Lesson 131:
Isaiah 59–66
A young
woman meets with her bishop and confesses that she has repeatedly broken the Word of Wisdom. She describes
how she has lost the trust of her parents, was removed from a school club
because her grades have become poor, and does not feel the influence of the
Spirit in her life anymore. She adds, “I don’t understand why God has made my
life so hard and has abandoned me.”
---Ponder
how you would respond to this young woman.
the phrase
“the Lord’s hand is not shortened” = that the Lord’s power to save has not
decreased.
(When we sin,
we separate ourselves from God.)
---Write God on the board, and ask a
volunteer to stand facing it for a while.
---In this
position, ____#1_____ represents people who honor their covenants and follow
God.
---____ take
a step away from the board for each sin that is mentioned in answer to the
following questions. Stay standing and continue to take steps away from the
board until students identify the principle for this section of the lesson.
---What sins had the people committed?
---Why do you think committing these sins
would separate someone from God?
---Which of these sins are prevalent
in our day?
---What did the Israelites experience because
their sins had separated them from God?
(they were
blindly groping or searching in the darkness for anything to help guide them,
like a wall or a fence.)
---Why would being separated from God cause
us to walk in darkness or to grope and stumble as if we had no sight?
---Read Isaiah 59:11–13 aloud looking for what the
people would further recognize about the effects of their sins.
---What would the Israelites recognize about
the effects of their sins?
(Salvation
was far from them, their sins testified against them, and by sinning they had
departed from God. )
---Notice
the distance between ___#1___ and the board.
---Remember
the scenario presented at the beginning of the lesson:
---How could recognizing that she had
separated herself from God through sin help the young woman in the scenario?
---Think
about whether you feel separated from God and what hope exists for us when we
feel separated from Him.
---What did the Lord see that His people
needed? (An intercessor.)
---Does anyone know what an
intercessor is/does?
---An intercessor is someone who intervenes to
help settle differences between two people or groups. When we sin, we disrupt
our relationship with God, and a penalty must be paid to restore harmony and
balance to the relationship. However, we are unable to pay the penalty
ourselves and need someone to intercede on our behalf to satisfy the demands of
God’s justice.
--the phrase
“his arm brought salvation unto him” means the Lord brought salvation to man
[see verse 16, footnote d]
---I need a
volunteer to stand between __#1_____ and the board. Holding this picture of Jesus Christ.
---Report
---How would you explain the Savior’s role as
our Redeemer?
---What phrase from Isaiah 59:20 teaches what we need to do so
the Lord can intercede for us and redeem us? What does the phrase “turn from
transgression” mean?
---___#1____
please turn back toward the board and return to it.
---How do these actions represent repentance?
---__#1______
please write the following incomplete principle on the board:
If we repent of our sins, …
---__#2______
please add then the Lord will intercede for us and
redeem us to the
sentence on the board.
---Thank you.
You may return to your seats.
---Why do you
think our repentance is needed for the Lord to intercede for us and redeem us?
---Write a
response to the following question in your class notebooks:
---If you could personally express your gratitude to the Savior for interceding for you and
redeeming you, what would you tell Him?
---Share?
---Think
about whether there is anything in your life you need to repent of.
---Encourage
them to begin the process.
---In Isaiah 60 Isaiah prophesied of events that
would occur in the last days and during and after the Millennium.
Isaiah 60:19–22. “The sun shall
be no more thy light by day”
Elder Orson
Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of how the Lord will become
the source of light for the inhabitants of Zion:
“Zion will [not] need the sun when the Lord
is there, and all the city is lighted up by the glory of his presence. When the
whole heavens above are illuminated by the presence of his glory we shall not
need those bright luminaries of heaven to give light, so far as the city of
Zion is concerned. But there will be a great people round about, dwelling in
other cities that will still have need of the light of the sun and the moon;
but the great capital city where the Lord will establish one of his thrones—for
his throne is not to be in Jerusalem alone, it will also be in Zion, as you
will find in numerous places in this Bible. When,
therefore, he shall establish his throne in Zion and shall light up the
habitations thereof with the glory of his presence, they will not need this
light which comes from the bright luminaries that shine forth in yonder
heavens, but they will be clothed upon with the glory of their God” (“Discourse,” Deseret News,
Mar. 20, 1872, 79).
---These
verses in Luke give an account of when the Savior read from Isaiah 61:1–2 during His mortal ministry and
declared that the prophecy contained in those verses would be fulfilled in Him.
---Notice the
phrase “the Lord hath anointed me.” The title Messiah means “anointed one,”
referring to the one chosen by God to lead and deliver His people.
---What are some of the “good tidings,” or
good news, the Savior preached and continues to preach?
