This paper was written for Professor James L Carroll in Fall of 2007 for my Rel A 304 (Writings of Isaiah Class). Coming soon, will be another in depth analysis of one of my all time favorite Isaiah passages. Enjoy!
For many, the thought of reading Isaiah is quite intimidating. He was an ancient Biblical prophet who was a masterful poet who wrote his message in a way that is extremely confusing to many modern humans. Because of its confusing nature, there seems to be a tendency today, to focus on other scriptures with the hopes of one day getting around to figuring out exactly what Isaiah was trying saying. Well, now is as good a time as ever, and the wonderful thing is that we don’t have to try and interpret Isaiah alone. There are many genius scholars out there who have done the most difficult parts of the research, and who have made their findings available to us in the form of commentaries. The purpose of this paper shall be to first illustrate why it is essential that we do study from the words of Isaiah, and any other scripture which seems confusing to us at the moment, and then to demonstrate how we can take a complicated passage and bring its meaning to light using the available resources.
Jesus taught, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4) As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it seems that we like to focus our scripture study on the Book of Mormon. While there is nothing wrong with a deep and comprehensive study of this volume of sacred scripture, which he have in fact been commanded to study out of, it seems that we far too often forget to also incorporate the Bible into our studies. If “we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” (AOF #8) then why would we not study it more often? The messages contained within the Book of Mormon are essential, but it is crucial to remember that the two are meant to go hand in hand as an undeniable testimony that Jesus is the Christ, and how can we claim to know Jesus any better than any other religion if our foundation is built only upon one of the two great testaments of his divinity.
What are the excuses that we sometimes find ourselves giving as we try to justify our lack of an exhaustive study of all our canonized scripture? While there are many responses to that question, it seems that far too many respond saying something along the lines of, “Well I understand what the Book of Mormon is about, so it is easier for me to study from it and be able to apply lessons to me in my life – if only I knew more about the Bible [(or any under-read canonized scripture)] then I would study from it.” While this seems to be, at least partially, a sound argument it is weak in the sense that if all learning was approached with that attitude we would still be without electricity and indoor plumbing. Instead of passively accepting the fact that we don’t know much about a given book of scripture, we can acknowledge our inadequacies and turn to the Lord and the many references he has put in place for us to gain a much more in depth study of his inspired words.
A plague that is especially prevalent among members of the church is a tendency to even skip over the parts of Isaiah that are in the Book of Mormon. This is interesting, because the Lord saw fit to take 15 chapters of Isaiah’s writings from the Bible and quote them in the Book of Mormon. Since the Lord finds these words to be of great enough worth to make sure that we have them not only once, but twice one would think that in stead of glossing them over they should study them out in depth, but still many are afraid because they see Isaiah as confusing, old, and irrelevant for our time. Well sure, anyone who doesn’t put forth the effort to learn will never do so, but if one exerts any effort at all they will be able to find a way to understand Isaiah and learn ways to apply the principles he teaches to many of the situations they face on a daily basis.
When interpreting Isaiah, it is useful if we can learn to understand the manner of prophecy among the Jews, if we can have the Spirit of Prophecy with us as we read, if we can use the Book of Mormon and other scriptures to clarify some of the otherwise confusing histories and contextual readings therein, if we can gain a basic knowledge and understanding of the geography and history spoken of in Isaiah, and if we can see these prophecies come to pass in the last days – which for us should be pretty easy since we live in them. After exerting all the efforts we can by ourselves, it is a brilliant idea to consult a commentary or two on Isaiah. These commentaries are authored by experts on Isaiah who will introduce the different theories as to what a particular passage might mean, and from there we can focus our studies to determine which theory we feel is most correct.
To best illustrate this process, we shall now assume that we have been reading consistently in the Book of Isaiah, and when we start today’s reading we will be resuming on Isaiah chapter 16.
Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.
When we last read we had determined that this was a prophecy about the country Moab, and it isn’t the most positive either. Reading from the chapter summaries (also a great help) we find that, “Moab shall be laid waste and her people shall howl and weep….Moab is condemned and her people shall sorrow…” Not exactly what a country wants to hear about their future. We come to a halt because we can go no further without figuring out what all of this means. We turn to our commentary Understand Isaiah by Donald Perry and read:
After the destruction of historical Moab, which is a type of all nations that will be destroyed for their wickedness, many Moabite refugees seek refuge in Judah (16:1- 5); they wander around the fords of Arnon like a nestling who was cast out of her nest (16:2). Possibly following royal protocol, the refugees send a lamb to pay tribute to the king of Judah (16:1); they seek advice and protection from Judah: "Advise us what to do" (JB 16:2), and "protect and hide us from our enemies" (JB 16:3-4).
Ultimately, this section is a prophecy of Jesus Christ. "Once the oppression is over, and the destroyer is no more" (JB 16:4), the throne and kingdom of David will be set up once again (16:5). Jesus Christ is the king who will sit upon the throne in his temple ("tabernacle of David"), which recalls the throne in Solomon's temple and the Tabernacle of Moses.
That starts to make clear and bring to light this passage, but we decide that we want to consult another of our commentaries. We choose Victor Ludlow’s Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet to try and learn more. Here we read:
Moab lies in the region east of the Dead Sea. Her inhabitants descended from Moab, the son of Lot and his eldest daughter. (See Gen. 19:31-37.) In chapters 15 and 16, Isaiah pronounces a two-part "burden" upon Moab. Chapter 15 describes the destruction of the cities of Moab and the mourning of its inhabitants, and chapter 16 gives an allusion to the future Messiah while continuing the description of woe. This allusion to the Messiah helps us to see these chapters not only in their historical context but also in their eschatological setting and fulfillment. The eschatological setting of this Moab prophecy is in keeping with this section of prophecies to the nations (Isa. 13-23) and their dual fulfillment—anciently and in the last days. In a latter-day context, Moab can be viewed as representing the enemies of God, with her destruction typifying the consequences coming upon those who oppose Israel at Christ's second coming. A survey of Moabite history preceding Isaiah will help us understand Moab's relationship with the ancient Israelites and how their hatred resulted in wars and came to represent opposition to the Lord's chosen people.
