According
to Oliver Cowdery, Moroni quoted 5 verses from this chapter (7, 23, 24, 25, 26)
when he appeared to Joseph and said they were about to be fulfilled ( See "Moroni's Message to Joseph Smith"
Kent P. Jackson, Ensign, Aug. 1990)-31 different passages-30 verses from Isaiah
"The first chapter of the Book of
Isaiah owes its position not to its date... but to its character...The
prophecy...has been...placed in the front of the book, either by Isaiah himself
or by an editor, as a general introduction to his collected pieces...It is a
clear, complete statement of the points which were at issue between the Lord
and His own all the time Isaiah was the Lord's prophet. It is the most
representative of Isaiah's prophecies, a summary, perhaps better than any other
single chapter of the Old Testament, of the substance of prophetic doctrine,
and a very vivid illustration of the prophetic spirit and method."
(Ludlow, p. 70, quoting George Adam Smith)
The first chapter of Isaiah is often
called the "Great Arraignment," because it takes the form of a court
scene with Jehovah as the Plaintiff and Judge, Israel as the defendant, Isaiah
as an observer and occasional interlocutor, and heaven and earth as the
witnesses. After a prologue (1:1) comes the court scene, which can be outlined
as follows:
Accusation: The Lord's charge of sin
and sickness throughout Israel is given (2-6)
Immediate judgments: Physical and
spiritual consequences are coming upon Israel because the people have not
obeyed the Lord (7-15).
Promise of pardon: Conditions of
cleansing, repentance, and blessing are presented (16-20).
Final sentencing: The Lord will purge
the wicked and redeem the righteous through apostasy, restoration, and judgment
(21-31).
Vs. 1- We are not certain of the identity of Amoz, but tradition says he was
the brother of King Amaziah. This would make Isaiah a cousin to King Uzziah.
1. UZZIAH -
792-740 BC. ( 2 Kings 14-15; 2
Chronicles 14) 11th king of Judah. He ruled 24 years jointly with his
father (Amaziah), 52 years total. Called
Azariah. Uzziah was probably his throne name. He built up Elath a port city on
the Gulf of Aqabah, He was influenced by the prophet Zechariah, not the
Zechariah who wrote the Old Testament book. He defeated the Philistines and the
Arabians and fortified Jerusalem. The army was strong and well equipped.
Agriculture was also improved during his administration. Some neighbors paid
tribute to Judah. Lifted up in pride, Uzziah assumed the right to officiate in the
temple. His unauthorized acts caused him to be smitten with leprosy. His son
Jotham ruled jointly with him during the last 10 years of his reign. There was
an earthquake in his reign (Isa. 6:1, Amos 1:1, Zech. 14:5). He was called
Ozias in the New Testament (Matt. 1:8). In 2 Chronicles 26:22, Isaiah was
mentioned as having recorded the history of Uzziah’s reign; that record does
not exist today.
2. JOTHAM -
750-732 BC. (2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 27) 12th king of Judah. He began
his reign at age 25 as co-regent when his father was found to be a leper and
was chief monarch from 740-732. A man who feared God, Jotham built the high
gate of the Temple, fortified and extended the land of Judah and subdued the
Ammonites. In 743 BC the Northern Kingdom was attacked by the Assyrians.
Tiglath-pileser III (also known as Pul) secured tribute from the king of Israel
(Menahem was King of Israel, 752-742). The coalition of Israel and Syria, began
an attempt to subjugate Judah in about 735. At this same time Ahaz, the son of
Jotham began to reign jointly with his father.
3. AHAZ - 735-715 BC. (2 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 28) 13th king of
Judah. His name is an abbreviated
form of Jehoahaz. The first 3 years of his reign were with his father, Jotham.
Early in his reign, Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Syria, tried to
force him to join their anti-Assyrian alliance. Failing in this, the allies
invaded Judah. The Judeans suffered heavy casualties and many were taken
prisoner. Isaiah sought vainly to
encourage Ahaz (Is. 7:1-6) at the height of the crisis to put his trust in God,
but instead he made an alliance with Tiglath-pilesar, king of Assyria. The
price of Assyrian aid, besides being a heavy drain on the treasury, was a
century of vassalage for Judah. The Philistines and the Edomites took advantage
of Judah’s weakened condition to make hostile incursions. Ahaz burned his son
as an offering, encouraged corrupt worship of the high places, placed an
Assyrian-type altar in the temple court like the one he saw in Damascus when he
went to visit Tiglath-pileser III, used the displaced Solomonic bronze altar
for divination and closed the temple sanctuary. Israel was destroyed and the
survivors were taken captive into Assyria in 722 BC. This large group later escaped from captivity
and were lost to the scriptural narrative, hence the designation “Lost Tribes”
of Israel. Sargon II was the Assyrian ruler in 722.
