The Purpose that is Purposed Upon the Whole Earth

I was struck by this phrase from Isaiah as I studied 2 Nephi 24 today: “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations.”  What is this “purpose” of the Lord?  Clearly it sounds important to understand if it is His purpose “upon the whole earth.”  A couple verses earlier the Lord said, “Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.”  So whatever it is that He has purposed for the whole earth will come to pass.  Isaiah emphasized this again, saying, “For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (v24-27)  What the Lord has set out to do, He will accomplish.  Whatever the Lord has purposed to do, it will happen no matter what Assyrian or Babylonian armies stand in the way.  So what is the “purpose”             here that Isaiah referred to which must happen?

             The key verse to explain his purpose appears to be verse 25, the one directly preceding the phrase, “This is the purpose.”  In it the Lord said, “I will bring the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.”  This seems to be speaking literally of how the Assyrians, one of the enemies of Israel, would be defeated and their yoke removed.  This could be referring to how the Assyrians were stopped at Jerusalem and the city was miraculously saved under Hezekiah as recorded in Isaiah 37.  In this instance the Assyrians were indeed brought into the land of Israel but then were soundly defeated by the God of Israel.  The yoke that the Assyrians were trying to bring upon Israel was indeed taken away.  This seems to fit the immediate context of what Isaiah was prophesying, but it doesn’t feel very universal or “upon the whole earth.”

             I’d like to think that we can consider verse 25 as symbolic of the whole mission of the Savior.  His great atoning sacrifice was made so that our spiritual yoke would depart and that the burdens of sin would be taken off our shoulders.  That is indeed the whole crux of His mission: “I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin” (3 Nephi 9:21).  He provided the way to “undo the heavy burdens , and to let the oppressed go free, and [to] break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).  He invited us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:29-30).  That is the reason the Savior came to earth, that we come unto Him to take His yoke upon us so that we can find rest and forgiveness.  He will enable us to throw off all burdens of sin and weakness and suffering and allow us to ultimately become like Him.  That “is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth.