Come Follow Me LDS- 2 Nephi 6-10 (Feb 10 - 16)

'I Say, Uh 'Isaiah''

-  Why Nephi obsesses about Isaiah

-  Nephi drops us right into the meat of Isaiah

-  Nephi and Jacob create the anchors to launch their new 'Jerusalem'

-  Nazarenes or 'Nozrim'?

 

 

 

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so what will we say in this episode i

say isaiah there we go

all right so I'm excited about this

episode we're going to talk about the

obsession with Isaiah and why we look to

Isaiah so much here in the Book of

Mormon

what is Nephi doing here with all of

these chapters that he's just repeating

and inserting here into his book did

he not have anything else to write about

was he just filling up space

he's got Jacob here in second Nephi

chapter 6 starting off here and we get

several chapters of Nephi

basically quoting these sermons by his

brother Jacob but he has Jacob go to

Isaiah also and talk about well this is

what we're going to talk about in this

episode why Isaiah so chapter 6 here in

2nd Nephi starts off with Jacob as the

new sermon giver the giver of this

theology and a couple of things here

about how this is being set up by Nephi

if we look at what he starts off with

here he says in verse 1 the words of

Jacob the brother of Nephi which he

spake unto the people of Nephi and then

he says two things here very quickly

first is that he's been called this is

Jacob he's been called after the holy

order of God so he has been given the

authority to officiate here

both in the temple and to the families

of the Nephites that's an important

thing to put out there he has the

authority to do this secondly is that he

says that Nephi who consecrated him is

their king who the people he says look

to as their king so he's setting up

Nephi and Jacob here as these pillars to

look to that they have the authority

both secularly

and spiritually with the priesthood in

setting up what in setting up this new

civilization remember this is still very early

on here and in order for them to drive

these anchors in to their these families

of the Nephites they've got to set in

place the authority and the reason for

what they're doing and the purpose of

what they're doing and so that's where

Isaiah comes in that's why this is so

important remember we've talked about

here with the series so far with the

Book of Mormon the two main reasons for

the Book of Mormon in Isaiah fills both

of these so Isaiah basically is going to

act as a an anchor for the doctrine of

Christ and for the prophecy of Jesus

Christ coming so that's number one

Nephi wants to make sure that that is in

place and that's why he draws on Isaiah

secondly he draws on Isaiah for his

people to understand who they are and

how they therefore should be behaving

and looking toward the Savior and

understanding that they are a covenant

people and that there have been

prophecies that have been laid out about

them remember we've got the ones from

Isaiah here we've got the ones that Lehi

went over with Joseph that we no longer

have from the brass plates about the

Nephites being and the Lamanites both

being specifically seen by Joseph of

Egypt so here is what Jacob now lays out

to the people in regards to Isaiah this

is what he says in verse 4 and now

behold I would speak unto you concerning

things which are and which are to come

wherefore I will read you the words of

Isaiah so again he's going to go over

who are we and what's going to be

happening in the future because if I can

lay that down as a leader of this new

brand new civilization I give a roadmap

right I can lay out a roadmap to these

Nephites so they understand what they

can look forward to remember what

just happened they have left Jerusalem

which was in disarray theologically and

politically and every other way and

Lehi has told them that that by a vision

he has seen that Jerusalem has been

destroyed all right this is they need a

name they need these anchors right there

in a brand new land they're being told

specifically that this is a promised

land

just like Jerusalem they've built a

temple they have a righteous King and

Nephi a righteous priest in Jacob as is

being laid out here in the beginning of

chapter 6 but Isaiah is brought in so

that they understand who they are this

is what Nephi has gone through with

likening Isaiah he understands very

clearly the plain and precious things

that have been taken out and that will

be taken out and so he's going to take

Isaiah these words from Isaiah he's

going to liken them to him and his

people because Isaiah prophesied of

Christ and Isaiah prophesied of Israel

and the remnants of Israel and they are

a remnant of Israel so he says I speak

unto you concerning things which are and

which are to come so in other words look

at who you are wherefore I will read you

the words of Isaiah and they are the

words which my brother has desired that

I speak unto you again Nephi has an

obsession here with Isaiah and then in

verse 5 get a layout here because I know

that Isaiah can be confusing and Isaiah

can be you know these are the chapters

that we skip over but if we understand