Assyria resettled Samaria but the new
settlers had much difficulty. Their superstitious conclusion was that they didn’t
know the “God of the Land” (2 Kings 17:26). The Assyrians sent some Levites and
Priests from captivity. The result was a religion mixing the gods of Assyria
with the God of Israel. In time they became known as Samaritans. (Ezra 4:1-3)
4. HEZEKIAH - 715-686 BC. (2 Kings 17-20; Isaiah
36-39; 2 Chronicles 29-32). 14th king of Judah. He may have
served as co-regent with his father from 729-715 BC. He attempted to cleanse
the land of idolatry. Even the brazen serpent from the days of Moses (Numbers
21) had become an object of worship, so Hezekiah destroyed it. He reopened the
temple and reinstituted the Passover. When Sargon, king of Assyria, was killed
in battle, Hezekiah refused to continue paying the heavy tribute that Ahab, his
father, had committed to pay. Hezekiah sought an Egyptian alliance contrary to
the advice of Isaiah. Sennacherib, the
successor to Sargon, attacked Judah to enforce the tribute agreements. He
captured 46 cities and forts and laid siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah offered
tribute, mostly from the temple, but the siege continued. Hezekiah built a
conduit to protect the water supply. Representatives were sent by Sennacherib to
demand the surrender. Hezekiah sought counsel from Isaiah who prophesied
Assyrian destruction and retreat. Hezekiah became deathly ill. Isaiah
prophesied of his death and then recovery. He was granted an additional 15
years of life. A Babylonian prince called Merodach-baladan, who had rebelled
against Assyria, visited Hezekiah. Hezekiah showed him all the state treasures
and armaments. Isaiah upbraided the king for openly revealing the wealth and
defense of the kingdom. He also prophesied the future destruction of Judah by
Babylon. Hezekiah served with his son Manasseh as co-regent for the last 11
years of his reign.
5. Manasseh - (697-642)
Reigned 55 years and was Wicked with a capital W. He built up altars unto Baal,
even in the house of the Lord. Isaiah was sawn in half in a hollow log during
his ministry. He was carried captive into Babylon where he repented, returned
to Jerusalem and turned things around.
The Great Arraignment (Ludlow)
The Four Act Play (Martin)
Vs. 2-6- The accusation
Vs. 2 - Hear (shim'u)imperative (Hearken!) a
quotation from the song of Moses Dt. 32:1 - very recognizable to the Hebrew
people. Note also D&C 1:1 and 76:1. The verse is a pretty good summary of
God's relationship with Israel; He nourishes-They rebel.
Vs. 3- Synonymous parallelism - A=B
VS. 4 - The Holy One of Israel - This sacred
title of the Savior may have been revealed through the prophet Isaiah since the
first recorded use of this title is in his writings. It appears about 30 times
in the writings of Is., but only twice in Jeremiah, once in Ez. and 3 times in
Psalms. It is not used elsewhere in the Old Testament, except in 2 Kings 19:22,
where Isaiah is speaking. The BoM prophets Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob used this
expression 39 times, only four of which are passages from Isaiah. (OTSM p. 137)
When you go away backward you back away with your eyes still on God.
Vs. 5 - Why do we continue to sin when we
have experienced the consequences? The head is what we think and the heart is
what we feel. The head can also represent the leadership.
Vs. 6 - Israel is beat up because of their
wickedness, yet they refuse to repent. The ointment refers to olive oil, which
was well known anciently for its curative and antiseptic properties. (Luke
10:34)
Vs. 7-15- Immediate Judgments
Vs. 7 - A reference to the great
destructions at the doorstep, probably referring to the ruthless attack of
Sennacherib of Assyria in 701 BC. (5:21; 7:8; 8:7-10; 9:14, 10:5-6; 20;
32:13-14)
VS. 8 - the imagery in v. 8 graphically
portrays the extent of Israel's desolation. Isaiah emphasizes her condition
through parallel phrases as he declares that fair Zion is left like a booth in
a vineyard or a hut in the fields. During Isaiah's time, booths and huts were
common part of the agricultural landscape. Most Israelites lived in towns
villages, and fortified cities, while their fields and orchards lay among the
valleys and surrounding hillsides. Usually the people would walk to and from
the fields each day, but during the hectic harvest season, such traveling
wasted precious daylight working hours, In addition, since the entire family
was needed for a full day's work to gather, sort, dry and store the harvested
fruits and grains, they spent the season living in a hut, shack, or simple
cottage in their field. Huts were also available for other workers and for the
watchmen who protected the harvest from straying livestock and thieves in the
night.
When Isaiah prophesies that Zion will
be left as a hut or lodge in the field, he is warning of a loss of people and
productivity. This loss will be so great that only the empty huts and booths
will remain, desolate reminders of former prosperity.
Vs. 9 - You don't ever want to be compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. Israel was
just as wicked, but would be spared total destruction.
Vs. 10-15- The Hypocrisy of Insincere worship
Vs. 13- See BD page 738 - New Moons
Vs. 16-20 - Promise of a Pardon
Vs. 16 - A call to repent & be baptized
or to renew their baptismal covenant if they are already baptized.
Vs. 18- If the Lord extends this to wicked
Israel, how about us? I think we are trying harder.
Vs. 19-20 - Antithetic parallelism.
"A" contrasts with "B"
Vs. 20 - D&C 64:34-35
Vs. 21-31 - Final Sentencing
Vs. 22- "dross is a wast product taken
off molten metal during smelting.
Vs. 23-24- Oliver said Moroni quoted these
referring to iniquity of 10 tribes.
Vs. 25-26- Oliver said Moroni used these verse
as a prediction of future restoration of Israel.
Vs. 29- Idols set up in gardens and high
places were referred to as oaks.
Vs. 31 - Tow=tinder or kindling
See D&C 121:43 and 95:1-2 for the
Lord's method of chastening.
