PROVO, Utah — The first chapter of Isaiah came later than many of the ancient prophet’s other writings, said Brother Chad H Webb, first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But much like the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Isaiah 1 acts as a preface to the entire book of scripture.
The significance of that, Brother Webb said, is found in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
A glance at the preceding verses reveals a bleak picture — Isaiah describes the children of Israel as rebellious, sinful and more (see Isaiah 1:2-4). And yet, in the very same chapter, God promises they can become clean.
“How will the Lord do that?” Brother Webb asked. “How will He take a corrupt, sinful nation, filled with rebellious, forgetful people, whose sins are as scarlet, and make them as white as snow? If that’s the preface to the book, the rest of the book can be seen as an opportunity to look for the answer.”
Brother Webb’s remarks came on Friday, Jan. 23, during his keynote address at the 54th annual Religious Education Symposium in Honor of Sidney B. Sperry, held at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Kristi Webb.
In support of the Church’s “Come, Follow Me” Old Testament study throughout 2026, Brother Webb’s remarks explored how Isaiah’s writings illustrate the symposium’s theme: “Tender mercies and loving-kindness: The goodness of God in the Old Testament.”
He called Isaiah 1:18 a “remarkably merciful promise” to a rebellious and sinful group of people who had forgotten God and their covenants with Him.
“I love Isaiah’s reference to wool, which invokes the imagery of covering the body,” Brother Webb said. “The Hebrew word ‘kippur’ is taken from the verb ‘to cover’ and is translated numerous times in the Old Testament as ‘atonement.’ Or in other words, the covering of wool of which Isaiah is speaking is the covering provided by the Lamb of God Himself.”
Tender mercies and loving-kindness
Brother Webb said that though Isaiah’s prophecies cover a wide range of times and topics, each one illustrates God’s tender mercies and loving-kindness.
For instance, in Isaiah 29:11 it is prophesied that a voice will speak in the form of “a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed.”
Latter-day Saints recognize this prophecy as a reference to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, Brother Webb said, specifically the experience between Martin Harris and Charles Anthon, a professor of Latin and Greek in New York City. Martin Harris brought samples of characters seen on the gold plates to Anthon, who reportedly said, “I cannot read a sealed book.”
While that experience itself is remarkable, Brother Webb said, equally significant is the context in which Isaiah made the prophecy. “In response to a need to make Jesus Christ the sure foundation, … the Lord would bless His children with a book that will bring them to the Savior of the world.”
Another example of God’s loving-kindness is found in Isaiah 5:26-29, where it is prophesied that messengers will swiftly and powerfully carry the gospel throughout the earth. Today, Latter-day Saints recognize those messengers as the Church’s almost 90,000-strong full-time missionary force, Brother Webb said.
Missionaries carry with them the Book of Mormon, “a witness of Jesus Christ, placing Him as the cornerstone of true Christianity. … The Book of Mormon is an ensign to the nations, and it is preparing all those who believe in its witness for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” Brother Webb said.
‘A marvelous work and a wonder’
Returning to the question of how the Lord will cleanse a sinful people, Brother Webb said He does it through “a marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14) that includes the Restoration of His gospel and Church.
But most of all, “He does it by the incomparable gift of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” Brother Webb said. “The Lamb of God was born into the world to suffer for our sins and to allow us to repent … and ultimately to make us like Him — not only forgiven and cleansed but also changed and perfected in Him.”
