The Key to All Keys for Understanding Isaiah
Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, March 4, 2024, 3 Nephi 22, continued
Why did the Lord reveal words to Isaiah and then quote those same words verbatim to the Nephites at the Temple in Bountiful? It seems to me that when the Lord rehearses the words of Isaiah verbatim, that’s even more of an indication of how important Isaiah’s words are than when Nephi, Jacob, or Abinadi quote Isaiah verbatim. Nephi and Jacob rehearsed the words of Isaiah verbatim to their brothers, but they also inscribed them upon the small plates, drawing directly from the Brass Plates. Abinadi rehearsed the words of Isaiah verbatim, and his words were also inscribed in Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi. But when our Savior Himself recited Isaiah verbatim, prefacing His teachings with the phrase: “And then shall that which is written come to pass,” then we ought to pay particularly close attention.
This is not to diminish the value of Isaiah’s teachings as expounded upon by previous Book of Mormon prophets. In fact, in some ways it seems that the entire Book of Mormon is structured in such a way as to focus on, reiterate, expound upon, and testify of the words of Isaiah. It is interesting and instructive to note which passages from Isaiah are quoted directly or paraphrased in the Book of Mormon, and in what order.
Notice particularly how the Lord picks up with quotations of Isaiah precisely where Abinadi left off, as if all of the prophets in the Nephite civilization were building upon the words of Isaiah and preparing for the Lord to expound upon them more fully, and also to fulfill them. There is so much more to explore on the theme of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon.
Isaiah is the most frequently quoted prophet in scripture, and 32% of the Book of Isaiah is quoted in the Book of Mormon, while another 3% is paraphrased. 21 chapters (about one-third) of the Book of Isaiah are quoted, either partially or completely, in the Book of Mormon (Chapters 2-14, 29, and 48-54), but less than 2.5% of the total Book of Mormon is directly from Isaiah. Even so, 2.5% is a significant amount in a book that in its English translation is more than 500 pages long. The point is that the Book of Isaiah is important, Isaiah quoted or paraphrased in the Book of Mormon is doubly important, and Isaiah quoted verbatim by our Savior Himself is triply important. Great are the words of Isaiah indeed.
The Lord testifies to the Nephites at the Temple in Bountiful or nearby that these particular words of Isaiah (found in chapter 54 of the Book of Isaiah in our modern KJV Bible) shall come to pass after all of the aforementioned prophesied events. These words of Isaiah have yet to be fulfilled, but they shall be fulfilled. In the day that they are fulfilled, we will also know that they have been fulfilled:
But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my aplainness; in the which I bknow that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.
Wherefore, they are of aworth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine bown people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the clast days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them. (2 Nephi 25:7-8)
Thus, even if we don’t currently understand some of the words of Isaiah, Nephi prophesied that we shall understand them. When? In the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled, and at the times when they shall come to pass. In some ways, our situation as Gentile in the last days might be compared to that of the situation of the Jews who received the teachings of Isaiah but only in retrospect will they understand how they applied to Christ and His coming among them. There were a few who understood and knew that Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah and all of the prophets, but there were many who rejected Jesus Christ even though they had access to all of the words of Isaiah.
In order to avoid this same mistake, it is good for us to search the words of Isaiah now and to understand his prophecies now, before they come to pass. But the only way to do this is by the same spirit of prophecy by which they were given and by the keys provided to us by Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and Jesus Himself. (See, e.g. McConkie’s 10 keys, Parry’s “Nephi’s Keys to Understanding Isaiah,” the Welches 5 keys, and Gileadi’s 4 keys - and I also love Ludlow’s great book Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet)
It is somewhat comforting to know that Nephi’s people struggled to understand the meaning of Isaiah. They struggled because they did not know the manner of prophesying among the Jews. Nephi, on the other hand, understood the manner of prophesying among the Jews. Nephi did not teach his people many things concerning the manner of the Jews because their works were works of darkness and their doings were doings of abominations. Nephi delighted in plainness and in testifying of Christ clearly. Thus Nephi prophesies plainly regarding the things that Isaiah also saw and prophesied:
Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of aIsaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the bJews, and I know that the Jews do cunderstand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.
