Isaiah 4

The third chapter of Isaiah gave us an overview of the world’s idolatry and materialism and its resulting destruction. Isaiah 4 is the counterbalance to that, telling us of the deliverance and well-being of those who follow the Lord. This has fulfillment both in ancient Israel and in the coming last days.

Verse 1
This verse properly belongs in Chapter 3. Here, so many men have died in wars that women outnumber men. I think the ratio Isaiah mentions of 7:1 is interesting, as the number 7 is significant in gospel terms (think 7 periods of creation, we must forgive 7 times 70 times). Seven indicates eternity. I’m not sure why Isaiah chose the 7:1 ratio, but it seems significant.

Verses 2-3
These verses have several layers of meaning, but one that is clear is its tree of life imagery (branch, fruit). So, in the day when the wicked are falling in war and destruction, the tree of life (gospel, covenant, temple, Christ) becomes stronger, and the covenant people are drawn to it. We see this beginning now as the lines between good and evil become clearer. I think this also has fulfillment in the number of temples being built and the increase in temple attendance.

Ultimately, those who enjoy the “fruit of the earth” that is “excellent and comely” are they who are “escaped of Israel.” So who are the escaped of Israel? Following cross references takes us to D&C 38:31. Surrounding verses also list characteristics of those who will escape the calamities Isaiah foretells. The “escaped” will

-esteem his brother as himself (v. 24)
-practice virtue and holiness (v. 24)
-esteem his brother as himself (v. 25 – again! Must be important)
-esteem his brother as himself (v. 26 – not in those words, but that’s the point)
-esteem his brother as himself (v. 27 – again, not in those words, but that’s the point)
-treasure up wisdom (v. 30)
-be without spot and blameless (v. 31).

It looks like that Second Great Commandment is pretty important. I suspect that being a member of a church is not sufficient. Simply being baptized isn’t enough. Regularly attending church isn’t enough. Instead, the condition of one’s heart is key. To “esteem” someone as oneself indicates both how we feel about others and how we treat them. It is both a state of heart/mind and an act. We can’t just feel sorry for someone but do nothing to help. We can’t simply do acts of charity because we think it will somehow get us into heaven, but not really care for the other person’s well-being or respect them as a child of God. Charity can't be done with a sense of grudging obligation. We actually have to care about – love – others as much as we care about ourselves. This is what the escaped will do.

Further, those who escape coming calamities will practice virtue and holiness. The word practice shows that this is more than a statement of belief – it is a way of life. And virtue and holiness mean more than avoiding obvious sins. Can someone be virtuous, holy, and judgmental? Or virtuous, holy, and gossipy? Or virtuous, holy, and cheats/cuts corners in business? Or virtuous, holy, and unforgiving?

That’s a high bar, and I am guilty as charged. How then, can we be “without spot and blameless”? For the “spotless” part, Alma 5 has the answer (especially verses 21 and 27). See also Alma 7:25. Because Christ shed His blood, He has power to cleanse us from the blood and sins we have on our hands. This is done through the repentance process and through covenant making (temple ordinances make reference to this).

“Blameless” indicates both that we have done our best to remain without spot, and that we have not injured others (who could then blame us). This again goes back to the point of esteeming our neighbors as ourselves. If we neither insult nor injure (or repent and repair when we do), then who will be able to blame us? Will we have any accusers at the last day?

Finally, the escaped of Israel will “treasure up wisdom.” In the ancient understanding, treasuring up wisdom meant to make temple covenants and receive saving knowledge from the Lord. From Margaret Barker:

Enoch himself sees the secrets of heaven, how the kingdoms are divided and the actions of men weighed. The spirit of wisdom is in the Elect One who stands in the presence of God. A component of this wisdom is the name of the Son of Man, which we have assumed to be the revelation of his identity. It could easily be read as the revelation of a name, in the magical sense of a power-giving invocation, such as we find in 69.14 as the key to the cosmic oath…. The name was used before the creation, and it saved the righteous. At the close of the passage dealing with the power of the cosmic oath, there is great joy because the name of the Son of Man is revealed. (Margaret Barker, The Older Testament, 31).

So, to sum, the “escaped of Israel” will love others as themselves, will avoid and repent of sin, and will make and keep covenants. They will be completely converted to the Lord, heart, might, mind and strength.

Verse 4
Remember from the discussion of Chapter 3 that “daughters of Zion” refers not just to women, but to all of the Lord’s covenant people. So, some of the Lord’s covenant people are wicked, and the Lord will “wash away the filth” and “purge the blood” by judgment and burning. This reminds me of the parable of the ten virgins. They were all waiting for the bridegroom, they were all the Lord’s covenant people. Yet, some were unprepared. They did not have the oil in their lamps (oil symbolizing having a testimony of Christ, a covenant anointing, and being filled with the light of the Holy Spirit). Thus, they were cast out. Again, membership in a church, even regular church attendance, or acts of charity alone are not enough.

Verses 5-6
These verses describe where the escaped of Israel will be at the dawn of the millennial age. “Mount Zion” refers to a temple, and “upon every dwelling place” indicates that there will be multiple places with multiple temples where the escaped will gather. There will be some sort of cloud or light that rests on these places, and it will apparently be bright enough that it will induce fear in the unrighteous and protect the righteous from the calamities going on around them. 

