Jesus quotes an encouraging chapter from the book of Isaiah. You have been barren, but you will be surrounded by children. You have been forsaken, but you will be gathered. You have been afflicted, but you will live in peace and prosperity. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” God will have mercy on you!
Chapter Outline
- “Sing, O barren” (v. 1-4)
- “My kindness shall not depart from thee” (v. 5-10)
- “Great shall be the peace of thy children (v. 11-17)
My Takeaways
- With faith in God, we can plan for a successful future and prepare now for that success.
- A great gospel teacher helps their students receive personal revelation.
- When our children are taught directly by God, they will find peace.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Many children – 3 NEphi 22:1-4
Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent – 3 Nephi 22:1-3
1 And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. 2 Enlarge the place…
“Lengthen Thy Cords and Strengthen Thy Stakes” – 3 Nephi 22:2-3
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.…
❖ A small moment – 3 Nephi 22:5-10
Everlasting Kindness
A sign commonly seen at a marathon says, “Pain is temporary; race results are online forever.” Isaiah shared a similar sentiment with the children of Israel, saying that their pain was “a small moment,” but that God’s kindness would be everlasting.
Taught of the Lord – 3 Nephi 22:13
On the first day of the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He invited all of the children to come forward. After offering a sublime prayer which filled His listeners with joy, “he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them” (3 Nephi 17:21). The next…
“The Heritage of the Servants of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:17
When we become “the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7), we also become “heirs of God” (Romans 8:17). An heir is a person who inherits something. The inheritance may consist of property or other advantages. Another word for inheritance is “heritage,” but that word has additional connotations. Your heritage includes not…
❖ Peace – 3 Nephi 22:11-17
O Thou Afflicted – 3 Nephi 22:11-12
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. (3 Nephi 22:11-12, Isaiah 54:11-12) When I think of…
“Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children” – 3 Nephi 22:13
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (3 Nephi 22:13, Isaiah 54:13) I want my children to have peace. I want them to be at peace with God, with each other, with the people they interact with throughout the day, and with…
Old Testament Foundations
Psalm 22 and the Crucifixion
From the cross, Jesus cried out the first words of a psalm: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” This cry of pain also carried a message of hope: The words of the psalm were being fulfilled, and the psalm itself promised that God had heard Him.
“Smite the Shepherd”
Jesus quoted a passage from Zechariah to explain that His apostles would soon abandon Him, but He promised to meet them again n Galilee. When we are “scattered” in various ways, we can always be sure that God will gather us again.
What Is the “Abomination of Desolation?”
Jesus instructed His disciples to stand in holy places when they see “the abomination of desolation.” What does that mean? In this post, I trace that concept from its origins in the Old Testament through modern revelation to better understand its meaning
“With Everlasting Kindness”
Suboptimal circumstances can create glorious opportunities. When the kingdom of Israel was scattered by the Assyrians, it was a direct consequence of their disobedience to the commandments of God: They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and…
Forsaken
King David opens the 22nd psalm with a desperate cry: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Psalm 22:1 By the end of the psalm, he reaffirms his conviction that God doesn’t forget His children, but at first, we just hear his poignant cry of anguish.…
New Testament Parallels
“I Will Not Abandon You as Orphans”
I was recently reflecting on John 14:18 and as I dug into other translations, I was captivated with the variety of terms used for “comfortless”. Considering the different translations together added depth of understanding and a new appreciation for this passage. King James Version: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. New…
“Tossed with Tempest”
Jesus remained calm during a tempest, and He asked His disciples why they had become so fearful. Lisa L. Harkness taught that faith is “gritty and resilient.” It helps us stay calm even in tumultuous circumstances.
Church History Connections
Spare Not
The Lord told Isaiah to preach the gospel whole-heartedly, holding nothing back. “Cry aloud,” He said, “spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet” (Isaiah 58:1). In another passage, he instructs the children of Israel to prepare for massive growth and prosperity: Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the…
Confounded
After prophesying of difficult days ahead, the prophet Isaiah foretold a time of prosperity and peace, when the children of Israel would be protected from both physical and verbal abuse: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of…
“For a Small Moment…” – 3 Nephi 22:7
The Savior quoted several passages from Isaiah during His ministry on the American continent. In one of those passages, God speaks to Israel, promising that, even if they feel abandoned now, it won’t last long: For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid…
No Weapon That Is Formed Against Thee Shall Prosper – 3 Nephi 22:16-17
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This…
All Posts Referencing 3 Nephi 22
- “Noah Found Grace” (2/9/2026)
- Four Foundational Strategies (1/4/2026)
- Contents of the Brass Plates (1/3/2026)
- The Lord Hath Brought Again Zion (7/31/2025)
- From on High: The Stabilizing Effect of Personal Revelation in a Turbulent World (5/2/2025)
- Moroni and Isaiah (12/20/2024)
- “They That Feared the Lord Spake Often” (10/19/2024)
- Everlasting Kindness (10/18/2024)
- Belonging (1/6/2024)
- Developing Christlike Attributes (11/25/2023)
- Psalm 22 and the Crucifixion (6/22/2023)
- “I Will Not Abandon You as Orphans” (6/11/2023)
- “Smite the Shepherd” (6/2/2023)
- What Is the “Abomination of Desolation?” (5/25/2023)
- “Tossed with Tempest” (3/1/2023)
- “With Everlasting Kindness” (7/16/2022)
- Forsaken (4/13/2022)
- Spare Not (7/30/2021)
- Confounded (6/29/2021)
- “Taught of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:13 (2/26/2021)
- Taught of the Lord – 3 Nephi 22:13 (10/17/2020)
- “The Heritage of the Servants of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:17 (10/16/2020)
- “For a Small Moment…” – 3 Nephi 22:7 (10/15/2020)
- What Can We Learn about Children from the Savior? (12/17/2019)
- 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)
- Why Is Isaiah Quoted So Much in the Book of Mormon? (5/27/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Anger? (5/9/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Kindness? (4/10/2019)
- What Does It Mean for Jesus to Be Our “Redeemer?” (3/10/2019)
- No Weapon That Is Formed Against Thee Shall Prosper – 3 Nephi 22:16-17 (12/20/2018)
- Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent – 3 Nephi 22:1-3 (12/19/2018)
- “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children” – 3 Nephi 22:13 (6/29/2018)
- “Lengthen Thy Cords and Strengthen Thy Stakes” – 3 Nephi 22:2-3 (9/28/2017)
- O Thou Afflicted – 3 Nephi 22:11-12 (9/27/2017)
- Great Shall Be The Peace of Thy Children – 3 Nephi 22:13 (7/23/2016)
- Lengthen Thy Cords and Strengthen Thy Stakes – 3 Nephi 22:2-3 (10/31/2015)
- 3 Nephi 22:7-8 I Hid My Face From Thee for a Moment (12/9/2014)