One Weird Trick to Understanding Isaiah

It’s easier than you think.

Here’s the solution

For those of you who prefer the answer up front, here is the one weird trick to understanding Isaiah:

Expect anything but a linear, organized story. Prime your mind to accept the idea of a fragmented narrative structure with constantly shifting focal points. 

Don't expect one scene, concept, or sentence to connect to the next logically.

Finally, trust your mind to track and reassemble the pieces into a narrative that makes sense.

That's the trick!

More details and expanded commentary are below if you want to keep reading. You may discover some interesting concepts!

The Isaiah Roadblock

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members know the excellent "Come Follow Me" study schedule.

For anyone who is curious and does not know, "Come Follow Me" is a four-year rotating curriculum for studying the faith's scriptures, also known as the "Standard Works."

The program of study rolls along and dives into one of the canons of scripture each year: The Old Testament, The New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. After a four-year cycle, the typical member would have had the opportunity for a detailed study of each of the four books of scripture through personal daily study and during Sunday School. 

2024 is the year to study the Book of Mormon year. And this is the week the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, included in the Book of Mormon, are upon us! 

The "Isaiah Chapters" Pose a Conundrum

On one hand, Isaiah's writings are obviously of great worth.

He covers period contemporary and doctrinal topics like these:

• Commentary of what was happening in his day. This includes the wars, the scattering of Israel, its captivity, and the fall of Assyria and Babylon.

• The birth, mission, atonement, and second coming of Jesus Christ.

• The scattering and gathering of Israel.

• The restoration of all aspects of the gospel, including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

• The establishment of Zion.

• The last days.

On the other hand, Isaiah's writings could be more clear!

The "Isaiah Chapters" in the Book of Mormon is where readers commonly run face-first into a brick wall.

A brick wall I am well familiar with.

For decades, comprehending the words of Isaiah was evasive. I found reading Isaiah's writing style to be "shoot myself in the face" confusing and frustrating. 

I did not understand them.

It feels like a test of some kind.

Reading the Book of Mormon up until this point is a delight. Thirty-three chapters filled with exciting narratives, stories, and refreshing doctrine with just a little smattering of Isaiah sprinkled in.

Then, BAM! A thirteen-chapter flood of Isaiah's writings to wade through. 

At this point, many readers throw up their hands in frustration. Trying to decipher what they are reading seems impossible. Some even quit reading the Book of Mormon altogether.

Not understanding Isaiah bothered me

Nephi thought Isaiah's words were important and necessary for the family's spiritual guidance and survival. The recorded story tells that Father Lehi asked Nephi and his three older brothers to risk their lives, return to Jerusalem, and retrieve historical brass plates of scripture that included, among other items, the writings of Isaiah.

In his later metal scrivening, Nephi states the words of Isaiah "are of worth unto the children of men."

Then, speaking to those who think otherwise, Nephi doubles down, "for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them;  for their good have I written them." (2 Nephi 25:8)

Nephi piles on with a third volley aimed at the heart of my spiritual insecurity,

"Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. (2 Nephi 25:4)

The last phrase echoes in my head, "Nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy."

"That's just great!" the voice in my head responds to the echo, then shouts back, "It is quite obvious that when it comes to the spirit of prophecy, your tank is empty, bud!"

Personal bummer.

The One Weird Trick solution to understanding Isaiah expanded

Would Isaiah be diagnosed with ADD today?

The light for understanding Isaiah came on for me while reading "Isaiah for Air Heads" by John Bytheway, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006.

Frustrated at my lack of comprehension of the ancient prophets' words, I purchased the book.

I immediately understood! One reason is that I had what could be considered a personal connection with the Prophet - Attention Deficit.

I don't know if Isaiah would be considered to exhibit traits of ADD today. But there is no doubt his writings are all over the place!

His mind was an active place.

I can identify with that, too.

Or, maybe he had suffered some trauma.

Or,  his mortal mind simply couldn't keep up with all the revelations he received.

Regardless of the reasons, he was always jumping around and writing first about one topic and then switching to another. And another. Then, back to the first topic.

The man had so much going on in his mind. He was definitely not a sequential storyteller! 

It's only fair to remember he was mortal, just like you and me. He had his challenges and deserves some friendly consideration.

But one thing I am sure of is his writings have eternal value. It is worth putting effort into an attempt at understanding.

Your mind can reassemble fragmented information into sensible order

The human brain is an amazing computer.

It can automatically organize and catalog what seems to be chaotic data into a proper order.

I learned that principle firsthand when I took an Evelyn Wood speed reading course many years ago.

The exercise entailed reading a 1000-word or so deconstructed story. The words of the story were all jumbled and didn't make any sense at first.

Following the instructions, I dove in and started reading. It was frustrating at first. But about a fourth of the way in, some of the story began to make sense. Then, more and more became clear as I read.

I was not alone. 

About 45 of us were in the seminar, silently reading the same text.

As the reading time progressed, someone would chuckle here and there. Then, another student would laugh and say something like, "Oh! That's funny!" We all understood the storyline, characters, nuance, and humor when we finished the text.

Our brains had digested the words and rearranged them into something that made sense.

Keep that in mind when reading Isaiah.

"Technicolor Isaiah" - Another Method to Try

This suggestion is from Church Magazines by LaRene Porter Gaunt.

This idea is similar to recognizing fragmented ideas and reconstructing the pieces into a logical narrative.

In this approach, they choose a color for each topic and then highlight the subject content read with the associated color in a manner that suits your fancy. Perhaps something like this:

Red - For commentary regarding current events, such as wars, political leaders, and culture.

Yellow - The birth, mission, atonement, and second coming of Jesus Christ.

Blue - The scattering of Israel.

Orange - The gathering of Israel.

Green - The restoration of the gospel, including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Purple - The establishment of Zion.

Pink - The last days.

Then, go back and read the text grouped by color. Read all the reds together,  all the blues, all the pinks, etc.

There you have it! A couple of ideas for reading and comprehending Isaiah

There is nothing to fear and a lot to gain.

Make a game out of Identifying the parts and reassembling them.

It is like taking a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle on New Year's Eve, dumping all the pieces on a big table, and mixing them together.

Then, pick up one piece at a time, figure out what part of the puzzle it belongs to, and start assembling the puzzle pieces until the whole image is completed.

Like the jigsaw puzzle, your brain will reassemble the fragmented thoughts Isaiah shares into a colorful tapestry of understanding.

The reassembly and comprehension process is even more productive when you invite the Holy Ghost to the party.

***

Thanks for reading and pondering with me!

Russell Anderson