Great are the words of Isaiah. (Isaiah 1-12)

1:3

The one of the big problems with society is the lack of understanding that we are children of God. Many don’t know who they are on a basic level. “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.” Animals know their relationship with their owner. They know who they depend on and whose they are. Humans don’t.

Not knowing who we are and whose we are leads us to do things that are lower than animals. Not knowing our identity leads us to lie, cheat, steal etc - animals don’t even do that!

Knowing that we are sons and daughters of God encourages us and gives us direction. Knowing our potential helps us elevate our behavior.

1:11

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.“ What sacrifices is the Lord not wanting? I think for Latter-Day Saints, it could be:

• Simply attending church and at the temple.

• Paying tithing out of obligation.

• Reading scriptures because it’s on our daily checklist.

• Magnifying our calling so we appear impressive to others.

• Partaking of the sacrament but not thinking about Christ’s atonement.

We need to consider what we do in the name of our religion and evaluate our sincerity. When it comes to sacrifices for the Lord, he cares much more about quality than quantity.

1:16-17

“Wash you, make you clean.” Where should we focus our effort? In cleaning ourselves. Washing our skin is much less important than purifying what’s inside of us: thoughts, intentions, judgments, motivations, etc. He provides a list:

• “Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes.

• Cease to do evil.

• Learn to do well.

• Seek judgment.

• Relieve the oppressed.

• Judge (provide justice for) the fatherless.

• Plead for the widow.”

1:18-19

“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.” I’ve always thought that this verse was interesting in how it starts - with ‘reasoning together.’ It makes me think that the the opportunity for us to be forgiven is a reasonable conclusion.

We shouldn’t think that it will be a select few whose sins will be forgiven. What is it going to take? “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” I love the word “willing.” The scripture doesn’t say, ‘if ye be perfectly obedient.’ It talks about being willing.

Anyone reading this is willing. We aren’t perfect but we are willing. We are trying. We make mistakes daily - but we’re willing to overcome them.

1:23

“Every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards.” When I read this, I envision all of us chasing after the things of the world. We want to see the rewards of our effort right now. We want instantaneous benefits.

The rewards of the gospel often don’t appear in this life. If our lives are like the rabbits in the experiment hitting the lever for food pellets, we won’t be heading in a consistent direction. We will be following after the most obvious lever!

1:29

“For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.” How much of what we do in our lives will appear silly and meaningless in the next life. How much shame will we feel for what we chased after? How stupid will we feel about what we cared about in mortality?

I imagine that the day we die, our priorities will instantly snap into place. As soon as our worldly cares don’t exist any more, we’ll likely regret what we spent our time doing and actually yearn for a do-over. We’d probably all agree that, if we were put back into mortality, we’d handle ourselves differently. We’d want to reach out to those who still exist here and give direction, warning and encouragement to not make the same mistakes that we (and most people) made.

2:8, 20

“Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.” How silly is it to consider that we might worship something that we made ourselves?! Yet, we do it. It may be that we are worshipping something that someone else has made but it’s still as pathetic. How many of us worship a sports car or a new home or jewelry or electronics?

How much care and love do we have for our phones? I worry about my phone all of the time! Do I have it with me? Did I leave it behind? Is it charged? I should be replacing that love and care for a device with loving the Lord.

One day, we will realize how stupid we are. “In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats.” One day, we will cast away all of the self-made idols.

It’s interesting that we will cast them away to ‘moles and bats.’ It suggests that those who worship their own idols are living in the dark. When you are worshipping God, you are living in the Light of Christ. When you are worshipping yourself, you’re walking in the dark.

2:10

“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.” People will hide for two reasons:

• Fear of the Lord. People will fear the consequences of their actions. They will be afraid of what the Lord is going to do with them. They are fearful of the judgment that is coming. This is unhealthy ‘fear of the Lord.’

• Glory of his majesty. People will hide because they don’t want to be around God’s glory. Imagine that, for some reason, you had to go to church in your workout clothes. You just wouldn’t be comfortable around everyone dressed in their Sunday best. It’s not that what you’re wearing is bad, it’s just that you’re comparatively different.

In that day, the difference will be uncomfortable to those who are aware of their own guilt.

