Why does Isaiah refer to many of his prophecies as “burdens?” “The burden of Babylon” (2 Nephi 23:1, Isaiah 13:1), “the burden of Moab” (Isaiah 15:1), “the burden of Damascus” (Isaiah 17:1), Egypt (Isaiah 19:1), Dumah (Isaiah 21:11), Arabia (Isaiah 21:13), and Tyre (Isaiah 23:1).
Some English translations of the Bible try to simplify these passages with words like “message,” “prophecy,” or “oracle,” but the Hebrew word massa (מַשָּׂא), means literally something you carry. The King James translators got it right.
Here are three possible reasons why Isaiah chose this label:
- He surely felt the weight of responsibility as he delivered these difficult messages. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, and Isaiah surely knew that these prophecies would induce dread and possibly anger.
- These were not messages to be taken lightly. Isaiah may have used this word to signal the importance of what he was about to say in order to encourage his readers to take his words seriously.
- The events he was describing would be horrific. Perhaps the “burden” refers to the pain and suffering these nations would endure as they passed through these experiences.
We all carry many burdens, some tangible and others less obvious. Some of those burdens we choose to carry, and some are imposed upon us. Here is some guidance about how to manage those burdens:
- Share them with each other. When we are baptized, we promise to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” (Mosiah 18:8, see also Galatians 6:2). Since the burdens we carry at any given moment are unevenly distributed, it makes sense that they are lightened overall when we carry them together.
- Don’t add to others’ burdens. King Benjamin worked hard to ensure that nothing would befall his people “which was grievous to be borne” (Mosiah 2:14). His son, Mosiah “did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burdensome to his people” (Mosiah 6:7). We should take care that we are not making life unnecessarily hard for the people around us.
- Accept the burdens offered to us by Jesus. “Take my yoke upon you,” He said, “…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). We will carry burdens one way or another, but if we are willing to set aside some of our natural burdens and accept instead the ones Jesus offers us, we will find them to be easier and more rewarding. And we will find that He carries those burdens with us.
Today, I will be mindful of the burdens I carry. I will set aside unnecessary burdens, accept the burdens offered to me by Jesus, and help to lift the burdens borne by others.
Thanks Paul. I was just reading 2 Nephi 23 about the burden of Babylon. One burden on my mind as I read was the fact that God would summon an army and “Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives raped (NET, Isaiah 13:16).” I can’t imagine the God who I believe in being so merciless and I can’t begin to imagine how I would feel to see this type of prophecy be fulfilled in brutal reality.
Perhaps, a burden of prophecy is seeing the indescribable joy of salvation AND also seeing the inverse horror of God’s wrath. And having seen both sides in vivid detail…then having to wrestle with that paradox as you faithfully strive to fulfill your prophetic duties.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, which deals with the problem of the evil God allows to happen in the world.
I agree that the prophetic role includes the responsibility to declare what Neal A. Maxwell called “wintry doctrines:” messages from God that are difficult to hear.