The Lord Jehovah is My Strength

Another theme that we see in the 13 chapters of Isaiah that Nephi quoted in 2 Nephi 12-24 is the need for us to trust in the Lord and His ways.  When threatened by the aggression of neighboring kingdoms, the Lord told Judah’s king through Isaiah, “Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.”  In other words, don’t be afraid of what man can do—put your trust in God instead.  The Lord was displeased with Ahaz because he did not believe and did not want to put his trust in the Lord or ask for a confirmation of His divine help: “But Ahaz said: I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord” (2 Nephi 17:4, 12).  The Lord further implored to Judah in the face of their neighboring threats: “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (2 Nephi 18:12-13).  We need not fear the fears of men—we need only fear our God and seek His divine aid.  The Lord wants us to seek Him, to turn to Him in times of need instead of relying on the wisdom of the world.  When the people turned to human sources for divine inspiration He lamented, “Should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead?” (2 Nephi 18:19)  No matter what the difficulty we face, Isaiah’s message is that we should seek unto our God before anything else and He will provide us “a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain” (2 Nephi 14:6).

               Several other passages in these Isaiah chapters similarly encourage us to trust in the Lord and not put our confidence in man.  This is seen particularly in the Lord’s comments to the king of Assyria who was boasting in his own strength: “For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.”  The Lord remined him that is was only because the Lord permitted it that he had any power: “Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!” The king of Assyria was only able to destroy the people of Israel because they were wicked and the Lord allowed it; but the Lord is the source of real power.  True light only comes from the Holy One of Israel: “And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame” (2 Nephi 20:13-17).  Isaiah’s invitation is that instead of following after man, we should follow His light: “O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (2 Nephi 12:5).  We can rest assured that everything will work out for us if we do: “Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings” (2 Nephi 13:10).  With the wickedness of the world in the last days, if we choose to live the life of righteousness that Zion requires, we can know trust in that: “What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it” (2 Nephi 24:32).  Perhaps Isaiah summed up this principle best in this profession of faith that should be adopted by all who follow the Savior: “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation” (2 Nephi 22:2).