how this is being put into this

narrative and understand what Nephi's

purpose is here for his people then we

can understand Isaiah a little bit more

and we are going to dip into those

chapters

and try and peel back some of the layers

of the onion if you will and match them

up with what is happening here with

Nephi and Jacob so he says and now the

words which I shall read are they which

Isaiah spake concerning all the house of

Israel right

we've been pulled away from the promised

land we've been pulled away from Israel

so to speak the people so let's

understand what the overall purpose is

here that Isaiah saw wherefore they may

be likened unto you for ye are of the

house of Israel so you have a part to

play in what Isaiah is going to say to

you and there are many things which have

been spoken by Isaiah which may be

likened unto you because ye are of the

house of Israel in other words you

fulfill part of the prophecies here from

Isaiah now before I go into what Jacob

says here about Isaiah let's back up and

I skipped over on purpose the end of

first Nephi because I want to because I

wanted to come back and bring these

things together with Isaiah as we start

inserting all these chapters now in 2nd

Nephi remember that he started off

inserting two chapters from Isaiah at

the end of first Nephi and remember why

he does it he is talking to laman and

lemuel about Israel about them as a

remnant of Israel and he's talking to

them specifically about Jesus Christ and

so he says I have read in at the end of

19 he says I have been reading things

out of the brass plates and out of the

books of Moses write the first five

books of the Old Testament about Christ

to laman and lemuel but because I want

to convince them more about Christ about

the Holy One of Israel I read to them

out of the Book of Isaiah so that's why

he brings this in here so

in chapter 20 a first Nephi what he

brings in first is chapter 48 of Isaiah

and he's dropping us right

in the thick of things with what we call

the servant songs there are four servant

songs some say five but there's four

servant songs that are in Isaiah they

don't start here in chapter xlviii of

Isaiah but he is laying in here to begin

his discussion about Christ right in

these servant songs the servant songs

many biblical scholars especially

non-Christian biblical scholars will say

that the servant songs are about Israel

and they can be you can apply them that

way that it is about the house of Israel

and that they are the suffering servant

and the servant of the Lord but it's

very obvious that as you get through the

Book of Mormon here remember that the

Book of Mormon clarifies the stick of

Judah the Bible and it's very obvious

that the servant songs are about Christ

and about a prophecy about who this

servant is and again you could still

apply it you could apply to any servant

of God but primarily this is about

Christ

the next thing to understand about this

is that this is part of what is called

deutero Isaiah and that means that a lot

of people believe that up until about I

think it's chapter fortyish you have

first Isaiah and that the rest of Isaiah

was written in the Exile which would be

after Lehigh's departure or when the

Jews came back from Babylon seventy

years later that's obviously a problem

right that doesn't make any sense

if the Nephites have

these chapters in other words there may

have been some of Isaiah especially

toward the last number of chapters that

could have been written in the Exile or

after the Exile by somebody writing in

the name of Isaiah which happened all

the time and could have been even edited

right by people in the Exile or after

the Exile primarily the Deuteronomists

but since this is part of the brass

plates this we know was already written

and whether it was by Isaiah or

subscribes or other prophets after

Isaiah this was written before the Exile

to Babylon and what is chapter 48 of

Isaiah about chapter 48 if we just read

the heading to chapter 20 of first Nephi

it says the Lord reveals his purpose to

Israel Israel has been chosen in the

furnace of affliction and is to go forth

from Babylon okay again Babylon could be

also symbolic so like Babylon didn't

have an influence on Judah already at

the time that Lehi left in fact they had

taken a few people they had taken a lot

of let's say the Kings Court at the time

that Lehi left

Zedekiah was a puppet King to King

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon so there had

been several that had been exiled in

fact Daniel and perhaps Ezekiel could

have already been taken out it was done

in stages a lot of the temple items had

already been taken but Jerusalem had not

been destroyed before Lehi left but

again the heading of chapter 20 in first

Nephi is the Lord reveals his purpose to

Israel this is what Nephi is getting

after he is setting up a new

civilization what would you do if you

had to set up a new civilization and

this was on your shoulders

how would you focus your people what

would be the anchors of course the dock

of Christ and any prophecies about you

