A Paraphrasing of Isaiah 49
Here is a simple paraphrasing of Isaiah 49 that will hopefully the reader gain a better understanding of this wonderful chapter.
"Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out" and "that are scattered abroad" "because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people."
The reason Israel is scattered is because of wicked pastors. Wicked pastors administer false gospel ordinances, wherein there are no eternal families. This is why Israel is "broken off," as a branch is broken off from a family tree. Their ancestors and children are lost, eternally speaking.
Jesus desired to graft Israel back into the true gospel of eternal families. But he did not accomplish this in His mortal life. In mourning for this, Jesus spoke these words to God. "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain"—for my God "hath called me from the womb" that I should gather Israel again to him. But I did not accomplish this during my mortal ministry. Israel was still scattered.
But God comforted Jesus, "Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall [you] be glorious in the eyes of the Lord," for you shall accomplish the atonement. "It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant... to restore the preserved of Israel" in comparison to the atonement that shall be for ALL, both Jew and Gentile alike. But be patient, for the time will come in the latter-days that "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles," that thou mayest not only save and restore Israel, but "thou shalt also be my salvation unto ALL the ends of the earth," not just Israel (italics and caps added).
The reason Israel is scattered is because of wicked pastors. Wicked pastors administer false gospel ordinances, wherein there are no eternal families. This is why Israel is "broken off," as a branch is broken off from a family tree. Their ancestors and children are lost, eternally speaking.
Jesus desired to graft Israel back into the true gospel of eternal families. But he did not accomplish this in His mortal life. In mourning for this, Jesus spoke these words to God. "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain"—for my God "hath called me from the womb" that I should gather Israel again to him. But I did not accomplish this during my mortal ministry. Israel was still scattered.
But God comforted Jesus, "Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall [you] be glorious in the eyes of the Lord," for you shall accomplish the atonement. "It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant... to restore the preserved of Israel" in comparison to the atonement that shall be for ALL, both Jew and Gentile alike. But be patient, for the time will come in the latter-days that "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles," that thou mayest not only save and restore Israel, but "thou shalt also be my salvation unto ALL the ends of the earth," not just Israel (italics and caps added).
The rest of this chapter is directed to comfort Israel regarding the loss of their eternal families—this loss that they wrongfully endured because of the wicked pastors.
The Lord promises: "In an acceptable time" I shall restore the gospel, and I shall "give thee my servant" Joseph Smith to restore the temple "covenant of the people,"—for this purpose—"to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages" (note the desolate heritage of family lines that shall now be inherited); "That thou mayest say to the prisoners”—to those that are imprisoned by man-made covenants of no eternal family value—thou shalt say to them: "Go forth; [and] to them that sit in darkness"—the darkness of the apostasy and spirit prison—"Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures"—the pastures of the temple—"shall be in all high places... For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them." The Lord will be their guide, and He shall lead them into the good pasture of the temple.
"And then, O house of Israel, behold, these [that are so deeply seeking temple blessings] shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west..."
"But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me--but he will show that he hath not.
"For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel." 'I will not forget thy lost children, O house of Israel.'
"For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants." Thou wast not sealed eternally, and so thy posterity was as a desolate place, lost from thee. But now that thou shalt be sealed, thy dwelling place shall be too narrow by reason of thy posterity inhabiting it. So much so that "the children whom thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the first, shall again in thine ears say: The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell."
"Then shalt thou say in thine heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children [because I did not have the eternal temple covenants]? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?"
The Lord then answers:
"Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people." I shall give the Gentiles the gospel. They shall perform vicarious temple work for the deceased of Israel—for those children whom thou thought thou hast lost. And because of this work that the Gentiles shall perform, "they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders."
"And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." The kings and queens—those who have already performed their own work in the temples—shall carry and nurse the children of Israel home!
"Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?" The mighty herein represent the wicked pastors that entrap their prey with false doctrines and ordinances, and the prey represent the people of Israel, whose children are lost because of these false ordinances.
"But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." Read this last sentence again: I will save thy children! I will provide them and you with necessary, exalting, eternal, temple ordinances.
"And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh"—with their own damnable, non-binding, ineffectual ordinances. "They shall be drunken with their own blood"—their own false doctrines—"as with sweet wine." And because of this distortion of the senses, they shall reject the gospel in favor of the consumption of their own flesh and blood. They shall not have an eternal temple family. "And all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
To me, this is one of the most beautiful chapters in all the scriptures.
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