Lesson 117:
Isaiah 3–5
Introduction
Isaiah
prophesied of consequences, including woes and judgments, that Judah and
Jerusalem would suffer for their corruption. He also prophesied that Jerusalem
would be restored after it was purged, and he prophesied of events in the last
days.
---Show
students seeds from different fruits, and invite them to guess the fruit each
seed will produce.
---Ask the
following questions, replacing apples with the name of a fruit that may come
from one of the seeds you show your students.
---If you wanted apples, which
seed would you need to plant and nourish? Why would you not expect an orange
seed to produce apples?
---Ponder
how this simple object lesson relates to the choices you make and the
consequences that follow.
---Look for
principles as you study Isaiah 3–5 that can help you make choices that will
bring you confidence, peace, and happiness.
---Isaiah 3 contains a prophecy about the
house of Judah in Isaiah’s day and that this prophecy also applies to people in
our day.
---Summary
of Isaiah 3:1–7: Isaiah prophesied of the
physical destruction and spiritual loss that would come upon Judah and
Jerusalem.
---What would cause Jerusalem to
be ruined and Judah to fall?
(They have
brought evil, trouble, or disaster upon themselves.)
---What do you think the
statement that the righteous “shall eat the fruit of their doings” (verse 10) means?
---What principles can we learn
about choices and consequences from these verses
If we are righteous, we will enjoy the
blessings of our choices. If we sin, we will suffer the negative consequences
of our choices.
---How do these principles
relate to seeds and the fruit they produce?
Elder
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reiterated the
consequences of obedience and disobedience when he said:
“Keeping
divine commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments
brings a loss of blessings, every time
---To help
students understand these principles, read the following scenario aloud:
A young man wants to feel confident, happy,
and worthy to attend the temple with his ward on Saturday morning. On Friday
night, he is tempted to view pornography.
---What fruit will come from
planting the seed of sin by viewing pornography? What “seed” must this young
man plant to obtain the “fruit” he desires?
---How can remembering the
consequences of righteousness and sin help us as we make choices?
---From Isaiah 3:12–24 we can gain a greater understanding
of the negative consequences of sinful choices. Isaiah 3:12–15 includes a description of how
the leaders of the people had caused them to go astray and had oppressed the
poor. These leaders were men but are described in verse 12 as having acted in childish and
weak ways. Isaiah then described the behavior of the daughters of Zion. Although
verse 16 can have several meanings, it
clearly describes the sinful condition of the daughters of Zion in the latter
days. It may also refer to the women of Zion in Isaiah’s day or even the nation
of Judah. Even though Isaiah specifically referred to “the daughters of Zion,”
his words can also apply to men.
---What sins had the daughters
of Zion committed? (They were arrogant, vain, and looked at others in a
seductive way. You might explain that their vanity was influenced by their
preoccupation with wealth and fashion [see verses 18–23].)
Isaiah 3:16–24. The sins of the
daughters of Zion
Although
Isaiah specifically addressed the “daughters of Zion” in Isaiah 3:16–24, his words can also apply to
men. The sins of the daughters of Zion involved immodesty, which is an attitude
of pride. This prideful attitude can be reflected in the way a person behaves
and dresses, such as in ways to flaunt their wealth or physical body. Modesty,
on the other hand, “is an attitude of humility and decency in dress, grooming,
language, and behavior. If you are modest, you do not draw undue attention to
yourself. Instead, you seek to ‘glorify God in your body, and in your spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:20; see also verse 19)” (True to the Faith: A Gospel
Reference [2004], 106).
