Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

After the Nephites were settled in their second new homeland, Nephi, the new prophet, the second in the Book of Mormon, assigned his two youngest brothers to teach the people. One brother, Jacob, delivered a sermon on the teachings of Isaiah at Nephi’s request. He told them it was important for them to understand and pay attention to Isaiah, because they too were of the house of Israel, even though they now lived far from their previous home in Jerusalem. It’s equally important for us to study Isaiah’s teachings, even though they’re difficult, because Isaiah also spoke to us.

When Jesus came to the New World and spent a few days with the Nephite people after his death and before his resurrection, he said,

“1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.

3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. (3 Nephi 23)

If the Savior felt the words of Isaiah were great, and that we should study them, then we certainly should, even though we may find them challenging to understand.

Bruce R. McConkie, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote an article designed to help people understand the words of Isaiah. He said we must understand them and not skip over them just because they’re hard.

“Nephi said: “… my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah. …” (2 Ne. 25:5) Personally, I feel about Isaiah and his utterances the same way Nephi felt and think that if I expect to go where Nephi and Isaiah have gone, I had better speak their language, think their thoughts, know what they knew, believe and teach what they believed and taught, and live as they lived.

It just may be that my salvation (and yours also!) does in fact depend upon our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood them.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah,” Ensign, Oct 1973, 78)

Isaiah was a prophet of God. Some of what he said concerns the past, which affects events happening today. However, others are of things to come, things we should be ready to help with if called upon to do so. Certainly the gathering of Israel will need the help of a great many people, some of whom are already at work doing the best they can. Since we can’t know if God might ask us to participate in this momentous event, we must be ready.

We may not fully know why the Savior asked us to study Isaiah, but it’s enough to know He did. What more reason could we need?