The Lord Prophesies of the Triumph of the House of Israel
Book of Mormon Notes - Tuesday, March 5, 2024, 3 Nephi 22, continued again
It seems clear to me from my study of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon that Heavenly Father’s marvelous work and a wonder hasn’t even begun yet, or in other words, the prophesies about the marvelous work and a wonder have yet to be fulfilled. Similarly, the Lord’s prophesies using the words of Isaiah in 3 Nephi 22 have yet to be fulfilled. Of course Isaiah’s prophesies have multiple applications and times of fulfillment - during his own time, in the time of Christ, and especially in the last days. But as with everything else in the Book of Mormon, the messages were recorded for a future audience: for the seed of Lehi in particular, but also for Jew and Gentile, and for everyone else, including us.
Why would the Lord’s recitation of Isaiah to the Nephites at or near the Temple in Bountiful be addressed both to them and to a future audience? Why were so many of the prophesies about the last days, and not just the near future of the Lehite civilization? One obvious answer is that all of the Nephite prophets, from Nephi to Moroni, knew that the Nephites would be destroyed and that a remnant of the seed of Lehi, through the Lamanites, would be preserved. They knew that their record would be preserved and sent forth to the latter-day posterity of Lehi, the Lamanites who were scattered by the Gentiles, and who will be gathered together again in the Promised Land. These things are in process of fulfillment. The Lamanites are coming to a knowledge of Christ and the true points of His doctrine. The Jews will also be persuaded to believe in Christ and the true points of His doctrine, and they will be gathered into their Promised Land of Israel. These things are still in process of fulfillment, preludes to the fulfillment of the prophesies of Isaiah that the Lord recited in 3 Nephi 22.
I have many questions about this prophesy:
Who is the barren, the desolate, and the person who did not travail with child?
Who are the married wife and the children of the married wife?
I don’t know, but let’s think about who was barren in the Old Testament.
Abram’s wife Sarai was barren for a long time before bearing Isaac. (see Genesis 11:30) Isaac’s wife Rebekah was barren for a while before bearing Jacob and Esau. (see Genesis 25:21) Jacob’s (Israel’s) favorite wife Rachel was barren for a time before bearing Joseph and then Benjamin. (see Genesis 29:31) Hannah was barren for a while before bearing Samuel. (see 1 Samuel 1) There are many other examples of barren women whom the Lord made fruitful:
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalms 113:9)
Mary’s cousin Elisabeth was barren for a long time before bearing John the Baptist. (see Luke 1:7) On His way to the Crucifixion, Jesus prophesied:
And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of aJerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the abarren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Then shall they begin to say to the amountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
For if they do these things in a agreen tree, what shall be done in the bdry? (Luke 23:27-31)
The Apostle Paul, who also quotes Isaiah frequently, wrote to the Galatians:
For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. (Galatians 4:27)
I think that in these same passages Paul helps us to understand this allegory from Isaiah:
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a abondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to abondage, which is bAgar.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
But aJerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written, aRejoice, thou bbarren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the achildren of promise.
But as then he that was born after the aflesh bpersecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Nevertheless what saith the scripture? aCast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:22-31)
As I understand it, the children of the covenant, the Abrahamic covenant through Isaac (who came from the barren woman Sarai, then Sarah), will rejoice in the last days and be blessed more than those Gentiles, or those not of the covenant, or those who do not repent and enter into the covenant. This especially makes sense in light of the many women in the Old Testament who were barren, but then the Lord blessed with children of the covenant. Hagar and her children, and others born of the flesh, were not desolate at first, but the Lord’s covenant with Abraham was renewed through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). This sounds like a song of rejoicing for Israel when Israel shall be restored and made fruitful.
Paul teaches that there is an allegory of two covenants: 1. the covenant of Sinai (the Law of Moses), under which law none are free, a covenant of Hagar and the flesh, and 2. the covenant of Jerusalem (Christ), by whom we are made free, a covenant of Sarah and the Spirit.
The ensuing verses in 3 Nephi 22 (and the corresponding verses in Isaiah 54) speak of the growth and expansion of the House of Israel, and of Zion. As I read these verses, it seems that the House of Israel will inherit and make fruitful the land that is made desolate after the destruction of the wicked among the Gentiles. The Lord offers encouragement and hope to His covenant people, promising to bless them as the Bridegroom, the Husband, of the Bride Israel. Israel was rejected and repudiated for a time because of iniquity and transgression, but the Lord promises to be merciful to His covenant people:
For a small moment have I aforsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting akindness will I have bmercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
For athis, the bwaters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.
For the amountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my bkindness shall not cdepart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (3 Nephi 22:7-10)
Jesus Christ will be merciful to His penitent covenant people.
Furthermore, the Lord promises to bless and protect His penitent covenant people in remarkable ways:
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy astones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
And aall thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the bpeace of thy children.
In arighteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and from terror for it shall not come near thee.
Behold, they shall surely gather together aagainst thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the aservants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (3 Nephi 22:11-17)
This may remind us of Nephi’s prophesy in his small plates:
And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it. (1 Nephi 22:14)
I don’t know about you, but all of these things sound like great incentives for repenting, joining with the covenant people of the Lord, and become a faithful servant of the Lord.