Thursday, December 16, 2010

Isaiah notes

Chiasmus organization
Warnings of Wickedness (ch. 1-23)
Judgments upon the world (ch. 24-25)
Humility of Israel (ch. 36-39)
People seeking the Lord (ch. 40-47)
Blessings of the Messiah and the last days (ch. 48-64)
A final promise and warning (ch. 65-66)

Significant Isaiah Chapters
Bold and Italics= Isaiah chapters also found in the Book of Mormon
Chapter 1 warnings and promises to the House of Israel
Chapter 2-14 House of Israel insights and the Last Days
Chapters 18-19 America and Egypt in the Last Days
Chapters 24-27 Isaiah’s Apocalypse
Chapters 28-29 Insights into sacred records and learning
Chapter 40 The attributes of God
Chapters 48-54 Messianic, Book of Mormon, and Last Day prophecies
Chapter 55 Insights into God’s higher ways and thoughts
Chapter 58 Key chapter of all scriptures on fasting
Chapters 61-63 Messianic roles with First and Second comings

Key Isaiah Chapters
Bold and Italics= Isaiah chapters also found in the Book of Mormon
Chapter 1 Isaiah introduces gospel concepts (principles and ordinances)
Chapter 6 Isaiah’s “First Vision” and calling
Chapter 11 Key servants and promises of the Last Days
Chapter 29 Records from the dead
Chapter 40 Key attributes of God
Chapter 53 The suffering, atoning servant
Chapter 61 The Savoir brings redemption and victory

Messianic prophecies concentrated
Chapters 6-9, 11, 61, and 63
Servant songs Chapters 42, 49, 50, 53

Three major sections
Prophecies of Judgment (ch. 1-35)
Warnings to Israel. Isaiah’s call to repentance, Isaiah’s vision, Messianic prophecies, Millennial (ch. 1-12)
Pronouncements to the foreign nations: Babylon, Moab, Syria, Africa, America, Egypt … (ch. 13-23)
Revelations of the Lord’s Judgments and blessings: prophecies, psalms, prayers (ch. 24-27)
Warnings to Israel of her suffering and to the wicked world of it’s destruction before Millennium (ch. 24-35)

Historical Narrative (ch. 36-39)
Record of the Assyrian invasion and King Hezekiah’s sickness in pose (ch. 36-39)

Promises of Redemption (ch. 40-66)
Affirmation of God’s power and salvation contains the first of Isaiah’s servent songs (ch. 40-47)
Redemption of Israel by the Messiah and welcomes all to become Israelites (ch. 48-52)
Great servant song of the Messiah and his glory (ch. 53)
Universal invitation to jion in the Lord’s work and trust in his ways instead of the ways of sin (ch. 54-58)
Glorious prophecies of the last days and the reality of the restoration and temple work in the new heaven and new earth (ch. 59-66)

Understanding Poetry Parallelism:
Synonymous: the theme of the first line repeats itself in the second line, but in slightly different words (railroad tracks)
Antithetic: a thought of the second part of a couple contrast with an opposite theme in the first (black silhouette against background)
Emblematic: the ideas of two lines are compared by means of a simile or metaphor (shadow; a little hazy but seeable)
Synthetic: the second line completes or complements the thought of the first (belt and buckle complete one another)
Composite: three or more phrases develop a theme by amplifying a concepts or defining a term (spokes of a wheel)
Climactic: part of one line is repeated in the other lines until a theme is developed with a climatic idea (steps of a staircase)
Introverted/Chiasmus: a pattern of words or ideas is stated then repeated in reverse order with the center as the focus (Hour glass)

Unpardonable and Unforgivable:
Unpardonable= deny the Holy Ghost, but it is forgivable and Christ paid for it in the Atonement; the sinner can not ever make full payment himself
Unforgivable= murder, but it can be pardoned, Christ could not suffer the penalty and the sinner must make the sin pardoned by paying for it themselves
Forgiveness= based on repentance, there must be full restitution for the crime

“The second most serious sin is to commit murder—that is, to willfully shed innocent blood. Concerning this sin, the Lord has said: ‘Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.’ ( D&C 42:18 .) Thus this is an unforgivable sin, which means that Jesus Christ cannot pay for (or ‘atone for’ or ‘forgive’) the penalty demanded by the broken law. This sin is a pardonable sin, however; that is, the sinner can eventually make full payment himself, and be received into a state of pardon. Apparently one reason this sin is unforgivable is that forgiveness is based upon repentance, and a murderer cannot fully repent of his sin for he cannot make restitution of the life he has taken” (DanielH. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon [1976], 222).






