The Prophet Isaiah

     After last week’s post, one of my readers shared some of their favorite scriptures and explained why they enjoyed these scriptures so much.  I really enjoyed the comments, particularly because they connect with one of the prophets of the scriptures that I wish to share some thoughts on.  The reason my reader likes these scriptures and the reason I like this prophet so much are very similar.  So I decided I would start with this prophet, whose name is Isaiah.

     Isaiah is often considered one of the greatest prophets of the Lord.  The Savior and his apostles quote the words of Isaiah more than any other prophet.  The words of Isaiah are also quoted heavily in The Book of Mormon:  Another Testament of Jesus Christ and in The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This makes Isaiah the most quoted prophet of all the prophets.

     One of the reasons Isaiah is quoted so often is how effectively his words apply to life in all ages.  Isaiah was a poetic mastermind fully capable of incorporating different periods of time into the same prophecy.  So many of the prophecies of Isaiah would be fulfilled at the time Jesus came to earth as the son of Mary as well as when He would come again as the exalted Redeemer.  Using brilliant poetic imagery, Isaiah was able to describe technology and events that wouldn’t be invented for thousands of years to help the people of his time understand what would come.  And understanding his imagery is the key to understanding the messages of Isaiah.

     During his ministry of 40 years, Isaiah dealt with five different kings, though some very briefly.  His prophecies would touch upon the armies of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Persians.  And from these kings and armies would stem symbolism of the wicked world (often represented by the Assyrian and Babylonian armies), the followers of Christ (usually represented by Jerusalem and the people of Judah), and even Jesus Christ Himself (represented at times by Cyrus, king of Persia).

     There are many wonderful messages you can take from the words of Isaiah.  But there is one message in particular that stands out to me, and I feel you can find it throughout any of the prophecies of Isaiah.  That message is that when you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ, the Deliverer, you have nothing to fear.  One of my favorite scriptures sums this up perfectly.  Reading in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”  Many other scriptures in Isaiah, such as Isaiah 41:13-14, 43:5-7, 51:7-8, and 54:4-5 to name a few, support this.  On the other hand, trusting in the armies or wonders of men leaves you no such promise and can ultimately lead to destruction.

     The lives of King Ahaz, King Hezekiah and King Manasseh, three of the kings who were privileged to hear the prophecies of God through Isaiah, also demonstrate this.  During the reign of King Ahaz, the king refused to trust in God and pursued wickedness.  Instead of turning to God for aide in times of need, he turned to Assyria.  He even rejected the prophecies of God that came from Isaiah as he turned to Assyria for aide.  Assyria would turn on Judah in the end, invading her borders and throwing aside the trust Ahaz, king of Judah, had placed in Assyria.

     King Hezekiah, however, had faith in God.  He would reign during the invasion of Assyria.  He turned to God, calling for the prophet of Isaiah.  Because of his faith in God, Hezekiah would witness several miracles.  For example he would have his life extended by fifteen years because of his faith (2 Kings 20).  His faith would also save Judah from destruction at the hands of the Assyrians when God sends an angel to destroy 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers (2 Kings 19).  And because of his faith in Jehovah, he would have nothing to fear.

     But King Manasseh, who reigned in Judah after King Hezekiah, turned from God and built altars to Baal.  It is even believed he had Isaiah killed by sawing him in half.  And for his wickedness, God promises destruction upon Jerusalem.  His trust in Baal would not save Jerusalem from the destruction God sends at a later time.

     So the message I get from Isaiah is to trust in God, the Great Deliverer.  When we trust in Him we will have nothing to fear.  The inventions and discoveries of man cannot save us.  Only Jehovah the Atoning One can save us.  And we should turn to Him in faith and trust, not to the arms of feeble men or to their inventions.  We should turn to God.

     Let me close with one of my favorite scriptures from Isaiah.  Isaiah chapter 12 reads, “And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

     “And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.  Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”