followHIM - Isaiah 50-57 Part 2 • Dr. Jennifer Platt • Sept. 26 - Oct. 2

Episode Date: September 21, 2022

Dr. Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt examines Isaiah 50-57 and the Savior’s call for repentance and the call for every Saint to stay or return to the covenant path. Please rate and review the podcast!Show Notes (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): https://followhim.co/old-testament/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FollowHimOfficialChannelThanks to the follow HIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Executive Producers, SponsorsDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsIgor Willians: Portuguese Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com/products/let-zion-in-h

Welcome to part two of Isaiah 50 through 57 with Dr. Jennifer Platt. I really love the end of 51 where he says, now hear me. I just, I can hear a dad. Listen to me. You're in such a bad place. You're afflicted. You're drunk, but not with wine. Let me take this from you.

I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling. I can take your suffering from you. Let me take it from you. There's such a beautiful invitation. That's an on-ramp, I think, verses 21 and 22. As John would say, the Lord's like, get back on. You're suffering out there. There's no reason for you to suffer out there. You're my people. Get back on the path. Oh, can I add something to that, Hank? This idea of what is on the path, I think it was President Nelson who said, this might've been June, 2018. Keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual privilege and blessing available to men, women, And so this same pleading, that the very best things I have to offer are found on this path. All that the Father has.

Is on this path. So there's on-ramps. Get on. Yeah. And if you want to see miracles like Sarah and Abraham and the Red Sea, the Jordan River, you want to see those types of miracles. This is the path you got to be on. I like 51. That was good. I like 51 too. I like it all. You guys, thank you. This has been so fun for me to have something to just drill deep in. I take assignments better than having to create them myself. Me too. So Jacob's going to wrap up his quotation in the first two verses of chapter

52. And then I think we need to write next to at the end of verse two, chapter 52, one and two, I would then write in the margin, assuming people use paper scriptures, 2 Nephi 9, 1 through 3, that he's going to finish up his Isaiah and then he's going to launch into his commentary and help us to see. 2 Nephi 9, wow, where do we even begin? Yeah, it's such a great chapter. Why don't we read 2 Nephi 9, 1 and 3 to tie this together with Jacob's commentary. Okay. So this is second Nephi chapter nine, verse one. And now my beloved brethren, I have read these things that you might know concerning the covenants of the Lord, that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel, that he has

spoken unto the Jews by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down from generation to generation until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and full of God when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance and shall be established in all their lands of promise. Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice and lift up your heads forever because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children. Your children. There's family again.

He's just read 51 and 52, and that's his closing thought. I've read you these things so you can know that this is generations. It'll go, it's you and beyond you. I think that the things that were included in the Book of Mormon were for our day. But I can also feel like here are these folks who have been uprooted from the lands of their inheritance and have been scattered, not because of wickedness, but to preserve them to the other side of the planet. And I love that they're constantly being reminded we are still covenant Israel and we have still got to keep our covenants. This is still, we are still covenant Israel, and we have still got to keep our covenants. This is still who we are. We have a different area code now, but this is still us. And I love that reminder. And even when Jesus comes, he keeps telling him over and over,

you are my sheep. You are the ones I spoke of over there. I have not forgotten you. And you are part of this covenant, which is the blessing and a burden. It's an obligation as well as a wonderful privilege and blessing. And I feel like we read it like it's for us, but it's also, they're telling them, this is who we are. This is, we got to live up to who we are. Well, in the same way that we hear that message today, that throughout the dispensation, the message has been, we are the house of Israel. And that if we could just claim our true identity and be true, and sure, there's a wrestle. We're mortal.

We're fallen. And there's conditions in a fallen state. But to tap back, that's the taproot to go back to over and over again. I am a beloved daughter of God. I belong to the house of Israel. Our kids, every night when we pray together as a family, as we finish up family prayer, the family cheer, I am loved. I belong to a family that loves me. I am a daughter of God. I want my kids to know that deep, that it's going to govern who they are and how they're going to live. That reminds me of that recent young adult fireside that President

Sister Nelson gave where he said at the very end, these are these three identities that you remember. You are a child of God, you are a child of the covenant, and you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. And keep those understandings of who you are in your mind. That seems to be what these chapters have been about so far is bringing them back into a remembrance of who they are and what is offered to them. Well, it's amazing. And it's not over is the part that's so cool. That as you keep going, chapter 52 and the redemption that's going to come without money, we're going to get money coming up and how we're sold and different things that way.

