Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Take time to ponder the truths you identify. Praying and carefully thinking about spiritual lessons will allow the Holy Ghost to teach you how to become more like Jesus Christ.
Begin your study with prayer.
Have you ever wondered if the Lord is aware of you and your struggles?
A young woman named Rachel described an experience in which she realized that the Lord is aware of her. What did she do to learn this truth for herself?
In Isaiah’s day, some of the Israelites placed their trust in false gods represented by idols rather than trusting in the living God to help them with their problems.
How does the choice that these Israelites made relate to what would have happened if you had chosen to fall off the chair with only a statue or picture to catch you?
We read in Isaiah 42–47 that Isaiah tried to help the people understand that they needed to place their trust in Jesus Christ. As you study these chapters, look for truths that will help you trust in the Savior.
In Isaiah 42 we read that Isaiah wrote about the Messiah, which is a title for Jesus Christ. The title Messiah means “the anointed” and is the Old Testament equivalent of the New Testament title of “Christ” (see Bible Dictionary, “Messiah”).
Read Isaiah 42:5–7, looking for what Isaiah said about the Messiah.
Notice the phrase “to bring out the prisoners from the prison” in Isaiah 42:7. This phrase can refer to freeing those in spiritual captivity both on earth and in the spirit world (see footnotes c, d).
During His earthly ministry Jesus Christ taught the gospel. Christ’s gospel makes it possible for God’s children to become free from spiritual captivity through His Atonement. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, His spirit went to the spirit world, where He preached the gospel.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19, 30–31, looking for what happened in the spirit world shortly after Jesus Christ died on the cross. You may want to write this scripture reference as a cross-reference in your scriptures next to Isaiah 42:7.
Notice that Jesus Christ organized the preaching of the gospel by the righteous to those in spirit prison. From Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19, 30–31 and Isaiah 42:7, we learn that Jesus Christ’s Atonement makes it possible for all, including those who have already died, to accept the gospel and become free from the captivity of sin.
Read Isaiah 42:16–18, looking for the results of trusting in the Savior versus trusting in false gods.
In Isaiah 43:6–28 we read that the Lord told the Israelites that they were witnesses of Him because of the great things He had done for them, and He emphasized that there is no Savior other than Him.
Even with all of the evidence of the Lord’s power to save them, the Israelites still turned to false gods for help with their problems. Similarly, in our day, people may turn to false gods for help with their problems. These false gods may be wealth, possessions, physical strength, appearance, popularity, or intelligence.
In Isaiah 44, Isaiah described gods and images that people in his day were making out of wood. Read Isaiah 44:10, 15–20, and think about why it is foolish and wrong to seek help from false gods.
In verse 16, what did the Lord say that wood could do for the people? Yet what did the people ask of these wooden idols in verse 17?
1. Think about what you have learned from these verses. What difficulties might people face when they seek to be delivered from their problems by false gods?
In Isaiah 44:21–45:22, we read that the Lord reminded the Israelites to turn to Him for deliverance from their problems.
Read Isaiah 45:5, 6, 18, looking for the phrase “I am the Lord, and there is none else” and similar phrases in Isaiah 45:21, 22. You may want to mark these phrases.
What can we learn about Jesus Christ from these verses?
In Isaiah’s day, many in Israel had turned to two false gods, Bel and Nebo, for help with their problems. In Isaiah 46:1–2 we read that not only could Bel and Nebo not help the Israelites, but the figures of these false gods would also become part of the burden that the animals carried as the Israelites went into captivity.
Read Isaiah 46:3–5, looking for what the Savior said He would do for the Israelites. (The word borne in verse 3 means carried, and the words “hoar hairs” in verse 4 refer to gray hairs of old age [see Isaiah 46:4, footnote b].)
According to verse 4, what will the Savior do for those who trust in and worship Him?
Your Trust in the Lord
From Isaiah 46:3–5 we learn that if we trust in the Savior, He will carry and deliver us. Knowing that the Savior will carry and deliver us can help us to trust Him more.
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained what it means to trust in Jesus Christ. You can read the text for this video here: “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17.
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained what it means to trust in Jesus Christ.
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Richard G. Scott
“This life is an experience in profound trust—trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings for happiness now and for a purposeful, supremely happy eternal existence. To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Prov. 3:5–7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.
“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it” (Richard G. Scott, “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).
3. Do one of the following:
List two or three common obstacles to fully trusting in the Lord. Share a scripture or statement from a Church leader that could help someone overcome this challenge.
Share an experience of how you (or someone you know) have felt the Savior carry or deliver you.
Share one thing you will do this week to show that you trust in the Savior.
In Isaiah 47 we learn that Isaiah prophesied that Babylon and the Chaldeans (the inhabitants of Babylon) would be destroyed because of the sinfulness of the people. The kingdom of Babylon is frequently used in the scriptures to symbolize the world. Isaiah’s prophecy that the daughters of Babylon would be destroyed can be likened to people who revel in their sins and iniquities and refuse to repent.
Carefully consider where you place your trust when you experience difficulties. As you trust in the Savior, He will help you in ways that no one else can. If you have not done so already, determine what you will do this week to place greater faith in the Savior.
