Lesson 124

Isaiah 17–28

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to be taught by the Holy Ghost. Making the most of your seminary experience can help you better come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. By studying the scriptures and the words of the prophets, you can learn how to progress toward eternal life.

Begin your study with prayer.

Think of a time when you found or discovered something that you really wanted to share with someone. What did you do?

As you watch this video, think about all the ways we can share what is most important to us.

Missionaries

How many missionaries are currently serving? How many missions do you think there are around the world?

Take a minute to look up the current missionary statistics on the “Facts and Statistics” page of mormonnewsroom.org.

As you study Isaiah 17–21, look for how Isaiah prophesied of the great latter-day missionary effort and gathering of Israel.

Isaiah’s Words

In Isaiah 17 we learn of the impending destruction of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. We also learn that the Northern Kingdom of Israel would be destroyed because its inhabitants had “forgotten the God of [their] salvation” and had “not been mindful of the rock of [their] strength” (verse 10).

Using the words land, ambassadors, messengers, ensign, and trumpet, Isaiah then prophesied of a future time when several nations would turn to the Lord.

Read Isaiah 18:1–3, looking for how Isaiah used these words to teach about the future. In this context, rather than referring to suffering or affliction, the word woe in verse 1 is used as a greeting (see footnote a).

Symbolism

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) explained that one possible interpretation of the phrase “the land shadowing with wings” in Isaiah 18:1 is that it refers to the Americas (see The Signs of the Times [1952], 51). The words ambassadors and messengers in Isaiah 18:2 can refer to Apostles and missionaries, who travel all over the world to spread the gospel. An ensign is a flag or banner around which armies gather for battle, and a trumpet can be used to call people together, so both an ensign and a trumpet can symbolize the latter-day call to gather to the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 18:4–6 we read that the Lord used the imagery of a vineyard to describe the destruction of the wicked and the gathering of the righteous in the latter days.

Read Isaiah 18:7, looking for what the people will bring to the Lord.

A Present to the Lord

The “present” mentioned in Isaiah 18:7 that the people will bring to the Lord represents the Lord’s scattered people, who will be gathered to Zion.

What truth can we learn from Isaiah 18?

Scattered Israel

One truth we can learn from Isaiah 18 is that in the last days, the Lord will send messengers to gather scattered Israel to His Church. People are gathered to Jesus Christ and His Church when they are baptized and accept the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

1. Answer at least two of the following questions:

• How is gathering people to the Lord’s Church like giving Him a present?

• When have you witnessed someone being gathered to the Lord’s Church?

• What is something you can do to be involved in gathering people to the Lord’s Church?

Isaiah’s Prophecies

Isaiah 19–23 contains Isaiah’s prophecies about the destruction of wicked nations and of the coastal city of Tyre. Isaiah 22 records Isaiah’s prophecy that the Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem. The people who lived in Jerusalem when the Babylonians attacked more than a century later thought they could depend on the same preparations that had been made when the city had been spared from the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 19:32–35).

In Isaiah 22:15–25 we learn that Isaiah told a story about Shebna, the keeper of the treasury of Jerusalem. Shebna, a wicked man, was proud of Jerusalem’s wealth. Isaiah prophesied that Shebna would be carried away into captivity. Isaiah further prophesied that a man named Eliakim, whose name means “God shall cause to arise” (see verse 20, footnote a), would replace Shebna. Eliakim was a person who loved and obeyed the Lord. The name Eliakim has symbolic meaning because it points to Jesus Christ and His Atonement (see verse 20, footnote a).

Read Isaiah 22:21–23. What did Isaiah prophesy about Eliakim that points us to Jesus Christ and His Atonement? (It may be helpful to know that the phrase “the key of the house of David” [verse 22] symbolizes the right to rule, which can be obtained only through the holy priesthood of God (see verse 22, footnote a).

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

In Isaiah 24–25 we read about the destruction of the wicked at the Second Coming and about the blessings the Lord will give to the righteous.

Read Isaiah 25:6–9, looking for what the Lord will do when He comes again.

Quiz 1

1. According to verse 6, what symbolic event did Isaiah use to show that all nations will be invited to partake of the blessings of the gospel?

   1. A trial

   2. A funeral

   3. A feast

2. True or false: According to verse 8, Isaiah said the Lord would be victorious over death and wipe away our tears.

   1. True

   2. False

3. According to verse 9, in the Millennium people will say that they “have waited for [the Lord],” and they will “rejoice in his .”

   1. presence

   2. salvation

   3. justice

Blessings of Waiting for the Lord

From Isaiah 25:6–9 we can identify the following principle: If we wait for the Lord, then we can receive His salvation and rejoice.

Read the following statement by Elder Robert D. Hales (1932–2017) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for what it means to wait for the Lord:

“In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end” (Robert D. Hales, “Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 72).

2. Answer one or both of the following questions:

• What are some ways we can hope, anticipate, and trust as we wait for the Lord?

• What blessings have you received as you have trusted in or waited for the Lord?

“Precept upon Precept”

In Isaiah 26–27 we learn that Isaiah testified that we can trust in the Lord forever. For example, read Isaiah 26:3–4, looking for blessings the Lord promised those who trust in Him.

What might prevent you from putting your trust in the Lord and obtaining perfect peace?

In Isaiah 27 Isaiah used the imagery of a vineyard to show how the Lord cares for His people.

We also learn from Isaiah 28:1–15 that Isaiah condemned “Ephraim” (verse 1), or the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, for their wickedness. He reminded them that the Lord teaches “precept upon precept; line upon line … ; here a little, and there a little” (verses 10, 13). The people did not think they needed the word of the Lord—they believed other things would save them from the problems they would experience.

The Cornerstone of Zion

Why do builders use stone in the foundations of buildings?

Read Isaiah 28:16, looking for how Isaiah described the stone that Zion, or the Church, would be built on.

How might a cornerstone be a good representation of the Savior?

The Only Sure Foundation

From Isaiah 28:16 we can identify the following truth: The Savior is the only sure foundation upon which to build our lives.

3. Answer the following questions:

• Why do you think the Savior is the only sure foundation upon which we can build our lives?

• What are some ways we can build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ?

• How have you been blessed as you have tried to build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ?

Your Efforts

From Isaiah 28:17–29 we learn that the Lord told the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that they would be swept away because they believed they could build their lives on something other than the Savior.

How well are you building your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ? Prayerfully think of one thing you will commit to do to build your life on the Savior, and write it in your study journal or your Notes on LDS.org.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) c; (2) a; (3) b