But that there's no need for money. Look at verse six, chapter 52. Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore, they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak. Behold, it is I. And so if to be gathered means to come to know a true knowledge of the Redeemer, here we go. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet. There's your feet, John.

My understanding of beautiful, I'm not a Hebrew scholar, but na'ah, and that it's a verb. That this is not just a beautiful description, but it's a beautiful action. Oh, that's nice. And so there's an allusion to that because what are you doing? Your beautiful feet are bringing good tidings. They're publishing peace. They're bringing good tidings of good. This is ministering, guys.

This is the way we engage with each other in the ministry of saying, how can I help lift the burden to comfort, to sustain, to bless, to help other people? I like that. I'm writing that in. This is ministering. It is, though, isn't it? I think all the time about ministering, and I think about how it's challenging. It can be hard to figure out how to be an assigned friend. My little boy came home from first grade the other day with the list of how to be a good

friend. And I took a picture of it and I'm going to send it to the Relief Society presidents in my stake and say, this is ministering. It's to listen and to be helpful and to have a good time. But it's also to help lift and elevate other people's lives to help. And isn't it something we get to be assigned to get to know someone in that way? It's missionary work too. And it's the gathering.

And it's being able to say, I can't bear the thought of you not having what I have. That as we go through these previous chapters and see all the power and the promises, I cannot bear for my neighbor across the street to not know this, to not feel this, to not have this in their lives too. And I can see, I'm the one, I'm sure John thought of this already too, is to see the wicked priests of King Noah

twist this into, you should never be telling people they're sinful. You don't have very beautiful feet if you're telling people that. This is the Isaiah verse that the King Noah and his wicked priests used to try to stump Abinadi. But what does this verse mean? How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good. I think that they're trying to say, Abinadi, you're kind of a gloomy Gus here. You don't sound like a prophet.

That's not how Isaiah described a prophet. And it's just to read Abinadi's response. Are you priests and pretend to teach this people? And yet you ask me what these things mean? What are you teaching these people? And they say, we teach the law of Moses and why don't you keep it? And he goes on and quotes 10 commandments,

everything. But what I love is Abinadi eventually answers their question. And he uses a past, present, future thing. I'm looking at Mosiah 15. He talks about whose seed, and we're going to get to this when we get to Isaiah 53.

These are they who since he has born, these are they for whom he has died to redeem them from their transgression. And now are they not his seed? Are not the prophets, everyone that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression? I mean, all the holy prophets ever since the world began.

I say unto you that they are his seed. And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation and said unto Zion, thy God reigneth. And oh, how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet. And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace. And I love to look at my students to say, now Ben and I is going to talk about you.

Again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace. Yea, from this time henceforth and forever. So, I was reading from Mosiah 15 verses about 12 through 17. This always touches me that Abinadi, he eventually answers their question. So what I love about this is that this is their initial question to Abinadi. He asks them what they are teaching and they say the law of Moses, but then he teaches them that redemption comes through Christ quotes Isaiah 53 to them as if to say, how could you miss this?

Yes. Keep the law, but salvation comes in Christ. Redemption comes because of Christ quotes Isaiah 53, but then eventually tells them now this is whose feet are beautiful upon the mountains. They are his seed. They are Christ seed.

And I I love how he does answer their question, but he teaches them all about the Savior in the middle of it. Don't you love it that they quote Isaiah 52 to him and he's like, I can quote Isaiah 53 to you. It's a really good question because if he have that memorized. Yeah. 52 seems to be an invitation to come back, come back, depart out of Babylon and awake and come back to the God who wants to bless you. And partner in his work. Be a part of this. Be all in. So exactly a year ago, you guys, I was just getting ready for a semester to start. And I had this very clear prompt come into my mind. It was mothers who know do less from Julie Beck. And I started processing

