Nevertheless, even Nephi admitted that Isaiah's writings could be difficult to understand: "For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews" (2 Nephi 25:1). But though Isaiah may not be light reading, Nephi encouraged his people - and us - to study the words of Isaiah, for they have great power and are of great worth, and his words contain an important message for all people: "And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men" (2 Nephi 11:8).
Jesus himself was fond of quoting Isaiah. He recognized Isaiah was his prophet – the Messianic prophet. No prophet in the Old Testament wrote more about the coming of the Messiah than did Isaiah. The Savior, during his ministry to the Nephites on the American continent, commanded the people to study Isaiah's writings: "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" (3 Nephi 23:1). Such is Christ's ringing endorsement of Isaiah.
It is true that Isaiah's writings are filled with doom-and-gloom predictions of the destruction of Israel. He enumerates their wickedness and explains their follies and vanities, and he foretells a bleak future. Obscure references to locations, people, and events of his day can make his writing obtuse and bewildering. Yet Nephi says that his words should cause us to lift up our hearts and rejoice, and the Savior himself says that his words are great.
So what is so great about the words of Isaiah? Well, amidst the gloomy predictions and the vitriolic condemnations of an apostate Israel are magnificent and inspiring expressions of hope and salvation. Isaiah's prevailing message is not so much that Israel is doomed as that Israel will be saved. Nephi teaches us to liken Isaiah's words to ourselves, and so we should glean the same message – though we may feel doomed, salvation is ours. The Lord will come to our rescue.
Such is the hope found in Chapter 40 of Isaiah. Listen to the powerfully uplifting words of the prophet as he tells us of the majesty of God.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. (Verses 1-2)
God tells his people to be comforted. The day shall come when the war of mortality will be over, and the battle against sin and evil will be won. We will be forgiven for our sins and mistakes if we have put our faith in the Lord and our efforts into building up his kingdom. Though we may feel like we have been punished twice over for our failings, the only real punishment is our own guilt. The Lord promises to lift us up and pardon our iniquities. Even in the midst of our trials, the promise of forgiveness is comfort indeed.
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Verses 9-11)
Good tidings await us in the "high mountain", which is the temple. Armed with power and gladness, we are to speak up and speak out with courage. Our work is to share the gospel and to prepare ourselves and others for the Second Coming of Christ, when he will come with his "strong hand" and his arm of power to rule and reign, which is his right and destiny. Contrast the strong hand and arm of the ruler with the image of the loving shepherd who feeds his flocks and gathers his lambs. He will use his strong arms to hold us to his breast, close to his heart, and to lead us with gentleness. He will care for us and our families. But how do we know he can truly help us?
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (Verses 12, 15, 21, 22)
To understand how good God is, we need to understand first how spectacular he is. God is the magnificent, supreme Being. He comprehends the vastness of the universe. He can figuratively hold all of the earth's oceans in the cupped palm of one hand. The seas with all of their teeming life are within his grasp. He can measure the vastness of the galaxies between his thumb and little finger. He does not even need to stretch out his arms to encompass the universe. He can gather up all of the dust of the earth and put it in a measuring cup. If you were to ask him, he could tell you exactly how much the mountains and hills weigh. The great nations of the earth, even China and India with their billions today, are as an indistinguishable drop of water in a gallon of generations who have preceded and will yet come among God's children. They are like leftover dust on the scales of humanity that God comprehends. Imagine God sitting on the horizon of the earth with his feet dangling over the edge as he surveys the endless heavens before him, all of which he has created. Next to God, we are no more than pesky little insects that ignorantly consume everything before us without any appreciation for where it came from or how it got there or the destruction we leave in our wake. But that is not the end of the story. Read on!
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Verses 28-31)
Despite how far above and beyond us mortal weaklings God is, he does not get tired of us. He does not give up on his creations. Precisely because he knows us and understands us, and precisely because he can see our potential, his love does not decline towards us. He uses his limitless power, not to smash us, but to build us up. Because he does not faint, he helps us when we feel faint. Because he is endlessly strong, he strengthens us when we feel our own strength slacking. In our natural state we may tire and fall. When we serve God, however, our strength will be replenished.
The Lord then makes three promises. If we are willing and determined and faithful, he will enable us to soar like an eagle. If we are not ready yet to fly but are willing to run, he will enable us to run without fatigue. If we cannot run but are at least willing to walk, he will enable us to lengthen our stride and strengthen our gait. The point is not how fast we get to the finish line. We can fly, or we can run, or we can walk. The point is that we arrive. God sets the course. If we choose to follow it, he promises to strengthen us to the end. No one has to fail. No one has to drop out. Because God is so spectacularly powerful, he can promise immutably that he will help us. Because he will not fail, we will not fail.
That is the hopeful, hope-filled message of Isaiah. In God we can take supreme comfort.
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