In verse 3, Isaiah gives Judah an unusual command: "Make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday." Like the cloud that covered Israel by day during the exodus, the "shadow" is symbolic of protection and help. Thus, to come under the shadow of the Lord's wings means to receive his divine protection. It appears that Judah's shadow, like night in midday, will hide and protect Moab from her enemies. This relationship strongly contrasts their earlier attitude; the two often fought and rarely protected each other.
These are but two of many different commentators views on what this short but profound verse of scripture might mean. In essence what these two authors are saying is that this passage is a description of how Moab will turn to Judah for protection. The symbolism is a quite important element to be understood, and to make sure we have it clear we shall run through it one more time just to drive it home. The image that Isaiah is painting is that of a young bird who is out of its nest wandering about (vs 2) and “so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.” The bird is representative of Moab, and then the key elements are unfolded in verse three. Judah is commanded to execute a righteous judgment and take Moab, the bird, under their wing, and not just when it is convenient for Judah but in the midst of noonday – the hottest time to be out unprotected. The command from the Lord to Judah, or the House of Israel (members of the church) – to protect those who do not have as much strength to withstand the scorch of the sun – Moab, the little bird at noonday (non-members) – is extremely applicable to us in our pursuits to live a good life.
In striving to apply this we should first realize that we are represented by Judah in this passage, because we are members of the Church in it’s fullness and we have the understanding, training , and capability to take care of the weak during the heat of day. In order to be most like Judah, or to be the most effective Judah, we need to seek to expand our wingspan and our strength to withstand the heat. We expand our wingspan by living what we are taught to be true, and by exercising faith in all things that the Lord God has commanded us to do. As we faithfully and diligently improve the spiritual quality of our life our wings will begin to grow, and therefore we will be able to shelter more little birds under the breadth of our being. This is kind of like us taking the role of somebody who can testify so boldly, that others will believe what we say only because we say it – essentially we are setting up a borrowing business where people can come and borrow, or live off, our testimony while they work to build their own.
But in addition to being able to cover the small birds we must have the strength to protect them from the noonday sun until they can do it themselves. We gain this strength by not just keeping the commandments, but by avoiding sin. We are taught that those who are wicked will be burned at the last day, but as we keep the commandments and avoid evil in all forms then we begin to become acclimated to the extreme heat that sometimes comes across those sojourners on earth; a heat which will test and try the righteous to their absolute limit, and absolutely demolish the wicked, and those too unprepared to face it. As righteous servants in the hands of God, we will be able to do what he commanded Judah, and “hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.” In such a capacity we will be acting as God’s messengers to bring comfort to the mourning, and peace to the pure in heart.
As we are about ready to conclude our study session, another interesting thought crosses our mind as we remember something that we were taught a while ago. The Priesthood is the power by which man can endure God’s presence (see D&C 84), and his presence has been described as being similar to being in the immediate presence of the sun. “The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord” (Psalms 97:5). If we are to take the connections which we have already made and bring it full circle, we will understand that God (in this analogy) is the sun and his presence is like the scorch of noon day. Only the truly righteous will be able to bear his presence, and that is why they must shelter those who are not yet prepared to bear his holy existence. This is a rather interesting connection, that brings to light a whole new sense that as we live righteously we are not only living to gain eternal life in the world to come, but to actually begin to bear our Heavenly Father’s presence while we are here in this life – and as we become more faithful saints of the Most High we will be able to have more and more of his presence in our lives.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a solemn responsibility to live in harmony with the principles of the gospel that were taught by Jesus Christ and his prophets, both ancient and contemporary. As we seek to obtain their words, we must also seek to understand an apply the words which they have given unto us, for “of him unto whom much is given, much is required” (D&C 82:10). In meeting the requirement just mentioned, we need to seek with all our heart not just to read Isaiah, but to use the many resources that have been put in place to assist us in making his words clear and known. We have today looked at a verse that normally would just be glossed over as archaic and confusing, but by looking at the context in which it is presented and then consulting the experts and what they believed the scripture to mean we were able unlock the doors that usually keep saints from completely understanding what Isaiah meant for us to glean from this passage. After coming to a historical and contextual understanding we pursued the message further to try and find ways to effectively apply the messages and principles that Isaiah taught into the deepest parts of our life, and in so doing we found that by keeping the commandments and avoiding evil were able to take the form of a large protective shadow to shelter the less prepared from that what they were not yet ready to behold and from enduring that which they could not endure. And in conclusion, we find that what we are really doing, and what Isaiah is ultimately testifying of – though there are definite historical fulfillments of this prophecy – is the protecting power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who made himself the ultimate shadow to protect us his children from all things and to raise us up in his tender care until we are able to operate on our own. Isaiah was a masterful poet and inspired prophet who can teach us a great deal about what we must do, and as a glorious bonus, he will testify of Christ in a manner not like any other at the same time. Many feel that Isaiah is old and its time we move on, but to them the question must be demanded – how can you think to know Christ when you ignore one of the most powerful witnesses of his divine son ship and eternal Godhood.