that and thinking, okay, what can be eliminated? What can we do to streamline life? How do we get things a little bit simpler? And exactly a week later, I was called to meet with my stake president. And I go sit down with him. And I knew what was coming. And he said, do you know what's coming? And I said, yes. And he goes, do you want to say it? No. He invited me. The Lord asked me to serve as the Stake Release Society president. And it boggled me because here I'm getting this message, mothers who know do less. How is this supposed to be less? And I started studying and working through, and you guys, I love the handbook. I'm a handbook junkie. Anyone who works with me knows, well, don't ask her until you've checked the handbook. And so I went to the handbook and it says from the handbook,

okay, chapter one, I will be most effective when I align my service in the church with the work of God and the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And what came so profoundly to me was I'm engaging in the work of salvation and exaltation. And this mother who knows, knows that that means anything else is a distraction. And I had to make some decisions about doing less. And now I've got this rubric. And the rubric is such that is that what does that have to do with the work of salvation and exaltation? President Nelson, when he asked us to address distractions, he said this to us, to the sisters of the church. I had to pay attention to that.

So for me, in a lot of ways, these Isaiah chapters have become an original handbook of saying, here's the work of salvation and exaltation. And when I see verse 10 in chapter 52, the Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. I'd sure like to help them see. And I'd like to be a part of that in being able to say, count me in. And so being a part of something really big means that I've got to go into my life and ask some hard questions about what's distracting me and bless my sweet little kids. They're six and eight who will quote things like that. Well,

mommy, what does that have to do with God's work? And that I suspect that God sometimes calls us into his work to help us to do the most important work in training children and helping them to see. So when we get into this next servant song and behold the suffering servant, that we need to pay attention when we get into chapter 53 to our part and to where we come into the narrative, but also to where we partner it. I see covenant language in the Savior's suffering that invites us to turn and trust. There aren't chapter breaks in the manuscript. So really, Isaiah 53 should probably begin, don't you think, with verse 13 of chapter 52, right? To behold, my servant shall deal prudently.

He shall be exalted and extolled on high. See, that word is now a trigger for me to say, get engaged in what really matters, the work of salvation and the work of exaltation. I just want to ask you, this chapter 53 is so precious to us. It's such a sacred text. What do you love the most in here that when you look at this and have an experience with 53, I mean, we're treading sacred ground here, friends. The holiest of events described here. What do you love? Well, here is a chapter that we read. We go through the standard works one a year, and there are certain chapters that come up in more than one, right? Certain verses

that come up in more than one. So this is one that the Lord obviously wants us to see more than once every four years. And probably the part that has stood out to me in the last few years, as I've studied it, is verse three. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. I think of how many of our listeners are men and women right now of sorrow, and they have become acquainted with grief. They're not best friends with grief. No one wants to be best friends with grief, but everybody listening either has or soon will be acquainted with grief. I think that there is a connection you can make with the Savior that he too was a person of sorrow and acquainted with grief. And he'll carry your griefs. He'll carry those sorrows. So not only does he have his own sorrows and his own grief he's dealing with, but he's going to carry yours. He will carry yours. To me, those that acquainted with grief has really stood out through the years.

That's beautiful, Hank. I am saddened a little bit by we hid, as it were, our faces from him. That is such rejection. He was despised. And we esteemed him not. We were really bad at estimating who he was. In fact, it says it again. We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God. Oh, God must be punishing him. But what was really happening is he was bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows.

And this vicarious gift that he gave us is described so, I'm so glad, Jennifer, you said read it slowly. Because you read these slowly, you really start to feel this like, oh, what Hank was saying. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace, some translations say the chastisement that brought us peace, was upon him. And with his stripes, probably wounds from the whipping and scourging, we are healed. When you read this slow, you can't help but be affected by it, I think. Yeah. Isaiah is powerful in the way he draws us into the narrative that when we start

to see that pronoun shift of we and our, I listed those. We hid as it were our faces from him. We esteemed him not. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him with his stripes. We are healed. We like sheep have gone astray. I had a student once that was her family were sheep herders and she would just say, sheep are so stupid. I don't know sheep. She just said sheep are so stupid. They just all go their own direction. But they know the shepherd's voice.

