Isaiah 22; Isaiah 24-26; Isaiah 28-30
35570, OT Gospel Doctrine, 37: "Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things", Purpose, 179
To help class members come unto Christ through recognizing some of the wonderful things he has done.
Prayerfully study the following scriptures:
a. Isaiah 22:22. The Savior opens the door to Heavenly Father's presence.
b. Isaiah 24:21-22. The Savior shows mercy for those in spirit prison.
c. Isaiah 25:1-4; Isaiah 32:1-2. The Savior is a strength and a refuge.
d. Isaiah 25:6-9. The Savior will prepare a feast and destroy the "vail."
e. Isaiah 25:8. The Savior wipes away our tears.
f. Isaiah 26:19. The Savior will bring the Resurrection.
g. Isaiah 28:16. The Savior is our sure foundation.
h. Isaiah 29:4, Isaiah 29:9-14, Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 29:24. The Savior will restore the gospel to the earth.
i. Isaiah 30:19-21. The Savior knows our trials and directs our paths.
You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.
Tell class members about a family member or friend who has done a wonderful thing for you. Invite class members to talk about people who have done wonderful things for them. Ask them to briefly describe their feelings toward those people. Explain that this lesson will emphasize some of the wonderful things the Savior has done.
As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.
Explain that 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. You may want to write on the chalkboard "His name shall be called Wonderful" (Isaiah 9:6). As you discuss the following prophecies about the Savior, summarize each of them on the chalkboard.
Discuss Isaiah 22:22.
* 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.) What did the Savior do to open this door for us? What must we do to be able to enter? (See 2 Nephi 9:45.)
Discuss Isaiah 24:21-22.
* What prison is referred to in Isaiah 24:21-22? (Spirit prison, the place where the spirits of some deceased mortals go while awaiting the Resurrection.) Why are the spirits of some deceased mortals in spirit prison? (See D&C 138:32. Some of them did not receive the gospel on earth, and others were not valiant in their testimonies.)
* What did the Savior do for the spirits in prison? (See Isaiah 42:5-7; D&C 138:29-37. He organized righteous spirits to teach them the gospel.) How did this demonstrate the Savior's love and mercy? (See Isaiah 49:9-10.)
Discuss Isaiah 25:1-4; Isaiah 32:1-2.
* Isaiah wrote of the Savior strengthening us during the storms, tempests, deserts, and heat of our lives. What do the following images teach about how the Savior helps us when we face such challenges?
a. He is a refuge from the storm (Isaiah 25:4).
b. He is a shadow from the heat (Isaiah 25:4).
c. He is a hiding place from the wind (Isaiah 32:2).
d. He is a covert (cover) from the tempest (Isaiah 32:2).
e. He is rivers of water in a dry place (Isaiah 32:2).
f. He is the shadow of a great rock in a weary (thirsty) land (Isaiah 32:2).
Discuss Isaiah 25:6-9.
* One interpretation of Isaiah 25:6-7 is that the mountain is a symbol for the temple (see also Isaiah 2:2; D&C 58:8-9). What is the feast mentioned in Isaiah 25:6? (A feast of the words and teachings of Christ.) How can temple attendance be like a feast?
* A veil is a thin covering. Symbolically it often represents the unbelief that prevents people from truly coming to Christ (Moses 7:26). How will the "vail" that is over the earth be destroyed? (See Isaiah 25:7-9.)
Discuss Isaiah 25:8.
* What do you do when someone you love is crying? How does the Savior "wipe away [our] tears"? (Suggest that class members 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.)
* What are the conditions mentioned in Revelation 21:4 that cause tears? How will the Savior wipe away the tears that are caused by these conditions?
Discuss Isaiah 26:19.
* Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah would come, he would die and be resurrected (Isaiah 25:8). Who else will be resurrected? (See Isaiah 26:19; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Alma 11:43-44. All the children of God who have lived on the earth will be resurrected.) What does Isaiah 26:19 suggest about how we will feel when we are resurrected? (See also D&C 138:12-16, D&C 138:50.)
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).
Discuss Isaiah 28:16.
* What does Isaiah tell us about the Savior by referring to him as a "tried stone"? (See Mosiah 3:17.) How is Jesus Christ our "sure foundation"? (See Helaman 5:12.) What can we do to build on this foundation? What does the Lord promise if we build on this foundation? (See D&C 50:44.)
Discuss Isaiah 29:4, Isaiah 29:9-14, Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 29:24.
* What did Isaiah foresee about the latter-day restoration of the gospel? (See Isaiah 29:4, Isaiah 29:9-14. He foresaw 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:
a. Isaiah 29:4
b. Isaiah 29:9-10, Isaiah 29:13
d. Isaiah 29:14
Doctrine and Covenants D&C 4:1; D&C 6:1
* Isaiah told of people drawing near to the Lord with their mouths while their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13). How can we make sure that we are close to the Lord in our thoughts and actions as well as in our words?
* Isaiah said that the Book of Mormon would help the spiritually deaf and blind to hear and see (Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 29:24). How has this prophecy been fulfilled? How has the Book of Mormon helped you see and hear better spiritually?
Discuss Isaiah 30:19-21.
* What does Isaiah 30:19-21 teach about adversity? What do these verses teach about what the Savior will do for us when adversity comes? (See also Alma 37:37.)
Bear your testimony of the Savior, expressing gratitude for the wonderful things he has done for us. Invite class members to review the list on the chalkboard and express how they feel when they think about these things. Discuss what we can do in return. (See Isaiah 35:3-4 for some suggestions.) You may also want to have class members sing "I Stand All Amazed" (Hymns, no. 193).
The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.
Display various objects or pictures that represent some of Isaiah's images, such as a key, a stone, or a picture of shade in the desert, as you discuss these images.
Play a recording of "For unto Us a Child Is Born," the musical rendition of Isaiah 9:6 from George Frideric Handel's Messiah.
If Family Home Evening Video Supplement 2 (53277) is available, you may want to show "The Touch of the Master's Hand," an 18-minute segment, as part of the lesson.