Asking for the Lord's Help

"Where do I find the ore?"

That’s Nephi’s question after he is given the commandment to build a boat. He needed ore to make tools. He knew what to do with the ore to make them, but he didn’t know where to find the ore, so the Lord showed him. It’s a great example of working with the Lord. He expects us to do what we can do, while He provides the missing elements (knowledge or whatever) which we can’t do.

Then he had to build the boat, but he first needed the tools to both cut and work the wood.

That’s such a great lesson!

Another Primer on Isaiah and Revelations

A key to understanding Isaiah is its applicability in three different cultural contexts. One is now only interesting, another is important and the third is crucial for us to understand. The least important context is that of his original audience, the people and times of pre-exilic Israel and Judah. The events, people and places he wrote about, they all knew. As Nephi said, because of his learning of the Jews, Isaiah was easy for him to understand. But it all happened a long time ago. For us it’s just history.

The second most important context is for us, the people of the end-of-times. Like the Book of Mormon, it was written for our day. Its rich, literary style is filled with inspired types. The names of those places and people are types of nations and roles we will see in the participants and events of our day. Events which will mirror ones in our day. For example, Egypt was a waning geopolitical super-power. In the context of our day, Egypt represents the United States of America. You can read it replacing the one with the other and have a correct understanding of what’s going to happen. Where the Spirit comes in, is understanding who and what all the types represent.

The last and most important context for understanding Isaiah is it's individual applicability. I think this is why the Savior and Nephi both thought he was so important. For example, his warnings to Judah to rely upon God not Egypt for help, is counsel we all should heed. In Nephi’s words, we should lean not on the arm of flesh. Understanding Isaiah on this level requires the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

It's the same for Revelations. It has these three contexts. The latter-day event context is important, but the personal applicability of his teachings are vital. Studied together, the latter-day context is more easily understood. Studied together, the role and need of the temple in the personal context becomes clear.

2 Nephi 10-11 - The Windup to Isaiah

In this passage, Jacob finished his sermon on the coming of the Savior and the relationship the Jews and Gentiles will have in the coming times. Nephi summarizes his brother’s comments by explaining Jacob saw the Savior as he and Isaiah had. He wanted their testimonies available to his people so they would have these as proof of God’s existence and of the Savior’s importance.

So then, at the end of Chapter 11, he introduces Isaiah. Remember, Nephi saw our day as did Isaiah as did John the Revelator. It’s in chapter 12 that the major copying of Isaiah begins. It’s interesting that Nephi starts with what we know today as chapter two and not one. Since he doesn’t quote all the Isaiah we have, we can assume only that he didn’t think it was needed. What he already quoted a couple chapters earlier flies in the face of contemporary bible scholarship.

Modern Biblical scholars assume the Book of Isaiah is composed of the writings of different authors, three in particular known today as Proto-, Deutero-, and Tritio- Isaiah. One of the reasons for assuming multiple authors is some passages speak of events far in the future of Proto-Isaiah's time. They assume the history written by the others was done so “after the fact.” The Book of Mormon disputes this assertion by containing passages attributed to Deutero-Isaiah. Scholars maintain these two wrote after the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Their presence in the Book of Mormon shows Deutero-Isaiah’s contributions occurred earlier than contemporary scholars think.

I can’t dispute the differences in literary style in Isaiah. Multiple authors apparently did write it. We see something like that in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Alma has three authors. Helaman has two plus heavy editorial commentary by Mormon. Third Nephi and Mosiah both have multiple authors. So, could there be more than one contributor to Isaiah? Yes.

But, why can’t God speak of future events as if they already happened? Why can’t He speak in precise detail of those same events? Only the blinded hubris of man demands Deutero-Isaiah wrote after the fact, not before. As for me, there’s room in my faith to allow for multiple, inspired authors of Isaiah. I just think, if there is Deutero-Isaiah, he added his part before Nephi got the plates from Laban.