“Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things”
Lesson 37 – Isaiah
22, 24-26, 28-30
The prophet Isaiah did much of his teaching in
symbolic language. This language does not teach directly, so we must examine
and ponder Isaiah’s words to discover the truths they teach. Some of Isaiah’s most beautiful and profound
symbolic language is about the Savior, who is the focus of this lesson. Today, we will consider how we may come unto
Christ through recognizing some of the wonderful things he has done. Those things
include the following:
·
Isaiah 22:22 - The
Savior opens the door to Heavenly Father’s presence.
·
Isaiah 24:21-22 - The Savior shows mercy for those in spirit
prison.
·
Isaiah 25:1-4; 32:1-2 - The Savior is a strength and a refuge.
·
Isaiah 25:6-9 - The
Savior will prepare a feast and destroy the “vail.”
·
Isaiah 25:8 - The
Savior wipes away our tears.
·
Isaiah 26:19 - The
Savior will bring the Resurrection.
·
Isaiah 28:16 - The
Savior is our sure foundation.
·
Isaiah 29:4, 9-14, 18, 24 - The
Savior will restore the gospel to the earth.
·
Isaiah 30:19-21 - The
Savior knows our trials and directs our paths.
The Savior opened the door to Heavenly
Father’s presence.
Isaiah 22:22 - says that
the Messiah has “the key of the house of David.”
This is a symbolic way of saying the Savior has the power to admit or exclude
any person from Heavenly Father’s presence. (See also Revelation 3:7-8; 2 Nephi
9:41)
To open this door for us the Savior gave his
life.
2 Nephi 9:45 - To be able
to enter this door, we must repent and come unto Christ.
The Savior showed mercy for
those in spirit prison.
Isaiah 24:21-22 – The
prison referred to in this verse is the Spirit prison, the place where the
spirits of some deceased mortals go while awaiting the Resurrection.
D&C 138:32 - The spirits of
some deceased mortals are in spirit prison because some of them did not receive
the gospel on earth, and others were not valiant in their testimonies.
Isaiah 42:5-7; D&C 138:29-37 - The
Savior opened the way for the spirits in prison to come out of the darkness. He organized righteous spirits to teach them
the gospel.
Isaiah 49:9-10 – Sending
missionaries and providing a way out of prison demonstrated the Savior’s love
and mercy.
The Savior is a strength and
a refuge.
Isaiah wrote of the Savior strengthening us
during the storms, tempests, deserts, and heat of our lives. The following
images teach about how the Savior helps us when we face such challenges:
·
Isaiah 25:4 -
He is a refuge from the storm.
·
Isaiah 25:4 - He
is a shadow from the heat.
·
Isaiah 32:2 - He
is a hiding place from the wind.
·
Isaiah 32:2 - He
is a covert (cover) from the tempest.
·
Isaiah 32:2 - He
is rivers of water in a dry place.
·
Isaiah 32:2 - He
is the shadow of a great rock in a weary (thirsty) land.
The Savior will prepare a feast and
destroy the “vail.”
Isaiah 25:6-7; 2:2; D&C 58:8-9 - One
interpretation of this is that the mountain is a symbol for the temple where
the patrons will find a spiritual feast.
Isaiah 25:6 - The feast
mentioned is a feast of the words and teachings of Christ. Temple attendance
can be like a feast if we are prepared to be inspired and filled with gifts of
the Spirit and eternal knowledge.
Moses 7:26 - A veil
is a thin covering. Symbolically it often represents the unbelief that prevents
people from truly coming to Christ.
Isaiah 25:7-9 - The “vail”
that is over the earth will be destroyed when the Savior will remove all doubt
that He is the promised Messiah and there will be no excuse for unbelief.
The Savior wipes away our tears.
Isaiah 25:8 - Isaiah prophesied
that when the Messiah would come, he will wipe the tears off our faces. When
someone you love is crying, you comfort them and wipe away their tears. The
Savior will “wipe away [our] tears”.
Picture a parent wiping tears away from a child’s face. There is a sense
of intimacy in this act. It is a tender gesture that is shared only by people
who love and trust each other deeply.
Death, sorrow, crying, and pain are the
conditions mentioned in Revelation 21:4 that cause tears.
The Savior will wipe away the tears that are
caused by these conditions by continuing the resurrection, cleansing the earth
to bring it to a terrestrial state, giving hope, comfort, and causing rejoicing
with his presence and his reign, and removing pain caused by wickedness.
The Savior will bring the
Resurrection.
Isaiah 26:19 – Others to be
resurrected in due time include all the children of God who have lived on the
earth in all dispensations and throughout its history.
Isaiah 26:19 - This verse
suggests that we will feel like singing when we are resurrected. (See also D&C
138:12-16, 50)
The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “When the voice
calls for the dead to arise, … what would be the first joy of my heart? To meet
my father, my mother, my brother, my sister; and when they are by my side, I
embrace them and they me” (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 295-96).
The Savior is our sure foundation.
Isaiah 28:16 - Isaiah tells
us about the Savior by referring to him as a “tried stone”. Mosiah 3:17
tells us that the Savior’s is the only name by which salvation shall come.
Helaman 5:12 - Jesus Christ
is our “sure foundation”
To build on this foundation, we follow the
commandments and live by guidance of the Spirit.
D&C 50:44 - The Lord
promises that if we build on this foundation, we shall never fall.
The Savior will restore the gospel
to the earth.
Isaiah 29:4, 9-14 - Isaiah
foresaw the latter-day restoration of the gospel. He knew that it would come at a time of spiritual darkness. He
also foresaw the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
Compare the following verses in Isaiah 29 with
corresponding passages in the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and
Doctrine and Covenants to see how some of Isaiah’s prophecies have been
fulfilled:
|
Isaiah 29:4 |
Moroni 10:27 |
|
Isaiah 29:9-10, Isaiah 29:13 |
Joseph Smith—History
1:18-19 |
|
Isaiah 29:11-12 |
Joseph Smith—History
1:63-65 |
|
Isaiah 29:14 |
D&C 4:1; D&C 6:1 |
Isaiah 29:13 - Isaiah
told of people drawing near to the Lord with their mouths while their hearts
are far from Him.
We need to assure that we remain close to the
Lord in our thoughts and actions as well as in our words.
Isaiah 29:18, 24 - Isaiah
said that the Book of Mormon would help the spiritually deaf and blind to hear
and see.
This prophecy has been fulfilled as the Book of
Mormon has helped clarify and add to the doctrines and teachings of the Bible
so that as it has been studied, enlightenment occurs and understanding expands
for anyone who wishes to learn of the Lord.
The Savior knows our trials and directs our paths.
Isaiah 30:19-21 – Adversity
can be a learning experience for us. These verses teach what the Savior will do
for us when adversity comes. He will give us teachers and inspiration and
direction. (also Alma 37:37.)
The Savior has done wonderful things for us.
Think about what we can do in return.