Isaiah saw the Lord, and the Lord called Isaiah to minister to the people of Judah, the southern kingdom. Syria and Israel, the northern kingdom, united to attack Judah, which caused fear in the kingdom of Judah. Isaiah encouraged King Ahaz and the people of Judah to rely on the Lord for deliverance and to not seek help from Assyria. Isaiah also prophesied of the destruction of the wicked, the gathering of Israel in the latter days, and the power of Jesus Christ to save His people if they will repent.
Write on the board the following key statement of doctrine, which is found in Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2018), 8.2: The sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between a man and a woman who have been lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
Beneath this statement write Genesis 39:9.
Display the following four images. Ask students to consider how each of the images could be used if they were asked to teach a lesson about the key statement of doctrine on the board.
Invite a few students to tell the class which images they would use and why. Invite the class to repeat in unison three times the key statement of doctrine on the board along with the reference to Genesis 39:9. Consider erasing words from the key statement of doctrine each time students recite it.
Isaiah sees the Lord in vision and is called to prophesy to the people
Ask students what worries or concerns they might have if they were called on a mission to a wicked people.
Explain that Isaiah 6 begins with a vision that Isaiah had when he was called to serve the Lord. Invite a student to read Isaiah 6:1–4 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what Isaiah saw in this vision.
You may want to explain that seraphim are “angelic beings” that minister in the courts of God (Bible Dictionary, “Seraphim”). The wings of the seraphim are symbolic of power to move or to act (see D&C 77:4).
Invite a student to read Isaiah 6:5 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for how Isaiah felt in the presence of the Lord.
How did Isaiah feel in the Lord’s presence? Why? (You may want to point out to students the explanation in Isaiah 6:5, footnote a, to help them understand how Isaiah felt.)
Invite students to ponder times when they have felt they were in a very holy place or in the presence of someone very holy.
Ask a student to read Isaiah 6:6–7 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what happened to Isaiah in his vision. Explain that the coal taken from the altar was a symbol of cleansing (see Isaiah 6:6, footnote a).
According to verse 7, what did the seraphim say had happened to Isaiah’s sins? (They had been “purged,” or removed from him.)
What feelings might you have if a messenger from the Lord pronounced you clean from your sins? Why might you have those feelings?
Ask a student to read Isaiah 6:8 aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord asked and how Isaiah responded.
How did Isaiah respond to the Lord’s invitation to serve? (Explain that this invitation was Isaiah’s call to be a prophet.)
How might the knowledge that he was clean from sin affect Isaiah’s willingness to serve the Lord?
From what you learned about Isaiah in this account, how can being cleansed from our sins affect our desire to serve the Lord? (Students may identify a principle such as the following: As we are forgiven of our sins, we become more willing to do what God asks of us.)
Explain that when we are clean from our sins, we have a greater desire to serve the Lord and to help others draw closer to Him and become clean as well.
Explain that Isaiah 6:9–10 describes the people to whom Isaiah was called to preach. Invite a student to read Isaiah 6:9–10 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what the Lord said about how the people would respond to Isaiah’s message.
What did the Lord tell Isaiah about how the people would respond to his message? (The people would reject his message and thereby harden their hearts [“make the heart of this people fat”] and become spiritually deaf [“make their ears heavy”] and blind [“shut their eyes”]. You may want to clarify that the Lord did not want the people to harden their hearts and become spiritually deaf and blind. Rather, the Lord’s words recorded in verse 10 describe the people’s response to Isaiah’s preaching—they would choose to not listen.)
Ask students if they know what their name means. Invite a few students to share. Then ask if any of them know why their parents gave them their name, and invite a few students to share.
Explain that Isaiah 7–9 contains Isaiah’s prophecies about conflict between Judah, Israel, Syria, and Assyria. Isaiah used the symbolism of his name and the names of his children to teach his message. When Israel and Syria threatened to attack Judah, Ahaz, king of Judah, looked to Assyria for protection. Isaiah encouraged King Ahaz and the people of Judah to rely on the Lord for deliverance and to not seek help from Assyria.
Invite a student to read Isaiah 7:3; 8:3 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what Isaiah named his two sons.
What names did Isaiah give to his sons?
