Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 53:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 53:2

"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

Beauty = HEB it is not for His appearance

Every time I read this it just feels wrong. I can't image Jesus Christ having no physical beauty. As I pondered on this I can see the wisdom in Him physically not standing out.. It's to easy to follow those with physical beauty that have no substance. Only those that see spiritually would know and desire Him. The prophets would be a good comparison. Both Enoch and Moses were low of speech. Prophets today are not in the prime of their lives. To many dismiss them as outdated and behind their times. You have to spiritual know you are listening to a prophet of God before you would desire to follow him.

Day 2891

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 52:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 52:1

"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."

I love the reminder that comes by putting on beautiful garments. This verse comes to me each time that I do. It does strengthen me. This also reminded me of Elder Bednar conference talk and putting on the king's robes, and how offense it was not to wear them.

"The custom in those days was for the host of a wedding feast—in this parable, the king—to provide garments for the wedding guests. Such wedding garments were simple, nondescript robes that all attendees wore. In this way, rank and station were eliminated, and everyone at the feast could mingle as equals.

People invited from the highways to attend the wedding would not have had the time or means to procure appropriate attire in preparation for the event. Consequently, the king likely gave guests the garments from his own wardrobe. Everyone was given the opportunity to clothe themselves in garments of royalty.

A Christian author, John O. Reid, noted that the man’s refusal to wear the wedding garment exemplified blatant “disrespect for both the king and his son.” He did not simply lack a wedding garment; rather, he chose not to wear one. He rebelliously refused to dress appropriately for the occasion. The king’s reaction was swift and decisive: “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The king’s judgment of the man is not based primarily upon the lack of a wedding garment—but that “he was, in fact, determined not to wear one. The man … desired the honor of attending the wedding feast, but … did not want to follow the custom of the king. He wanted to do things his own way. His lack of proper dress revealed his inner rebellion against the king and his instructions

(David A. Bednar, "Put on Thy Strength, O Zion", Oct 2022 General Conference)

Day 2890

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 51:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 51:4

"Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people."

law = OR teaching, doctrine, TG God, Law of

I pondered on how having God's law, teachings and doctrine are a light to me. When I stray and am judged it is a light guiding me to come back.

Day 2889

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 50:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 50:6

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."

I thought of the Savior and the example he set in being mocked and scorned and bearing it. How he taught us to turn the other cheek.

"And unto him who smiteth thee on the cheek, offer also the other; or, in other words, it is better to offer the other than to revile again. And him who taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also."

(JST Luke 6:29)

Day 2888

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 49:3

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 49:3

"And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

I pondered on the Lord's second coming and what an honor it will be to counted as His sheep. That because we will be there waiting for our Lord and King it will bring glory to Him. I had never thought of bringing glory to the Lord. How can one be glorified if there is no one there to worship and adore you? After all He has done for us, it will be an honor to show Him how much he means to me. This made me think of the Savior visiting the Nephites after his resurrection, and how they received Him and his joy was full.

"And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them."

(3 Nephi 17:10, 20-21)

Day 2887

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 48:10

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 48:10

"Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

I pondered on how you are not chosen because you suffered. People can suffer and turn away from God and curse him. The furnace of affliction is the refiner's fire. That is when you learn more about God because you turn to him during your suffering. This is my favorite part of the gospel, enduring to the end. Through it comes a personal relationship with the Lord, otherwise you cannot endure. He becomes your refuge and stay. That is truly when we have been chosen because we chose Him.

Day 2886

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 47:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 47:2

"Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers."

From the footnotes I learn they are warned to prepare to become slaves. They are on the way to exile. Why is this? In verse 8 the reason is given.

"Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:"

I think this is why it bothers me when people preach "I am", affirmation statements, and occult practices like the law of attraction. They just don't see how offensive this is to God. None is greater than His Son who sought only to do the will of the Father. These false teachings are just so dangerous. At first they can seem so innocent, but they can go totally out of control fueling pride. Somethings being taught to our children in the end can be the spiritual downfall and loss of them.

Day 2885

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 46:12-13

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 46:12-13

"Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:

I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory."

I pondered on how near the Lord is, if we but turned our hearts back to him. He is not slow to answer the honest in heart, that desire to know him. His hands are stretched out still.

Day 2884

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 45:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 45:18

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."

This reminded me of this.