that's what Isaiah does for Nephi and so

in this chapter of Isaiah basically what

is getting laid out wine if I chose it

here is because God is revealing his

relationship to the house of Israel he's

saying who he is mine hand hath also

laid the foundation of the earth and my

right hand hath spanned the heavens

that's actually a reference to the

council in heaven I call into them and

they stand up together so it's a it's a

it's temple imagery that he's giving him

here but he's showing what his

relationship is to the house of Israel

in verse 17 and thus saith the LORD thy

Redeemer the Holy One of Israel I have

sent him the Lord thy God who teacheth

thee to profit who leadeth thee by the

way thou heardest go and oh that thou

hadst hearkened to my commandments then

had thy peace than as a river right so

again let's put this all together for

Nephi here here's the relationship you

have with God you broke it this would be

also in the time of Isaiah a hundred

years earlier or more but also at the

time of Lehi and Jerusalem you broke it

you broke the Covenant what covenant the

higher covenant and you got rid of the

Redeemer you rejected the Redeemer

the Holy One of Israel so we've gone

over that quite a bit already but why is

that important to Nephi now

right what you're gonna see here he's

going to lay out a warning to his people

through Isaiah which is if you deny your

relationship with God the Covenant that

has been made to you as a people which

covenant is primarily focused hangs on

the Savior the Redeemer of the world

then what happened in Jerusalem and the

reason we had to leave is going to

happen to you here

so that's why what he's doing here in

building up this new righteous

civilization it is going to be founded

through Nephi on the doctrine of Christ

and the understanding of the

relationship that Israel has that this

the Nephites have a remnant of Israel

what relationship they have with Jehovah

that those covenants have been made

through Abraham Isaac and Jacob and

Joseph through the new and everlasting

covenant the Abrahamic covenant and that

that covenant is what the lower law the

law of Moses is going to look forward to

and so if you get rid of that right if

you get rid of the idea of Jehovah

coming down to the world to earth no

mortal body taking on the sins of the

world then you're getting rid of the

higher covenant you're getting rid of

the new and everlasting covenant right

what is tied to that is if we as we have

talked it before is about becoming it's

about growing and becoming and getting

to our own spiritual promised land that

disappears when you reject Christ and

the chapter ends and notwithstanding he

hath done all this done everything for

Israel the Lord and greater also there

is no peace saith the Lord

unto the wicked right so again don't

become like the people at Jerusalem

we've seen this and then first Nephi

chapter 21 is the next chapter right so

we've been brought in what is the

relationship with Jehovah who are you in

regards to Jehovah and what are the

plans of God for you as a people and

what is the doctrine of Christ right

don't forget about Christ and then in

chapter 49 here we're dropped right into

one of the support servant songs which

are the first I think it's five or six

six verses of chapter 49

that is specifically about Jesus Christ

and look at what this says in regards to

those that are broken off from Israel

verse 1 and again hearken o ye house of

Israel all ye that are broken off and

are driven out because of the wickedness

of the pastors of my people all ye that

are broken off that are scattered abroad

who are of my people a house of Israel

can you see why Nephi is bringing this

in this fits in perfectly for what is

going on here he's not just dictating or

reciting a bunch of words that he likes

a bunch of scriptures that he likes he

has a real strong purpose in this and in

fact this sets the precedent for the

entire Book of Mormon as it works its

way around the words of Isaiah they're

everywhere and in the most important

stories you can oftentimes find Isaiah

right at the center Isaiah is the focus

of the theological narrative of the

entire Book of Mormon and then he says

right after this listen Elias there on

one of the Isles unto me and hearken II

people from far this is a direct message

to the Nephites the LORD hath called me

from the womb this is about the doctrine

of Christ right here coming down to

earth from the bowels of my mother hath

he made mention of my name

and down in verse 3 and said unto me

thou art my servant o Israel in whom I

will be glorified it says all Israel

here but understand that these four

servant songs all have an address to a

servant and though they can have a

meaning of Israel and it will see this

later in chapter 52 of Isaiah that is

focused on with Abinadi it can have a

meaning of the people of Israel and the

followers of Christ but its primary

meaning is that of Christ

again in five and now say at the Lord

that formed me from the womb that I

should be his servant

okay so again Nephi is dropping us right

