The "Isaiah Barrier" - Part 1

Do you panic when you see "Compare Isaiah [insert chapter # here]" in the chapter headings? Do you skim through 2 Nephi 12 - 24 as fast as you can so you can honestly say you read it? Welcome to the club. If you're like most of us, Isaiah makes about as much sense to you as the instructions on programming your TV before you realize you're reading the Swahili section instead of English. Ikea assembly instructions make more sense than Isaiah sometimes. You know which ones I'm talking about... the ambiguous pictures without words where you're not sure if you're making a bookcase or bar stool.

It's really interesting as a Gospel Doctrine teacher to see everyone's eyes glaze over as soon as they find out the lesson is on Isaiah. Some of the class had actually read the lesson ahead of time and made comments like, "I'm glad it's you and not me" as they walked into class.

I had some interesting thoughts and ideas as I was preparing the lesson last week. Hopefully they'll help at least downgrade your panic to a low-grade phobia.

Would it make you feel better if Nephi told you that Isaiah would be a tough read?

"Wherefore, hearken... and give ear unto my words; for ... the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you" (2 Nephi 25:4)

Truer words were never spoken. Thanks for that head's up Nephi, but you could've warned us before you put in all the Isaiah chapters...

Let's stop for a moment to put it into perspective.

• The book of Isaiah in the Old Testement has 1292 verses (King James Version).
• The New Testament refers to Isaiah approximately 57 times.
• The Doctrine & Covenants references Isaiah at least 100 times (direct quotes, paraphrasing, and interpretations).
• The Book of Mormon quotes 433 verses, or roughly 33% of what we have in the Old Testament.

As I was running the numbers at 6:30 on Sunday morning, a realization hit me. Nephi knew through his extended version of the Tree of Life vision that we would already have the Bible containing, among other things, the book of Isaiah. So naturally, I wondered why Nephi would spend so much time and effort engraving 1/3rd of a book that he knew we already had. Maybe because 234 of the 433 verses quoted are changed ('corrected' would probably be a better word) from what we have in the Old Testament. It could be to reflect the importance of Isaiah's message.

Let's let Nephi tell us why he included so much of Isaiah's writings in his record:

1. 1 Nephi 19:23, "that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah"
2. 2 Nephi 11:2-4, he used Isaiah's words to prove "unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ" as Isaiah "verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him." It's easier to understand someone if you both share common experiences.
3. 2 Nephi 11:8, "...I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice ..." (isn't that your first instinct after reading Isaiah?)
4. 2 Nephi 25:3, "I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God"

If you want a really interesting exercise, make a chart like the one below (or click on it to download a PDF copy):

Each column represents one of the four reasons Nephi included Isaiah's writings. You'll need to make it bigger, of course, at least a full-sized page depending on how small you write. Now, go through 2 Nephi chapters 12-24 and make notes whenever you find something that fits into one of the four columns. What this did for me was show me that I could understand Isaiah without needing a PhD in Hebrew. I was reading with a specific goal instead of hoping that something would jump out and miraculously make sense to me, or counting the pages until I was "in the clear" again.

I'll continue my little rant another day before this turns into a small novel. In the meantime, try filling out the chart to see what you find. Feel free to comment on anything that jumps out at you...