021L The Imagery of Isaiah You know, sometimes it’s not what you say, but it’s the way you say it. And when your desire is to bring souls to Christ though the word, then every word has to be powerful! It has to count! Perhaps that’s why Isaiah is at once so difficult to read, and so rewarding at the same time. Every word is so filled with meaning. For example, [in] Isaiah 48:18, he said, “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!”, he says for the Lord, “then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:” Now, if anyone has ever wondered why they should subject themselves to the disciplined life of a Christian, go, sit by a great river and ponder it. Just as that ever-flowing river is a peaceful tranquil place, so too, the Lord’s peace will continually flow like a river unto you, and fill you, if you keep His commandments. And for those who have committed terrible sin, Isaiah made a powerful point, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be [as] white as snow; [and] though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) Now I’ve seen the brilliant and vivid hue of scarlet and crimson, and I also know how they can stain. Have you ever stood in fresh-fallen snow so gloriously white under the sun, you couldn’t look at it? Now you know, Isaiah could have said “My friend, by the Atonement, you can be forgiven.” But when he said ‘from scarlet to snow,’ ‘from crimson to wool,’ He conveyed so much more! Christ is mighty to save, and His Atonement defies all earthly description in power and scope. YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN! And again, Isaiah wrote this, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” “…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.” (Isaiah 40:29, 31) Have you ever watched an eagle take to flight? They’re huge! And yet, they make it look so easy! I’ve stood and watched an eagle high in the sky, riding the air currents. Not only does an eagle demonstrate great power, but they’re grace and beauty. To those of you like me, overwhelmed by the sense of their own weakness, God is powerful, and He can make you as an eagle. And again, if there are any of you who may perhaps be feeling alone or forgotten, bearing heavy burdens, and seemingly doing it alone, remember what Isaiah wrote, “But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...” (Isaiah 49:14-16) I’m a father. This metaphor overwhelms me. It’s one thing to say the Lord loves us, but to say that it is more likely that a mother will forget the child nursing at her breast before the Lord forgets us, that is compassion, commitment, and love! And there’s so much more – sheep and shepherds, snow and rain, wolves and lambs, mountains and valleys, voices and dust. Stop and think about the metaphors of Isaiah, and you will know why Jesus said, “…great are the words of Isaiah.” (3 Nephi 23:1) Glenn Rawson – September 7, 2010 Music: Lost and Found – Free Music Tracks Song: It Passes All My Understanding – Cherie Call soundsofsunday
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 15:57:02 +0000
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