CHART
Isaiah 3:16–24 is a good example of passages in
the scriptures having multiple meanings:
“Isaiah
shows that the wickedness prevailing in Israel and Judah included the women,
who were proud, arrogant, and more concerned with their clothing, jewels, and
personal appearance than with righteousness. But these verses can also be
applied in the latter days, when women will once more lose sight of proper
priorities. President Joseph Fielding Smith said of this passage:
“‘Isaiah,
one of the great prophets of early times, saw our day, and he described the
conditions that would prevail among the “daughters of Zion” in these latter
days. …
“‘Now, in
this modern day, Isaiah’s prophecy has been and is being fulfilled. …
“‘The
standards expressed by the General Authorities of the Church are that women, as
well as men, should dress modestly. They are taught proper deportment and
modesty at all times. It is, in my judgment, a sad reflection on the ‘daughters
of Zion’ when they dress immodestly. Moreover,
this remark pertains to the men as well as to the women. The Lord gave commandments
to ancient Israel that both men and women should cover their bodies and observe
the law of chastity at all times.’ [Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph
Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. (1957–66), 5:172–74.]” (Old Testament
Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System
manual, 2003], 140).
Directly
related to the immodesty of the daughters of Zion was their vanity, which
involves being excessively preoccupied with and prideful about one’s physical
appearance. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
taught of the modern-day temptations and harmful consequences of vanity:
“You are
bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the
message that looks are everything! The pitch is, ‘If your looks are good
enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular.’ That
kind of pressure is immense in the teenage years. …
“In terms of
preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than
social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the
unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world. … In
secular society both vanity and imagination run wild. One would truly need a
great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all
around us.”
VIDEO To
Young Women (3:41)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles advises young women to be more accepting of themselves, regardless of their body type or style (time codes 8:07 to 11:48).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles advises young women to be more accepting of themselves, regardless of their body type or style (time codes 8:07 to 11:48).
Isaiah
3:16–26. The sins of the daughters of Zion
---In what ways might people be
tempted to commit these same sins in our day?
Invite
students to study Isaiah 3:17–26, looking for the consequences
that would come to the daughters of Zion because of their sins.
SEE CHART
---Summary
of Isaiah 3:17–26: Isaiah described the
consequences of the sins of the daughters of Zion. They would be humbled, lose
their possessions, and suffer from war, destruction, and desolation.
---Summary
of Isaiah 4: Isaiah foresaw the Lord’s
cleansing of the earth of wickedness and the cleansing and redemption of His
people in the millennial day. In the Joseph Smith Translation, Isaiah 4:1 is moved to become the last
verse of Isaiah 3.
---What blessings will the Lord
provide for the righteous?
---Read the
following scenario aloud:
One of your friends wants to stop attending
church meetings and activities and living the Lord’s standards.
---What would you say to
encourage this friend to not turn away from the Lord?
---Look for
a principle in Isaiah 5 that can help you resist the
temptation to turn away from the Lord and can help you encourage others to
follow Him as well.
---What did the Lord do for His
vineyard?
---What kind of fruit did the vineyard
produce? Why are wild grapes not desirable? (They can be sour or bitter.)
---How is the vineyard producing
sour grapes symbolic of the house of Israel? (Israel had turned away from, or
rebelled against, the Lord.)
---Write the
following phrase on the board:
If we turn away from the
Lord, …
---In Isaiah 5:3–4, we read that the Lord asked
what more He could have done for the vineyard. He then explained what would
happen to the vineyard because it had brought forth poor fruit.
---What would be the effects of
taking away the hedge and breaking down the wall?
---What would happen to the
vineyard if it were not worked in or rained upon?
---How are these results similar
to the natural consequences that come from disobeying the Lord’s commandments?
---Add the
following clause to the statement on the board:
We will lose His protection and help …
---Isaiah
then taught what would happen to Israel as a result of losing the Lord’s
protection and help.
---What did you find?
---Woe means
intense sorrow or suffering.
---Complete
the statement on the board by adding the phrase and experience sorrow and
suffering.
If we turn away from the Lord, we will lose
His protection and help and experience sorrow and suffering.
Isaiah 5:20 is a scripture mastery passage.
Studying scripture mastery passages will help students increase their
understanding of basic doctrines and be prepared to teach them to others. You
may want to suggest that students mark scripture mastery passages in a
distinctive way so they will be able to locate them easily. Refer to the teaching
idea at the end of the lesson to help students with their mastery of this
passage.