2:11

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” There are so many people who are filled with worldly pride. I’m included I’m sure but I am thinking of those who are on the red carpet at the Met Gala. I see many people on TV who have power and fame.

I see ‘experts’ on TV who argue and debate. I see the truth twisted by influencers on Instagram. It is so frustrating to see stupidity reigning.

It is going to be so refreshing to have EVERYONE truly humbled when the Lord comes. Jesus will clearly be in charge and all disagreements about basic truths will be settled. Please come soon Jesus.

2:12-17

These verses are all about pride. It demonstrates the problem with pride. I was thinking recently how the primary sin in the premortal realm was pride. There wasn’t lust or sex or drugs or money. It was just pride.

It is no wonder why God is so vocal about the danger of pride. He considers pride an abomination. It is pride that compelled Satan to ask for God’s glory and take the credit. It is pride that drove 1/3 of God’s children to rebel against him and refuse to follow the plan of salvation.

The fact is that EVERY ONE who is prideful will be brought low.

3:4

“And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” This isn’t literal. Babies won’t rule over us. However, if we consider our current political leaders, how immature are they? They are selfish like a child. They are argumentative and short-sighted. I’m depressed when I hear them debate. We have many immature political leaders.

3:5

“And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.” How accurate is this!? How divided are many of us? It isn’t necessarily the government who is oppressing us but ourselves. I don’t witness this firsthand but the world is moving this direction.

3:6-7

“When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand.” How bad is it going to be that, if we have clothes, we will be considered worthy to rule? That paints a scary picture!

“In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.” We must be prepared for what is coming. We should consider preparing to have more than we need. All of us may have family members or friends who will need help. Others will need shelter and clothing and food. We should be ready for it.

3:9

“The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.” How often have you seen someone’s countenance? Many times, it is bright. Other times it is dark. The dark ones are spooky.

It’s interesting that some will “declare their sin.” That’s true today. I see people online declaring to the world their sexual perversions with pride. There is no shame whatsoever. The more extreme the edges get, the more the ‘normal needle’ moves on the scale of what is considered moral.

3:12

“…women rule over them.” We see this more and more that women are stepping up and leading our society. I’m seeing more female doctors and lawyers and politicians and district attorneys. Men are sliding a little. Their ‘hearts are failing them.’ Women are beginning to rule over men.

3:16

Isaiah didn’t like pride. He writes a lot about pride. “Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet.” He dislikes proud women. He’s describing arrogant, seductive women. There are more and more women in our society who are becoming more arrogant and seductive. Go to any popular hotspot in a tourist town and see. Actually don’t.

3:24

“And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.” The burning word here has to do with ‘branding.’ The branding has to do with slavery. In that time, slaves were branded. So, instead of beauty, slavery.

It appears that some women seem to be a slave to name brands. I saw an instagram post where a group of women were gathered at a social event and they all literally had big brands printed on their clothing: GUCCI, YSL, Louis Vuitton. It was a strange sight.

Marci won’t wear clothing where the brand is visible. I love that about her. Shoes may be a different story. :)

4:1

“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” Because of wars and a scarcity of men, multiple women will desire to be married to one man. My understanding is that this isn’t a prophecy about polygamy in our church. Most scholars believe that this verse actually belongs in chapter 3 - where it is talking about the judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. This is important because chapter 4 seems to be talking about the millennium.

Isaiah appears to be referring to his day - not the last days.

5:2

Isaiah is now singing a song dedicated to the Lord. “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.” Let’s look at what the Lord did for Israel. He:

• “Fenced it.” Protected it.

• “Gathered out the stones thereof.” Removed obstacles.

• “Planted it with the choices vine.” Faithful men and women.

• “Built a tower in the midst of it.” Appointed prophets.

• “Made a winepress therein.” This could be refining trials to help men and women spiritually progress. It also could just be that the Lord was anticipating fruit.

Instead of producing grapes (faithful men and women) it brought wild grapes (rebellion).

5:6-7

“And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.” Groups of humans need pruning. We need living prophets to correct us when we get off track. In our fallen state, we require a source of truth.

In addition to pruning, the Lord digs. This is preparing the soil to accept nutrients. Without the Spirit, our ground becomes hard and unresponsive to promptings from the Holy Ghost.

