2 Nephi 7

(All of my own thoughts are in blue type.4/20 Green  1/21 Orange 4/22 Brown 2023) 

CHAPTER 7

Isaiah speaks Messianically—Messiah shall have the tongue of the learned—He shall give his back to the smiters—He shall not be confounded—Compare Isaiah 50. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

  1 ^aYea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the ^bbill of your mother’s ^cdivorcement? Though Israel has been unfaithful, yet the Lord says he has not legally divorced them. True, they may be separated, but that is only because Israel has left God. But God never voids the covenant He's made with them....for in God...all "marriages" are eternal. Yet there is agency. People can leave the marriage. But it will never be God that leaves. To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my ^dcreditors have I ^e sold you? Jesus bought us with his blood. That was the price. No one else could buy us from Him, because no one else could pay that price. It's impossible for Him to sell us to another creditor. Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, to the devil… and for your transgressions is your mother put away. It was customary in Old Testament times for a father, if he is in too much debt, to sell one or some of his children to his creditor as a slave. The Lord is telling us that He is in debt to no one, and so has no cause to sell you to pay a debt. So the only reason one may feel "in bondage" to another is by selling themselves. Why is the Lord speaking this way? One reason is that when we are unhappy, or in pain, we tend to feel abandoned and accuse God of leaving us. His response begins with, "Where is your proof! What evidence do you have for your complaint?"

  2 Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I ^acalled, yea, there was none to answer. Even when we "leave" the Lord by our own unrighteousness...He is still there "calling" us. But our own thinking and actions make it difficult for us to hear that call. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? He is asking you to think about what you know is true. To "not lead with your fears". Behold, at my rebuke I ^bdry up the ^csea, I make their ^drivers a wilderness and their ^efish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst.

  3 I clothe the heavens with ^ablackness, and I make ^bsackcloth their covering. Remember who I AM…that is enough...You know enough.

Now we switch to Isaiah speaking…It's hard to tell if it's Isaiah or the Lord. If he's switching, he doesn't say. Is it all Christ? Gileadi says the end time servant is now speaking. He says that the Lord's people who are unfaithful reject the servant the Lord sends to establish justice in the earth and restore his people (Isaiah 42:1, 4; 49:5-8). As Jehovah’s hand, the servant reclaims their remnant (Isaiah 11:11), smelts away their dross (Isaiah 1:25), empowers them (Isaiah 41:10), leads their new exodus (Isaiah 11:15-16), leads their new conquest (Isaiah 11:14), assigns them inheritances (Isaiah 34:17), and protects them (Isaiah 51:16). Many, however, pay no regard to him (Isaiah 59:1-2).

 4 The Lord God hath given me the ^atongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season He knows what we need to learn and understand and stands ready to teach us if we will listen unto thee, O house of Israel. When ye are weary you may get tired of obeying, or listening...he waketh morning by morning. but Christ gets up every morning and gets to work for your welfare He waketh mine ear to hear "wake up" your ears and learn to "hear" His voice! as the learned.

  5 The Lord God hath opened mine ^aear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. When we hear the voice of God (many times each day, through our conscience or the Holy Ghost) or His servants, we should not rebel or turn our back on it. (Gileadi)  Imbued with the knowledge of God, Jehovah’s servant seeks to wake up Jehovah’s people as he is awake (Isaiah 51:9). Those who need waking up include their prophets and seers: “Jehovah has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep: he has shut your eyes, the prophets; he has covered your heads, the seers” (Isaiah 29:10); “Their watchmen are altogether blind and unaware; all of them are but dumb watchdogs unable to bark, lolling seers fond of slumber” (Isaiah 56:10). With the servant’s coming, many of Jehovah’s people wake up and are reborn on higher spiritual levels (Isaiah 51:17; 52:1-2).

  6 I gave He had power to resist, but He submitted my back to the ^asmiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from ^bshame and spitting. Isaiah saw the crucifixion of Christ. They tried to shame Him by mocking Him and spitting on Him. He stood steadfast and firm.

