Lesson 100A – Isaiah 36–47 Walk, and not Faint

A few points from Isa Chapter 34: The mythical creature chapter – v7 – v13 Isaiah 34:16-17 – “none shall want her mate” – What are we talking about? – Eternal marriage Isaiah 35:1-2 – “the desert shall blossom as the rose” – What desert might they be talking about?

Orson Pratt “Now that is something that has been fulfilled during the last quarter of a century, here in this wilderness, barren, desert country. The great latter-day work has commenced, the kingdom of God has been reorganized on the earth; in other words, the Christian Church in all its purity and with all its ordinances, has been reorganized upon the face of the earth, and the time has at length come when the Spirit of God has been poured out from on high. Until that period arrived, there was no hope for Israel, no hope for the land of Palestine, no hope for the redemption of the tribes scattered in the four quarters of the earth; but when the wilderness should become as a fruitful field, when the spirit should again be poured out from on high, through the everlasting Gospel of the Son of God, then the people should be gathered together by the commandment of the Lord.... Then we may look out for a change upon the face of the land where this gathering takes place; we may look for the deserts to become like the garden of Eden, to blossom as the rose that blossoms in rich and fertile gardens, to blossom abundantly, and the desert to rejoice with joy and singing.... “The Prophet says that, when Jesus comes with vengeance and destroys the wicked, redeems the desert, and causes the wilderness to become a fruitful field, then the lame man shall leap as a hart, the tongue of the dumb shall speak, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert, and the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.”

Isaiah Basically a repeat of 2 Kings 18-20, but let’s review The new king of Assyria (Sennacherib) decides he would rather conquer Judah instead of just taking tribute from it. He sends the Ambassador (Rabshakeh) to do some smack talk (Isa 36:4, 6, 12) Hezekiah is worried, seeks counsel from Isaiah Hezekiah prays to the Lord Isaiah 37:33-36

Isaiah Sennacherib gets killed by his own sons, Assyria starts to fall, and a new threat arises Babylon sends Hezekiah a gift Isaiah 39:2 Isaiah asks what he has done, then prophesies of Babylon eventually taking the kingdom of Judah to captivity

Isaiah 40 The next several chapters have an overarching theme, partly to warn Jerusalem of the Babylonians, partly to teach us. God’s power is greater than man’s power. Each table will receive a card with 2 sets of scriptures on it. Chapter 40 has two sections with matching subsections. The card has verses from each. Go through the verses and answer: – What are the major themes of the verses? – Name two adjectives of God that these verses describe. – What are the symbols involved? What do they mean? – How does one section compare to its counterpart?

v1-2 | v18-20 Main theme? – The comfort of God vs the uselessness of idols How can you even compare the two? Idols are built by men, but do nothing for them A Living, Loving God

v3-5 | v21 Main theme? – The creative power of God A Creative, Powerful God Who is the “voice of him that crieth in the wilderness”? – Matthew 3:1-3 – John the Baptist

Joseph Fielding Smith “Malachi [as does Isaiah] speaks of the Lord sending his messenger to prepare the way before him, and while that does have reference to the coming of John the Baptist, it is one of those prophecies in the scriptures that has a double fulfilment. It has reference also to the coming of the Prophet Joseph Smith, because that messenger which was to come and prepare the way before him, was to come in this day. I am going to take just a moment for that because it is important, and I will show you when this messenger was to deliver his message.... “The Lord declared, through one of his prophets, that before his second coming a messenger should be sent to prepare the way and make it straight. You may apply this to John if you will, and it is true. John, the messenger who came to prepare the way before the Lord in the former dispensation, also came in this dispensation as a messenger to Joseph Smith; so it applies, if you wish to apply it so, to John who came as a messenger to prepare the way before the Lord. “But I go farther and maintain that Joseph Smith was the messenger whom the Lord sent to prepare the way before him. He came, and under direction of holy messengers laid the foundation for the kingdom of God and of this marvelous work and a wonder that the world might be prepared for the coming of the Lord.”

v6-7 | v22-25 Main theme? – Our flesh is temporary, “but the word of our God shall stand for ever” Symbols? – Grass withering – Grasshoppers/plants blown away in the storm A Supreme, Eternal God

v9-12 | v26 Main theme? – The Lord knows His creations An Active, Caring God “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd” What do we know about shepherds? – They know their sheep – Their sheep know them, trust them.

v13-14 | v27 Main theme? – We cannot comprehend His ways, and we cannot hide our ways from Him A Mysterious, Knowing God

v15-17 | v28 Main Theme? – Great nations are nothing compared to God, He never grows faint or weary A Wealthy, Wise God Why is Isaiah promoting the creative power of God so much? Joseph Smith (Lectures on Faith) “…for unless God had power over all things and was able by his power to control all things, and thereby deliver those who put their trust in God,…. no such fear can exist in the minds of those who put their trust in him, so that in this respect their faith can be without wavering.”

The final promise Isaiah 40:31 – “They that wait upon the Lord” – “shall renew their strength” – “shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not be faint” Where else do we see this phrase (think D&C) – Word of Wisdom (D&C 89:20) Does this just mean physical strength? Look back to v28. This is the same attribute of God. His promise is to be like him, never weary.

Notebook Ideas What attributes of God are most meaningful to you? What other attributes of God did we not discuss today? What does it feel like to be spiritually weary? How can we gain back our strength through the Lord?