3 Ne 23:1-5 search these things diligently; for great are the words of
Isaiah
Of
the importance of the prophecies of Isaiah, the Bible Dictionary states:
“Isaiah is the most quoted of all the
prophets, being more frequently quoted by Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John (in his
Revelation) than any other O.T. prophet. Likewise the Book of Mormon and the
Doctrine and Covenants quote from Isaiah more than from any other prophet. The
Lord told the Nephites that ‘great are the words of
Isaiah,’ and that all things Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel and of
the gentiles would be fulfilled (3 Ne 23:1-3).
“….The reader today has no greater
written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon
and the Doctrine and Covenants. As one understands these works better he will
understand Isaiah better, and as one understands Isaiah better, he more fully
comprehends the mission of the Savior, and the meaning of the covenant that was
placed upon Abraham and his seed by which all the families of the earth would
be blessed.”
Great words cannot be fully
appreciated without great effort: “The
command to search diligently the words of Isaiah is plainly intended to mean
something other than an emphasis upon the necessity of reading them. It implies
that without a concerted inquiry one cannot properly understand the words of
Isaiah, and ultimately that nothing less than an all-out, investigation will
yield the desired results. It means that Isaiah's words are too ‘great’ to be
comprehended by a surface reading only. His book exhibits all the
characteristics of a great literary masterpiece and, as such, requires serious
effort to be understood. The Savior's recommendation assures us that the
knowledge to be gained is worth the effort.” (Monte S. Nyman & Charles D.
Tate, Jr., Isaiah and the Prophets, p. 128)
Those of us struggling to
better understand Isaiah must not allow ourselves to be too discouraged. Nephi
loved the words of Isaiah, but readily admitted that he was not easy to
understand without a knowledge of the manner of prophesying among the Jews,
and, more importantly, without the spirit of prophecy (2 Ne 25:1-5). Nephi knew
that the words of Isaiah would be of great worth to the latter-day saints, but
only because we would understand them. Thanks in large part to the Book of
Mormon, the latter day saints, he said, would actually comprehend his complex
message, for in that day shall they understand them;
wherefore, for their good have I written them (2 Ne 25:8).
Furthermore, Nephi explains
that Isaiah is easy to understand in retrospect, in
the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a
surety, at the times when they shall come to pass (2 Ne 25:7). This is
certainly true of his Messianic prophecies. Those passages which speak of
Christ’s mortal sojourn are frequently quoted and clear in their meaning. After
the events of the Second Coming transpire, his Millenial prophecies will seem
just as clear.
Without the Book of Mormon,
we can only imagine how much important Isaiah doctrine we would be missing. Not
only would we lack a host of priceless Isaiah commentary, but the many chapters
of Isaiah contained in the Book of Mormon seem to be re-recorded because of our
weakness. The Lord knew that there would be precious few who would read the Old
Testament with the same diligence as they would study the Book of Mormon. His
prophets have even had to chide us for our weakness in neglecting this plain
and precious witness. Therefore, he included Isaiah’s most important chapters and
passages in the Book of Mormon for our benefit. If he had not done this, the
writings of Isaiah would be just as foreign to most latter-day saints as are
the prophecies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and others. Thus we see the
mercy of the Lord in making provision for us—even in our weakness.
LeGrand Richards
“We
are all here today in fulfillment of the words of the prophets, and I love the
prophecies of Isaiah because it seems to me that he lived almost more in our
day than when he was actually upon the earth, because the Lord gave him to see
so many of the things that would transpire in the latter days” (Conference
Report, Oct. 1956, p. 23)
Hugh Nibley
“(quoting
3 Nephi 23:1-3.) That quotation alone spares us the trouble of an apology for
Isaiah. The book of Isaiah is a tract for our own times; our very aversion to
it testifies to its relevance. It is necessary to remind us of its importance,
however, because Isaiah's message has not been popular, and he tells us why.
The wicked do not like to be told about their faults…says Isaiah, the people of
Israel want to hear smooth things: ‘Prophesy not
unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things.’ (Isaiah 30:10.) And
ever since, the process of interpreting Isaiah has been one of smoothing him
out.” (Old Testament and Related Studies, pp. 215-6)
3 Ne 23:5 whosoever will hearken unto my words…the same shall be
saved
“Jesus
further declared that those who would hearken to his words (which included the
commandment to search Isaiah) -- and would repent and be baptized--would be
saved (see 3 Nephi 23:5a). Is our salvation dependent upon our diligence in
heeding the commandment to search Isaiah? This possibility has been suggested
by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
“’If
our eternal salvation depends upon our ability to under stand the writings of
Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood them--and who shall say such is
not the case!-- how shall we fare in that great day when with Nephi we shall
stand before the pleasing bar of Him who said: Great
are the words of Isaiah?’ (Ensign, Oct. 1973, p. 78.)” (Monte S.
