Seminary: 12 1 Nephi 20-22

Background: Lehi's family is in the promised land, Nephi is teaching the group the teachings of Isaiah.

What is a contract?

A contract is a binding agreement between two individuals.

What is a covenant?

A covenant is like a contract though it is a binding agreement between a person and God.

What is the different between the two?

The difference is that for a covenant one of the parties is God.

1 Nephi 21:1

Why has Israel been scattered?

They were scattered because they did not fulfill their end of the covenant that they made with the Lord and thus were no longer able to received the promised blessings, which included protection from their neighboring nations.

1 Nephi 21:9

Who are the "prisoners" that Nephi speaks of?

These are those who are in darkness or in other words they do not live in the light of the Gospel.  They are those who have passed on from this life and live in Spirit Prison.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:28
1 Peter 3:18-19
Doctrine and Covenants 138:57

How are these prisoners freed?

The prisoners are freed via the Gospel being preached to them while they are in prison and through vicarious work for the dead performed here on earth.

Nephi talks about Israel's complaints to the Lord regarding their trails and his promise to protect them.

1 Nephi 21:14, 21, 24

What brought about the problems that Israel refers to in these objections?

They are brought about because of their dereliction of keeping their covenants with the Lord.  His protection was lifted and they began to experience all sorts of ills including being conquered and eventually scattered by other nations.

What would it take to have these problems removed from Israel?

The Lord has said many times that his "hand is outstretched still".  All they had to do was repent and come back to the Lord.

1 Nephi 21:16

What does Isaiah mean by "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands?"

Isaiah often spoke poetically and in symbols.  He knew the Lord would be crucified for his people and this reference this event reminding them of their redeemer and that they can come back to him if they would repent.

1 Nephi 21:25-26

What will happen to those who harm or oppress Israel?

The Lord said that he will contend with those that contend with Israel.  Isaiah also said: "And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob"

Is Isaiah easy to understand?

From the Book of Mormon Institute Manual

"As Nephi selected passages from Isaiah for his record, he knew that many readers would struggle to understand them.  Even many of the people in Nephi's day could not grasp their meaning.  He mentioned three specific reasons for this difficulty:

1. They did not know "the manner of prophesying among the Jews" (2 Nephi 25:1)
   
2. They were not "filled with the spirit of prophecy" (v. 4)
   
3. They were not "taught after the manner of the things of the Jews" (v. 5)
   

In addition to the reasons Nephi gave, other difficulties exist for modern readers:

1. Most of Isaiah's writings are in poetic form.  The beauty and depth of poetry in one language does not easily translate into other languages.
   
2. Many of Isaiah's prophecies are dualistic in nature.  Consequently, the prophecies can be fulfilled in many circumstances at different times in history.
   
3. Isaiah used extensive symbolism.  Many of the objects and events he referred to were contemporary to his day and are difficult for us to understand today.
   

Three basic guidelines  assist anyone who wishes to understand what Isaiah wrote:

1. Study other scripture.  The scriptures themselves offer many insights into the meaning of Isaiah's writings.  The Bible Dictionary states, "The reader today has no greater written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants".  Not only do these books of scripture interpret passages of Isaiah, they contain doctrines and prophecies that shed light on Isaiah's words.  These modern scriptures fill in details that are no as evident in the Bible.
   
2. Seek the spirit of prophecy.  As Nephi mentioned, those who were not "filled with the spirit of prophecy" in his day could not understand the meaning of Isaiah's writings.  The same is true today.  Each serious student of Isaiah must seek revelation through the Holy Ghost to enlighten their mind and to help them read the words by the same Spirit in which they were written-in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
   
3. Study diligently.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915-85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged Latter-day Saints to devote themselves to serious study of Isaiah:  "Read, ponder, and pray-verse by verse, thought by thought, passage by passage, chapter by chapter!  As Isaiah himself asks: 'Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?' His answer: 'them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.' (Isaiah 28:9-10)" ("Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah," Ensign, October 1973, 83).

Why did Nephi include the words of Isaiah?

From the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

Nephi began the first of his Isaiah citations with these words: "Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all those house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written"

"And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words.  For I will liken his words unto my people, and i will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my redeemer, even as I have seen him.

"And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true.  Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word.  Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words"

If we keep our part of the covenant will life be easy?

From the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

Intense heat refines metal and removes impurities.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed that affliction can likewise refine and purify each of us: "Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures cal 'the furnace of affliction' (Isaiah 48:10; 1 Nephi 20:10).  Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member.  Others suffer the death of a loved one of the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing.  Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression.  Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become" (Ensign, November 2000, 33-34).

Additional Materials

Book of Mormon Institute Manual

What happened during Isaiah's lifetime, and why are his prophecies still being fulfilled today?

Isaiah prophesied from approximately 740-701 B.C. During his lifetime the kingdoms of Israel and Judah rose in prosperity and struggled with idolatry.  The unrighteousness of the people led to spiritual weakness and political peril.  In a short period of time, Israel and Judah became weak vassal states cowering under the mighty Assyrian empire.  In fact, the scattering of Israel began during Isaiah's lifetime, as many Israel from the northern kingdom of Israel were carried away captive by the Assyrians.

Book of Mormon Institute Manual

In 1 Nephi 20:1-2, the prophet Isaiah chastised the house of Israel for claiming to follow the Lord without keeping His commandments.  They felt that because they were His covenant people and lived in the holy city of Jerusalem, God would always protect them.  Isaiah taught that it is not where you live but how you live that is important.

Book of Mormon Institute Manual

As with other great ancient empires, Babylon's ascendancy to wealth and glory was accompanied by moral decay, wickedness, and iniquity.  Babylon's corruption was so extensive that the very name became a symbol for worldliness, spiritual wickedness, and Satan's kingdom.

God decreed that the Medes should completely destroy Babylon in its wickedness.  Under the rule of Cyrus the Great, an alliance of Medes and Persians dammed the mighty Euphrates River and marched through the riverbed and under the walls of Babylon to capture the city and overthrow the empire as well as spiritual Babylon.  Isaiah foresaw the graphic destruction of the Babylon of his day as a result of the great wickedness of its people.  Consequently, he used the term Babylon in his prophecies to typify the spiritual condition of the latter days and the judgement that would come upon the world at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.