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A few days ago I was having some work done at my local garage. A woman came in and asked for a seven-hundred-ten. We all looked at each other and another customer asked, "What is a seven-hundred-ten?" She replied, "You know, the little piece in the middle of the engine, I have lost it and need a new one.." She replied that she did not know exactly what it was, but this piece had always been there. The mechanic gave her a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710. He then took her over to another car which had its hood up and asked "is there a 710 on this car?" She pointed and said, "Of course, its right there." 2

1- Isaiah is written in Poetry, not prose. -Each word is carefully chosen to project an image and message. 2- Isaiah’s symbolism is multilayered (the lion and the lamb) -always remember, WE are the ultimate audience 3- Understanding of history helps unlock certain chapters 4- In terms of prophecy, what he saw has been seen by other prophets. Other visions (Moses, Lehi, Nephi, Enoch, Joseph Smith, will help unlock the imagery. 3

Isaiah 49 (I Nephi 21: 1-3) [Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel.] Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the [womb] of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (49:1) And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; (49:2) And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. (49:3) Joseph Smith I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft,... corrupt men and women— all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." 4

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. (49:4) And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb [that I should] be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him— Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. (49:5) 5

1 Nephi 19:23 6

It is my firm belief that when we read these scriptures and try to "liken them unto [our]selves," as Nephi suggested (1 Nephi 19:24), we will see many parallels between the ancient worship of graven images and behavioral patterns in our very own experience. The Lord has blessed us as a people with a prosperity unequaled in times past. The resources that have been placed in our power are good, and necessary to our work here on the earth. But I am afraid that many of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth and have begun to worship them as false gods, and they have power over us. 7

Do we have more of these good things than our faith can stand? Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God -- to further the missionary effort and the genealogical and temple work; to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way that they may also be fruitful. Instead, we expend these blessings on our own desires… 8

1 Nephi 19:23 1 Nephi 20: How do you respond to “the furnace of affliction? 9

1 Nephi 22:

During time of sin Why a scattering? And then, 1Nephi 22: 6, 12 Sin Repent 11

In our spiritual life, what must we do to be ‘gathered in’, rather than scattered? 12