If possible,
provide students with copies of the following handout. At the top of each
handout, write one of the following references: Isaiah 5:11–12, Isaiah 5:18–19, Isaiah 5:20–21, or Isaiah 5:22–23. Invite students to complete the activities
on the handout.
Handout
Assigned
verses: __________________________________________________
Read these
verses, looking for ways people turn away from the Lord.
Write a
description, in your own words, of the attitudes and behaviors you read about:
Write two
examples of these attitudes and behaviors in our day:
In Isaiah 5:18 we read that Isaiah foresaw that
the people would be tied to their sins like animals are tied to their burdens
(see footnote c). Isaiah 5:19 records that because the people
were lacking in faith, they were sign seekers who demanded that God demonstrate
His power (see 2 Peter 3:3–4).
Isaiah 5:18. The effects of sin
President
Harold B. Lee described how sin is like a burden:
“If I were
to ask you what is the heaviest burden one may have to bear in this life, what
would you answer? The heaviest burden that one has to bear in this life is the
burden of sin”
Isaiah 5:20. Calling “evil good,
and good evil”
Elder
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught of the way
people would be influenced to call “evil good, and good evil” in our day:
“Political
campaigns and marketing strategies widely employ public opinion polls to shape
their plans. Results of those polls are informative. But they could hardly be
used as grounds to justify disobedience to God’s commandments! Even if
‘everyone is doing it,’ wrong is never right. Evil, error, and darkness will
never be truth, even if popular” (“Let Your Faith Show,” Ensign, May 2014, 30–31).
Isaiah 5:25
(2 Nephi 15:25). “His hand is stretched out still”
The phrase
“his hand is stretched out still” can represent both the justice and mercy of
God—justice (destruction and punishment) for the wicked and mercy for the
repentant if they will turn to God. From the context of the surrounding verses,
the reader can often determine which meaning was intended by the scripture
author.
Isaiah 5:26–30. Isaiah describes
our day
Elder
LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested how the symbols
in Isaiah 5:26–29 can be understood in relation to
the gathering of Israel in our day:
“In fixing
the time of the great gathering, Isaiah seemed to indicate that it would take
place in the day of the railroad train and the airplane. …
“Since there
were neither trains nor airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have
mentioned them by name. However, he seems to have described them in
unmistakable words. How better could ‘their horses’ hoofs be counted like
flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind’ than in the modern train? How better
could ‘their roaring … be like a lion’ than in the roar of the airplane? Trains
and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified in
saying: ‘none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins
be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken’? With this manner of
transportation the Lord can really ‘hiss unto them from the end of the earth,’
that ‘they shall come with speed swiftly.’ Indicating that Isaiah must have
foreseen the airplane, he stated: ‘Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as
the doves to their windows?’ (Isaiah 60:8.)” (Israel! Do You Know?
[1954], 182).
---After
students have completed their handouts, assign them to work in groups of four
(one student for each assigned reference).
---Invite
them to share with their groups what they wrote.
---After
sufficient time, invite some students to share with the class what they
learned.
---Read Isaiah 5:13–15, 24–25 looking for additional
consequences that would come from turning away from the Lord.
---What consequences would come
from turning away from the Lord? (You may need to explain that one meaning of
the phrase “his hand is stretched out still” [Isaiah 5:25] is that despite all these
judgments, justice would not yet be satisfied and the Lord would continue to
punish the rebellious.)
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---When have you seen someone
experience sorrow and suffering because he or she turned away from the Lord?
(Remind students that they should not share experiences that are private or too
personal.)
---Write in your
class notebooks a goal to do one thing you feel could help you turn more fully
to the Lord so you can enjoy His protection and help and avoid unnecessary
sorrow and suffering.
---Summary
of the rest of Isaiah 5: Isaiah included a prophecy with
multiple meanings: one interpretation teaches about how nations would gather
against the Israelites in his day, and the other teaches about how the Lord
would gather Israel in the latter days.
