2 Nephi 11-26 – Advancing School Years
D&C 109:7 “…seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith”
Nephite Timeline
The following chapters are entirely doctrinal, which makes it difficult for a book that focuses almost entirely on people, places, and events to glean symbolic meaning from the timeline. Still, the Isaiah chapters are placed here at a perfect time in the narrative. Jacob has finished his sermon and Nephi takes the reigns. He decides to include the first quarter of the entire book of Isaiah right off the bat; sink or swim, trial by fire, the gloves are coming off, now it’s time to really learn how to study and dig deep into the Lord’s subject matter. While Nephi’s soul may have “delight(ed) in plainness” (2 Ne 25:4), it doesn’t seem to the casual reader that Isaiah’s did (you know that the word plain is used in Jacob’s sermon just before these chapters, and extensively in Nephi’s dissertation right after, 7 times in fact, but never used in Isaiah’s chapters? Hmmm.)
Individual Timeline
We have arrived at the dreaded Isaiah chapters of the Book of Mormon. You’ve made it through elementary school and into Jr High and onto High school, with it’s conconomant Young Men’s or Young Women’s church positions. Just as Isaiah speaks awkwardly, it’s difficult and confusing subject matter, and everyone approaches it with a little apprehension, if not full out fear, so too do we enter into this next difficult and confusing phase in life, awkwardly and with a little trepidation.
Just as the common joke in the church goes that “nothing gets past second Nephi” (including bullets as well as dedicated students in the gospel), it might also seem to both the teens and their parents, that as we embark into this challenging time of life we might not make it through either. Still, time stops for no one, and into the teenage years we go; sorry, there’s no skipping these chapters.
Study
So what do the Isaiah Chapters have to do with the teenage years? I think the main take-away here is that this is the time that we should learn how to study. There’s been a chapter or two of Isaiah already but it’s usually flanked by very clear interpretation and teaching given by Nephi or Jacob. Not now, we have 13 chapters of Isaiah straight before hearing another word of “plainness” from Nephi. Gone are the days of teachers and parents holding your hand and making sure you get your 20 minutes of homework done, it’s time to take some initiative and prepare for some real work. You’ve finished the basics, elementary gospel study so to say, now it’s time for more advanced courses. So what do the Isaiah chapters teach and how does it apply to our current position in the timeline? Let’s get studying.
General
There is a general theme to these chapters, and all of Isaiah if it could be said. The general theme is of the increasing pride of the covenant nation and the speedy destruction that awaits such a nation that forgets their God; yet also the deliverance of the humble and righteous by the miraculous hand of God. Yes this is originally written to Israel/Jerusalem regarding the destruction that is coming from first Assyria and then Babylon, so why does the Lord counsel us to study Isaiah in particular?
The Lord loves to teach in layers, like an onion, to borrow the line from Shrek (not like a cake!). It’s called dualism, and when married to the principal that history tends to repeat itself, especially for similar covenant lands like America, God’s prophets can prophesy all about their current situation/nation and really be speaking directly to us. It’s exactly what this book is all about; the lessons and events that happen to the Nephites are recorded for us because history will repeat itself, in this way we’re provided a roadmap for the future.
So why are these teachings here in the teenager chapters? Well for one, this is about the age that our youth can start comprehending such complex topics. More importantly, as these issues affect the nation in general they affect the individual too. The downfall of these covenant lands is pride and sin. This is the time where these tools of the adversary are more liable to creep in and, if left unchecked, lead to spiritual destruction. What pitfalls does Isaiah identify specifically?
Avoiding Pitfalls
The main pitfall seems to be pride. Isaiah teaches the land is “full of silver and gold”, “chariots”, and other “idols”, and that “they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made” (2 Ne 12:7-8). How careful we must be not to let materialism and pride begin to become the focus as, for the first time, our youth obtain their own “chariots” and other “treasures” (2 Ne 12:7). We are told that these “idols he shall utterly abolish” (2 Ne 12:18) as “the proud and lofty, and…every one who is lifted up…shall be brought low” (2 Ne 12:12).