  7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. You will surely suffer "for Christ's sake", but He will help you to stand victorious in the end. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, "unyielding" and I know that I shall not be ^aashamed. I like to hear the Savior exercising his CHOICE to NOT be ashamed, though He may be tempted to "feel" like it, He refuses to give in to it!
(Gileadi) Jehovah’s servant receives opposition from the rebellious who feel threatened by his preaching things “not told them” or that “they had not heard” (Isaiah 52:15; cf. 48:6-8). The servant’s instruction of Jehovah’s people (v 4; Isaiah 28:9; 48:15-17) in the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:2; 53:11) undermines the knowledge of their learned men and sages (Isaiah 29:14; 44:25). Part V of Isaiah’s Seven-Part Structure (Isaiah 24-27; 48-54) identifies the servant’s ill treatment and disfigurement (Isaiah 49:7; 52:14) as an integral part of his descent into trials before his ascent to rebirth and re-creation. The servant’s “knowing” he won’t be disgraced or confounded stems from his knowing the terms of the Davidic Covenant under which he serves as a proxy savior to Jehovah’s people (Isaiah 33:6; 38:19; 53:11). He may incur suffering and humiliation in the course of paying the price of his people’s temporal salvation, yet such afflictions are but for a small moment. After the trial of his faith comes the blessing, at which point Jehovah empowers him over his enemies (Isaiah 49:5-8; 52:13-15; 55:3-5). In the end, it is his enemies who are disgraced and confounded (Isaiah 45:24; 65:13-15; 66:5-6).

  8 And the Lord is near, and he ^ajustifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will ^bsmite him with the strength of my mouth.

  9 For the Lord God will help me Nephi saw our day, but was forbidden to write too much. However, in these words, he is giving us both a warning and encouragement. Always have faith. That faith will come from your obedience, for in that obedience "then shall your confidence wax strong before God" and you will be able to "stand" and NOT be ashamed. And all they who shall ^acondemn me, behold, all they shall ^bwax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up. We know who wins! (Gileadi) The terms “dispute,” “bring charges,” and “incriminate” indicate that he doesn’t lack enemies. Rather than confront him, however, they collude behind his back: “They work in the dark, thinking, ‘Who will see us?’” (Isaiah 29:15). In the end, those who ostracize him are consumed by “moths”—a covenant curse (Isaiah 51:7-8).

  10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, I only fear Him if I find myself on the wrong side of obedience...for the consequences to the wicked should be feared; there is also righteous fear that is a term for respect that obeyeth the ^avoice of his servant, that ^bwalketh in darkness and hath no light? Here he warns us about "professing" to follow Christ, yet we walk in darkness. We do not "walk" or "act daily" in the "light" of Christ...meaning we ignore the promptings to read our scriptures, or have prayer, or help a stranger, or visit our neighbor...even though we go to church on Sunday and pay our tithing and teach our lessons. (Gileadi) Jehovah sends his servant as a light to those who live in darkness and to open the eyes of the blind. As Jehovah’s voice to his people, he teaches them his law, the terms of his covenant (Isaiah 28:23; 42:4; 51:4-5; 55:4). Persons among them who “trust” in Jehovah and “rely” on him are also those who respond positively to his servant (Isaiah 11:10; 52:15; 55:5; 61:1-3).

  11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of ^ayour fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. (Gileadi) Jehovah likens those who reject his end-time servant to arsonists or persons whose spiritual light is no brighter than sparks. Those who fail to heed Jehovah’s voice (v 10)—his servant—are doomed to feel the brunt of Jehovah’s hand of punishment—the king of Assyria/Babylon: “Therefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled against his people: he draws back his hand against them and strikes them; the mountains quake, and their corpses lie like litter about the streets. Yet for all this his anger is not abated; his hand is upraised still” (Isaiah 5:25; emphasis added; cf. 10:5-6; 26:10-11; 28:1-2). When we walk by the light of Christ, then it is as if by daylight. But when we ignore this light, we walk in darkness. We don't like the darkness, so we try to light our own fire, so that we can see. In this effort we fail miserably and can only muster a few sparks. In these sparks we cannot still see clearly and walk into forbidden paths. ^bThis shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. All paths lead to sorrow except the one path that is lit by Christ. He hath said: 

Doctrine & Covenants 88: 43 And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give ^adiligent ^bheed You are to follow, act on, every time to the words of eternal life. and what are the "words of eternal life"? 44 For you shall ^alive by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. And what is the "word" of God? 45 For the ^aword of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is ^blight, and whatsoever is light is ^cSpirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. His words come by scripture, prophets, and the light of Christ, which is your conscience. 46 And the ^aSpirit giveth ^blight to ^cevery man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. Every person is blessed with a conscience - the "light" of Christ. We are to walk by that light. Learn to listen to That Voice and trust it. IT is Truth. It is Christ. 47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit ^acometh unto God, even the Father. Learning to listen to your  Conscience and follow it with unyielding obedience will lead you back to God. Do not discount the voice in your mind that tells you to do good/right. You cannot walk in the Light if you do not follow "This" light. Or the light you will walk in will only be the "sparks" you manage to make for yourself. Those "sparks" will NOT lead you back to the Father. Follow the Light in the little things and the light will grow! Ignore the little things and you will continue to walk in your own "sparks". The Light of Christ leads you to the Holy Ghost who leads you to Christ who leads you to the Father!