Prepare your mind and heart to learn. As you prayerfully study the scriptures, you can learn through the Spirit and receive personal revelation that meets your needs and circumstances.
Begin your study with prayer.
Sometimes when people sin, they feel unworthy and may question whether the Lord still loves them. Have you ever felt this way?
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided these comforting words to anyone who worries about how the Lord feels about him or her because of past sins. You can read the text for this video here: “Repent … That I May Heal You,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 40–41.
Think about how you would respond in the following scenario:
Your friend has committed some serious sins over the past several months and has stopped attending church. After several weeks, you tell him he is missed and needed at church. He says, “There is no way the Lord would want me back after what I have done.”
As you study Isaiah 54–55, look for truths that can help individuals who question whether they can return to the Lord after they have sinned.
Notice that during his life, Isaiah witnessed the scattering of the Northern Kingdom of Israel because of the wickedness of its people. He also prophesied that because of the wickedness of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, it too would be conquered. In Isaiah 54:1–3 we read that the Lord spoke of the growth that the house of Israel would experience in the last days after being gathered.
Read Isaiah 54:4–6, looking for what the Lord said gathered Israel would forget.
The phrases “the shame of thy youth” and “the reproach of thy widowhood” in Isaiah 54:4 describe Israel’s condition of losing the blessings of having a close covenant relationship with the Lord.
Notice in verses 5 and 6 that the Lord described His relationship with Israel as a marriage in which He is the husband and Israel is the wife. Think about why it would be comforting for Israel to know that her “husband” is the Redeemer and “God of the whole earth” (verse 5).
Read Isaiah 54:7–10, looking for a truth that would give the Israelites hope while they experienced the consequences of their sins.
What truth from these verses brings hope to those who feel overwhelmed by weakness and sin?
The Lord’s Mercy
From Isaiah 54:7–10, we can learn that the Lord is merciful and seeks to gather back to Him those who have sinned.
Read the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Notice what he says about God’s merciful nature.
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 33).
1. Using what you learned from Isaiah 54:7–10 and this statement by Elder Holland, what would you say to someone who had sinned and felt like the Lord would never want him or her back?
In Isaiah 55:1–3 we learn that the Lord invited His people to come unto Him to enjoy the eternal blessings He freely offers rather than waste their effort in worldly pursuits that do not provide true satisfaction.
We read in Isaiah 55:4–5 that after being gathered, the Lord’s covenant people will lead others, and nations will come to them because the Lord has glorified His people.
Read Isaiah 55:6–7, looking for what we should do to receive the Lord’s mercy.
What principle can we learn from these verses about what we should do to receive the Lord’s mercy?
The Lord’s Mercy
From Isaiah 55:6–7, we can learn that if we return to the Lord, then He will have mercy on us. You may want to mark the phrases in verses 6–7 that teach this principle. Think about what the phrase “he will abundantly pardon” in Isaiah 55:7 teaches about the Lord’s kind and merciful nature.
Read the following statement by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. What does it mean to return to the Lord when we have sinned?
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Neil L. Andersen
“When we sin, we turn away from God. When we repent, we turn back toward God.
“The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to ‘re-turn’ toward God [see Helaman 7:17]” (Neil L. Andersen, “Repent … That I May Heal You,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 40).
Reflect on times when you have repented and experienced the Lord’s mercy, as well as on reasons you seek His mercy today.
In your Notes on LDS.org or in a personal journal, write one way you will return to or come closer to the Lord this week.
Have you ever thought about doing something differently than the way the Lord has directed or wondered why the Lord directs His children to do things in a certain way?
Read Isaiah 55:8–9, looking for what the Lord taught about His ways compared to our ways.
What truth can we learn about the Lord from these verses?
In Isaiah 55:10–57:21, we read that the Lord assured His people that His words would be fulfilled. He spoke against the wickedness of the people. However, He also promised that He would bless the righteous who would love and serve Him and take “hold of [His] covenant” (Isaiah 56:4, 6).
Read Isaiah 57:13–15, looking for the blessings that those who trust the Lord will enjoy. The word contrite in verse 15 means sorrowful.
Now that you have studied Isaiah 54–57, take a minute to reflect on what you have studied and learned. The Holy Ghost will teach you what you need to remember and focus on. You may want to write in a personal journal or your Notes on LDS.org what you are impressed to do and make a plan to act on those impressions.
Isaiah 58:13–14 helps teach the following key statement of doctrine (which can be found in paragraph 9.3 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document): God commands His children to honor Him by doing His will rather than our own on the Sabbath, and He promises great blessings to those who keep His day holy.
Read Isaiah 58:13–14, looking for how this passage helps teach this key statement of doctrine.