Help
students understand this scripture by inviting a few students to come to the
front of the class to sample bitter foods (for example, uncured olives,
horseradish, citrus peel, or kale). Ask them to describe the taste.
---How would you respond if
someone tried to convince you that what you just tasted was sweet?
---How can this example relate
to how people in our day might perceive and explain good and evil?
---Why do you think people might
call “evil good, and good evil”? (You may need to point out that verse 20 describes people who have lost
the ability to distinguish right from wrong, as well as people who are
knowingly trying to deceive.)
---How can we tell the difference
between what is truly good or evil, light or darkness, and bitter or sweet?
---Encourage
students to try to recite this scripture three times each day for the next week
so they can commit it to memory.
VIDEO
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---After
students have had sufficient time to study, ask:
---What would be the
consequences of the people’s sins? (They would be humbled, lose their
possessions, and suffer from war, destruction, and desolation.)
---The
consequences Isaiah prophesied of were fulfilled by the Assyrian armies, who
captured, humiliated, enslaved, destroyed, and dispersed the Israelites.
---What principle can we learn from the
errors of the people Isaiah described in Isaiah 3:16–26? (Students may identify a
principle such as the following: Pride, immorality, and a preoccupation with
wealth and fashion will lead to negative consequences.)
---What negative consequences
can pride, immorality, and a preoccupation with wealth and fashion lead to in
our day?
Right margin extras:
Handout
Assigned verses:
__________________________________________________
Read these verses, looking for ways
people turn away from the Lord.
Write a description, in your own
words, of the attitudes and behaviors you read about:
Write two examples of these
attitudes and behaviors in our day:
Handout
Assigned verses:
__________________________________________________
Read these verses, looking for ways
people turn away from the Lord.
Write a description, in your own
words, of the attitudes and behaviors you read about:
Write two examples of these
attitudes and behaviors in our day:
In Isaiah 5:18
we read that Isaiah foresaw that the people would be tied to their sins like
animals are tied to their burdens (see footnote c). Isaiah 5:19
records that because the people were lacking in faith, they were sign seekers
who demanded that God demonstrate His power
Handout
Assigned verses:
__________________________________________________
Read these verses, looking for ways
people turn away from the Lord.
Write a description, in your own
words, of the attitudes and behaviors you read about:
Write two examples of these
attitudes and behaviors in our day:
Handout
Assigned verses:
__________________________________________________
Read these verses, looking for ways people
turn away from the Lord.
Write a description, in your own
words, of the attitudes and behaviors you read about:
Write two examples of these
attitudes and behaviors in our day:
Scenario 1:
A young man
wants to feel confident, happy, and worthy to attend the temple with his ward
on Saturday morning. On Friday night, he is tempted to view pornography.
Elder
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reiterated the
consequences of obedience and disobedience when he said: “Keeping divine
commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments brings
a loss of blessings, every time!”
From Isaiah 3:12–24 we can gain a greater understanding of the
negative consequences of sinful choices. Isaiah 3:12–15 includes a description of how the leaders of
the people had caused them to go astray and had oppressed the poor. These
leaders were men but are described in verse 12 as having acted in childish and weak ways.
Isaiah then described the behavior of the daughters of Zion. Although verse 16 can have several meanings, it clearly
describes the sinful condition of the daughters of Zion in the latter days. It
may also refer to the women of Zion in Isaiah’s day or even the nation of
Judah. Even though Isaiah specifically referred to “the daughters of Zion,” his
words can also apply to men.
Isaiah
3:16–24. The sins of the daughters of Zion
Although
Isaiah specifically addressed the “daughters of Zion” in Isaiah 3:16–24, his words can also apply to
men. The sins of the daughters of Zion involved immodesty, which is an attitude
of pride. This prideful attitude can be reflected in the way a person behaves
and dresses, such as in ways to flaunt their wealth or physical body. Modesty,
on the other hand, “is an attitude of humility and decency in dress, grooming,
language, and behavior. If you are modest, you do not draw undue attention to
yourself. Instead, you seek to ‘glorify God in your body, and in your spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:20; see also verse 19)” (True to the Faith: A Gospel
Reference [2004], 106).
