(December 22, 2014)
Isaiah
here is making clear the sin of ingratitude. How often do we, like the people of Israel ,
enjoy blessings we have received while giving no thought for the giver of the
blessings? Do we remember the ancestors
who gave their lives so that we could have the opportunities we have, or are we
bitter we didn’t have more opportunities? Do we remember the many sacrifices made in our
behalf during our lifetime from those who care about us, or do we remain
focused on the way that others have hurt us or disappointed us?
And, of
course, the most important question is how we relate to the Lord. When we have had a bad day, are we bitter and self-pitying
or do we express gratitude to the Lord for giving us life and breath to have
the day? When we don’t get what we want,
do we trust the Lord that He knows what is best or do we rage against Him as
though He is to be judged by us?
One
other thought that I had through these chapters was the way that Isaiah changes
the point of view so casually. I try to
highlight in my scripture readings when we are hearing the voice of the Lord,
but that is extremely difficult with Isaiah. Isaiah goes back and forth between Isaiah
speaking and the Lord speaking, and there often isn’t much to mark the
transition. If this occurred in the Book
of Mormon, it would be looked at like it was a major deal (the brief switch
to third-person with Helaman’s letter being just one example). But if we tolerate it in Isaiah (and we
should), we should tolerate the much rarer instances in the Book of Mormon.
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