:

“The day will come when there will be hundreds of temples all over this world, when there will not be one soul in the world, probably, who is more than a thousand miles away; and for a one time experience in all one’s life, a thousand miles is not far to go. It wouldn’t be far to crawl if one knew what he was getting, and what he was missing if he didn’t go”

Now do something for me. Take out your map apps on your smartphones or your GPS on your mobile devices and calculate the distance between you and your nearest LDS temple. I currently live further away from a temple than at any other time during my life, so far. I am 350 miles away (about a 7 hr drive, sometimes 9 hr drive with all the kids and the pit stops that come with kids!). Now read President Kimball's counsel again. Ask yourself, "Can I do better to live up to that exhortation?"

Take a look at the pictures at the top of this post. Is your life (spiritual or physical) represented more by the first or the second picture?
We all have a wilderness to face whether a physical one like the Saints of the Salt Lake Valley back in 1847, or more spiritual wildernesses of the modern days. But the Lord has given us the examples of those that have gone before us. When we centre our lives on the temple, are obedient to our leaders and willingly offer the sacrifice required of us, great blessings await. May we walk the path of those who have already blazed the trail before us, is my prayer.