Church members who are heeding President Gordon B. Hinckley's recent challenge to read or re-read the Book of Mormon, and who have applied his suggestion that they can finish the book by year's end if they read it at the pace of about a chapter and a half per day, should be coming to the Isaiah chapters about now.
These lengthy extractions by the prophet Nephi from the Old Testament book of Isaiah have long been something of a stumbling block to casual or first-time readers of the Book of Mormon. In contrast to the relatively straightforward narrative and doctrinal clarity of Nephi's text, some find the Isaiah portions, with their profound imagery and subtle allusion, to be baffling.
We modern readers are like Nephi's own people, who found Isaiah's writings hard to understand, "for they (knew) not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews" (2 Nephi 25:1). Thus, we are tempted to skip or hurry over Nephi's quotations from Isaiah, anxious to get on to text that is less taxing to the intellect.
And yet we are troubled as we do so, probably because we are conscious of Nephi's endorsement, "My soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah" and his pointed declaration that "they shall be of great worth" to us living in the latter days (see 2 Nephi 25:5, 8).
Indeed, the Master Himself commanded, during His personal visitation to the Nephites: "Search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.
"For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.
"And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake" (3 Nephi 23:1-3).
Jesus' designation that Isaiah's words are directed to the Gentiles as well as to the House of Israel leaves no one out. Surely, in our reading of the Isaiah chapters, we can unlock these great treasures. In doing so, here are some suggestions that might be helpful:
Pray for understanding. Nephi asserted that Isaiah's writings "are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy" (2 Nephi 25:4). The spirit of prophecy is among the gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:8; Moroni 10:13; Doctrine and Covenants 46:22; Articles of Faith 7). Spiritual gifts are not apt to come without effort by the receiver, and part of such effort is to seek them through prayer. Indeed, we are commanded to do so (see 1 Corinthians 12:31).
Read with Nephi's context and application in mind. In 1 Nephi, for example, Nephi introduces his Isaiah excerpts just after his own discourse in Chapter 19 on the mortal mission of the Savior and the latter-day gathering of Israel. In Chapter 22, he follows up with his own commentary on the Isaiah writings he has just quoted and himself expounds on the scattering and gathering of Israel and destruction of the devil's kingdom that will precede the Second Coming of Christ.
It follows, then, that if we read these Isaiah passages seeking to know what they have to teach us on these topics, our understanding will be enlightened.
Seek for personal application. Nephi wrote that in reading Isaiah's words to his people, he "did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). In our study of the Isaiah chapters, we can draw value from them by asking, "What does this mean for me personally?"
Use available and appropriate helps. In the Book of Acts, we read of Philip's encounter with an Ethiopian who was reading Isaiah's writings. Asked if he understood what he was reading, the man replied, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" whereupon, Philip expounded the scriptures, relating them to Jesus Christ. This resulted in the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian (see Acts 8:27-38).
Like the man Philip encountered, we might be in need of guidance in our understanding of Isaiah. We can turn for help to teachings from other scripture and from latter-day prophets on the topics covered by Isaiah. In addition, we have the study aids — footnotes, cross references, Topical Guide, Joseph Smith Translation excerpts — found in the current Latter-day Saint editions of the scriptures.
Record thoughts and impressions. As insights occur to us in our reading of Isaiah, we should preserve them in marginal annotations and, perhaps, journal entries. These undoubtedly will be of value and use to us in future study of these chapters and lead to yet greater understanding.
If we put forth effort and plead for the Spirit in our study of Isaiah — and all scripture, for that matter — we can look forward with faith to an experience similar to that reported by Joseph Smith: "Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed to us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of" (Joseph Smith — History 1:74).
