Old Testament Wednesday

Scripture of the Day:

Isaiah 54:1-8

  1 ^aSing, O ^bbarren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

  2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy ^astakes;

  3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

  4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the ^ashame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the ^breproach of thy widowhood any more.

  5 For thy Maker is thine ^ahusband; the ^bLord of hosts is his name; and thy ^cRedeemer the Holy One of Israel; The ^dGod of the whole earth shall he be called.

  6 For the Lord hath called thee as a ^awoman ^bforsaken and grieved in spirit, and a ^cwife of youth, ^dwhen thou wast refused, saith thy God.

  7 For a small ^amoment have I ^bforsaken thee; but with great mercies will I ^cgather thee.

  8 In a little ^awrath I ^bhid my ^cface from thee for a moment; but with everlasting ^dkindness will I have ^emercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

Historical Background:

These verses are a description of the relationship between the Lord and His followers in the last days.

Here is the Guide to the Scriptures entry on Isaiah:

A prophet of the Old Testament who prophesied from 740-701 B.C. As King Hezekiah’s chief adviser, Isaiah had great religious and political influence.

Jesus quoted Isaiah more frequently than he quoted any other prophet. Isaiah is also quoted frequently by Peter, John, and Paul in the New Testament. The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants contain more quotes from Isaiah than from any other prophet and provide much help in interpreting Isaiah. Nephi taught his people from the writings of Isaiah (2 Ne. 12-24; Isa. 2-14). The Lord told the Nephites that “great are the words of Isaiah” and that all things Isaiah prophesied would be fulfilled (3 Ne. 23: 1-3).

The book of Isaiah: A book in the Old Testament. Many of Isaiah’s prophecies deal with the coming of the Redeemer, both in his earthly ministry (Isa. 9: 6) and as the Great King at the last day (Isa. 63). He also prophesied much about Israel’s future.

Chapter 1 is a prologue to the rest of the book. Isaiah 7: 14; 9: 6-7; 11: 1-5; 53: 1-12; and 61: 1-3 foreshadow the mission of the Savior. Chapters 2, 11, 12, and 35 deal with events in the latter days, when the gospel will be restored, Israel will be gathered, and the thirsty land will blossom as the rose. Chapter 29 contains a prophecy of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon (2 Ne. 27). Chapters 40-46 proclaim the superiority of Jehovah as the true God over the idol gods of the pagan worshipers. The remaining chapters, 47-66, deal with events in the final restoration of Israel and the establishment of Zion, with the Lord dwelling among his people.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) The Lord is aware of our needs.

2) We are to "enlarge" the influence of the Church worldwide.

3) We should rejoice in the blessings of the Restoration.

4) The Lord will always succor us with tenderness and mercy.

5) The Lord is quick to forgive His repentant follower.

What I Learned Today:

I am touched by Isaiah's consistent testimony about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Throughout his writing, Isaiah emphasizes the great blessings that come because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  I think we sometimes feel like we go through similar experiences as described by Isaiah in these verses.  We feel alone and we seek for the presence of the Lord.  He will come to us.  Regardless of what has happened in the past, we can feel His presence if we are repentant and humble.  It will bring us great joy.

Things I Will Implement:

I want to identify and express gratitude for the blessings that I have in my life due specifically to the Atonement and Restoration.