And to think about that metaphor, we like sheep have gone astray, just stupid, doing our own things, distracted. We've turned everyone to his own way. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Who shall declare his generation? I loved the way the Come Follow Me manual described this. Let's just applaud the writers over there for the work they've done with Come Follow Me. And just in the intro on the very beginning paragraph where it says someone who could topple the walls of Babylon would be a mighty conqueror indeed. But that isn't the kind of Messiah that Isaiah described. Jesus Christ frees us not by just opening the prison, but by taking our place there. He relieves us from our chains of grief and sorrow by bearing

them himself. He does not save us from a distance. He suffers with us. I know that Savior. And it's interesting for me with this chapter, the shift that I've taken in my spiritual maturity and growth. I'm not mature, but in my maturing, that sometimes I'd read it with a lot of guilt and shame of, look what a loser I am. But today, I'm feeling more of this sense of, how blessed am I to know this Jesus? And a lot of times we have an expectation for who he is and what he should be. And this is who he is, and very much one who redeems and saves. And that he wants us to partner in it. He wants us to be a part of it. That when you look on even in those verses 10

and 12, or the promised outcomes for him, that with this exaltation, and even in verse 12, that he wants to share it with us. He'll divide the spoil with the strong. Well, good. I want to be strong and be part of that and counted in. Amazing the parallels too that we see. He opens not his mouth. We know in Matthew 27, he was brought before Herod and didn't say a word. In Isaiah 53.9, he made his grave with the wicked, that he was crucified between two thieves, with the rich in his death, meaning Joseph of Arimathea's tomb.

There's just so many parallels here. It's almost as if you would say Isaiah just witnessed the crucifixion of the Lord. He was just standing there, writing it all down, watching it. And here it is, what, 700 years in advance, 750 years before it happens. Doesn't that press you, though, to consider your own experience with him? That here's Isaiah, yes, a prophet, being able to see it futuristic. We're on the other side of it with a written text to be able to hold still with that,

to sit with that, with him and saying, ah, I see, I see, behold the man and to be able to know him and see him. And again, the gathering is a true knowledge of the Messiah.

It's really quite remarkable, the blessing we have of a canonized text, of a restoration, and of living at the fullness of time. So we are pretty blessed. I like what you said there, Jen, that sometimes we read this chapter and think, oh, how terrible am I? Because 54 says, let me take this terribleness that you feel, this barren woman who's in this miserable spot, and show you your future. That's what 54 is. It's this rejoicing that the Lord is now coming to find you. You could almost say you who did this to him, he took on your sorrows. He was wounded

for your transgressions. He was bruised for your iniquities. And now in chapter 54, he's going to come find you and bring you home. Well, and it's important though, here's another place where we go into the chapter heading and Mark 3 Nephi 22, because Jesus Christ himself is going to quote this chapter. The risen Lord, the conqueror, the redeemer and savior, he's now going to be the one to say, okay, I trust this and believe this. Kind of like we did with Jacob. I'd say go into 3 Nephi 21 to preface what we're going to get in chapter 54. And Jesus says in verse 6, 3 Nephi 21 6, for thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles.

For this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized. Make a covenant, right? In my name and know, know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel. So watch the net. All are invited. Everyone is to come and participate. There's no one left out of this unless you choose to be left out. And when these things come to pass, this is verse 7 of chapter 35, 21. When these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things, it shall

be a sign unto them that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant, which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. So chapter 54 is a big deal that the suffering servant is now saying, OK, here we go. Let's get down to business and let's get going. There's this idea that Hank's introducing. I think when we read about the Savior's suffering and then we're invited by him, it's not trying to make us feel guilty with what he's saying. I think it's to try to make us feel loved. When you go from 53 to 54, it shows the Savior's character,

that he doesn't hold this atonement over your head like a guilt trip. It's a gift that I want to give you. Because 54 is this beautiful chapter on come home. Look what I have for you. Yeah. I love the invitation. I think the come unto Christ invitation is a come as you are. It's not come unto Christ, but be sure you're perfect before you come. It's come unto Christ and be perfected in him. Right? And do you remember Sister Chieko Okazaki? I have a favorite statement of hers. She said once, Jesus is not loved that idea of the sequence. wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt, in our grief. I've always loved