into the covenants of Israel the

relationship with God that Israel has

and the Savior and the doctrine of

Christ and how this is all wrapped

together these are our anchors for

moving forward so that you understand

what your purpose is so you understand

what the prophecies are about you and

especially so that you understand that

the doctrine of Christ is what we need

to follow and that we will be destroyed

if we reject that and then in 6 just

something that's kind of interesting it

says it is a light thing that thou

should have be my servants to raise up

the tribes of Jacob this would be Christ

and to restore the preserved of Israel

right this is an important verse we see

this first later on in in at least in

acts and maybe in a couple of other

places about the light of the Gentiles

remember the Gentiles are always

involved with restoration but it says

and to restore the preserved of Israel

well you know a lot of people call the

you know some of the Christians can be

called Nazarenes which really doesn't

make a whole lot of sense just because

Jesus was from Nazareth why would you

call the followers of Jesus Nazarenes

well in Hebrew the word for the

preserved is no dream so it's very close

to the same thing Nazarene seems to be

more like a misnomer so who are the

preserved who are the nose-ring well

even today in Hebrew the Jews call the

Christians the nose green or the

preserved

what are they preserving are they

preserved from Christ or just a couple

thoughts here this is not doctrine in

any way

but a couple thoughts here are they the

ones that are preserving the higher law

are they the ones that are preserving

the new and everlasting covenant

are they preserving the older traditions

that Jerusalem in the time of Lehi lost

this was an important verse to the

Christians the early Christians and it's

still what the Jews call the Christians

today so that's pretty interesting and

in fact just a couple of verses down

below that we get this in an acceptable

time this is verse 8 in an acceptable

time have I heard thee o Isles of the

sea and in a day of salvation have I

helped thee and I will preserve thee and

to give thee my servant for a covenant

of the people so Christ is the Covenant

I've gone over this before right he is

the he's the cut covenant literally he

becomes the cut covenant the cut I'd bet

eat

so here the preserved are connected with

the higher covenant the new and

everlasting covenant that is focused on

the sacrifice of Jesus Christ so where

does Nephi have Jacob start in Isaiah

well right where he left off so he's

gonna come in here again into chapter 49

of Isaiah and again talk about the

Savior and talk about the covenants that

were made between Jehovah and the house

of Israel and here he's going to talk

again about the Gentiles we get so much

about the Gentiles in Isaiah and so much

about the Gentiles throughout the Book

of Mormon because again they play a key

part in the fullness of the gospel they

play a key part in these covenants

between peoples where everybody becomes

a part of the house of Israel here's how

I would think about this I the way that

God works the way that he accomplishes

Messiah our Moses one

thirty nine right you know to bring to

pass the immortality and eternal life of

man is to have these families and these

groups of people work with each other

that's the only way it works and he

starts off at least in the time of

Abraham he starts off here with the

house of Israel before that it would

have been the house of a of Adam right

so to speak are those that stayed with

Adam and then it would have been those

that stayed with Noah and Shem those are

the ones that have the covenant and you

have to build it that way because you

have to have one people work with

another and then you give them all the

opportunity to come together into that

covenant relationship and so between

those that are the house of Israel

within that you have the Lost Tribes you

have Judah and the Jews here it's

Manasseh and Ephraim who will be brought

eventually the writings of their fathers

in the future you know in our time now

by the Gentiles also known as Ephraim so

here Isaiah in chapter 49 is going to go

over again this relationship with the

Gentiles he says here starting off this

is what Jacob starts off with behold I

will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles

and set up my standard to the people and

then talking about those of the house of

Israel he says and kings shall be thy

nursing fathers and their queens thy

nursing mothers so you're going to see

that we saw that especially throughout

Europe right and other places in the

Middle East where the Gentiles took on

Christianity and then became homes for

many of the Jews and probably many of

the Lost Tribes of Israel so that's what

he starts off with here with Isaiah and

then he goes to this and says this this

is Jacob now and now I Jacob would speak

somewhat concerning these words for

behold the Lord has shown me that those

who were at Jerusalem from whence we

came have been slow

and carried away captive so again think

