Isaiah 25-26

Much of Isaiah seems to deal with Armageddon, destruction and just all around doom. While the future may look dark Isaiah also lays out many of the wonderful things that the faithful have to look forward to.

Isaiah 25-26 answers these questions

• Isaiah specifically mentions many blessings in these chapters. He says that dead men will rise, and that the Lord shall come to save us. We will also find peace, righteousness and everlasting strength when we trust in him.
• Isaiah desired that all the great people would praise the Lord. Isaiah praised the Lord himself as well and desired that all would see his greatness.
• The Lord promised that he would swallow up death in victory and wipe away the tears of his people. He also of course promises the blessings mentioned above.
• The most important things to take from these chapters and the things I would share if given the chance to speak at a funeral are the promise of resurrection and the saving power of the Lord. We know from Isaiah that this is not the end. All men will rise again, the Lord promises to give us peace and strength in the end. This life may be difficult to handle now but in the end the Lord will raise us up and wipe away the tears.

Isaiah 25:1, 4, 8–9; 26:3–4, 9, 19

Why Isaiah?

The book of Isaiah has many wonderful and powerful things written on its pages. There are many reasons to read Isaiah, here are just three.

1. The Lord has commanded us to read it. This might seem like a shallow reason but it is the single most powerful endorsement a piece of writing can ever receive. The Lord commands us to do things in order to bring us happiness. These are things that help us learn and grow and keep us away from sorrow causing temptations.
2. It will come to pass. - We have been told that the things of Isaiah are true, his prophecies have and will continue to come to pass. These are not predictions, they are facts. It would behoove us to understand the signs of the times. Not only does this prepare us for the future but it provides proof of God and his teachings in modern events.
3. His words apply to all of us. - It might be easy to assume that Isaiah's words were written for ancient people in ancient times. This is simply not the case. His words were written for the Jews and the Gentiles and his prophecies applied from the moment Isaiah wrote them until the end of humanity.

Themes of Isaiah

• The main theme of Isaiah for me is this. "the fear of the the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"(1: 7;9: 10) This quote probably looks familiar from last week and it applies well in this post too. Fear as we discussed earlier is more of a respect and understanding. If you trust the Lord and choose to obey his commandments because of the deep respect you have for him you will find great wisdom.
•  The Love of God - This is surely a theme throughout all scripture and it applies greatly in Isaiah. The Lord has taken the time to share what will come, something we cannot do and in so doing has given us many signs of his great power. He also shared with us the coming of Christ and gave ancient people hope that there would someday be a savior. 2014 years after the Savior's birth we sometimes take his existence for granted, but the ancient people there had been no Christ. His teaches of Love were not yet ready to be heard. The Lord took the time help the people understand that their existence had purpose and hope. 

All of this information can be found in Isaiah itself and numerous other locations in the Bible but it was best exemplified in these verses from the Book of Mormon and the Bible Dictionary entry on Isaiah.

• 3 Nephi 23:1-3, 2 Nephi 25: 1-7, 3 Nephi 20:11, 1 Nephi 15:20;19:23, 2 Nephi 11:2-5; 25:4-8, 3 Nephi 20:11-13 Bible Dictionary "Isaiah" (pg. 707)

Proverbs. Wisdom and Knowledge from God

In the Bible Dictionary Proverbs, the book of is defined as:
The Heb. word rendered proverb is mashal, a similitude or parable, but the book contains many maxims and sayings not properly so called, and also connected poems of considerable length. There is much in it that does not rise above the plane of worldly wisdom, but throughout it is taken for granted that "the fear of the the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"(1: 7;9: 10)

A Proverb is therefore a Parable then is a short story or tale that is meant to convey spiritual meaning. Jesus's parable of the good Samaritan teaches us to help our neighbor judging. Much of what we find it the book of Proverbs are these themed stories. There is so much more in Proverbs though, giving it untold value.

Proverbs 1:7; 9:10 as partly quoted above really illustrates the theme of the Book of Proverbs. These verses remind us that the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. He has the ultimate wisdom and "fearing" or respecting and having admiration for that power opens the gates of knowledge for us. This is a wonderful realization but it's not without its challenges. In Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."

Adam really comes to mind when reading Proverbs 3:5-6. In the garden Adam knew very little, even after he had eaten the fruit his knowledge was limited. The adversary worked very hard to persuade Adam away from the path. Adam knew that he lacked the understanding to safely converse with such a being without being tricked. He relied on what the Lord had told him to shape his actions. Many of the Old Testament prophets showed great faith by following the commandments of the Lord. They had no access to the amount of scripture and discussions that we do. They had to rely solely on the promptings of the spirit and instruction from the Lord.

In Proverbs 6: 16-19 The Lord lists six things that he hates:

• A proud look
• A lying tongue
• Hands that shed innocent blood
• A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations
• Feet that be swift in running to mischief
• A false witness that speaketh lies
• He that soweth discord among brethren

Here are six opposite actions that could be practiced in place of the above:

• A humble countenance
• Truth in all things
• Hands that work to preserve precious life
• A heart that seeks to please the Lord
• Feet that be swift in running to the spiritual and physical aid of our brethren
• A witness to the Lord, proclaiming to all who shall hear that Jesus is the Christ
• He that buildeth up and unite his fellow man in righteousness

Proverbs 16:32 calls those who are slow to anger greater than the mighty. This is something that I and I'm sure many more of us need to work on. Anger is a difficult thing to tame. Those who do are showing immense self control. One of the best ways to tame anger that I have found is to remember that God is all powerful and that life is very short. When I realize how short this life his and how insignificant I am compared to the Universe I realize just how insignificant my problems really are. Yes they seem serious to me, but keeping this perspective has helped me to gain better control over my emotions.

Further light is shed in Proverbs 23:7. What we think, we are, where are hearts are is where we are. This is incredibly significant. How many of us have gone to church and praised the Lord outwardly but inwardly doubted him or had sinful desires. This is an easy trap to fall into but it is not inescapable. We will make mistakes from time to time but if we strive continually to have our hearts with the Lord we will find our way back.

At the end of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-31) a virtuous women is described and it is one of the most beautiful and telling descriptions I have ever read. A virtuous women is good to her husband and her family all the days of her life. She reaches out to the poor and needy and she fears or respects God. What I found most interesting was that these verses but a lot of emphasis on the fact that a virtuous women isn't afraid to work in the field and get her hands dirty, she is a strong women both physically and spiritually. She provides the clothing and the food of the household and she raises her children in righteousness.