Isaiah 5

I think this chapter is rather self-explanatory: the Lord’s people have rejected him, and so they lose His protection. In the end, however, those who truly love the Lord will come to him quickly.

Verses 1-5
These verses make the point that Israel, which is all of God’s children, has rejected Him, despite His efforts to care for them.

Verse 6
This mentions that the Lord will “rain no rain” upon His vineyard. I believe this relates to revelation. When we do not listen, and do not strive to obey, we cannot receive revelation (or “rain”), that life-giving water, from Heaven.

Verses 8-10
This speaks of those who are materialistic and seek to expand their wealth, property, and land. Ultimately, they will be left desolate.

Verses 11-12
These verses speak to those who are “light minded,” seeking party and pleasure. “Woe unto them” because their focus is on the self and indulgence. They “regard not the work of the Lord,” leaving themselves without His protection.

Verse 13
Ultimately, the people go into captivity because they do not have knowledge. I doubt this refers to any sort of worldly knowledge – there’s certainly plenty of that to be had in this day and age. Instead, they lack spiritual, saving knowledge. They are thirsty because they haven’t drunk from the well of life. Without that knowledge and living water within us, we will “dry up.”

Verses 14-25
These verses describe the end result for those who trust in worldly knowledge. Their “glory,” “pomp,” and “lofty eyes” will be brought down. They think they are wise, but call evil good and good evil. Ultimately, they will be left without “root or blossom” (v. 24). 

This is another reference to the tree of life. Without wisdom (remember Wisdom’s relation to the tree of life), we cannot have that life-source within us and will spiritually wither and die. Through faith and obedience, we advance to the tree of life and are invited to partake of its fruit. That fruit gives us everlasting life. Also note the similarity to partaking of the sacrament. The sacrament means more than just taking bread and water and “remembering.” It should direct us to the true source of life, the Light and the Life.

Verses 26-30
At the end of times, the Lord will signal that it is time for gathering. Those who will gather will:

1. Be listening. The Lord says he will “hiss.” This doesn’t seem to be a loud, overpowering signal, but one we must be listening for and be willing to hear.

2. Come quickly. There can’t be any hesitation. Those who gather will have faith to act immediately.

If we do those things, then we will be safely gathered in.

A Nibble or a Feast?

Most moms can probably relate to slaving away to make a nice, nutritious, delicious meal only to have your kids pick at it and say they’re not hungry – they already filled up on sugary snacks at their friend’s house. 

I don’t think our kids are the only ones who do this. Do we ever “nibble” when it comes to spirituality, excusing ourselves because we’re too busy (already filled up), tired, or not interested in what’s being served? 

I’ve heard some say that even if we just read one verse of scripture a day, that’s good enough. And I have practiced this in my own life, telling myself that if my eyes even fall on a page in the Bible and maybe take in a verse, well, that’s better than nothing. When I did that I found the scriptures to be rather boring and unsatisfying. And as a friend once pointed out, it wouldn’t be much help to give a starving man a cracker and say, “Well, it’s better than nothing.”

It wasn’t until I decided to make prayer, scripture study, and communion with God a daily priority that it began to be deliciously satisfying. I’m not saying I spend hours a day doing these things, but I have worked hard to make them priorities. I am still very imperfect in this regard, but it’s amazing to me how that one little decision to reprioritize has had a huge impact. We must nourish the seed of faith, not occasionally sprinkle water over it. It should grow up into a tree of life within us (Alma 32:27-43).

I wonder how we might feel when it’s time to “return and report” if we are compelled to say, “well, I didn’t make it all the way through the scriptures or make prayer a priority, but I never missed an episode of (fill in your favorite show or sports team).” Or even, “well, I dabbled in that spiritual stuff. But I earned a bunch of degrees and had an amazing career and made lots of money.”

The scriptures are not meant to be taken lightly, or to be consumed one verse at a time, or reduced to soft platitudes we can hang on a wall. We can find real power and understanding in the scriptures if we will give it the time and effort. If there’s something you want to know, you have to pay the price of knowing it. If you decide to make this a priority, you’ll have to give up something, whether it’s sleep, a perfectly clean house, your favorite TV show, going for long runs, a book you want to read, shopping, extra hours at work, etc. Whatever you need to give up, it will be worth it.

Remember that Christ taught,

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

And,

Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do. (2 Nephi 32:3)

So, “drink” and “feast,” not “sip” and “nibble.” I don’t mean to sound harsh. I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to this. It’s just that I’ve discovered for myself that there’s so much more to be had if we just put in the effort to receive.