Precisely what this cloud/light will be is interesting. The ancient Israelites had a cloud/pillar of light with them in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 1:33 and Exodus 13:21 say that the Lord was in the cloud. Deuteronomy 4:4-5 also says that the Lord was in the fire. This pillar/cloud of light/fire seems to be the visible emanation of God’s glory. It also seems to be a veil that shields the unprepared from entering the Lord’s presence. Moses tried to prepare his people to enter, but they, like the five foolish virgins, were unwilling, afraid, and faithless (D&C 84:23-24). There’s a lot more that could be said about this, but for now I’ll just recommend reviewing these verses: God, Presence of.

With such a short chapter I thought this would be a short entry. Time to go feed my kids!

Isaiah 2

The second chapter of Isaiah continues the theme of the first chapter – it’s a clarion call to reject the ways of the world and turn fully to the Lord. This chapter also includes prophecies touching on the last days and the millennial days.

Verses 1-3

These verses look forward to a renewed temple, in contrast to the corrupt temple Isaiah talked about in chapter 1. That temple was full of sacrifice and ritual, but precious little commitment of heart. Isaiah is looking toward a new temple where the covenant (law) is taught and practiced. This temple is the mountain of the Lord. Historically, mountains were essentially temples, or places where man encountered God (think Moses on Sinai).

When the temple is restored and the ancient Abrahamic covenant renewed, people of all nations will go to the temple to be taught how to follow the Lord and walk in the path that leads back to His presence. This is precisely what happens in modern LDS temples. We make covenants and learn to walk in the Lord’s ways so that we can return to His presence. 

We tend to think that the Salt Lake City temple fulfills this prophecy of a restored temple because it sits in the Rocky Mountains and these verses refer to a temple established in the top of the mountains. I believe that the Salt Lake temple partially fulfills this prophecy, but the prophecy itself is broader – it includes all temples where the everlasting covenant is being renewed, including the temple to be rebuilt someday in Jerusalem.

The renewing of this covenant is preparation for the millennium when Christ will reign, which leads us to the next verse.

Verse 4
This verse gives us a glimpse into what life will be like during the millennium. First, the Lord will judge, and this appears to be a preliminary judgment, before the final judgment day. I don’t know what the “dividing line” will be, but I suspect that those who are inclined to create rather than destroy will be welcome residents during the millennium. That’s because…

The famous words “beat swords into plowshares” and “spears into pruninghooks” indicate that tools of destruction will become tools of creation. Those who live during this time will be creators and will be at peace with others. I think the more we can become creators and peacemakers here and now, the better off we’ll be. This begs the question of what we should be creating and making peace with, but I’ll have to set that aside for now.

Verse 5
All of Isaiah is beautiful, poignant, and instructive, but if all we had was verse 5, we’d be in good shape. This is a call to walk in the light of the Lord. When we decide to walk in the light of the Lord, we are turning from sin, submitting to Lord, and partaking of His wisdom. There’s a lot packed into the concept of the Lord’s light, but I’ll have to set that aside for now as well.

Verses 6-22
In these verses, Isaiah calls us to leave behind worldly ways, and implies his main point again that we should enter into the light of the Lord. The “worldly ways” Isaiah mentions include love of money, materialism, worldly accolades (“worship the work of their own hands”), and pride (believing we have everything figured out, have nothing to learn, and are of more worth or smarter than other people).

Also, when it comes to idolatry, which Isaiah mentions often, I don’t think we should limit the definition to kneeling before a golden calf. Idolatry is anything we spend an inordinate amount of time and effort on that detracts from our fulfillment of God’s purposes. 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have hobbies or other pursuits, but maybe we should just evaluate our priorities. If we’re spending a couple hours a day on a hobby, sport, work, housecleaning, social networking etc., but can’t spare 10 minutes in prayer and studying the word of God, then where are our hearts? What are we really worshipping? All of these activities can be good and uplifting, but pursuing them to the exclusion of more important matters… well, you’ll have to evaluate that for yourself. Finding God is not difficult or time consuming, but we have to make space for Him and invite Him in by clearing some time and “mind space.” If our time is filled, our minds preoccupied, and our desires elsewhere, how can we expect to commune with God?

-v. 13-15: I believe the language Isaiah uses here (cedars of Lebanon, oaks of Bashan, high mountains, hills lifted up, high tower, and fenced wall) are references to temples, in this case, the sort of false temple that Isaiah talked about in Chapter 1.

-v. 16: Interesting footnote in this verse: “The Greek (Septuagint) version has one phrase that the Hebrew does not, and the Hebrew has one phrase that the Greek does not; but 2 Nephi 12:16 has both.” There is a bit of controversy here, but I believe the evidence is in favor of this lending credence to the Book of Mormon. See http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=14&num=2&id=374 and http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/2nephi12.shtml

-v. 22: This reiterates the point of turning away from man and worldliness. Man’s “breath is in his nostrils,” things of this world are temporary and cannot save.