Old Testament - Isaiah 52-53 - September 28, 2022

 9/28/2022 – Isaiah 52-53

Chapter 52 synopsis: the Lord is telling us about the last days when Zion shall return and Israel will be redeemed and the Messiah shall deal prudently and be exalted. 

In v 1 the Lord is telling Israel to AWAKE, AWAKE put on thy strength, put on thy beautiful garments”. I read this and think: First and foremost, we should pay attention to Him on a daily basis, for that brings me strength each day. But D&C 113:7-8 has the real answer in a question that Elias Higbee asked, and was told that our strength was the power of the priesthood.  The student manual says that “putting on thy beautiful garments” means that we are to clothe ourselves with purity and sanctity, or in other words, clothe ourselves in righteousness.  In v 2 the Lord continues [we need to remember that the Israelites had shifted to worshiping idols instead of following the commandments the Lord had plainly given them] saying “Shake thyself from the dust and rise…”

Starting in v 7 the Lord then tells the Israelites that if they can get their act together, there are great things awaiting them: “good tidings that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation”. 

In v 8, He tells us that “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice…for they shall see…” These watchmen are our prophets. President Nelson has certainly raised His voice, and he certainly has my attention. 

In v 9 He tells us that the Lord “comforted his people”. During difficult times in my life, I have asked for and have then felt that sure comfort, and I have sincerely thanked Him for it. When my brain tumor was discovered and I knew I would be undergoing brain surgery, that sure comfort from the Lord helped me to go forward, still not knowing what the results would be, but having been assured that I would be able to handle the results of the surgery. 

I love v 12 because it reminds me that the Lord always knows the beginning and the end: “For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you: and the God of Israel will be your rereward.”

Isaiah 53 gives us a prophecy of the Atonement of Christ. Isaiah taught that the Savior would be despised and rejected, smitten and afflicted, and that He would carry our sorrows; and that He would be wounded for our transgressions. We need to remember exactly what Christ did for us. He not only opened the way for our resurrection, but he also suffered for OUR sins. Whenever we feel that no one understands what we are going through, we need to go to our knees and talk with our Heavenly Father and request His help and His comfort, and if need be His help in our repentance, and the sweet remembrance of what Christ did for us. He was perfect! He could have avoided all pain and all hardships, except he most desired to finish His calling to literally save our souls.         V 5 “… he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”.

Christ went through much agony, but He now lives with love for each of us. How sad it would be if we never went to him to erase our sins—then all his work on earth would have been for nought.  

David A Bednar: “There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, ‘No one knows what it is like. No one understands.’ But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us” (“Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign, May 2014, 90).