Isaiah 40:31

[brother01]

Just looking at the Word of Wisdom thread and thinking about how this relates to Isaiah 40:31, which has a like promise from God and wondering how LDS see the two. LDS often quote the WOW, but not the Isaiah verse. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

"But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

[FernRL]

I think the scripture in Hosea 12:6 may be related. "Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on they God continually."

As I see it, to "wait on the Lord" means to pray.

If there is anything Joseph Smith did, it was pray. Ok, he did other things, like study the scriptures and try to support his family and lead the Church. But the D&C came about because he prayed about everything.

Section 89, called the Word of Wisdom, was one of the results of his humble prayer.

[Maureen]

...

"But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

If you add a melody to the words, it can be song. Brings back memories. :)

M.

Edited August 22, 2008 by Maureen

[brother01]

If you add a melody to the words, it can be song. Brings back memories. :)

M.

Love that Milton Berle quote:-)

There were a lot of 'songs' that the 'Jesus freaks' of the 60's-70's added a tune to a Scriptural passage. The early Church did similarly. A few have been adopted into some hymnals. Those were the days... We don't see many Jesus Freaks around today. Maybe tomorrow?:-)

[Guest tomk]

"But those who wait on [the Voice of] the LORD [His will, His timetable]

Shall renew their strength; [shall have their strength renewed by Him, personally]

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, [Gifts of Translated state]

They shall run and not be weary, [Gifts of Translated state]

They shall walk and not faint." [Gifts of Translated state]

[Hemidakota]

Just looking at the Word of Wisdom thread and thinking about how this relates to Isaiah 40:31, which has a like promise from God and wondering how LDS see the two. LDS often quote the WOW, but not the Isaiah verse. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

"But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

When I do read the "Word of Wisdom" I remember the other OT passages that reflect the same principle years earlier:

Judges 13:3-4

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: (An angel instructs the mother of Samson)

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Then we have Paul's statement to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Saints:

1 Timothy 3:2-3

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; (Letter to his assistant Timothy, about A.D. 64)

1 Corinthian 6:9-10

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Victor Ludlow comments regarding that verse in Isaiah has dept and meaning but his own conclusions differs here:

Isaiah could conclude his message, having edified us and humbled us through his discourse on God's supreme power and glory. However, Isaiah chooses to build further upon his concept of God's glory. He suggests that its greatest value is not to serve as a measurement of God's greatness, but to be shared with his children:

Verse 29 - He gives strength to the weary,

Fresh vigor to the spent.

Verse 30 - Youths may grow faint and weary,

And young men stumble and fall;

Verse 31 - But they who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength

As eagles grow new plumes:They shall run and not grow weary,They shall march and not grow faint

A. Divine strength to the weary

B. Youths may weaken

C. Those who trust in the

Lord shall renew their strength

B'. As eagles grow new feathers

A'. People will find weary, strength

A chiastic pattern is outlined in the right column. The two primary words in this section are antithetic to each other, "weary" and "strength." The key word is "trust." Combined in one statement, these three words declare that "weary" people who "trust" in the Lord will receive new "strength."

These three terms can be evaluated through a variety of possible relationships. One scholar describes them as follows:

What the prophet means is that Yahweh communicates some of the unfailing strength of his eternity to those who believe in him. As Yahweh always acts with full vigor, so those who trust in him find their vigor renewed to perpetual fullness. (McKenzie, Second Isaiah, p. 25.)

McKenzie also suggests that the sprouting of wings probably symbolizes restored strength to the feeble, for when "a person who is greatly weakened suddenly begins to run, it is as if he sprouts wings." (Ibid., p. 22.)

Another scholar compares Isaiah's imagery of an eagle growing new feathers as follows:

They [the weary people] shall put forth fresh feathers like the moulting eagle. It has been a common and popular opinion that the eagle lives and retains his rigour to a great age; and that beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth. (Clarke's Commentary 14:162.)

The concept of divine strength shared with mortals is confirmed by modern revelation. The Lord promised Oliver Cowdery in the early days of this dispensation that he would give unto him "strength such as is not known among men." (D&C 24:12.) On the other hand, David Whitmer was rebuked because he did not rely upon the Lord for strength as he should. (D&C 30:1-2.) The Lord's promise of renewed bodies is given to those who magnify their priesthood callings. (D&C 84:33.)

Isaiah's metaphoric use of eagles' wings is also echoed in modern scripture where the Lord promises Lyman Wight that if he is faithful the Lord will "bear him up as on eagles' wings; and he shall beget glory and honor to himself and unto my name." (D&C 124:18.) In the same revelation, the Lord promises William Law that as he serves the Lord, he will receive great powers and blessings including the promise that "he shall mount up in the imagination of his thoughts as upon eagles' wings." (D&C 124:99.) Other phraseology from Isaiah's promise is found in the Doctrine and Covenants. For example, those who keep the Word of Wisdom are promised that they shall "run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint." (D&C 89:20; compare Isa. 40:31, KJV.)

An apostle of this dispensation, Orson Pratt, expanded the promises of Isaiah and explained that those who renew their strength and "mount up with wings as eagles" (KJV) will be "renewed with the light of truth, and be enabled to move from place to place at accelerated velocity, even with the speed of light." (JD 3:104.)

Since God promises to share his strength (or power, glory, and dominion) with those who trust in him, Isaiah's promise compares with President Lorenzo Snow's statement: "As man now is, God once was. As now God is, so man may be." (Improvement Era, June 1919, p. 660.) Isaiah stresses what God now is in most of chapter 40, but concludes with a promise of what man may be as he shares God's strength.