Isaiah Part Cinq - Come Follow Me with Sam

 Welcome! Finishing out Isaiah below! This is actually from a couple weeks back when I thought Isaiah was over (HA!). 

A tentative way to view the organization of Isaiah

I also feel like I can put together a tentative shot at how I think about the organization of Isaiah. Keep in mind that there are lots of ways to organize Isaiah in your mind. Some are better, some are worse. This one is sure to have mistakes but it should highlight some important parts as well. Keep in mind that although I speak a lot  in terms of which dispensation, epoch, or time Isaiah is talking about, I believe Isaish looks at this more spiritually and that is why his words represent multiple times and places. He is describing spiritually what is happening in the hearts of men, and as men are falling into the same traps, and need the savior in the same way across time, hiis words apply across those places.

Chapters 1 - 5 (6) chapters 1 through 5 are an introduction and summary to Isaiah's main message. Isaiah fearlessly and in a way lovingly calls out the hypocrisy of the church, declares consequences and hints at redemption. He also pleas with us to turn our hearts so that we can be part of this in a good way, not a bad way.

Chapter (6) is a chapter that stands apart from everything. It can be understood as a completely standalone chapter, as a finishing culmination of redemption from the introductory chapters, or as an example of who we need to be and how to stand for the following chapters. In this chapter I feel the humility of being before God and the oneness of the atonement the most

Chapters 7-14: the coming of Christ Mirror Chapters. There is where Isaiah prophecies about the tumults of war of the present day, and probably has the most well-known quotes of Christ's first coming. Nephi quotes every one of these chapters and ends at 14, which, along with the other parallels in the scriptures including the chapters ending on the millenial day, suggest that we can think of these all as in our day, before the second coming as well as in Isaiah's day and in the day of Christ's mortal ministry.

Chapters 15-23 (24) are on the woes, prophecies, or 'burdens' of various ancient cities. I look at each city as a reflection of a folly or failure to live in God's way, and what happens for this. We can also look at this like different factions that we should all choose out of as bad, instead of choosing between. Chapter 24 may be another transition chapter, but I look at it primarily as a summary of the burden chapters, closing it out.

Chapters 26-35 are last 2 dispensation chapters, particularly the last dispensation. It seems to pick up at the end of Christs ressurection and run to the millenium, describing the spiritual state, failures, and successes of the world.

Chapter 36-39 are the hezekiah chapters. These speak mainly of Hezekiah's time and Isaish's prophecies to him, but among other things have a clear warning against trusting to the worldly powers for salvation. Let's not do that.

Chapters 40-57 - one of my contributors pointed out to me research that shows chapters 40-57 are one giant chiasmus. While I need to research this more, I see Chapter 50 or thereaouts as the peak point, and this suggests this is a giant redemptive chiasm, explaining in some ways what we need to do to overcome the problems mentioned both in the introductory chapters and in these ones. There is this continual tension and struggle between wickedness and redemption with a feeling of a promise for good or for bad at the end.

Chapters 58-66 are the triumph chapters. It begins with estabilishing the true law of the fast and the liberation of the captive and builds through the complete redemption of God's people. In a way, this is the joyful and somewhat chiasmic (reflective) answer of the first chapters; the sin of zion has been purged, the people have been redeemed, and good and truth in Christ the redeemer flow in the final millenial day of rest.

Isaiah 58

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Isaiah 59

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Isaiah 60

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Isaiah 61

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Isaiah 62

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Isaiah 63

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Isaiah 64

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Isaiah 65

Isaiah 65 feels to me like a last call to repentance before Isaiah 66, and a tying up of loose ends. Throughout this chapter, and through out Isaiah, there is a constant plea to listen to God. God warns that when He came, there was no man, when he called, there was none to answer, that his people consistently abandoned their relationship with Him. It seems as though in Isaiah 65, he says for those who continue down that path, they will receive the reward of those actions but those that serve God with all their might will receive the fulfillment of their works and of their blessings and the day will come where before they call, God will answer, and while they are yet speaking, God will hear.

Isaiah 66

I like to read the last chapter of Isaiah in context of the first chapter of Isaiah. As Isaiah opened with the hypocrisy of the church, so he closes with the sincerement (the burning away of all the impurity) of the righteous and the fulfilling of the promises of zion. Isaiah closes with a great and terrible assurance that God will overcome the corruption of the world, and the saints will over come with Him, those that give up everything and leave only their contrite spirit and eyes to God. God will ultimately deliver His people and they shall both conquer their inward demons and the external destruction of all false foundations.

Closing Note

Isaiah can be a difficult book. It is difficult to read, it is difficult to understand, to appreciate, and, once understanding the message for one seeking to be better, it can be a very bitter pill to swallow.

This struggle is intrinsic to its beauty. Isaiah hits the breadth and depth of the wickedness of the world, the churches' apostasy, the glory of the Lord, the redeeming power, the healing, deliverance, and the breaking forth of Zion. Isaiah wove the entire plan of salvation into a poetic piece in a way that, through revelation, can give us the higher view of who God is, who we are, who we can become, the price we need to pay for that, and the price that was paid for that already. It is no wonder that Moroni finally closed the Book of Mormon with Isaiah's words. In that spirit, I would like to end these Isaiah chapters with the same cheer for the millennial day when all can know and live these words.

And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on they beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge they borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the coevenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.