What Happens
"Jacob continues reading from Isaiah: In the last days, the Lord will comfort Zion and gather Israel—The redeemed will come to Zion amid great joy."
2 Nephi 8 Chapter Heading
Commentary
In our last episode, Jacob was preaching to the people of Nephi, and was reading to them from Isaiah. This chapter continues that sermon.
The first few verses seem to be referring us back to God and perhaps our ancestors (the rock from whence we are hewn), and reassuring us that God will fulfil his promises. And as the verses turn forward in time instead of looking back, some of those promises are amazing... gardens instead of deserts, and comfort and joy. God will be our light and our salvation.
Verse 6 tells us that the "heavens shall vanish away like smoke" and that those that dwell on the earth will die, but that salvation and righteousness will still be around, even if the heavens and the earth are gone or changed. A good reminder about what matters, and what lasts.
I really like "fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings" in verse 7. Verse 12 adds that man isn't any more permanent than grass, but we are assured that God's righteousness and salvation are more permanent, and that he "hast feared continually every day" for us. I'm not sure if God is ever actually "afraid," or if being afraid for us is just another way of saying that he loves us and cares about what we are faced with, but either way, the idea remains that God is actively involved in our lives, and he doesn't stop helping us ever, for even a day.
Verse 16 reminds us that God blesses us to speak his words and that he covers us in the shadow of his hand. ... He protects us, always. Then Isaiah gets into talking about some things that will happen at the second coming, but his theme is still the same. Even during the "desolation and destruction" (verse 19) spoken of, God will help us, and save us. One metaphor here is drinking the cup of God's fury, which ... doesn't sound very appetizing. He says that he has taken that cup out of the hands of his people, and that he will put it into the hands of those that afflict them, which is a good reminder that we likely want to work on being part of his people, rather than being on the afflicting side. :)
The last verse in this chapter (verse 25) has an interesting phrase in it: "shake thyself from the dust." That seems to carry the idea of taking action... doing something with our lives. The verse ends with slavery imagery, I think basically asking us to free ourselves... both from the bondage of sin, but perhaps also the trap of thinking that we can't change. It is an interesting echo of something that Lehi said to his sons just a few chapters before: "arise from the dust, my sons, and be men." Isaiah and Lehi, singing the same gospel. :) Which just means that they were both in tune with God, and a reminder to us about what a good idea that is. :)
Tune in next time as Jacob teaches us more.
"Jacob continues reading from Isaiah: In the last days, the Lord will comfort Zion and gather Israel—The redeemed will come to Zion amid great joy."
2 Nephi 8 Chapter Heading
Commentary
In our last episode, Jacob was preaching to the people of Nephi, and was reading to them from Isaiah. This chapter continues that sermon.
The first few verses seem to be referring us back to God and perhaps our ancestors (the rock from whence we are hewn), and reassuring us that God will fulfil his promises. And as the verses turn forward in time instead of looking back, some of those promises are amazing... gardens instead of deserts, and comfort and joy. God will be our light and our salvation.
Verse 6 tells us that the "heavens shall vanish away like smoke" and that those that dwell on the earth will die, but that salvation and righteousness will still be around, even if the heavens and the earth are gone or changed. A good reminder about what matters, and what lasts.
I really like "fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings" in verse 7. Verse 12 adds that man isn't any more permanent than grass, but we are assured that God's righteousness and salvation are more permanent, and that he "hast feared continually every day" for us. I'm not sure if God is ever actually "afraid," or if being afraid for us is just another way of saying that he loves us and cares about what we are faced with, but either way, the idea remains that God is actively involved in our lives, and he doesn't stop helping us ever, for even a day.
Verse 16 reminds us that God blesses us to speak his words and that he covers us in the shadow of his hand. ... He protects us, always. Then Isaiah gets into talking about some things that will happen at the second coming, but his theme is still the same. Even during the "desolation and destruction" (verse 19) spoken of, God will help us, and save us. One metaphor here is drinking the cup of God's fury, which ... doesn't sound very appetizing. He says that he has taken that cup out of the hands of his people, and that he will put it into the hands of those that afflict them, which is a good reminder that we likely want to work on being part of his people, rather than being on the afflicting side. :)
The last verse in this chapter (verse 25) has an interesting phrase in it: "shake thyself from the dust." That seems to carry the idea of taking action... doing something with our lives. The verse ends with slavery imagery, I think basically asking us to free ourselves... both from the bondage of sin, but perhaps also the trap of thinking that we can't change. It is an interesting echo of something that Lehi said to his sons just a few chapters before: "arise from the dust, my sons, and be men." Isaiah and Lehi, singing the same gospel. :) Which just means that they were both in tune with God, and a reminder to us about what a good idea that is. :)
Tune in next time as Jacob teaches us more.
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