21:1-5 - "...a rod out of the stem of Jesse..."
The rod out of the stem of Jesse is Jesus Christ. He will come forth and lead us during the Millenium - so we must choose now which side we're on, then act! Keep the commandments, and keep His righteousness, or priesthood.
21:2-3 - "...and shall make him of quick understanding...spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord..."
There's a difference between "doubting" fear and fear of the Lord. "Doubting" fear leaves no room for growth or trust in the Lord. "Doubting" fear is detrimental. Fear of the Lord is based on faith. We "fear" the Lord inasmuch as we respect Him and act in faith. This is how we can be guided and gain a more perfect understanding.
21:6-9 - "...the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb..."
That will be an awesome day when the aggressive predators will mingle with the docile ones. They won't hurt or destroy each other because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
It's amazing how much our behavior changes when we truly understand the doctrine. Let us understand.
21:13 - "...the envy of Ephraim shall also depart..."
Awesome...I pray for this, at least in the way the Lord wants it. I think I may be a bit too much envious. The Lord can help us, though, and help our weaknesses become strengths. I'm so grateful for that help, or I would be very lost.
20:11 - "...shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols..."
Just because we're members of the church doesn't mean we will be able to sin and "get away" with it. We will be punished for our own transgressions.
20:12-15 - "...shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith..."
Without the Lord, we are nothing. We are naught but instruments in His hands to bless the lives of those around us. We are either effective or ineffective. It's not that we are either instruments or not, because we are, and always will be instruments that He can use.
However, we need to be effective if we wish to be wise servants in assisting the Lord in His work and glory.
20:17 - "...and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day..."
The Lord will deal justly and righteously with us all. We must have faith in Him that He does know what He's doing. Then we can act in faith to forgive, forget, move on, and move up. The Lord will take care of the things that don't seem "fair."
19:2-3 - "...they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest..."
This passage seems to be talking about the Restoration and missionary work. The people walked in darkness (Apostasy) and have seen a great light (Restoration). Thou hast multiplied the nation (growth of the church), and increased the joy (missionary work). It reminds me of D&C 18:10,15-16 and 2 Nephi 2:25, where it states that we receive joy in helping others come unto Christ.
19:6 - "...for unto us a child is born..."
I know that Jesus Christ was truly given for us, so we may return to God. I am very grateful that the Lord accomplished the Atonement and Resurrection...that He performed for us. We are so blessed, and now we must assist the Lord in His work and glory. We must do as the Lord commands.
19:16 - "...for the leaders of this people cause them to err..."
This shows why it is so important to act in faith and be a good example, because whether or not we are leading people, we are watched. We set an example...and we must make it a good example if we want to be effective servants of the Lord.
Whole Chapter - "...for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still..."
The Lord does punish us, because He loves us and wants us to be happy. We need to repent and return to Him, and also suffer the consequences of our actions...but his hand is stretched out still.
18:6-10 - "...forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah...shal be broken in pieces..."
Those that reject or refuse Jesus Christ will be cut down and broken in pieces at the last day. We must stand with the Lord, or we will not receive the great blessings we seek, especially in returning to live with our heavenly parents and in becoming like Him.
18:14 - "...and he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling..."
Often, the same teachings will have a profound difference on different people. For the righteous, it justifies their actions. For the wicked, it condemns them. We need to be righteous so we can benefit from the Lord as a sanctuary.
18:17 - "...and I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him..."
There will be great calamities and tough times...but our outcome depends on who we place our faith in. Who do we trust and serve? If we will have faith in the Lord and serve Him, then no matter what happens to us physically, we will be fine spiritually.
18:18 - "...I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts..."
The Lord used Isaiah and his children to teach Israel lessons, as well as for prophecy. All things testify of Christ, and I just find it interesting that these people were used specifically to testify of destruction, captivity, etc. We should take from this that we must fulfill what the Lord asks us to do...for we have covenanted to do so.
18:19 - "...should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead..."
Instead of black magic, or anything of the sort, we should look to God, who will give us needed comfort instead of calling on black magic to seek to bring back people who are dead.
17:10-13 - "...I will not...tempt the Lord..."
True, normally it's better to not ask God for a sign...it says that a wicked and adulterous generation will ask for a sign. But in this case, the Lord (through the prophet) tells Ahaz to ask for a sign. If the prophet tells us to do something, we'd better do it. It's not a double standard - it's personal, situational revelation.
17:10-13 - "...the Lord spoke unto Ahaz..."
This is a matter of learning to trust the Lord, and have faith in His revelation. We may have a previous understanding based on our reading of scripture and interpretation...but we need to be willing to listen to personal revelation. That's much more important. Continuous revelation is wonderful, but we must accept it.
17:18-19 - "...the Lord shall hiss for the fly...for the bee..."
This is a symbol of the gathering of Israel. They will be gathered from all over.
We need to gather ourselves, then help gather others.
17:21-22 - "...in that day...abundance of milk and butter..."
The prosperity of that time of gathering will be so great that they will have butter...normally a delicacy and not to be had during famine. It's going to be a great time for the righteous...we should be righteous, even if we don't receive great blessings.
16:2 - Seraphim
The wings that covered the face represent power, the wings that covered his feet represent dominance and speed, and the wings that were used to fly represent spiritual dominance.
These Seraphim are servants of the Lord, empowered with great blessings.
As we serve the Lord, we are also empowered with blessings...but we need to be worthy of them.
16:4-5 - "...the house filled with smoke..."
This represents God - or the Lord...a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
How will we recognize the Savior? What is our personal way of knowing that He is the Christ?
16:9-10 - "...make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy...lest they...hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed..."
This shows the Lord's mercy! He's not doing this so His people won't receive blessings...he's doing it because they aren't ready for it yet. This testifies to me that the Lord loves me and will give me experiences and trials and blessings as I'm ready to receive them. I can move forward in faith, both when I don't receive experiences that I think I should have, and also when I receive experiences that I think I shouldn't have.
15:4 - "...what could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it..."
The Lord has truly put in a lot of effort and work to help the vineyard...and now it is up to us to do our part.
15:13 - "...therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge..."
Knowledge is power. We have the opportunities and experiences because we learn. We receive knowledge. As we learn, we need to apply what we learn, or we may lose what we had, losing also the knowledge that we could have had. In that vein, then, a lack of knowledge is a form of captivity. If we don't know a principle, how can we apply it? We don't receive many blessings because we don't know about them. If we want these blessings, we must apply what we already know, and then seek for more knowledge.
15:26-29 - "...none shall slumber nor sleep..."
They will always be ready - strong and firm.
This seems to be describing our day and maybe some of the technology that has or will be invented (a car is ready at a moment's notice to carry us away safely). We must always be ready, and use what the Lord has given us to further His work along.