"And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. "

(Moses 1:31, 33)

The earth was created to be inhabited. Each world that has been created has been for God's own purposes. In this world God created man in his own image. That was part of his purpose.

"And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them."

(Moses 2:27)

It does make me wonder if in other worlds he did not create man in his own image. Otherwise, where did the Cherubims and Seraphims that minister in the heavenly sanctuary, Holy of Holies, and guard the tree of life come from?

"Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly."

(Isaiah 6:2)

"So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

(Genesis 3:24)

"And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly."

(Hebrew 9:5)

Day 2883

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 44:28

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 44:28

"That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid."

I didn't realize there was any discussion on the legitimacy of Isaiah naming Cyrus 140 years before he was born, as the one to restore Judah to its homeland. To me this is a prophecy and I accept it as written in the bible. I found that Josephus quoted Cyrus writing, that the words of Isaiah inspired him to fulfill that promise.

“‘… he (God) stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia:—

"Thus saith Cyrus the king.—Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea.”

This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision:—

My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.

This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and, besides that, beasts for their sacrifices.’ (Antiq. XI, 1, 2)” (Sidney B. Sperry, The Voice of Israel’s Prophets, pp. 107–8.)

Day 2882

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 43:18-19

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 43:18-19

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

This made me ponder on "new things". I think the greatest change man saw was the fulfilling of the law of Moses, and the ending of animal sacrifices in a similitude of Christ's redeeming sacrifice. He came and fulfilled the law, and now we live a higher law. There have been changes to programs and instructions over the years, which I have been able to witness. There are changes still to come.

I also read in the Old Testament Institute manual where LeGrand Richards spoke of a literal fulfillment of Isaiah's words:

“Isaiah said: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing,’ and as far as my understanding of this scripture is concerned, that new thing was the great principle of irrigation. It is true the Saints had to make the canals, they had to make the ditches, they had to put in the dams, but the land might have remained arid had not the Lord put into their minds the inspiration to do this very thing, and that is what Isaiah saw that the Lord would do. He said:

“If you want to see the rivers in the desert, just go up through Idaho and see the great canals that come out of the Snake River. They are greater than many of the rivers of the land.

“So as you brethren gather in your crops by day in the harvest time, remember that it was the Lord God of Israel who did this new thing in this great wilderness to make it to prosper as a rose and to be a land that would attract the attention of all the world.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1948, pp. 44–45.)

(Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi, "The God of Israel and the Nations (Isaiah 36-37)", section 16-27)

It does make me wonder on all the changes and new things that are to come.

Day 2881

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 42:8

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 42:8

"I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

This made me think of the pre-existence when someone else wanted all the power and glory.

"But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;"

(Moses 4:2-3)

The Beloved Son came to do the Father's will, and the glory upon Him is not something he can turn aside, and sell for a mess of pottage. It would frustrate the whole entire plan of salvation.

Isaiah's word are a foreshadow of events when Satan would try to tempt the Lord.

"Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God.

(JST, Matthew 4:1)

After having spent 40 days communing with God, I picture the Savior learned of his full role and ministry to come. He knew he would drink the bitter cup, make an infinite atonement and die for our sins.

"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."

(Matthew 4:8-9)

What Satan offered was a way for the Lord to bypass the infinite atonement he was to make, and take an easier way out. It was all lies and empty promises. The Lord would not give up his glory and worship an empty god. He came to do the will of the Father and be our Savior. How grateful I am for the choice that He willingly made.

Day 2880

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 41:15-16

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 41:15-16

"Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel."

This reminded me of an article I read over five years ago, "Isaiah Prophesied of This Powerful 'Last Days' Weapon, and You Have One". In this article is showed a "sharp threshing instrument" which was an ancient farm implement used for harvesting grains. It very much so looks like a computer keyboard. This new sharp threshing instrument would be our keyboards. We would write and it would be carried by the wind and scattered. Sure sounds like the internet to me. That articled stayed with me along with the Elder Bednar's apostolic invitation.

“My beloved brothers and sisters, what has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning at this place on this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”

(Elder David A. Bednar, address given on 19 Aug 2014, BYU Education Week, printed "Flood the Earth through Social Media", Aug 2015 Liahona)

When I first read that article on the threshing instrument I was 947 days into sharing my favorite verse on social media, inspired by Elder Bednar's invitation. Today its been 2879 days.

Day 2879