about the disbelief right the awe the

tragedy that the Nephites and the

Lamanites would feel about this it's

pulling their anchors away from them

from their civilization and so he's

saying look even though people are

scattered there's going there is a plan

to restore Israel and they're a part of

the plan nevertheless he says the Lord

has shown unto me that they should

return again so the Jews will return and

he has also shown to me shown into me

that the Lord God the Holy One of Israel

should manifest himself unto them in the

flesh so he'll be born there in

Palestine and after he should manifest

himself they should scourge him and

crucify him this is all part of Isaiah

not 49 here but 52 53 and crucify him

according to the words of the angel who

spake unto me so he has confirmation of

the words of Isaiah through direct

revelation through angelic testimony and

after they hardened their hearts these

are the Jews in Palestine after they

hardened their hearts and stiffened

their necks against the Holy One of

Israel

behold the judgments of the Holy One of

Israel shall come upon them and the day

cometh that they shall be smitten and

afflicted so this is what happens in AD

70 right after you've got about forty

years after the time that Christ is

crucified Jerusalem just like in the

days of Lehi here Jerusalem is destroyed

it's wiped out and a large number of

people are slain by the Romans but he

says again that there's going to be a

restoration for them he says that

nevertheless the Lord will be merciful

unto them that when they shall come to

the knowledge of their Redeemer they

shall be gathered together again to the

lands of their

and of course we're already seen that's

starting to happen it's rare to have

Jews convert to the church or to even

Christianity but it happens but they are

certainly beginning to be gathered

starting in the 1940s especially back to

their lands but he says that those that

believe the Gentiles and the Jews here

in this instance that believe on the

Holy One of Israel will be saved but

those that don't will be destroyed again

this is going back to the message about

what has happened in Jerusalem if you

reject Christ then your civilization is

going to be destroyed because once

you've had that truth it's much worse

for you right in every way personally in

your family and in your society in your

civilization it's much worse

to reject that and chapter 6 finishes

off with and all flesh shall know that I

the LORD am the Savior so I buy is what

that really says I Jehovah I am the

savior and the Redeemer the Mighty One

of Jacob again they're trying to tie

themselves to Israel here Jacob is

Israel so that's how that chapter ends a

connection back to hey this is who you

are and who you are is directly

connected to Jesus Christ and then in

Chapter 7 we just go and move on to the

next chapter in chapter 50 well this

also has a servant song in it so again

we're right in the meat of Isaiah the

place where he focuses the most on the

Messiah and just a couple things to

point out here about this chapter from

Isaiah it says in verse 1 yay for thus

saith the Lord have I put the away

talking about Israel or have I cast the

off forever for thus saith the Lord

where is the bill of your mother's

divorcement in other words if I'm the

bridegroom you know all the talk about

the bridegroom at the time of Christ has

a lot to do with the way they

saw this as a marriage right the church

is the mother and we see that in

Revelation where the lady the woman in

chapter 12 is the church that gets put

out into the wilderness but he says look

I haven't given you a bill of

divorcement here you have left me is

what he's saying again think of the

people at Jerusalem right he says here

in verse 2 when I called yay there was

none to answer and then in verses 4 to 7

this is one of the four servant songs

here about the servant and I'll show you

a little bit more about what I think

that means when we get to the beginning

of Mosiah and King Benjamin but remember

also as we've covered previously the

word servant in Aramaic which is a

Semitic language just like Hebrew is the

word servant is the same word for lamb

so you know how John the Baptist

introduces Christ as the Lamb of God

remember that in Nephi's vision of

Lehigh's dream there is a portion of

that vision there appropriately so where

he is described as the Lamb of God or

the servant of God he says here in verse

4 the Lord hath given me the tongue of

the learning that I should know how to

speak a word in season unto the house of

Israel right people were astonished at

his doctrine right that is a reflection

going back to Isaiah when the New

Testament authors are writing about him

and in verse 6 I gave my back to the

smiter

and my cheeks to them that plucked off

the hair I hid not my face from shame

and spitting okay so this is about Jesus

Christ is what Nephi and Jacob are

saying but it also means that it's a

principle of goodness and righteousness

if Christ is the icon of perfection and

of righteousness and this is what

happens with him what happens with those

