Primary 87 - Isaiah


Children, 

Growing up some are taught that Isaiah is a hard man to understand because he is so poetic and cryptic in his speech but by those standards then so are William Shakespeare and all of his plays. It's a matter of understanding the poetry of the times. Both used symbols of their time to teach and create a visual memory of smells that we are familiar with. 

The thing that separates these two men is one was a storyteller and the other man was a prophet; a seer. One was about entertainment and bringing a smile or cheer. William leads you through a story. There were highs and lows. It was for pure entertainment.

Isaiah was quite the opposite. He was a watcher on the hill. He saw the past present and future. Seers and revelators are not for entertainment. He saw what was coming. Now Nephi understood him even though he lived a hundred years after the man. He knew the landmarks, and plants and had the scriptures that Isaiah had. When he went to America, his children and grandchildren didn't know those things, so it was hard to understand because of the various elements of Isaiah's writing style.

Know this friends, Isaiah was not all about the future, no prophet is. The writings about the prophets are the present. They teach the very thing we teach here in church, repentance, faith, and hope. We teach of Christ. The things eternal echo like ripples in the water and while things of prophecy and revelation come through such as the coming of the Messiah and His character and kingdom, it was more important to be prepared for His coming than to know of when His coming was. We are encouraged to do the same, Jesus will come. Isaiah and the other prophets have told of such. It is not important the when. Listen to the council of the leadership of the church. The prophet, apostles, bishops, and other leaders are trying to lead us to the Redeemer, to be ready for His arrival. It is not important when.

We encourage you to pray often, repent frequently, fast, and read your scriptures. Dedicate your time and talents to help and lift others and encourage others to do the same. Again we love and pray for you. Have a great week.

Challenges 
1) Read Isaiah 13-14; 24-30; 35
2) Set aside some time this week to reflect on what are the prophets trying to teach you? Write down your thoughts and feelings and then make some goals got work on those things and prepare yourself for conference next month.

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