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... Continue Reading →
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. O... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
“Taught of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:13
During His visit to the American continent, the Savior quoted Isaiah 54. That chapter contains the following prophecy: 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 Many English translations of the Bible use the preposition "by" in place of the... Continue Reading →
“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... Continue Reading →
“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... Continue Reading →
“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 my... Continue Reading →
What Can We Learn about Children from the Savior?
During His ministry on the American continent, the Savior taught us about children by His words and by His example: In a passage which also appears in the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us that our Father in Heaven wants to give us good gifts, just as we want to give our children good... Continue Reading →
How Does Isaiah Point Us Toward Christ?
Nephi tells us that he read to his brothers from the books of Moses, "but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah" (1 Nephi 19:23). Just before quoting thirteen chapters in a row by Isaiah,... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 