that follow him something similar

right it is the those that are at the

Tree of Life partaking of the fruit that

then become ashamed from those calling

out from the great and spacious building

the powers of this world do everything

they can to annihilate the powers of the

heavenly world and so if we have to go

through some of that if we're trying to

be righteous and stand up for what is

right

can we be greater than God in doing that

no he has to have the worst situation

right it's an eternal sacrifice that he

is offering here we would not be able to

it wouldn't work if we were in a

position where we could say well it was

worse for me than it was for you right

I'm gonna make light of that but it's a

real principle we have to look to him

for this so that is what this is

covering here and again Nephi is having

Jacob focus in on the doctrine of Christ

and then in chapter 8 of second Nephi we

now go to Isaiah 51 the next chapter and

a little bit the first couple verses of

chapter 52 a very very important chapter

that we get to later and so chapter 51

here of Isaiah opens up with hearken

unto me ye that follow after

righteousness look unto the rock from

whence he are hewn and to the hole of

the pit from whence he are digged again

speaking of Jehovah who is the rock and

their relationship with him right the

rock from when she are hewn in verse to

look unto Abraham your father and unto

Sarah she that bury you for I called him

alone and blessed him so again this is a

direction going further back than Moses

right that's where the Deuteronomists

are they're settled in on Moses they're

going back further from the icon of the

law of Moses of the lower law

and they're going to Abraham who is the

icon of the new and everlasting covenant

look to Abraham look unto Abraham he

says that's Isaiah you can see what

Nephi and Jacob know about this right

why are they pulling this in they want

them looking to the new and everlasting

covenant and if they just use their

words it wouldn't be as strong than if

they were bringing in another prophets

words so you can imagine people reading

this originally and seeing oh the

Prophet that they would refer to is

Isaiah and these are who he this is who

he says we are and this is what he says

about Jesus Christ and that's how we

should be reading this as we go through

and we read these strange things if we

can understand what they're doing what

does this tell them about the doctrine

of Christ what this does this tell them

about who they are what are the anchors

that Nephi and Jacob are putting down to

establish Zion to establish this

promised land here for the Nephites so

here in verse 3 for the Lord shall

comfort Zion remember what they're

trying to establish here in the promised

land he will comfort all her waste

places and he will make her wilderness

there in a sense in the wilderness away

from Jerusalem like Eden and her desert

like the Garden of the Lord and then

down in verse 5 this would applied

directly to them my righteousness is

near my salvation has gone forth it's

like look I'm right here for you and

mine arm shall judge the people the arm

I would say is the authority and maybe

direct reference to Jesus Christ the

isle shall wait upon me they're on an

isle and on mine arm shall they trust

okay he wants them to see that Isaiah is

talking directly to them and you can see

how this wouldn't matter to them right I

mean am I just lost out here now in this

new world are we forgotten he says but

my salvation shall be forever

and my righteousness shall not be

abolished and then he says something

really interesting here and this also to

me is the higher law right this is what

Jeremiah says Isaiah says here in verse

7 hearken unto me ye that know

righteousness the people in whose heart

I have written my law fear ye not the

reproach of men neither be afraid of

their revealing 'he's right so again

just like Jeremiah said I'm going to

write this new law in their hearts

that's an important thing to understand

especially the fleshy tablets of their

hearts then in verse 11 therefore the

redeemed of the Lord shall return and

come with singing unto Zion you can see

the verbiage that he's trying to put out

there and everlasting joy and holiness

shall be upon their heads and they shall

obtain gladness and joy that might be a

reference to the anointing oil by the

way and in verse 12 I am he that comfort

a few who art thou that thou should us

be afraid of man and then it starts down

into chapter 52 of Isaiah here at the

bottom of chapter 8 of 2nd Nephi and

these last two verses it says awake

awake put on thy strength o Zion so it's

going on over this it's like look let's

be strong here let's start this thing

off right put on thy beautiful garments

Oh Jerusalem this is the New Jerusalem

in the last verse 25 shake thyself from

the dust arise sit down Oh Jerusalem

loose thyself from the bands of thy neck

hold captive daughter of Zion so let's

stay on the right course let's focus on

the Holy One of Israel let's understand

what the doctrine of Christ is let's