Without divine help, we naturally grow briers and thorns. This is apostate teachings and wickedness. A garden, left to itself, always ends the same way. It becomes disorganized, weed-filled chaos that doesn’t produce anything worthwhile.

Marci and I live in the wilderness. On the far side of the property, we have an area where we put unused wood and metal. It’s amazing how quickly those materials deteriorate over time. If something is left out in the elements, it isn’t long before mold and plants and insects take over and eat away things that were useful a few months ago. I just took a pile of it to the dump.

Humans are the same way. If the Lord simply leaves us to ourselves, we degrade quickly. God is expecting something different. “…he looked for judgment (justice), but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry (riotous or raucous outcry)."

5:12

“And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.” The instruments were part of worship in Isaiah’s time. This verse is talking about hypocrisy.

Many of us participate in church services but don’t “regard the work of the Lord.” We don’t really respect or appreciate what God has done. We may not see or acknowledge God’s hand in all things “neither consider the operation of his hands.”

5:13

“Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.” In our day, the captivity is spiritual. How restrained are you when you don’t have knowledge? When you see people suffering or battling in the news, how much would the gospel liberate them?

Nevermind them for a minute, how much more freedom would we enjoy if we knew more about the Lord and His gospel? How am I currently restrained because of my ignorance? Perhaps in a couple of decades, I will view my current self as one being in bondage.

5:14

“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.” The large group of those who feel they are on the top of this world will someday realize that none of it matters. They will realize that they are severely deficient in fulfilling the purpose of life.

5:15

Everyone needs humbling. “And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.” This verse isn’t just talking about the rich and powerful. It starts with the ‘mean man.’ If we think that it’s ‘those people’ who need to be humbled, we need some humility. I am guilty of this.

5:18

“Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope.” How much of our iniquity is tied to us with cords of vanity? In other words, how much does pride drive us to sin? How much does pride have control over us? Does pride affect what we think about? All of us have some pride that drags iniquity along.

5:20

“Woe unto them that:

• Call evil good, and good evil.

• Put darkness for light, and light for darkness.

• Put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Are we seeing this today? Let’s consider some things that have been switched:

• Men should marry women is bigoted.

• Waiting for marriage to have sex is prudish and stupid.

• Being religious is naive.

• Religion itself is a holdover from the tyrannical patriarchy.

• Women staying at home to raise children is sexist.

• Dressing modestly is old-fashioned.

5:21

“Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Why is it detrimental to consider ourselves wise?

• It creates pride which, as we know, leads to other sins.

• It makes us less teachable. We don’t listen to others.

• We are damning ourselves to some degree.

• We see ourselves as better than others.

I think the big problem is the teachability thing. We have a lot of repenting between now and becoming like Jesus. If we view ourselves as needing a lot of instruction, we are better prepared to receive that instruction.

5:24

“…their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust.” The root of the wicked is rotten. Their source of strength and inspiration is a fake. Nothing lasting springs from it.

Also, their work and descendants will not last. Their children and their children’s children will not progress as they should. They will not have progeny in the next life. All of their work in this life will evaporate.

5:25

This verse illustrates the mercy given to us from the Lord. “Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” The Lord can be angry at us and still love us.

One of the great lies of Satan is that Jesus turns his back to us. We may feel as if we have sinned so badly that He has left the room. This is never true. He is always extending his hand to us. He is always within reach - but we have to reach to him. He’s not going to force us to turn around. But, the second we turn around, we will see his loving faith.

5:26-29

These verses appear to be describing modern transportation. If I am in 700 BC and saw a vision of modern travel, I’d probably describe it like this. I’d be amazed at the speed of transportation and the fact that people can travel across the world and not change clothes. The sounds of planes and cars and trains would sound like the roar of lions.

6:5

Because Isaiah saw the Lord, he realized his sad state. “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” This is comforting that even the great Isaiah feels unworthy. We all feel unworthy in one way or another. We are all severely imperfect. Most of us are well-acquainted with our flaws. If we think we're not measuring up, we're in good company.

6:6-8

“Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” This is an obvious symbol of the atonement. Our specific sins can be purged from us through the atonement of Christ.

