"Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet..." Every time, every time I read this verse I picture this:
Okay, so that's obviously not what Isaiah meant when he talked about the daughters of Zion. So...how do I understand this scripture along with the other confusing parts of Isaiah? I found a great talk by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, given in 1973. In this talk, he outlines ten ways to better understand Isaiah:
1. Gain an Over-All Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and of God’s Dealings with His Earthly Children.
2. Learn the Position and Destiny of the House of Israel in the Lord’s Eternal Scheme of Things.
3. Know the Chief Doctrines about Which Isaiah Chose to Write.
4. Use the Book of Mormon.
5. Use Latter-Day Revelation.
6. Learn How the New Testament Interprets Isaiah.
7. Study Isaiah in Its Old Testament Context.
8. Learn the Manner of Prophesying Used among the Jews in Isaiah’s Day.
9. Have the Spirit of Prophecy.
10. Devote Yourself to Hard, Conscientious Study.
(To read the whole talk: http://www.lds.org/ensign/1973/10/ten-keys-to-understanding-isaiah)
One tool mentioned by Elder McConkie that we have been utilizing in my Book of Mormon class is using the Book of Mormon to gain clarity. We've been taught to look at footnotes, follow scripture trails, and research until we find our answers. This is also where step number ten comes in, devoting myself to hard, conscientious study. This is going to be hard for me. I always just blow past the Isaiah chapters and tell myself that I'll never understand. But, dear readers, I'm going to devote myself to the conscientious study of Isaiah, and I'll let ya know how it goes. I'm going to try to be able to write about at least one insight every day that I gained during my personal scripture study. Starting now:
“And upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night…” (2 Nephi 14:5)
With this scripture, I followed the footnote to Exodus 13:21. In this chapter of Exodus, the children of Israel are wandering in the wilderness. The Lord sends unto them a cloud to follow by day, and a pillar of fire to follow by night. In our day and age, it is easy to get lost in the darkness and wilderness. It is easy to feel tripped up by all the challenges we face. It is oh so easy to get discouraged. However, if we look to the clouds and pillars of fire that the Lord has sent to us to guide us, we can make it. Those pillars for me are: the words of the prophets, the scriptures, and the Holy Ghost.
A year ago on Friday, a little two-year-old girl in my ward died tragically and suddenly. It completely devastated that family and my ward. It devastated me. I came home from school that day and sat sobbing in the fetal position on my floor, unable to get control of myself. While I was so upset, I turned to my scriptures. What I turned to was 1 Nephi 11:17 "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." My questions of "Why?" "Why now?" "Why her?" were all answered in this short verse. I don't know why Heavenly Father chose to take that beautiful little girl away from her family when he did, but I do know that the Lord loves his children. He loves that family. He loves that little girl. His love is all encompassing and healing. The spirit testified to me as I was curled up on my floor that everything was going to be alright.
That weekend was General Conference. I was so grateful that I would have the opportunity to hear from the prophets--hear their messages, feel of their love. I knew that somehow the Lord would comfort our mourning community. During the Sunday morning session, Elder Robert D. Hales gave a talk entitled "Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will be Done." (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/waiting-upon-the-lord-thy-will-be-done?lang=eng read this. It is an amazing talk.) In this talk, Elder Hales answered my prayers and gave me hope.
In this story I just told you, I witnessed the pillar of fire of the Lord. I gained direction in darkness from scriptures, the Holy Ghost, and the words of the prophets. I gained a stronger and firmer testimony that our Heavenly Father loves his children, and that He provides guidance in the darkest of times in our lives.
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