understand who we are and let's know

that the Lord has not abandoned us we

have a New Jerusalem we have a new

temple and we are a covenant people and

then in Chapter 9 we kind of get Jacobs

own words about all of this he kind of

summarizes what Isaiah has just gone

through here in chapters 50 and 51

says here in verse 1 and now my beloved

brethren I have read these things that

you might know concerning the covenants

that don't make that just a blanket

statement the covenants of the Lord that

he has covenanted with all

the house of Israel that is the new and

everlasting covenant right Jacob is

saying don't forget this we're not going

to forget this

I mean verse 2 that he has spoken unto

the Jews by the mouth of his holy

prophets even from the beginning down

from generation to generation again I

bring this up every time because it's so

important to understand because there's

too much talk in academia about the Old

Testament not being about Jesus Christ

but here it is again that he has spoken

unto the Jews by the mouth of his holy

prophets even from the beginning down

from generation to generation until the

time comes that they shall be restored

to the true church and fold of God in

other words they were a part of the true

church and fold of God at one point when

they shall be gathered home to the lands

of their inheritance and shall be

established in all their lands of

promise so again they've been ripped out

from Jerusalem gone through the

wilderness and the Arabian Peninsula

gone across the great waters have

started already now a new civilization

they've been ripped apart but remember

who's back there for them right I think

of all the family members and friends

and people that were important to them

that were in Jerusalem and now they know

that that the Jerusalem has been

destroyed so even though they have been

ripped away from this he says I speak

unto you these things that you may

rejoice and lift up your heads forever

right let's be positive let's understand

our place in history here and then he

confirms that the people know and

understand these things right in verse 5

I know that ye know that in the body he

shall show himself unto those

Jerusalem in his mortality and that it

behoove with the Great Creator that he

suffereth like the suffering servant

that he suffered himself to become

subject unto man in the flesh and die

for all men that all men might become

subject unto Him right they understand

the doctrine of Christ here then he

talks about the resurrection and then

down in verse 7 wherefore it must needs

be an infinite atonement save it should

be an infinite atonement this corruption

could not put on incorruption

so he's again focusing in here on the

mortal Messiah and then he goes through

some of the plan of salvation here I'm

not gonna dig too deeply into this of

the restriction of time here but

basically he's kind of revisiting

Lehigh's words in 2nd defy chapter 2 and

then he talks about something very I

think is probably very close to their

hearts probably Lehigh's especially and

that is in verse 28 as he's talking

about the awful state that man can find

themselves in he says oh that cunning

plan of the evil one oh the vainness and

the frailties and the foolishness of men

when they are learning they think they

are wise and they hearkened not unto the

counsel of God for they set it aside

supposing they know of themselves

wherefore their wisdom is foolishness

and it profiteth them not and they shall

perish and then in 29 but to be learning

as good if they hearken unto the

counsels of God and this is a dangerous

place to go I've personally experienced

this when you become learning you start

learning all of these things if you do

not keep things in perspective and

follow what you learn here about the

doctrine of Christ and when it was

preached and how it was preached and

about the restoration of the gospel and

Joseph Smith you're gonna have a

difficult go of it it's going to test

you because that knowledge as important

as it is and it is important is a lower

knowledge right it's kind of like

science

it's an important knowledge we want it

but it is not that the higher knowledge

it can lead us to the higher knowledge

but it's not the higher knowledge and

it's the same way with studying history

especially where biblical scholarship is

today where the focus is not even on the

theology anymore

it's not about what was believed it's

all literary criticism right and

archeology all important but not the

gospel necessarily it says right here in

verse 39 to be carnally minded right and

that doesn't just mean lustful right

that's not that's kind of the iconic

example of that but it means the lower

law as we've just talked about anything

to do with the lower law to be carnally

minded is death right the Aaronic

priesthood and the lower law is death if

it's by itself because it doesn't give

us the higher law doesn't give us the

sacrifice of Jesus Christ it doesn't

give us the Holy Ghost it doesn't give

us the love and blessings from God and

that's going to play out throughout the

