2 Nephi 16

(All of my own thoughts are in red type.5/20 Green 2/21Orange 5/22 Brown 2023

 Chapter 16

Isaiah sees the Lord—Isaiah’s sins are forgiven—He is called to prophesy—He prophesies of the rejection by the Jews of Christ’s teachings—A remnant will return—Compare Isaiah 6. About 559–545 B.C.

  1 ^aIn the ^byear that king Uzziah died, I ^csaw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Gildeai - This is chronologically, Isaiah's first vision where he's called as a prophet.
  2 Above it stood the ^aseraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Just wondering if he really saw this literally, or is just describing something symbolically. Either way, did he know at the time he saw it what it meant? Gileadi - Jehovah, Seraphs, and son/servant are the 3 highest of Isaiah's 7 levels of progression.  The "wings" could be energy fields that enable them to mover or conceal themselves at will.
  3 And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his ^aglory. Gileadi - The seraphs' anthem identifies the purpose of the earth's creation is Jehovah's glory, meaning Jehovah is glorified by bringing the earth to its "consummation" when it begets "holy ones" like him.
  4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Gileadi - This shows the power of person in the seraph category over the elements.  Moses, Elijah had this power. The "smoke" attests to Jehovah's presence. 
  5 Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have ^aseen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Interesting that he says he sees the Lord feeling unclean. But if you think about it, no one who’s seem him was exactly perfect, so it must not be about being perfect first. Gileadi - As often occurs when a person seed God with his physical eyes, he is physically impaired (struck dumb). Believing he is smitten with a curse, Isaiah is afraid for himself and his people (unclean speech) and he desires to help his people.  "King" shows Jehovah has kingship over all the earth and its people.
  6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;
  7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine ^ainiquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.is this equivalent to an ordinance like baptism or the initiatory? Is this his Baptism by fire/remission of sins? His calling to be a prophet? Gileadi - The ember from the Altar of Atonements implies atonement has been made (or will be made) for his sins because of his repentance. He is purified and sanctified and is not deemed holy.  The "opening of the mouth" rite implies the proper functioning of all the senses, physical and spiritual, as evident when Isaiah is healed. 
  8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ^aWhom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me. These words are a type of when Jesus said them to the Father. Gileadi- Isaiah "seeing" and "hearing" his voice follows the pattern of a prophet seeing and hearing what God reveals to him in a vision.  Isaiah is healed of covenant curses through the atonement. Now that Isaiah can speak again and desiring to do for his people as has been done for him, he accepts Jehovah's prophetic commission to minister to his people.  "send" has the same Hebrew root as the noun "apostle", meaning one who is "sent" to bear witness of what he has seen and heard.  "Who will go for us" signifies heaven will minister to Isaiah even as Isaiah ministers to Jehovah's people. 
  9 And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not.
  10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and ^ahear with their ears, and understand with their ^bheart, and be converted and be healed. this is confusing to me...it sounds like the Lord is saying to on purpose make it so people stay blind. Why? Gileadi - "go" denotes Jehovah's actual commission of Isaiah as a prophet.  "This people" reflects the people rejecting their covenant relationship with Jehovah (instead of "my" people). Alienated, they see things their way, not his.  Jehovah forewarns a wayward people through Isaiah and often their response is to harden their hears and dull their senses. But the formula is revealed for "healing" - see, hear, understand, repent. A remnant comprised of those who repent survive the Day of Judgment typified by Isaiah's disciples, for whom Jehovah provides sanctuary at the time others suffer covenant curses.
  11 Then said I: Lord, how long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate; Are we in this period? I feel like people are being woken up. Our cities have not been wasted in war, but in spirituality. I fear it will be literal all too soon... Gileadi - Isaiah asks how long his ministry will last.  Jehovah illustrates the utter desolation his unrepentant people will experience when a full measure of covenant curses overtake them.  Isaiah's ministry is a type of the ministry of Jehovah's end time servant. Given a similar commission to warn Jehovah's people, the servant meets with a similar response. 
  12 And the Lord have ^aremoved men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Apostasy? Past? Present? Both? The footnote for "removed" is not a good one...the Lord removed all but Judah from his sight. It's not a protecting removing. Gileadi - People may flee the cities but will find scant refuge in the countryside.
  13 But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the ^aholy seed shall be the substance thereof. Here is talk of the 1/10th. Is it literal? Is it the Ten Tribes? There is so much of Isaiah that is not “plain” as Nephi says it is...at least to me. I need to spend some time looking at Gileadi’s commentary on these chapters....I just looked at it. Not super clear either. This verse shows that many will not survive the end time judgments. Grim. Gileadi - Using the Israelite concept of tithing - they pay a tenth of the land's yield to the Levites and the Levites pay a tent of that tenth to the priests - so we're really talking about 1/10th of 1/10th!  The "holy offspring" left standing compares to an oak that can renew itself when cut down.  The one who fells the trees is the King of A/B who acts as Jehovah's "axe" and "saw".