that idea of the sequence. We come as we are, and then that process begins of him remaking us and reshaping us. But we come as we are. And so I love after all of this in 53 that we read in 54, now come and let's do the work together. I think that's what you're trying to say, Hank. Yeah, it's, you know, 54, sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear. So here we have a woman who can't have children, break forth into singing and cry aloud,

thou that didst not travail with child. So he's just using parallelism there again, just repeating himself. He says, because you're going to have more children than anyone you've ever met. You better make the tent big. You better move the walls. You better strengthen the stakes because here comes blessings that you've

never thought of because of, I think of chapter 53, because of this atonement, the blessings are now coming from chapter 54, because he says the husband and wife metaphor that Israel is his wife. And verse five says, for thy maker is thy husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, the redeemer, the Holy one of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called.

He'll call you. And I love verse seven. Yeah. For a small moment. Yes. You were forsaken. You were scattered, but I will bring you home with great mercy. Will I gather you? So you brought in seven about this and then eight in a little wrath. I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness, will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord. And then 10, I think it is, and the mountains, for the mountains shall depart.

Here's a song for you, John. I love this song, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed. President Nelson used this verse in a footnote in his last talk when he was talking to us about momentum. And one of the things he asked us to do is to repent. He said, do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life. Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man. The Savior loves us always, but especially when we repent.

He promised that though the mountain shall depart and the hills be removed, my kindness shall not depart from thee. Now, I'm a footnote fan. And that's, again, that added his footnote. This is what he says, President Nelson. Kindness is translated from the Hebrew term, hased, I don't do the guttural, a powerful word with deep meaning that encompasses kindness, mercy, covenant love, and more. And so to draw that then together and to bring it back to where we started conference is coming and here's your chance and we've got we're really triangulating here aren't we to be able to say

we've got isaiah we've got the book of mormon prophets jesus himself we more than triangulated i guess and then president nelson and these teachings that his kindness will not depart. And I fear that we have such misunderstandings about the doctrine and gift of repentance, that it's not punishment, but liberation. And this chance to be expanded and to grow. I've told my students over and over how the Lord sees a sinner, quote unquote sinner, Isaiah 54, 11. Oh, thou afflicted, tossed with the tempest and not comforted. He doesn't see, oh, you sinner. He says, oh, it's almost like, oh, you poor thing.

Behold, I have something better for you. I have a house with foundations made out of jewels, right? I have children for you. I want to protect you. There's so much mercy in, oh, thou afflicted, tossed with the tempest and not comforted. The Lord doesn't see you as some awful sinner. He sees you as someone afflicted by the adversary.

And he wants you back. He wants you back. He wants you back. Elder Holland said repentance is perhaps the most hopeful and encouraging word in the whole Christian vocabulary. Just that we have the chance to repent. And we all know from having little children, boy, one of your kids comes to you and says, dad, I made a mistake or mom, I made a mistake. You are already at that point. So because they've come to you and said, I made a mistake, You are already at that point. So because they've come to you and said, I made a mistake, you're already so eager to forgive. You don't even know what they did yet,

but a kid comes to you and says, dad, I made a mistake. And oh, I hope our heavenly father's like that. I believe he is. Me too. To me, there's almost no wonder the Savior quoted it. It encompasses his character probably more than any other chapter of scripture, his mercy and kindness and love. Hank, a couple of times you've referenced his character, and I love the way you're inviting us to consider that. The character of Christ and who he is and coming to know him, not just as a far-off possibility, but as someone that we can actually emulate and become, thank you for the way you're doing that. You've said it several times that we're seeing the character of Christ here. And I love that, Hank, that you're helping us to see that. He feels so kind in this chapter. Yeah, he is. And even at the end, no weapon that is formed against these shall prosper.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. Yeah. The creator of all is going to be our great protector. And he's going to protect. He's going to keep his promises. He's going to provide, preside. I mean, there's a proclamation for you. He's going to take care of us as the great ultimate husband that verse five calls him to be. Well, shall we finish up these couple of...