After this happens, Isaiah had more confidence to accept the mission he was given. “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” We should consider this if we are ever in a situation where we receive a calling and feel overwhelmed.

Surely, without Christ and the power of his atonement, we are undone. But, with Christ, we can accomplish any calling or assignment we’re given.

6:13

“…as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.” In this verse, it’s talking about Israel. How it will be scattered but there is still something of value there.

I think we can be viewed the same way. Sometimes in our lives, we lose our leaves and can even appear dead. We can be tired or scarred. We can make big mistakes and live rough for years - which takes its toll. But inside of us, there is still a source of life. The Light of Christ can burn bright no matter the past mistakes.

8:21

“…and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.“ What does it mean to ‘fret themselves?” I have witnessed people fretting themselves. They get fixated on something and get themselves worked up. It’s like their anger is in a ‘feedback loop’ and just builds and builds until they are exasperated.

Their instinct is to look for someone to blame for their problems - because the source of their trials could never be THEMSELVES. They may look heavenward for help but it’s not in a respectful way. It’s more like they are throwing their hands in the air and ask why God isn’t doing what they want.

9:12

“For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” The Lord has anger. The issues consequences for our poor choices. He’s just. With all of the anger he has, which we deserve, his hand is always stretched out. No matter what we’ve done and how angry the Lord is, we can repent. No one is out of reach of Jesus Christ.

9:19-20

There are a couple of sentences at the end of these two verses that have similar meaning:

• “No man shall spare his brother.”

• “They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm.”

This demonstrates the harsh conditions of the time. I think it’s also a type of how it will be before Christ’s second coming. If we’re desperate enough, we will turn on each other to take what we need. Marci and I are anticipating this and planning. :)

10:3

“…and where will ye leave your glory.” If our ‘glory’ is something that we can pack around with us, it’s not glory at all. I heard a saying last week that fits. ‘You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul.’ When we die, all of our worldly glory is taken from us. Glory isn’t things.

10:13, 15

When we accomplish great things, it is tempting to believe that we are the source of the greatness. The king of Assyria thought this. “For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.” He sees the cause and effect of his actions and simply credits himself.

Isaiah has a great response. “The axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” We are all tools in the Lord’s hand. We shouldn’t take credit for what the Master chooses to do with us.

Viewing our accomplishments this way maintains our humility and teachability. We may still accomplish great things but we continue to give the glory to God.

11:2-3

"And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:" Some gifts of the Spirit are illustrated here:

• Wisdom and understanding.

• Counsel and might.

• Knowledge.

• Fear of the Lord.

We may mistakenly believe that these are qualities that we develop ourselves. Our effort is required in that the Lord cannot force us to be wise. But, to be truly wise, we need his help.

I have a metaphor for this. When you are climbing a steep cliff with ropes, you want a belay partner. That belay partner holds a rope that you're attached to and prevents you from falling. However, he can help a little too. I was once climbing a cliff and not doing a great job. I was getting tired and my legs were shaking. Suddenly, it seemed like my legs and arms were strengthened and I was able to get to the top easily. Near the top, I turned around to look at my belay partner and noticed that he was sitting down each time I reached upward. His sitting down was gently lifting me up. I think the way the Spirit helps us is like this. We have to do the work but the Spirit can help us along.

I like how this verse also describes two other qualities:

• "He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes."

• "Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears."

For most of us, seeing and hearing is indisputable proof of reality. But it sounds like this person relies on something else. I'm guessing illumination and promptings from the Spirit. Usually, our eyes and ears aren't giving us the full story. We don't know the background or context. Our bias can literally affect what we are experiencing. But God knows it all and can educate us fully if we are listening.

11:12

"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." I believe this has a dual meaning for what is going to happen to scattered Israel in Isaiah's day and in the last days. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that ensign for the nations. Around this organization shall Israel be gathered.

12:2

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Knowing God's love and care for us should help us to never be afraid. He is an able parent. We can trust in him and his plan.

Knowing that Christ was successful gives us strength. We should celebrate this good news! Christ did what was necessary for our salvation. We should sing songs of praise. We should feel joy.

I think I should say, "thank the Lord" more than I do. :)