Abraham A ‘father of nations’ who now sits exalted upon a throne in eternity
Birthright A spiritual, priesthood inheritance which ancient patriarchs gave to their most righteous son (who was often not their firstborn son
Jew A descendant of a person (or citizen) from the ancient Southern Kingdom of Judah
Preface or introduction
Historical background/context
Stipulations, general and specific
Some type of a symbolic ritual act
Blessings/rewards and curses/punishments
Witnesses (usually earthly and heavenly)
Recording and the perpetuation of the covenant Usual essential element of a covenant
Savior The root for the names of both “Jesus” and “Isaiah” derive from the Hebrew root Joshua, which means:
Identity/intelligence
Knowledge
Freedom of choices
Laws and consequences
Preservation/supervision
Action
Efficacy/competence In discussing whether Cyrus was a free agent, we reviewed seven elements of necessary for free agency which are
Mission of the Church- members working to establish cause
Type of people- community with pure in heart dwell
Ecclesiastical organization- stake of the Church
Place- the ‘New Jerusalem’
Protected place of refuge/defense- a ‘tsiyon’ LDS scriptural definition of “Zion”
New temple built in Jerusalem
David will lead Israel
Nations of the earth gather against Jerusalem and attach Judah
Two prophets are to be raised up to the Jewish nation Unfulfilled prophecies