Yeah, this has just been a spiritual feast. What's left here, Jen, in 55 through 57? Well, 55, 56, I've told you my rubric. So you see the chapter heading, it's going to teach us about salvation is free. Chapter heading of 56, all who keep the commandments will be exalted. There's my exaltation, salvation, keep the commandments will be exalted. There's my exaltation, salvation, and the work that we're doing. And this idea that, well, not even an idea, this truth, this foundational truth that we're all invited to come. So verse one, it's like he's

saying, Hey, Oh, everyone that thirsteth come. And so everyone's invited. You just have to be thirsty and want it. And come. It's movement, advancement, progression, showing up, doing something. Come and partake and make covenants with me. With this, he's going to talk to us about the everlasting covenant, the covenant with David. So we could go back into second Psalm seven or Psalm 89 to see the covenant that God made with David. But ultimately we should go forward to the doctrine and covenants to understand that this is the gospel with its

covenants and ordinances, or in other words, get on the covenant path. Come be with me. Come join me and make covenants. We can't neglect. Let your souls delight in fatness. I love that. Yeah. I just barely underlined that because Jacob says that in 2 Nephi 9. I have in my margin a great new diet plan, right? Let your soul delight in fatness.

Just be fat and happy. I went to Thailand one time and we took cooking classes and we'd finish up making a dish and then we'd lay there on our mats. And we finally looked up at our instructor and said, how do you say fat and happy? And I'm not sure he taught us the real term fat and happy, but we were fat and happy, you guys. It's pretty funny. Okay, let's see here. Come to the feast, it sounds like, doesn't it?

Come to the feast and eat the rich foods. 55.3 is quoted in the Handbook of Instruction, Chapter 25. And this is the chapter about temple and family history work. And so it says in the handbook, uniting families for eternity is part of the work of salvation and exaltation. Temple and family history work is the means for uniting and sealing families for eternity. This work includes making covenants as we receive our own temple ordinances. See Isaiah 55.3 and Doctrine and Covenants 84.19-23. ordinances see isaiah 55 3 and doctrine comments 84 19 through 23 and so again just a connecting

reference there to be able to see that i'm trying to bring it home we are working you and i to fulfill these prophecies in the latter days and that this is about the temple and and getting people to the temple which is exactly where i think will end today is getting to the temple jennifer i think that you say you love the handbook. And I remember the President Spencer W. Kimball threefold mission of the church days of proclaim the gospel, perfect the saints, redeem the dead. I love the way it has been more recently articulated.

President Monson had to take care of the poor and needy. But today it is live the gospel of Jesus Christ, care for those in need, invite all to come unto Christ and unite families for eternity. That's the way the work of salvation is articulated today instead of redeem the dead, which is a little hard for an 11 year old to understand, but unite families for eternity. Oh, that's the temple. That's what you're talking about and what you just mentioned. So there's so many invitations in these chapters to come and partake in these incredible blessings. Just lean your ear towards me, come here.

And I will, I'll make your soul live. I mean, if you're thirsty, come, you don't even need money. Come get bread. Come let your soul delight in fatness. That's a good way to put it, Hank. These are invitations and I want to give you everything, it sounds like. Maybe that's how we get everyone to show up to Relief Society. Well, this reminds me of John chapter six, Jesus feeds everybody. They follow him to the other side of the lake. And he's like, you didn't come because you wanted to keep my sayings. You came because you ate of the bread

and were filled. But I could give you bread that if you ate it, you would never die. Do you see in verse 1 is the water, come ye to the water. And then you'll see in verse 2, here's the bread. And so it is. And that's the fatnessness and that's so counterintuitive to think bread and water well maybe the bread might make me fat but the bread and the water and it's the same and this is going to matter when we get into the next chapter but it's the same when jesus is teaching about the sacrament and they were filled that they partook and they were filled and again for us to understand there's always this invitation to to put off the natural man, to be able to say, I get that I'm in a fallen mortal state,

but this is about something so much bigger, bigger than getting consumed in what my body's looking like instead of what my body's doing. Yeah. And that's why he says, incline your ear. I want to teach you things. I just don't want to feed you. I want to teach you. And I like that you said, I'm in a fallen state because he says later in verses eight hope when they're trying to figure things out and make sense of things. And sometimes, thankfully, in hindsight, we go back and say, wow, the Lord was taking care of me and I didn't realize it. And if we're in the middle of something, we can think, well, I know the Lord loves me, so I'm going to keep going.

