Isaiah 2 begins and ends with people gravitating to tall mountains. At the beginning, he prophesies that all nations will flow to His house, which will be established in the top of the mountains. At the end, after testifying that the proud will be humbled, he describes people stumbling to the tops of ragged rocks, seeking shelter from God’s judgment. The contrast couldn’t be greater: joy and peace on the one hand, panic and guilt on the other.
Chapter Outline
- The Lord’s house will be established (v. 1-4).
- The people are arrogant (v. 5-9).
- The proud will be humbled (v. 10-18).
- The unrepentant will hide from God’s judgment (v. 19-22).
My Takeaways
- The temple is a refuge, a place of peace for all.
- Pride is not sustainable. Worldly things offer no permanent foundation.
- Now is the time to prepare to meet God.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ The Temple – 2 Nephi 12:1-4
The Mountain of the Lord’s House
Moses ascended a mountain to talk with the Lord. (See Exodus 19:20, Exodus 24:12, Exodus 34:4.) Elijah followed a similar pattern (1 Kings 19:8-9), as did Nephi (1 Nephi 11:1, 1 Nephi 17:7, 1 Nephi 18:3, 2 Nephi 4:25) and the brother of Jared (Ether 3:1). Jesus also “went up into a mountain apart to pray”…
Let Us Go Up – 2 Nephi 12:2-3
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go…
He Will Teach Us of His Ways
The following passage appears in the books of both Micah and Isaiah: In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let…
Walking in the Light
Isaiah urged us to “walk in the light of the Lord.” Elder David A. Bednar explained that revelation often comes gradually, and that we may need to move forward according to our current understanding before we receive additional understanding.
❖ The Proud Are Humbled – 2 Nephi 12:10-18
Hubris, Arrogance, and Haughtiness
Ezra Taft Benson said that pride manifests itself in different ways, which he called the “faces of pride.” Some of the manifestations he identified were selfishness, contention, defensiveness, and unwillingness to repent. (See “Beware of Pride,” General Conference, April 1989.) I’ve been thinking today about a few other manifestations of pride. These thoughts were prompted…
Loftiness, Haughtiness (2 Nephi 12:11, 17, 2 Nephi 15:15-16)
lofty – proud, aloof, or self-important haughty – arrogantly superior and disdainful (Oxford English Dictionary) A recurrent theme in the writings of Isaiah is the impermanence of worldly power. Physical strength, wealth, and positions of authority are all transitory—any control or influence we derive from them will evaporate over time. Only God’s power is permanent.…
2 Nephi 12:11 The Lord Alone Shall Be Exalted in That Day
11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. (2 Nephi 12:11, Isaiah 2:11. See also 2 Nephi 12:17, Isaiah 2:17, 2 Nephi 15:15-16, Isaiah 5:15-16) We all know…
Old Testament Foundations
“Up, Make Us Gods”
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. Isaiah 2:8, 2 Nephi 12:8 When Moses delayed coming down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites became restless. Turning to Moses’ second in command, Aaron, they demanded that he create idols for them to worship, following the…
We Love Thy House
Based on: Psalm 26 Core message: We long to be in sacred spaces because we look forward to being in God’s presence. Related Book of Mormon passages: 2 Nephi 12, 2 Nephi 19:2-3
A Tower to Get to Heaven
Sometime after the Great Flood, the descendants of Noah were gathered in a place called Shinar, which later became known as Babylonia. They collectively resolved to build “a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.” They viewed this project as a way to avoid being “scattered abroad upon the face of the…
All Posts Referencing [Chapter] – update shortcode below too
- Contents of the Brass Plates (1/3/2026)
- Walking in the Light (2/27/2024)
- Sacred Spaces (2/17/2024)
- He Will Teach Us of His Ways (11/27/2022)
- The Mountain of the Lord’s House (9/10/2022)
- Hubris, Arrogance, and Haughtiness (9/9/2022)
- We Love Thy House (8/14/2022)
- “Up, Make Us Gods” (4/30/2022)
- A Tower to Get to Heaven (2/5/2022)
- Loftiness, Haughtiness (2 Nephi 12:11, 17, 2 Nephi 15:15-16) (2/23/2020)
- How Can the Words of Isaiah Bring Us Joy? (2/19/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Millennium? (10/13/2019)
- What Is Haughtiness? (9/3/2019)
- What Is Zion? (7/31/2019)
- How Does Isaiah Point Us Toward Christ? (6/1/2019)
- Which of Isaiah’s Writings Are Quoted in the Book of Mormon? (5/31/2019)
- Out of Zion Shall Go Forth the Law – 2 Nephi 12:3, 5 (10/3/2018)
- Let Us Go Up – 2 Nephi 12:2-3 (9/11/2017)
- The Mountain of the Lord’s House – 2 Nephi 12:2-3 (11/1/2016)
- 2 Nephi 12:11 The Lord Alone Shall Be Exalted in That Day (2/24/2015)
- 2 Nephi 12:5 Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord (2/23/2015)
- 2 Nephi 12:2-3 Come Ye, and Let Us Go Up to the Mountain of the Lord (2/21/2015)