Nyman, Great Are The Words of Isaiah, p. 1)
3 Ne 23:6 other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye
have not
The brass plates of Laban
contained all the ancient records up to the time of Jeremiah. This includes
most of the Old Testament as we now have it. It also included the works of
prophets whose records are now lost—Zenoch, Zenos, and Neum. It is doubtful
that they had the writings of Zephaniah, Obadiah, or Nahum. By chronology, they
definitely did not have the writings of Daniel, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, Haggai,
Zechariah, or Malachi. Of all these prophets, the Lord chose the last two
chapters of Malachi to leave with the Nephites. However, before the Savior
could introduce these passages, there was something more pressing for him to
correct. They had left out an important part of their own history which most
assuredly should have been recorded (see v. 9-13). This is the first priority
in completing the Nephite scriptural legacy.
Hugh Nibley
“…when
[the Lord] came to the Nephites he made a big thing about keeping records. He
went through the records himself and made sure that all the prophecies were
mentioned. Samuel the Lamanite had prophesied something that was fulfilled. You
didn't put it down here, he says to Nephi. Nephi's face turned red and he said,
Well, we'll see that it gets put down! (cf. 3 Nephi 23:6-13). It was very
embarrassing, believe me, when the Lord himself was there! But he wants those
records complete.” (Temple And Cosmos, p. 321 – 322)
3 Ne 23:8 when Nephi had brought forth the records…he cast his eyes
upon them and said
“A
scripture from the Book of Mormon concerning record keeping has had a profound
impact on my writing…’Bring forth the record which
ye have kept. And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them
before him, HE CAST HIS EYES UPON THEM.’ (3 Nephi 23:7-8; emphasis
added.) I sincerely believe that one day we too will be called to account for
what we have written and taught. I want to be able to say to the Savior, when
He casts His eyes on what I have written, that I endeavored to build the
Kingdom and not tear it down. May we all so write!” (Regional Studies in
Church History, New England, “Why Are We Here in New England,” by Keith W.
Perkins, p. 13)
Spencer W. Kimball
“Your
own journal, like most others, will tell of problems as old as the world and
how you dealt with them…Your journal should contain your true self rather than
a picture of you when you are ‘made up’ for a public performance. There is a
temptation to paint one's virtues in rich color and whitewash the vices, but
there is also the opposite pitfall of accentuating the negative.
“…Your
journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique,
and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and
praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life…What could you
do better for your children and your children's children than to record the
story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall,
your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally
achieved?
“…Get
a notebook, my young folks, a journal that will last through all time, and
maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it
your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your
failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your
testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record
important events.” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 350-1)
3 Ne 23:11 How be it that ye have not written…that many saints did
arise?
Neal A. Maxwell
“The
resurrected Jesus made a special point of ensuring that this glorious
event—witnessed alike on two hemispheres, and in which all mortals have an
inexpressibly important and personal stake—was likewise carefully recorded. In
fact, Jesus, noting the neglect of Samuel's prophecy, commanded that it be
written. (See 3 Nephi 23:9-11.) No wonder, for He anticipated the subsequent
reactions to the reality of the resurrection, such as those of the Athenians to
Paul's preaching: ‘And when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again
of this matter.’ (Acts 17:32.)
“Jesus,
the Jehovah of the Old Testament (who had been so careful to see that much
lesser facts were carefully established in the mouths of two or three
witnesses), insisted that the two central facts of human history, the atonement
and the resurrection, be carefully established in the pages of the two great
written witnesses of Him and the resurrection.
“Such
careful correlation and amplified attesting would surely not surprise previous
prophets—nor should it us.
“The
above is not recited just to note how reassuringly tidy the restored gospel is,
nor how impressively exacting about facts the Lord is. Instead, one should ask,
‘What knowledge does the world need to have more than the sure testimony and
evidence that Jesus is the Christ and that His atonement actually accomplished
God's great plan of redemption, whereby mankind will be blessed with
immortality?’ In a world filled increasingly with drift, disbelief, and
despair, what more welcome ‘good news’ could be given?” (Plain and Precious
Things, p. 30)
3 Ne 23:14 Jesus…expounded all the scriptures in one
Scriptures don’t all say
exactly the same thing. Different prophets emphasize different principles at
different times to different people. But the scriptures taken as a whole paint
only one picture. The picture comes to us in many small pieces, as if a puzzle,
but they fit together perfectly until they seem inseparable. When the big
picture finally comes into view, we see as we have never seen before. Through
the spirit, we see the plan of salvation as it was planned in the pre-mortal
sphere, as it was foreordained, as it was prophesied, and as it was realized.
Hereby, truth becomes
timeless and is circumscribed into one great whole. There are few spiritual
experiences which are more powerful than comprehending God’s truth in one. We
are reminded of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Lord taught these,
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he
expounded unto them in all the scriptures concerning himself. We should
not be surprised that their increased vision was accompanied by a profoundly
spiritual experience, And they said one to another,
Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while
he opened to us the scriptures? (Lu 24:27,32)
Mormon later records, ’And he did expound all things, even from the beginning
until the time that he should come in his glory-yea, even all things which
should come upon the face of the earth…And now there cannot be written in this
book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the
people’ (3 Nephi 26:3,6).