And maybe one day I'll understand because verse eight, he's got his ways, but his outcome that he wants for all of us is he wants to give us everything and he loves us. That's an important verse. We hear that one a lot. It's really important. And that the outcome is in verse 12, joy and peace. The mountains and the hills are going to break forth before you singing and the trees at the field shall clap. Can you visualize? Here we go. Here's our metaphor of the covenant path. And we've now got mountains and trees applauding us as we're jogging along saying you've got this. You're singing.

You can do it. Let's wrap it up with chapter 56. There's this just beautiful inclusion of all in here. And there's a couple of things that we need to pay attention to in getting into it. One is, and we talked about a little bit in the last chapter, the action that we're called to take and make our part in the covenant keeping and making, but also who is invited. Verse one, thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment and do justice for my salvation is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed. So keep and do. And then verse two, blessed is the man that doeth this and the son of man that layeth hold on it.

Growing up, we had a little sign in our home from President Kimball, do it. It was the family mantra before Nike. And then keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and keeping his hand from doing evil. We're going to get introduced to two groups here in verse three that are important for us to understand and get familiar with. The first is the son of the stranger. And the other is the eunuch. The stranger is mentioned in the Bible dictionary. It will help us to pull this together. And this is another thing with Isaiah.

That when you're uncomfortable with the word. Or I even have this habit. If I'm reading something and I come to a word. That I don't use in my everyday language. Then I stop and look it up. Now son of the stranger then. To look it up. Now, son of the stranger, then to look that up and make sense of it, the Bible dictionary is going to teach us this definition that we're dealing here with a non-Israelite who's had permission to dwell in the promised land.

And that these individuals through the law, there were laws that protected them that they would be regarded and treated with justice and fairness. The tradition was such, there's going to be space and we're going to live civilly. And I'm going to do what I can. And it even goes back to the tent that we were talking about earlier, that the tent's enlarging and that the stranger needs to have a space and make space there. And so there's the first is this stranger who's non-Israelite and the other's the eunuch. And the eunuch, a emasculated man, a dry tree with no seed, has no inheritance. He's an outcast. This is our world today, that there are so many among us that feel like they don't belong, or that their circumstances, life conditions, frailties are such that there's not a place for

them. But this to me is God's evidence that everyone is invited. Everyone is invited to come. If you'll just please keep Jesus as your focus, that no matter what, if he is your priority, your focus and your striving, the salvation and exaltation will work out on the other side. And that we've got to keep that big picture. My ways are not your ways.

Well, that's a plan. That's a big picture plan saying this is a moment in a big scheme of things. Anything you want to jump in there? You're thoughtful or do you want me to keep going? He's saying that you are very much part of my family, as much as if you were born in as a son or a daughter. You are this foreigner, this refugee, this eunuch, this whoever you are who feel like you don't fit in. You are in the family. I had a student one semester in this family class who identifies as non-binary.

And they were just wanting to figure it all out. And I'll never forget the day. I don't even remember what specifically we were studying, but that they just looked at me and said, I'm here. I'm here in this story and I'm here in this story. And I'm here in this narrative. And God has a plan for me. That's the power of God and His Word. And I know that. I know no matter the struggle, no matter the circumstance. And I want to be really clear, I'm not calling anyone a eunuch, but we do feel like strangers. I'm so moved by this

inclusion, but that the inclusion isn't about stay as you are. You've got to become, you've got to act and you've got to do and progress. And again, that goes back to those identities that President Nielsen has given to us, that God has given to us, that I am divine. And to know that and to own that greatness, that every day I want to grow in that divinity. I want to be more of her, that there will be that day to kneel at their feet and to have that familiarity because of the work I'm doing now in seeking this Jesus. In this context, it's keeping the Sabbath. But you'll notice verse 2, it's Sabbath singular. Verse 4, it's Sabbath plural, which my understanding is that that's the whole of the law.

That the Sabbath's plural means you're keeping the whole of the law, your ordinances, your covenants, but where is it going to get us? It's going to get us to my house. Even into them will I give Do you hear King Benjamin? Yeah. The sons of the strangers that join, this is verse 7, themselves to the Lord to serve him. And that that's the joining, that I want to join you and partner and be a joint heir. And I'm going to serve. I'm going to love God and I'm going to love others. And that's it.