Book of Mormon to be carnally minded is

death and to be spiritually minded is

life eternal so here Jacob is focusing

in again on the higher and the lower

laws and an understanding that unlike

the people of Jerusalem

we need to wrap our arms around the new

and everlasting covenant they may not

have all of the ordinances that they're

able to go through but they must wrap

themselves around the doctrine of Christ

and the Melchizedek Priesthood and the

Holy Ghost and at the end of the chapter

verse 53 and behold how great the

covenants of the Lord it's a focus and

how great his condescension

he's willingness to love us to lower

himself unto the children of men and

because of his greatness and His grace

and mercy He has promised unto

that our seed shall not utterly be

destroyed that's the Nephites and

Lamanites according to the flesh but

that he would preserve them he knows

that a lot of their descendants are

going to perish because of unbelief

they're going to reject the Savior or

they're going to fall into wickedness

but he says God will be merciful unto

many and our children shall be restored

that they may come to that which will

give them the true knowledge of their

Redeemer that is the focus and then we

start getting the term Christ the Greek

word for Messiah not the Hebrew word for

whatever reason it's interesting here

but in verse 3 it says wherefore as I

said unto you it must needs be expedient

that Christ for in the last night the

Angels spake unto me that this should be

his name should come among the Jews

among those who are more with the more

wicked part of the world and they will

crucify him so as we've said before it

is apparent that these prophets these

authors here knew that Christ was going

to be crucified and of course those that

carry this out are going to be scattered

and slain and Jerusalem is again going

to be destroyed for the same reason by

the way right it's the same reason they

rejected Christ but then in verse 7 it

says when the day cometh that they shall

believe in me this is the Jews that I am

Christ then have I coveted with their

fathers Abraham Isaac Jacob and so on

that they shall be restored in the flesh

upon the earth and unto the land of

their inheritance well they are also the

Nephites are also going to be that way

right the Lamanites are also going to be

that way

they're going to have there a lot of

them are going to reject Christ but

in the end those descendants will be

restored and that'll come through the

Gentiles and so Jacob goes back to where

he started off in Isaiah talking about

the kings and queens being nursing

parents to the Jews and so the Gentiles

will

eventually the restoration of the

fullness of the gospel back to them but

then he's comparing that to what's gonna

happen with the Lamanites and the

Nephites as well he says here but behold

this land said God shall be a land of

thine inheritance and the Gentiles shall

bless be blessed upon the land so that

would be the Americas and this land

shall be a land of liberty under the

Gentiles and there shall be no kings

upon the land who shall raise up unto

the Gentiles and those that fight

against those that are trying to build

up Zion he's going to destroy and

therefore the fullness of the gospel

will be able to be restored in that

environment and thrive as it had is

today and be able to spread to the

entire world including and especially

back to Manasseh and Ephraim back to the

Lamanites in the Nephites

so he says cheer up your hearts and

remember that ye are free to act for

yourselves to choose the way of

everlasting death or the way of

everlasting life and as he's talked

about all of this reconciliation in this

restoration coming back to the branches

of Israel he says reconcile yourselves

to the will of God and remember after ye

are reconciled unto God that it is only

in and through the grace of God that ye

are saved

so make your efforts that's the lower

law obey the commandments reconcile

yourself with God but it is not because

of that that you are saved right it is

that mercy and grace from the atoning

sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Holy

Ghost and all of those blessings that

come from heaven that is why we are

saved and so Jacob here puts together

under the direction of Nephi

picture this narrative for their

fledging people that they are to focus

on the savior and the doctrine of Christ

that this has been prophesied about it's

not just them but all of the prophets

have prophesied about Jesus Christ and

if they are to reject him just as those

did those people did at Jerusalem that

they will also follow suit and that they

will be destroyed

and that even though they are separated

by many waters and even though they are

small people right now in a foreign land

a new land that the Lord remembers them

and that he has covenant 'add with their

fathers that that new and everlasting

covenant and the knowledge of the

doctrine of Christ though it may leave

for a while will be restored unto their

descendants and that is why there is

such an obsession with Isaiah I'll talk

to you next time