3 Nephi 22

 (All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 orange 7/21 Brown 2022-23 ) 

 CHAPTER 22

In the last days, Zion and her stakes will be established, and Israel will be gathered in mercy and tenderness—They will triumph—Compare Isaiah 54. About A.D. 34.

  1 And then this is a continuation from chapter 21 shall that which is written by Isaiah - it is fulfilled in our day; another reason we should know his prophecies! come to pass: Sing, O ^abarren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into ^bsinging, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the ^cdesolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Does this refer to people who have been sterilized from vaccines or toxins in the environment? Or does it mean that many children will die leaving their parents desolate and that will outnumber those who don't die? Grim prophecy, if that's what it means...
  2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, If the above is true, this could be an invitation to take in the orphans or the widowed or those who've lost family members and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy ^astakes; Elder Kearon just got called to be an apostle to replace Elder Ballard. He has been working with the refugees and will be an advocate for them when we need to take them in.
 3 For thou who is "thou"? The house of Israel? shalt break forth what does "break forth" mean? out of bondage? on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall ^ainherit the ^bGentiles ? and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. This may be referring to the house of Israel being given their lands of inheritance...
 4 Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to ^ashame; or be ashamed for thou shalt forget the ^bshame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the ^creproach of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
  5 For thy maker, thy ^ahusband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel—the God of the whole earth shall he be called. Interesting footnote here: Hosea 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days. 6 For the Lord hath called thee ^aas a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. What is this referring to? We have no prophet? no president of government?  no temple worship? no idols to worship (things destroyed, no electricity to make our "things" work?) an ephod is a priestly garment - so no acting priesthood ordinances? Is the woman forsaken, the Church? Are we temporarily "refused" by the Lord? 
  7 For a small moment have I ^aforsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. See Elder Hollands Oct 2020 Conference talk, "Waiting on the Lord" where he assures us that deliverance will come; prayers will be answered sooner or later. This may be more than just about prayers not answered, but could mean there is no revelation from heaven for a time (half hour of silence?)
  8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but What was his wrath about? How did we experience his face being hid?  with everlasting ^akindness will I have ^bmercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

   9 For ^athis, the ^bwaters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.
 10 For the ^amountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not ^cdepart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. Here is a beautiful quote by Pres. Eyring that changes the covenants we have with the Lord from a "contract" to a "love story" “I had a new feeling about what it means to make a covenant with the Lord. All my life I had heard explanations of covenants as being like a contract, an agreement where one person agrees to do something and the other agrees to do something else in return. For more reasons than I can explain, during those days teaching Hosea, I felt something new, something more powerful. This was not a story about a business deal between partners. … This was a love story. This was a story of a marriage covenant bound by love, by steadfast love. What I felt then, and it has increased over the years, was that the Lord, with whom I am blessed to have made covenants, loves me, and you … with a steadfastness about which I continually marvel and which I want with all my heart to emulate” (“Covenants and Sacrifice” [address given at the Church Educational System symposium on the Old Testament, Aug. 15, 1995], 2; si.lds.org). Though we are unfaithful to the Lord, He will not put Israel away because of His undying love for them.

 11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy ^astones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
 12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
 13 And ^aall thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the ^bpeace of thy children.
 14 In ^arighteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and from terror for it shall not come near thee.
 15 Behold, they shall surely gather together ^aagainst thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. This is pre-millenial if there are those who are wicked to gather against me. New Jerusalem? Zion?
 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the ^aservants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. Be worthy of this heritage. There are many weapons formed to destroy us... but know the Lord is allowing it (even says he has created them). This is a chapter we should read any time we need comforted! If He created the destroyer, then He will also provide deliverance for those He wants to protect.