1 Nephi 21

[MorningStar]

Tomorrow we're having our Book of Mormon women's study group and I was asked to share my feelings about 1 Nephi 21. It's an Isaiah chapter and I find some of it confusing, such as, what does it mean when it says, "Kings shall be their nursing fathers"?

[rameumptom]

1 aAnd again: 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 bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

2 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;

3 And said unto me: Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

RAM: This is a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It discusses the foreordination of his Messiah-ship. His mouth as a sharp-sword means that he will teach the fulness of the gospel, which will cut the wicked to their very heart. Where Father declares him as Messiah, ties in with the Father's annunciation of Christ at Jesus' baptism.

4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

5 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.

RAM: This applies both to Isaiah and the future Messiah. Remember that in Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees the divine council, is purified before the Council, and then sent forth as a messiah to Israel. Isaiah is a symbol of the coming Messiah, and sees both as being foreordained.

6 And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.

RAM: Here we see that both Isaiah and the Messiah shall go forth, not only to Israel, but also to the Gentiles. Isaiah fulfills this in his book going to the Christian world. Jesus fulfills this in bringing Gentiles into the House of Israel through the adoption: baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost.

7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.

8 Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

12 And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

RAM: Here we see the spiritual and literal gathering of Israel. The day would come when those that abhorred both Isaiah and Jesus would change, and flock to embrace the gospel and the Messiah. This would include Gentile kings.

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

RAM: God will redeem Israel both physically and spiritually in the day that they feel they have been abandoned. While a mother may eventually forget the loss of a child, God will never forget his children.

17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

20 The children whom thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the first, shall again in thine ears say: The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am adesolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?

RAM: reminiscent of Moses asking Pharaoh to leave Egypt, we find that in the last days there will be many forsaken that will be ready to return to God. The land of Israel will embrace those that return, especially since the first children have died, and Israel was thought to be barren.

22 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

RAM: We find that the lost of Israel will return with the converted Gentiles to worship Jesus Christ. There will both be a physical and a spiritual return. Given the Great Apostasy, this becomes a huge return to a land (spiritual Israel) that was barren for centuries. For the Jews, they have been brought back to Palestine on the shoulders of Gentile kings.

24 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?

25 But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

26 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.

RAM: Here we see that the Savior will deliver both physical and spiritual Israel in the long run. The wicked/enemies of Israel will be destroyed. At the 2nd Coming, all people will know who the Savior is, and that He is the Mighty One (Messiah, Great Angel) of Israel.

[MorningStar]

Thank you, Ram! Good to see you!

[rameumptom]

Thank you, Ram! Good to see you!

And it is always wonderful for me to see the MorningStar....

[Abraham]

Have you ever wondered why Nephi included the Isaiah chapters. I love the scripture that goes something like "And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses, but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by Isaiah, for I did liken all scriptures unto us that they may be for our profit and learning." I see you are doing the same.

Remember, Nephi was forbidden to write what he had seen in vision(s) by the angel, so he used words already documented by another Prophet, in this case Isaiah, so he could convey similar testimony and prophecies of the Savior Jesus Christ. This way he could comply and yet fulfill his wish to get his message across to us 'as he saw our day'.

I am glad that you meet to discuss the scriptures.

If I could spend all day every day memmorizing scriptures I would be in heaven.

Abraham

[skalenfehl]

I've yet to study Isaiah and Nephi's inclusion of those chapters. Great topic!

[sixpacktr]

I have grown to love the Isaiah chapters of the BOM. It was noted by Nephi himself that in the latter days we would be seeing the fulfilling of those prophecies and would understand what Isaiah was saying. I see that a lot. About a year or so ago I began reading these chapters in particular trying to paint a picture in my mind rather than be very literal in my interpretations, and they are beautiful chapters. One of my very favorite verses is found in 1st Nephi in an Isaiah chapter:

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

(1 Nephi21:14 - 16)

Love the BoM!

[rameumptom]

Nephi sought witnesses for his people. He gave them 3 witnesses of Christ: himself, Jacob and Isaiah.

He quoted Isaiah, because immediately afterward, he explained how he understood Isaiah's writings. Without first giving us Isaiah's words for context, we would not have gotten as much from his explanation afterward. Even having Isaiah's writings in the Bible would have been insufficient, because the wording in the Brass Plates' version were different in about 1/2 the verses quoted.

[crytsprospect]

I use to feel I had to hurry through those Isaiah chapters to get back to the story but have come to understand and enjoy them more. All your comments were great.