Prophecies about the House of Israel Key unique group to watch and match it with other lists of prophecies
Enoch, Moses, Elijah Priesthood powers like three particular prophets of old
Teach restored truths and properly baptize Christians
Build outward from centers of strength
Last to be scattered are first to be gathered
Build relationships of trust and give service to others
Bring to Christ through changes of attitude/knowledge/belief Customary means in Christ’s restored church as to how missionary work is going to gather in scattered Israel
Land Israelite Descendants of Christian crusaders and Arab Palestinians now living in Bethlehem as Israeli citizens
Land and blood Israelite German Jews who live n Jerusalem as Israeli citizens
Land, Blood, and covenant Israelite French Jews who joined the Church in Europe and then immigrated to Israel to become citizens
Jesus and New Testament writes cite and quoted from both halves of Isaiah and attribute the words to Isaiah Isaiah was written by one person
One who prevails with God
A covenant member of Christ’s Church and heir to the blessings promised to Jacob
A citizen of the land or nation of Palestine/Israel, either in ancient or in modern times
A literal descendant of Jacob, eve in they are unaware that he is in their pedigree Usually define and described Israel/Israelite people
Has the Lord punished Israel as He punished her oppressors Although all people suffer different types of afflictions on earth, the wicked ultimately suffer more than the righteous
For the bed is too short and the covering is too narrow Life is miserable and uncomfortable for those who do not heed God’s teachings and commandments
2 New 26-27 Isaiah 29 and commentary on how these words apply to his writings
A people who are united and pure in heart
A safe, protected place, such as a ridge or hilltop
An organization of ecclesiastical units called ‘stakes’
A chosen city or land of inheritance where the Lord can reign
A noble cause of which the Latter-day Saints should strive to build Represent a literal/symbolic meaning of “Zion”
Seer One who sees new truths through spiritual eyes
Leviathan Monster serpent of the deep; symbol of evil
Hart A fleet footed fallow-deer or a roebuck
Edom One who has secret or hidden books not in the Bible
Line by line Divine law or commandment given by the Lord
Fence Personal law or application of a commandment
When we say: we have enough We will lose our testimonies if we don’t continually strengthen them
Written primarily in prose
Most of Isaiah’s recorded miracles
Out of chronological sequence
Contain poem/psalm of King Hezekiah Isaiah 36-39
Jews being to come to a knowledge of their Redeemer Jews will be gathered to the lands of their inheritance
It changes moods and tenor often as it highlights opposite extremes Apocalyptic literature is bipolar
The people accept their fate and say, “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.” Impending scourge in Isaiah 22 and the famous attitude of the people
Aram (land) Damascus/Syria
Samaria (land) Ephraim/Israel
Edom (land) Esau/Jordan
Ahaz (king) King of Judah who responds to Syro-Israelite invasion by seeking Assyrian aid
Pekah (king) Son of Remaliah, rebel, murderous king of Israel who fights Judah and Assyria
“water of Shiloah” The Lord’s tender care and the gentle promptings, messages of the spirit
“The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob” An historical and/or an eschatological gropu of Israelites who gather either physically and/or spiritually
A rod (shoot) out of the stem of Jesse A servant in the hands of Christ in whom is much power (Davidic figure of the last days)
Diaspora Greek word meaning “The Lord is made known”
Shechinah The ‘presence,’ glory, light or protective care of the Lord
Messiah Aramaic/Hebrew word meaning the “Anointed One”
Satan The “slanderer” or from Aramaci root, the “earth shaker”
Jehovah or ‘Yahweh’ The eternal “I AM”, Jesus’ premortal name/title
The waters which cover the sea Isaiah 11 Isaiah indicates that knowledge of the Lord will be as much a common reality as…
Recognizes God for who He is/divine attributes
Part of “Lord’s Prayer” as He instructed His disciples
Extolling/worshiping a divine being/ruler Usual form of “praise” in psalms/prophetic discourse
Prophetic books Isaiah writings are found in which collection of the Old Testament books
Oral transmission
Repetition
Short, structured poetry Helpful in appreciating how information and knowledge was taught in Israelites time
Assyria Country that dominated the Middle East during Isaiah’s ministry
Isaiah promises the latter-day return of the house of Israel Study Jewish and Lamanite history; be aware of Church missionary success
Isaiah’s words are plain to those with the ‘spirit of prophecy’ Seek and live worthy to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ
Semantic Type of parallelism Isaiah emphasizes
90% How much of Isaiah is written in poetry
66 chapters How many chapters of Isaiah are in the Old Testament
Silhouette Antithetic parallelism
“wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight” Isa. 5:21 Synonymous parallelism
Belt and buckle Synthetic parallelism
Steps of a staircase Climatic parallelism
You will be lien a garden that has not water Isa. 1:30 Emblematic parallelism
English words which were not present in the Hebrew or Greek text of the manuscript used Bible Dictionary of the LDS edition of the King James Version of the Bible, what is the meaning/explanation of the biblical words or text that are printed in italics
For what purpose are your sacrifices Pivotal message of Isaiah 1:2-20
Interpretation/meaning of his writings through other scriptures
Technique/mechanics as seen in his poetic style Two levels of to study Isaiah and his manner of prophesying
Faith as a gospel principle Develop a trusting relationship with the Lord
Isaiah 2 In the tumultuous last days, many go to the mountain of the Lord’s house; others flee into caves for the fear of the Lord
Isaiah 3 Weak men avoiding responsibility and vain women seeking high fashion bring terrible judgments in the last days
Isaiah 7 King Ahza receives a sigh (a young woman having a son, Immanuel), which he doesn’t ask for; a dualistic prophecy of Christ’s future birth
Isaiah 10 The Lord controls peoples just as the hwer guides the axe: Assyria’s destruction and invasion (from the north) like one in last days.
Isaiah 14 A song of scron over the “king of Babylon” (Lucifer) and his promised fall to the opposite realms of his prideful ambitions
Isaiah 18 Blessings of Zion (America) and missionary work prophesied
Isaiah 24 Earth and her people will suffer for broken laws and covenants as they are burned at the Second Coming, but those in (spirit) prison will be visited
Isaiah 29 Sacred records will come from the dust of the earth which will be unreadable for the unlearned and confusing for the learned
Isaiah 31 Those who rely on Egypt and the arm of flesh will fall together with their allies and support; the Lord will come and defend his people
Isaiah 35 The desert shall blossom as the rose and Zion shall be built up; the ransomed of Israel will return
Isaiah 39 Judah’s wealth is shown to Babylonian representatives; Isaiah prophesies the Babylonian captivity of the Jews
Isaiah 40 Those how trust in the Lord will share the strength and attributes and powers of God (Who judges Israel and cares for this flock like a shepherded)
Isaiah 45 Cyrus shall free the captives of Israel; every knee will bow and every tongue will recognize the true Lord
Isaiah 48 The Lord reveals his purposes to covenant Israel (patterned in a treaty or covenant format); Israel will come froth out of Babylon; 1st chapter quoted in Book of Mormon
Isaiah 52 Awake, for Israel shall be redeemed, how beautiful are the watchmen and those who bring good tidings; this chapter is the most quotes in the Book of Mormon