---How did the Savior “bind up the
brokenhearted” during His mortal ministry? How does He continue to do so in our
day?
---How does the Savior bring “liberty to the
captives” and open “the prison to them that are bound”? How can this relate to
spirits in the postmortal spirit world? (see D&C 138:11–12,
15–18, 29–31).
---The “day
of vengeance” refers to the day when God punishes the wicked and rewards the
righteous.
---What does the Savior do for those who
mourn?
---The phrase “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) comes because the Israelites had a custom of pouring ashes on
their heads when deeply saddened, as in times of ruin, hopelessness, death, and
despair. God promised to replace the ashes with “beauty,” referring to a
beautiful head covering or crown of beauty, and to replace mourning with “joy”
and sadness with “praise.”
---Based on Isaiah 61:1–3, how would you summarize Jesus Christ’s mission as the promised Messiah in your
own words?
As the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ
preaches hope, heals, liberates, and comforts.
---Which of these roles of the
Savior have special meaning for you? Why?
---In the
remainder of Isaiah 61, Isaiah spoke of Zion being built
up in the last days. Isaiah also spoke of the Lord making an everlasting
covenant with him and with the people and clothing them in “the garments of
salvation” (Isaiah 61:10).
---The final
chapters in the book of Isaiah contain Isaiah’s teachings and prophecies about
the redemption of the Lord’s people in the last days, the Savior’s Second
Coming, and the Millennium.
---An
example of a prophecy about the Second Coming, is found in Isaiah 63:1–3. Look for the color of the
Savior’s clothing when He returns to the earth.
---What color will the Savior’s clothing be
when He returns to the earth? Why that color? 2 reasons.
---The red
color of the Savior’s garments represents the blood of the wicked who will be destroyed
when justice is poured out upon them at the Second Coming. It can also remind
the righteous of the blood Jesus shed on their behalf (see D&C 133:46–53).
---Report
?---The
Millennium will begin following the Second Coming.
---Assign
half of the class to read Isaiah 65:17–20 silently and the other half to
read Isaiah 65:21–25 silently.
---Look for
what conditions on earth will be like for the Lord’s people during the
Millennium.
---The Joseph Smith Translation provides the following
clarification for Isaiah 65:20: “For the child shall not die,
but shall live to be an hundred years old.”)
---How would you summarize what conditions
will be like for the Lord’s people during the Millennium?
During the Millennium the Lord’s people will
enjoy happiness, peace, and prosperity.\
---What are some things we can do to enjoy
happiness, peace, and prosperity now?
---Testimony
of the goodness of the Lord in providing His people with happiness, peace, and
prosperity.
Quotes for students to read
A young woman meets with her bishop and
confesses that she has repeatedly broken the Word of Wisdom. She describes how she has lost the trust of
her parents, was removed from a school club because her grades have become
poor, and does not feel the influence of the Spirit in her life anymore. She
adds, “I don’t understand why God has made my life so hard and has abandoned
me.”
An intercessor
is someone who intervenes to help settle differences between two people or
groups. When we sin, we disrupt our relationship with God, and a penalty must
be paid to restore harmony and balance to the relationship. However, we are
unable to pay the penalty ourselves and need someone to intercede on our behalf
to satisfy the demands of God’s justice.
Isaiah
60:19–22. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day”
Elder Orson
Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of how the Lord will become
the source of light for the inhabitants of Zion:
“Zion will
[not] need the sun when the Lord is there, and all the city is lighted up by
the glory of his presence. When the whole heavens above are illuminated by the
presence of his glory we shall not need those bright luminaries of heaven to
give light, so far as the city of Zion is concerned. But there will be a great
people round about, dwelling in other cities that will still have need of the
light of the sun and the moon; but the great capital city where the Lord will
establish one of his thrones—for his throne is not to be in Jerusalem alone, it
will also be in Zion, as you will find in numerous places in this Bible. When, therefore, he shall establish his throne in Zion and shall
light up the habitations thereof with the glory of his presence, they will not
need this light which comes from the bright luminaries that shine forth in
yonder heavens, but they will be clothed upon with the glory of their God”
(“Discourse,” Deseret News, Mar. 20, 1872, 79).
The phrase
“beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) comes because the Israelites
had a custom of pouring ashes on their heads when deeply saddened, as in times
of ruin, hopelessness, death, and despair. God promised to replace the ashes
with “beauty,” referring to a beautiful head covering or crown of beauty, and
to replace mourning with “joy” and sadness with “praise.”
---The red
color of the Savior’s garments represents the blood of the wicked who will be destroyed
when justice is poured out upon them at the Second Coming. It can also remind
the righteous of the blood Jesus shed on their behalf
No comments:
Post a Comment