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| ©Darrell Wyatt |
I got completely lost in the scriptures today. And not in a good way. I kept reading and rereading, hoping to catch some understanding of what Isaiah was trying to say. I prayed about it. I even got out some reference books to see if that would help. Nothing. Isaiah is an amazing writer - the Shakespeare of 8th Century BC, maybe. And even harder for me to understand.
Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn away the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
After some research, I gathered that Israel had become very wicked. They were worshiping idols, making unjust laws and basically turning their backs on the Lord.
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is their indignation. I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Assyria was a proud nation who believed that they could conquer any other nation. The Lord used them to humble Israel, until Israel remembered and turned again to Him. When the work was finished, He allowed another nation to destroy the Assyrians. He was angry that the Assyrian leaders were boasting in their own strength, when it was really through Him that they were able to accomplish the task of defeating Samaria.
Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as it it were no wood!
Out of the many verses that I read today, this is by far my favorite. How often have I congratulated myself for completing a task or felt proud of myself for an accomplishment without acknowledging the Lord's hand? Just as an ax or a saw or a staff cannot work without someone being the driving force behind it, I need to remember that in every good thing I do or have done, the Lord has been my driving force.
So I guess I did learn a few things today, after all. First, I learned that I need to remember to acknowledge the Lord in all I do. Next, I realized that Nephi really thought that this was an important part of history for us to read. I can't imagine that it would have been an easy task to inscribe on plates of gold. For him to rewrite the words of Isaiah, there must be an important message for our time. I believe that it is that we, as a nation, need to not turn away from the Lord as the Israelites of Isaiah's day did, or the Lord will have to humble us. And finally, and the most important to me, I learned that with enough perseverance and prayer, I can understand anything in the scriptures. Even though my reading didn't start out well, I believe that I came away from it with the experience and understanding that the Lord wanted me to have today. What a blessing!
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