And to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, even one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my covenant. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer, The holiest place of Israel. They're going to be welcome in the holiest places of Israel. For all. Yeah. Verses three through eight. I just kind of bracketed those in my scriptures about everyone invited to come and belong.

It's beautiful. I think it's Elder Gong that talks about covenant belonging. Yeah, the covenant community. I've heard it called before. He does not save us from a distance. He suffers with us. Wow. Jennifer, this has been a fantastic day.

I love that we were in Isaiah. We just didn't talk about Isaiah. We were in Isaiah the entire time. That to me is my idea of a good time. We're a little bit weird that way, John, aren't we? Let's go through six chapters of Isaiah. That's fun for us. Spent a lot of time writing notes today.

This was just great. Yeah. When you feel like you've come away going, I think I understand it a little more. I just feel like we're fulfilling Nephi's prophecy. In that day shall they understand them. Jennifer, I think our listeners would be interested in your journey, your story as a scholar, as a teacher in church education for decades now, your personal story of meeting your husband a little later than most.

What's that journey been like for you? Academics was never on my radar. It's something that the spirit pushed me into, I think, and a great mentor. I should shout out to my mentor, Randall Wright, and the work that he did in pushing me toward that. Early in my PhD work, I'm a social scientist and confronted with hard things. And I was driving home, had a little commute, and the spirit whispers to me, this is how people apostatize. I'm freaking out, you guys. I get home and I fall to my knees at my bedside and I say, I don't want to leave you. And I can't afford you to leave me. What am I supposed to do? And I got out a notebook and I just knelt there. And I just want to be clear that prayers don't always get answered like this for me or for anyone, but there was very clear and direct revelation that flowed.

And this is what came to me that I would be spiritually protected and would thrive if I would do some things. One was to never study on the Sabbath and to make a commitment that I would never do work on the Sabbath, which ties so nicely into what we just studied. Two, read the Book of Mormon every day, no matter what. Three, be in the temple every week. And if I needed to, I'd have to do a makeup. I remember Richard G. Scott talking about that, that he would do a makeup and go double the next. And then the last was to carry a copy of the Family Proclamation with me to every class and to use it as the framework

for filtering what I was learning. And so I did. That was my commitment and that's what I did. And I used the proclamation to filter every theory, to filter every methodology, and to really to discern what was going to help me to get my work done and did it align with the brethren. I don't care what scholarship or what academia I might be called to if it doesn't align and reinforce and support the brethren, I don't want to do it. And it has been such a gift to me to be able to see. I mean, like I said several times, I think that that's my passion class to teach the family proclamation

and to be able to say, I'm coming at it here with some real life experience. That has protected me all my days. It continues to protect me to do those things. And for me, those are the essentials. I love to filter that and to say, how does this align with the teachings of prophets, ancient and living? I've been very blessed. It led me to choose an extraordinary companion. When you talk about my kindness shall not depart from thee, I have it in the flesh. That God sent and orchestrated a marriage to the kindest, purest of souls.

And to have a companion to complement and walk a parallel path of goodness together has been just amazing. And for the last 10 years, I hope I can be a picture of hope that there is hope and that we can also say, but if not, I know God knows us and that He wants us to become that Lord God, to become like Him. And I try to remember that. I think that that for me is this really helping my salvation and exaltation? I want to be like them and progress. I love Jesus. I love Jesus Christ. That's how you make it. That's the only way to make it. Beautiful. We are so grateful we were able to spend time with you today, Dr. Platt. Thank you for being here.

Thank you. Yes, thank you. Great are the words of Isaiah. We want to thank all of our listeners. We want to thank our executive producers, Steve and Shannon Sorenson, and our sponsors, David and Verla Sorenson. And we hope all of you will join us next week. We have another week of Isaiah. One more left on Follow Him. We have an amazing production crew we want you to know about. David Perry, Lisa Spice,

Jamie Nielsen, Will Stoughton, Crystal Roberts, and Ariel Cuadra. Thank you to our amazing production team.