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

Nephi, second prophet in the Book of Mormon, loved Isaiah, often calling him “The Prophet” instead of calling him by name. He quotes Isaiah frequently in his writings. In fact, a full 19 chapters in his writings are entirely the words of Isaiah. He felt that Isaiah was the best way to help his people develop a testimony of Jesus Christ.

2 Nephi 7 in the Book of Mormon concerns Isaiah 50 in the Bible. It discusses Israel’s complicated past in relation to the gospel. The people of Israel were God’s chosen people. Through the scriptures, we learn of some of the promises God made to Abraham through this covenant, including that they would receive specific lands to be theirs, that Jesus the Christ would descend through Abraham’s line, and that his descendants would receive specific blessings. However, a covenant, in religious terminology, is a two-way promise between man and God. In order for Israel to receive all the promised blessings, they must do their part.

Israel, God’s chosen people, had all the blessings of the gospel at one time, but they turned away from God and lost some of them. Israel has been scattered in a number of events throughout history. Small scatterings and gatherings have occurred since the beginning of time, as the children and later descendants of Adam and Eve rebelled, fell away, and sometimes returned.

When the ten tribes of Israel were scattered, it was due to their own choices, decisions made to kill prophets and disobey the commandments. They violated their part of the covenant. Despite this, God chose to carry out his own promise:

Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. (2 Nephi 7:1-- Compare to Isaiah 50:1)

This symbolism refers to Jewish customs of the time. If a man divorced his wife, he had to give her a written notice of divorce, which allowed her to remarry. A man who was in debt could put himself (or his children) into slavery to repay the debt. God asks Israel if he has divorced them or sold them—in other words, has he abandoned them and sent them away to find other gods to worship? He hadn’t.

Then Isaiah goes on to ask the people to remember the birth of Christ. This may seem confusing, since the birth of Christ had not yet occurred—either in the Bible or when this section was added to the Book of Mormon. However, the people of Israel knew Christ was coming, and that He would come through their line to redeem everyone. Isaiah spoke as if it were a past event, because they were very aware of its coming.

God reminds the people of Israel that He had the power to redeem them and restore them, and that sending His Son was one way He could do this. However, when he sent Jesus (speaking of the future He could see as if it were the past), they rejected Him—rejected the offer of redemption and restoration.

Isaiah seems to suggest that Israel will learn from its mistakes and then God will be able to carry out the promises. We know that a gathering of Israel will occur and that it will happen in these last days. In fact, it’s already beginning, and we can choose to have a part in it.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) teaches that for Israel to be gathered, which must happen as preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the fullness of the gospel must be restored. It must be returned to its original state, as Jesus taught it on earth. The Book of Mormon testifies of this restoration and shows us how it is done. It helps bring people to a knowledge of the Savior and is a critical part of the gathering of Israel.

For more on this topic, you may find these sources helpful:

Edward J. Brandt, “The Scatterings and Gatherings of Israel,” Ensign, Dec 1981, 26–30

Garold N. Davis, “Book of Mormon Commentary on Isaiah,” Ensign, Sep 1998, 54