A few years ago, I had the responsibility to recruit some volunteers to help a family move between Christmas and New Year's Day. Knowing that it was a time of year when people are spending time with their families, and being somewhat self-conscious about making this request on short notice, I emphasized the negative aspects... Continue Reading →
“Go Ye Forth of Babylon” – 1 Nephi 20:20
"The world is too much with us," wrote the poet William Wordsworth. He meant that our lives are influenced more than we realize by the society in which we live, leaving us unable to properly perceive "things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13). As Elder David R. Stone explained: Our culture tends to determine what... Continue Reading →
“With a Voice of Singing” – 1 Nephi 20:20
Earlier this week, I discussed Isaiah's admonition to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our lives and share with others what we know. Near the end of the same chapter, Isaiah underscores the importance of this admonition by making a series of commands: "Go ye forth of Babylon" "Flee ye from the Chaldeans" "With... Continue Reading →
The Furnace of Affliction – 1 Nephi 20:10
After rebuking the children of Israel for hypocrisy and negligence, the Lord goes on to explain why He hasn't disowned them. "Behold, I have refined thee," He says, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (1 Nephi 20:10). (See also Isaiah 48:10.) Our trials can feel like a furnace. When we are experiencing... Continue Reading →
Will Ye Not Declare Them? – 1 Nephi 20:6
The very first passage from Isaiah which Nephi quotes opens with an indictment. The prophet addresses himself to the people who claim to be the covenant people of God but who aren't acting like it: Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth... Continue Reading →
Which of Isaiah’s Writings Are Quoted in the Book of Mormon?
About a third of the book of Isaiah (21 out of 66 chapters) is quoted in the Book of Mormon. Here is a list of those chapters with a brief description of each: Isaiah 2 (2 Nephi 12) - There will be a great division in the last days: Many people will ascend to God's... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean for Jesus to Be Our “Redeemer?”
To redeem something is to repurchase it, to buy back something we have given away or sold. When applied to a person, the word implies rescue from captivity or bondage. (See "redeem," Webster's Dictionary, 1828.) Isaiah uses the imagery of redemption to remind us that we don't deserve the relief we receive from God. "To... Continue Reading →
Peace…as a River, and…Righteousness as the Waves of the Sea – 1 Nephi 20:18
18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments--then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. (1 Nephi 20:18, Isaiah 48:18) The imagery in this passage from Isaiah is compelling to me. I can easily imagine a calm, wide river, flowing powerfully but with no anxiety... Continue Reading →
In the Furnace of Affliction – 1 Nephi 20:10
10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. (1 Nephi 20:10, Isaiah 48:10) Why do we experience trials? Isaiah gives two reasons in the passage above. Speaking on behalf of the Lord, he tells Israel that they have been refined and chosen in the furnace of their... Continue Reading →
There Is No Peace…unto the Wicked – 1 Nephi 20:22
22 And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked. (1 Nephi 20:22, Isaiah 48:22) One of the major themes of the Book of Mormon is that if we make righteous choices, we will prosper, while if we choose wickedly, we will be cut... Continue Reading →