Isaiah 3:16–24 is a good example of passages in
the scriptures having multiple meanings:
“Isaiah
shows that the wickedness prevailing in Israel and Judah included the women,
who were proud, arrogant, and more concerned with their clothing, jewels, and
personal appearance than with righteousness. But these verses can also be
applied in the latter days, when women will once more lose sight of proper
priorities. President Joseph Fielding Smith said of this passage:
“‘Isaiah,
one of the great prophets of early times, saw our day, and he described the
conditions that would prevail among the “daughters of Zion” in these latter
days. …
“‘Now, in
this modern day, Isaiah’s prophecy has been and is being fulfilled. …
“‘The
standards expressed by the General Authorities of the Church are that women, as
well as men, should dress modestly. They are taught proper deportment and
modesty at all times. It is, in my judgment, a sad reflection on the ‘daughters
of Zion’ when they dress immodestly. Moreover, this remark pertains to the men
as well as to the women. The Lord gave commandments to ancient Israel that both
men and women should cover their bodies and observe the law of chastity at all
times.’ [Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.,
5 vols. (1957–66), 5:172–74.]” (Old Testament Student Manual:
1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual,
2003], 140).
Directly related
to the immodesty of the daughters of Zion was their vanity, which involves
being excessively preoccupied with and prideful about one’s physical
appearance. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
taught of the modern-day temptations and harmful consequences of vanity:
“You are
bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the
message that looks are everything! The pitch is, ‘If your looks are good
enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular.’ That
kind of pressure is immense in the teenage years. …
“In terms of
preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than
social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the
unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world. … In
secular society both vanity and imagination run wild. One would truly need a
great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all
around us.”
Scenario 2:
One of your friends wants to stop attending
church meetings and activities and living the Lord’s standards.
Isaiah 5:18. The effects of sin
President
Harold B. Lee described how sin is like a burden:
“If I were
to ask you what is the heaviest burden one may have to bear in this life, what
would you answer? The heaviest burden that one has to bear in this life is the
burden of sin”
Isaiah 5:20. Calling “evil good,
and good evil”
Elder
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught of the way
people would be influenced to call “evil good, and good evil” in our day:
“Political
campaigns and marketing strategies widely employ public opinion polls to shape
their plans. Results of those polls are informative. But they could hardly be
used as grounds to justify disobedience to God’s commandments! Even if
‘everyone is doing it,’ wrong is never right. Evil, error, and darkness will
never be truth, even if popular” (“Let Your Faith Show,” Ensign, May 2014, 30–31).
Isaiah 5:25
(2 Nephi 15:25). “His hand is stretched out still”
The phrase
“his hand is stretched out still” can represent both the justice and mercy of
God—justice (destruction and punishment) for the wicked and mercy for the
repentant if they will turn to God. From the context of the surrounding verses,
the reader can often determine which meaning was intended by the scripture
author.
Isaiah 5:26–30. Isaiah describes
our day
Elder
LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested how the symbols
in Isaiah 5:26–29 can be understood in relation to
the gathering of Israel in our day:
“In fixing
the time of the great gathering, Isaiah seemed to indicate that it would take
place in the day of the railroad train and the airplane. …
“Since there
were neither trains nor airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have
mentioned them by name. However, he seems to have described them in
unmistakable words. How better could ‘their horses’ hoofs be counted like
flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind’ than in the modern train? How better
could ‘their roaring … be like a lion’ than in the roar of the airplane? Trains
and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified in
saying: ‘none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins
be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken’? With this manner of
transportation the Lord can really ‘hiss unto them from the end of the earth,’
that ‘they shall come with speed swiftly.’ Indicating that Isaiah must have
foreseen the airplane, he stated: ‘Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as
the doves to their windows?’ (Isaiah 60:8.)” (Israel! Do You Know?
[1954], 182).
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