But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which ahath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them. (2 Nephi 25:5-6)
What is this manner of the things of the Jews (see also here, here, and here) of which Nephi knew, but his people did not? McConkie’s eighth key is helpful:
8. Learn the manner of prophesying used among the Jews in Isaiah’s day. One of the reasons many of the Nephites did not understand the words of Isaiah was that they did not know “concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews” (2 Ne. 25:1 ). And so it is with all Christendom, plus many Latter-day Saints.
Nephi chose to couch his prophetic utterances in plain and simple declarations. But among his fellow Hebrew prophets it was not always appropriate so to do. Because of the wickedness of the people, Isaiah and others often spoke in figures, using types and shadows to illustrate their points. Their messages were, in effect, hidden in parables. (2 Ne. 25:1-8.)
For instance, the virgin birth prophecy is dropped into the midst of a recitation of local historical occurrences so that to the spiritually untutored it could be interpreted as some ancient and unknown happening that had no relationship to the birth of the Lord Jehovah into mortality some seven hundred years later (Isa. 7). Similarly, many Chapters dealing with latter-day apostasy and the second coming of Christ are written relative to ancient nations whose destruction was but a symbol, a type, and shadow of that which would fall upon all nations when the great and dreadful day of the Lord finally came. Chapters 13 and 14 are an example of this. Once we learn this system and use the interpretive keys found in the Book of Mormon and through latter-day revelation, we soon find the Isaiah passages unfolding to our view.
Like Jesus Christ, Isaiah taught in parables.
Christ’s parables and Isaiah’s parables are different from the esoteric writings of the philophers (see also here), but a similar principle is in play. The main difference between them, as I see it, is that the meaning of Christ’s parables and Isaiah’s parables will be unfolded to those who repent and strive to live the Gospel, and not just to those who are philosophically gifted and intellectually ambitious. In fact, without repentance and faith in Christ, the meaning of Christ’s parables and Isaiah’s parables may be withheld from the philosophically gifted and intellectually ambitious even if they have unlocked the secrets of the esoteric writings of the philosophers:
“At that time Jesus answered and said, I athank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast bhid these things from the wise and cprudent, and hast drevealed them unto ebabes.” (Matthew 11:25)
“And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.” (Alma 32:23)
“To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord’s errand in the day when the weak shall confound the wise, and the little one become a strong nation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to flight.” (D&C 133:58)
“O that cunning aplan of the evil one! O the bvainness, and the frailties, and the cfoolishness of men! When they are dlearned they think they are ewise, and they fhearken not unto the gcounsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their hwisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be alearned is good if they bhearken unto the ccounsels of God.” (2 Nephi 9:28-29)
Among those learned and good souls who hearken unto the counsels of God and have also produced useful scholarship are Noel B. Reynolds and Avraham Gileadi. Reynold’s essay “Lehi and Nephi as Trained Manassite Scribes” and Gileadi’s essay “Isaiah: Four Latter-day Keys to an Ancient Book” may provide helpful insights for understanding something about that which Nephi knew but did not teach his people.
In any case, in addition to our own best intellectual efforts and diligence in searching the words of Isaiah, the Spirit of God, the spirit of prophesy is the sine qua non for understanding Isaiah or any of the prophets. Of all the keys for understanding Isaiah, this is the most important. It is the Lord’s key for understanding Isaiah, and for understanding His own recitation of Isaiah to the Nephites who were gathered at or near the Temple in Bountiful. By all means we can and should use McConkie’s keys, the Welch’s keys, Gileadi’s keys, Parry’s keys, and Ludlow’s keys for understanding Isaiah (see also Pratt’s Key to the Science of Theology), but the Lord’s key - the Holy Ghost - is the key to all the keys.
These are a few things to keep in mind as we study the seventeen verses of 3 Nephi 22 or Isaiah 54.