Insight into Isaiah - You don't need to pull your hair out!

As is common with our Sunday school study we will be hitting the book of Isaiah shortly since we are studying the old testament this year.  The Book and writings of Isaiah are to most very hard to follow and understand.

Could it be that since he wrote it in such a older style; cryptic to a point his writings have stood the test of time.  Many other writings throughout the old and new testaments have obviously been modified down through the ages.  We can clearly see differences in translation and for that matter content depending on the writer and/or source.

Thus what can we do to help us understand the writing and prophecies of Isaiah?


Here is a list of a few good articles that can help.  Beyond that I'll dive into some additional ideas and helps provided over the years by the modern prophets, seers and revelators.

• How Can I Understand Isaiah?
• Technicolor Isaiah 
• Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah 
• Understanding Isaiah 

Isaiah is truly hard because his writings do not contain stories, they don't follow a common narrative.  They clearly more like a compilation of prophecies.  Thus it is hard to really follow.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when dealing with Isaiah.

1.  You may know more then you think.  Much of what Isaiah covers is the basics of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  You may be familiar with many of the basic.  Also many of his prophecies have been fulfilled.  This makes things a bit easier to understand....


2.  Know the main topics.  You have to know the main areas that are covered by Isaiah.  One suggestion is to mark various verses with different colors by topic.  You might use Yellow for Jesus, Blue for the Holy Ghost, or Purple for Gospel restoration, etc.  The topics could be limitless since the topical guide in the scriptures cover everything and anything.  Simplify things down and cover more broad topics.  You can get more detailed as you begin to understand things better.  You may also find that a given verse could have several colors running though it.  Many topics can be covered in just one verse.... keep this in mind.

3. Get help from Modern Prophets and Teachings.   There is a lot of material out there in regard to Isaiah.  There are the manuals and helps given to the teachers and students of say seminary or Sunday School.   Many leaders have also made references to  Isaiah in conference talks and other settings.  These references depending on the source may have explanations given especially if it comes from an Apostle.  Nephi also gives a run down of the verses he had included in the Book of Mormon.




4. Learn about the life and times of Isaiah.   What do I mean by this.  If you want to understand for example why Hitler promoted what he promoted and did what he did you need to learn about what was happening in Germany around the time he came to power.   Quickly you find Germany had lost World War I.  They were broke, in the dumps, rebuilding and wanted someone to blame for all their problems.  He played on those needs and the fears and the anger to his advantage.   You need to do the same with Isaiah.  You need to find out who was in power (Locally and globally), what were some of the traditions of his people at the time.  Why were they doing what they do?  Once you begin to understand the people and culture you can begin to understand his style of writing.  Just as Shakespeare wrote about historical and current events of his day, his plays use a language no longer in daily use.  I'm not saying Isaiah used slang but, reference to certain places, things or habits would make sense to readers of his day but, not necessarily to us.

5. Study by the Spirit.   The writing of Isaiah contain many prophecies.  What better way to study them then in the attitude or prayer and fasting.  As you ask for the spirit in your study you will be enlightened.   It definitely will be easier to understand the writings of Isaiah when you have a spirit filled environment.  Kind of hard to to get tuned in while listening to loud, hard pounding music with other distractions present.


6. Apply his teachings in your life.   Take the time and see how you can apply the teachings of Isaiah in your life.  It might not be as easy as say some of the teachings of Christ.  However, you can clearly look for prophecies that have occurred or appear to be occurring.  Then you can say - How does this apply to my life.  You might be surprised what you find out.  Think of prophecies that apply to the restoration of the Gospel, or the Second Coming of Christ.  Look to the blessing of the fulfilled prophecies.  You be happy as you see your on the right path.  Not feeling your on the right path?  Then do something about it.


Isaiah does not have to be extremely difficult or pie in the sky material you can't understand.  There are so many helps available that you need not feel left out of the blessings of reading Isaiah and understanding his many teachings.  Don't get left out of the Banquet!  Come to the feast and really get filled up.....  you can can do better then to just pick at a few thing here and there.




Buaidh - NO -  Bas

Fasting and Prayer

It is custom in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to hold a fast and testimony meeting on the first Sunday of the month. During this meeting time is provided after partaking of the sacrament for people from the congregation to come and bear testimony at the pulpit.
This last fast Sunday we were asked by the local and area leadership of the church to include the drought situation into our fasting. You see here in California many locations are at 20-30% of their normal water supply. January went down as one of the driest on records for places like Sacramento and San Francisco. The governor even declared a state of emergency since most if not all of the farmers in the central valley will not be getting any state allocated water. We simply have been getting less then the normal amounts of rain the last few years. We have ended up in a drought.
So on that first Sunday of the month we all put our efforts into fasting and praying so that we might receive moisture through out the land. Our local leaders even reached out to other faith organizations to ask us to join together in this noble request. The request that the Lord provide us with the moisture we need to sustain our lives. a great scripture was provided in the letter from area leadership

 Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

This scripture is interesting in the fact that it uses the word drought but, really is referring not just droughts of moisture in our lives.  We can be having other types of droughts.
This was highlighted by all those that presented the message regarding the fast (We heard the message twice due to attending a missionary farewell).




Well I can say that we in deed saw a miracle related to this combined effort in fasting and praying for rain.
Even before the fast day my daughter included a simple plea for rain in her prayers.  I know many other people have and continue to do so.
That fast Sunday we got some moisture.  For our area that had received no measurable precipitation during January it as just wonderful.  Then we got some more a couple days later.  And now another storm coming through the area.  The totals are low still.  You have places that on average receive just over 2 inches of rain in January receiving half an inch.

Think if we had gotten a massive down pouring at first?  Say double our normal levels?
We'd have flooding  and other problems.  It would have solved nothing.
So the moisture has started out slow..... building up in intensity so that the land may handle it.  And the best part of all is that much of this rain is falling in the places it is needed most.
Newport Beach needs the water but, getting part of an inch more or less will not effect much.  Now that makes a big difference if it is in our mountains where the all important snow pack lay.  All the right places were receiving moisture.

Now you may want to say this happen stance.  Pure chance..... that the storm that came that fast Sunday was going to come one way or the other.  That may be so....  but, you have to admit the Lord had a hand in making sure we keep getting additional storms.  Storms that provide some moisture in measured amounts so that we do not go from drought to flooding.

You see at times I think the Lord might provide us with the beginnings of the much needed moisture we need to over come a drought and then sit back and wait to see if we give thanks for that which we have received.    Do you remember the story of the 10 leapers in the new testament.  How many of them came back and thanked Jesus after he had cured them?  Only one right.   Now Jesus gave freely when he healed.  He did not hold that type of thing against someone.  He equally helped the saint and the sinner.  Especially, the sinner.

As they say relating a church to a hospital.  The church is for the sick(sinner), if not we'd have no need to be there......

so as we look to the miracle that came via the faith of many people in the western region of the united states we must the Lord's Hand in all things.




You see we have had answers to our fasting and prayer.  We have begun to receive the moisture we need to heal this land.  To make it once again productive and fruitful.
But, the big test is what will be doing after.  Will we chalk it up to science, or our ability in getting clouds to form?  Or will be simply accept the fact we are mere mortals and that God is really the one in charge?  The one that can bring a famine or rain as he sees fit.


For he giveth and he taketh away


Buiadh - NO - Bas