Lehi and Isaiah

The first two writers of the Book of Mormon, Nephi and Jacob, focused extensively on the words of the prophet Isaiah which were written on the plates of brass. Though Lehi did not directly reference Isaiah in his words that we have (as recorded by Nephi), I believe that for him too the writings of the prophet Isaiah were very important. For example, he clearly was using the words of Isaiah when he prophesied of John the Baptist. Nephi recorded, “And he spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord—Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing” (1 Nephi 10:7-8). Undoubtedly Lehi learned this with the help of the words of Isaiah as found today in Isaiah 40:3.

               Nephi recorded this about his father’s teachings: “Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.... And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in” (1 Nephi 10:12-14). These teachings of Lehi on the house of Israel and its scattering and gathering likely were influenced by his understanding of the prophet Isaiah’s words about the scattering and gathering of Israel. For example, the prophet Isaiah taught like Lehi how the remnant of Israel would return: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God” (Isaiah 10:20-21). Isaiah clearly taught that Israel would be gathered again just as Lehi said, “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). Like Lehi, Isaiah also taught “concerning the Gentiles,” such as in this prophecy of the last days: “Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders” (Isaiah 49:22). The Savior would later summarize Isaiah’s teachings this way: “For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles” (3 Nephi 23:2). According to Nephi, this is exactly what Lehi emphasized in his teachings as well.

               There are other Book of Mormon passages that suggest that Lehi was influenced by the words of Isaiah. For example, when he called Laman and Lemuel to repent and turn to the Lord, he implored, “Awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound…. Awake! and arise from the dust…. Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness” (2 Nephi 1:13-14, 23). This is very similar to Isaiah’s call to Israel to likewise awake to righteousness: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord…. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem…. Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city…. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem” (Isaiah 51:9,17; 52:1-2). Lehi also taught this about Satan to Jacob: “And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God” (2 Nephi 2:17). He may have learned this in part from Isaiah who wrote, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah 14:12) He also taught Jacob this about the Savior: “Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin” (2 Nephi 2:7). This very well may have come from Isaiah’s similar teaching: “But he was sounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). Like his sons, Lehi clearly was taught by the writings of Isaiah and used that to testify to his children about Israel, the adversary, and the coming of the Messiah.