The Lord is looking for good grapes to come out of his vineyard, not “wild grapes”. If partying and being “wild grapes” becomes the focus, we can expect the protection of his divine hedge to be brought down and we are liable to be “trodden down” (2 Ne 15:1-6), maybe not physically but certainly in our individual lives his spiritual hedge can be removed. Like wicked Korihor in Alma 30, one can be “trodden down, even until he was (spiritually) dead…and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.” (Alma 30:59-60)
Bullying, as described in the previous chapter, can become even more prominent at this time of life. Be kind, don’t bully or pick on those perceived to be weaker than you. For the “mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled” (2 Ne 15:15). Are we catching the theme yet? Now is the time to start practicing humility, avoiding pride and materialism, and preparing for the glorious days ahead… which we’ll be discussing shortly in the next chapters. But first, how to prepare?
Temple worship
The Isaiah chapters open up with referencing the Temple again. “when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (2 Ne 12:2-3)
A timely reminder that our teenager youth should be spending at least some of their free time in the Temples of our God, learning “his ways” and how to “walk in his paths”. What a blessing that our priests can now officiate in performing baptisms for the dead. With the age being shortened to be able to attend the temple to the year that one turns 12, this hastening of the work is adding to the mobilization of a great body of youth in Temple proxy work. Perfect way to prepare for your divine mission.
Callings
It’s in chapter 16 that Isaiah describes his calling to be a prophet as he is caught up to heaven and “saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (vs 1). An angel comes with tongs holding a hot coal and places it upon his mouth taking away his iniquity and purging his sin. The Lord then asks “who will go for [them]”? Who is for God and His Christ? Who will step up and accept the burning coal of the spirit to sanctify them, and being thus cleansed and prepared, will volunteer as Isaiah did; “Here am I; send me.” (vs 8)
I love his response “Here am I; send me.” At this time of life when callings begin to be issued, maybe not to be a prophet poet to rebuke the nations, but to be a ministering partner, to prepare and bless the sacrament, to take leadership roles in their youth organizations. Who will respond in kind; “Here am I; send me.” The Lord is looking for His “sanctified ones”, He has called His “mighty ones, for [His] anger is not upon them that rejoice in [His] highness” (2 Ne 23:3). Be His mighty ones, be His sanctified ones, add your voice to Isaiah’s and to Nephi’s mirrored response to “go and do”. (1 Ne 3:7)
Dating
This was a bit of a stretch but since it’s about the teenage years there has to be something about dating right? Well as a matter of fact there is, but it’s not too flattering. As Isaiah’s warnings about pride, materialism, and bullying seem to be directed to the young men, he has some colorful words about vanity directed to the “daughters of Zion” who he describes as being “haughty, [who] walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet” (2 Ne 13:16). A curse follows such vanity to “[wash] away the filth of the daughters of Zion” (2 Ne 14:4); “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; burning instead of beauty.” (2 Ne 13:24)
What gems can we take away from these difficult verses? For the Young Women I’d be avoiding vanity and gossip like the plague, because if you don’t that’s apparently what you get. Maybe personally it won’t manifest as a physical plague as described here, but spiritually if one goes down this road their spiritual light and beauty can be traded for “burning”, their sweetness for the “stink” of gossiping, their modest clothing for “girdles” and “stomachers”. Young Women don’t fall into this trap, seek real beauty that comes only through righteous living. Young Men, also avoid the trap of dating such women that embrace the fashions and fads of the world. While serious dating shouldn’t take place at this time in the narrative you don’t want to start off on the wrong foot and have it derail you from the rest of “the way”.
Now just like all Young Men are not mean, prideful, wild grapes racing around in their “chariots”, Isaiah isn’t saying that all the “Daughters of Zion” are vain, haughty, and worldly. I think he’s just identifying the sins that “so easily beset [us]” (2 Ne 4:18) and helping us avoid common pitfalls. And apparently, as stated in chapter 14, he identifies a 7 to 1 ratio of righteous girls to guys so yeah, Young Men, gotta step it up there. Our youth should both seek and become the “beautiful and glorious” “branch of the Lord”, the “excellent and comely” “fruit” of his vineyard (2 Ne 14:2), and leave the “wild grapes” “to the moles and to the bats” (2 Ne 12:20). Timeless dating advice from almost 3000 years ago.
Keys
Nephi does give us some keys at the end of these chapters that are both useful for learning how to study Isaiah and learning how to excel in these more advanced schooling years, or to help your teenager excel if you’re the parent.
- Speak the same language: Nephi states that the things Isaiah spake were hard for his people to understand because “they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews” (2 Ne 25:1). His people didn’t understand Isaiah because they were too far removed from the Jews to understand their culture, their manner of speaking, and the lay of the land. I’m sure some of our teenagers feel the same way about their parents. Too removed to understand their issues, their manner of speaking, the things they’re dealing with. But this goes both ways, the teenager to the parent, and the parent to the teenager. So what is there to be done? As Nephi taught, if you’re going to find common ground and understand each other learn one another’s culture, what issues you’re struggling with, who you associate with, what the “lay of the land” is like at school/work and your other activities. Teens open up and share while trying to understand your parents perspective/background. Parents stay involved, listen, in a word, speak their language. Ya hear me dawg? Fo’ reals yo… Ok don’t go there.
- Seek the spirit: Nephi teaches that Isaiah is “plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Ne 25:4). Just as the spirit is needed to understand Isaiah, the spirit is definitely needed to traverse this perilous time period. Both to give guidance to those young men and women that fight these battles on a daily basis and to their parents to know how to help their stripling warriors make it through these battles, scarred possibly, but still spiritually alive. Seek the spirit of revelation and prophecy on a daily basis to receive the guidance and direction one needs to successfully navigate these chapters of life.
- Live in the last days: Nephi states that the last key is to live “in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled”. By so doing “men shall know of a surety…when they shall come to pass” (2 Ne 25:7). Lucky for us, this one is a given, you’re all here in the last days, and his words are proving more prophetic and helpful the further into the last days we progress (example: compare Isaiah 9:9-10 with the events that happened with 9/11. Johnathan Cahn, a Messianic Jewish rabbi, wrote a very interesting book about this called The Harbinger, you should check it out, after reading this book of course). Perhaps not too applicable to surviving our teenage years but helpful for understanding Isaiah nonetheless.
Global Timeline
America has been established as a free nation by righteous christian Gentiles and has begun to grow and prosper. Now what? Not too surprising, now that a measure of temporal security has been established, these Christian pilgrims turn to the very reason they came to this land, religion. A period of time beginning around 1800 that is referred to as the Great Awakening. The hard fought battle to establish a land honoring freedom of religion was quickly capitalized on as hundreds of church denominations read and interpreted the Bible in an equal number of ways, and then sought to share their convictions in an effort to gain converts. Bible passages like the Isaiah chapters we just studied from.
The movement was especially strong in the Northeast, particularly in western New York where proselytizing and revivalism reached fever pitch, earning the area the designation of “the Burned-over District”, for the degree of spiritual fervor that seemed to set the area on fire. “In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions” (JSH 1:10) an inconspicuous poor family has recently purchased a farm; a family known as the Smiths. Members will know the story well. The family was somewhat divided between the Methodist and Presbyterian sects and their teenage son, a boy in his own Isaiah chapters of life, named Joseph Smith, lacking wisdom on which denomination was correct, decided to “ask of God” (James 1:5) “concluding that if [the Lord] gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.” (JSH 1:13)
I add my testimony to Joseph’s that as he went into that grove of trees to pray, “exerting all [his] powers to call upon God” that he “saw a pillar of light exactly over [his] head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon him…When the light rested upon [him he] saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above [him] in the air. One of them spake unto [him], calling [him] by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JSH 1:16-17)
Joseph saw what he said he saw. He saw God the Father and His Son, just like Isaiah “saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (2 Ne 16:1); and, like Isaiah, in time, received his prophetic calling willingly, as if to say “Here am I; send me” (2 Ne 16:8). Nephi started this section stating that he was quoting from Isaiah because “he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him” (2 Ne 11:2-3); now we can add the testimony of 14 year old Joseph to theirs. “[Christ] lives! For [he] saw him, even on the right hand of God; and [he] heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:22-23). Everything in the timeline has been building up to this point, the restoration and dispensation of the fullness of times has begun.
Personal Timeline
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, just not in that order. My best friend moved sometime during junior high and I found myself again on the outside looking in most of the time. It was a dark and lonely period of my life. God seems to have a way of refining His children. As soon as I was feeling comfortable and at ease with my buddy John it was right back in the furnace of affliction, similar to the pride cycle described by Isaiah in these chapters. But, by God’s grace, eventually he did give me “rest, from [my] sorrow, and from [my] fear, and from the hard bondage wherein [I] wast made to serve” (2 Ne 24:3). As the Lord led Nephi out of the land of his first inheritance in the last section, he led us out of SLC to St. George Utah the summer after finishing my freshman year of High School, opening up a beautiful new chapter in life.
I was finally coming out of my awkward ugly duckling stage and starting fresh. Instantly 3-4 guys from church brought me in and we became fast friends. They were into punk rock, BMX bikes, and bleached hair, yep, I all of a sudden, was too funny enough. Another friend from a neighboring ward joined the clan and just happened to have 5-6 other buddies. Now we were a regular posse. One other connection doubled our forces, and we were basically a horde; a horde of bleached headbanging punk rockers in baggy pants and hemp necklaces… I know, it was the 90’s. I couldn’t get enough of it though. After the years of loneliness I had just passed through, it was like a drug, and I was hooked. I started calling our group “The Boys”, and it stuck.
It was the happiest, craziest, wildest time of my life up to that point. Oh, we fell into the traps Isaiah mentioned a bit I’ll admit, we never really did anything too bad, but we were much more akin to wild grapes than tame good ones. Pride set in a little but I always retained a soft spot for anyone else on the outside looking in. We weren’t really into materialism, or dating too much for that matter, but we did have our “chariots”.
I was one of the oldest of the group and therefore one of the first to drive. My first car, “The Silver Bullet”, a Plymouth Turismo hatchback (a hand me down from my Grandma but I don’t think I ever disclosed that). I loved that car, we took our old home stereo system and rigged it up in the back with a walkman and powered it up from a cigarette lighter adapter; super classy sound system. From cruising the Boulevard to being chased by older kids seemingly wanting to kill us, I have a lot of fond memories of that “chariot”.
Still, despite the newfound fun, friends, and freedom, I would often find myself feeling empty as I’d drive home at night. There was this longing for more, for something to fill that ever elusive void, that no amount of concerts, joy rides, parties, treasures, or even friends could fill, despite my frequently trying to do so.
One night we didn’t have anything to do, as was frequently the case, so we went to see if anything was playing at the movies. We had seen them all, all but one. “God’s Army”… a LDS production about missionaries. We decided to go see it, possibly inwardly hoping to fill that void, but outwardly keeping up the tough punk persona, stating that we could sit in the back and make fun of it.
As the movie progressed the sneers and eye rolling gave way to a quiet stillness and feeling of peace. There is a scene in the movie where they’re teaching an older man how to pray. He starts out timidly, “Um uh, Father in Heaven”, then stops, feeling the spirit he almost questions, “Father?”, then exclaims through tears “Father!”. I can’t explain what happened through this sequence but it felt like my chest exploded, like a hole opened up wide to eternity, filling that void with a love, a burning, a peace that was indescribable. I was silently sobbing now, tears freely flowing as I tried to hide them from my tough punker buddies, through the tears I stole a look down the row, expecting to see judgement and scorn, all I saw was the tear soaked cheeks of a dozen or so sons, all coming to the same divine knowledge that they have a Father in Heaven, as was the gentleman on the screen.
We walked out of the theaters later quietly, I don’t think we played our music or even spoke much on the drive home. I don’t think any of us saw anything like Isaiah, Nephi, Jacob, or Joseph Smith did, but this was our calling, a calling to be more, to do more with our lives, to fulfill the measure of our creation and follow “the way”. I believe every one of us there went on to the next big step on the path and served missions. A discussion followed where we recognised that we were desensitized by a lot of our music and we threw a bunch of CD’s out our car windows. We didn’t completely change overnight, but it was a divine rerouting by a loving Father that used the opportunity to reach a handful of His somewhat wayward sons, in the back row of a movie theater.
The Way 