Draw three columns on the board, and label them Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Shear-jashub, and Isaiah. Then ask students to read Isaiah 7:3, footnote a;8:1, footnote d; and 8:18, footnote a, to discover the meaning of each name. Invite students to report what they find, and write the meanings on the board under the appropriate name (see the chart below).
Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Shear-jashub
Isaiah
(1) “To speed to the spoil” (destruction) or (2) “he hastens the prey” or (3) destruction is imminent
“The remnant shall return”
(1) The Lord is salvation or (2) “Jehovah saves”
Invite a student to read Isaiah 8:18 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for how Isaiah saw himself and his sons in relation to the children of Israel.
Explain that Isaiah’s and his son’s names were signs of the great things the Lord would do to Israel. Their names represent three themes that are prevalent in Isaiah’s writings: (1) the destruction the people would face if they persisted in wickedness, (2) the eventual gathering of Israel back to the promised land and to God’s covenant, and (3) the power of Jesus Christ to save His people.
Write the following references on cards or pieces of paper, and hand them out to students. (Provide duplicate references if you have a large class, or give students more than one reference if your class is small.)
Invite students to read the reference on their card and to decide which of the three themes their scripture passage relates to. Ask students to take turns summarizing what they read and what they feel they can learn from that particular prophecy. You could invite students to place their cards under the appropriate columns on the board.
Remind students that as recorded in chapter 7, Isaiah told King Ahaz not to trust in Assyria for strength but rather to trust in the Lord. To encourage Ahaz, Isaiah told him the Lord would give him a sign. Invite a student to read Isaiah 7:14–16 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the prophecy foretold to King Ahaz.
What sign did the Lord give to King Ahaz?
Write the name Immanuel on the board. Ask students to read verse 14, footnote e, to discover the meaning of the name Immanuel. Write “God is with us” on the board under the name Immanuel. (You might point out that Isaiah 8:8, 10 also refers to Immanuel and the meaning of the name, “God is with us.”)
What should Ahaz have learned from this sign?
What principle can we learn from the sign given to King Ahaz? (Students may use different words but should identify the following principle: If we always put our trust in the Lord, He will be with us during times of difficulty.)
What are some difficult situations that teenagers face in which remembering and applying this principle could be helpful?
How has the Lord been with you or with someone you know during a difficult time?
Invite students to ponder what they can do today to put greater trust in the Lord.
Explain that Isaiah 9 contains another prophecy of Jesus Christ in which various names of the Savior are mentioned. Invite a student to read Isaiah 9:6–7 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for names of Jesus Christ. Invite students to report what they find.
What do these names teach you about Jesus Christ? (Help students identify the following truth: Jesus Christ is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.)
Which of these names stands out to you? Why?
To help students understand how Jesus Christ can be referred to as both the Father and the Son, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
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M. Russell Ballard
“How can Jesus Christ be both the Father and the Son? It really isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Though He is the Son of God, He is the head of the Church, which is the family of believers. When we are spiritually born again, we are adopted into His family. He becomes our Father or leader. …
“In no way does this doctrine denigrate the role of God the Father. Rather, we believe it enhances our understanding of the role of God the Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. God our Heavenly Father is the Father of our spirits; we speak of God the Son as the Father of the righteous. He is regarded as the ‘Father’ because of the relationship between Him and those who accept His gospel, thereby becoming heirs of eternal life” (M. Russell Ballard, “Building Bridges of Understanding,” Ensign, June 1998, 66–67).
Invite a few students to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ. You may want to share your testimony as well.
Draw students’ attention to the names of Isaiah and his sons and their meanings. Invite students to look for these three themes as they continue to study Isaiah.
Encourage students to share with a friend or family member what stood out to them during the lesson today.
Commentary and Background Information
Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21. “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still”
Isaiah may have intended more than one meaning with the phrase “his hand is stretched out still,” because the Lord’s hand can be extended for both justice and mercy. One meaning may be that because the people of Isaiah’s time did not turn away from sin (see Isaiah 9:13–16), they would experience the Lord’s hand in the form of destruction. But Isaiah may have also been teaching that the Lord still offered hope for eventual mercy if the people would repent. The phrase “his hand is stretched out still” indicates that “in spite of all, the Lord is available if [we] will turn to Him” (Isaiah 9:12, footnote d).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminded us of the merciful aspect of this imagery:
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“To all of you who think you are lost or without hope, or who think you have done too much that was too wrong for too long, to every one of you who worry that you are stranded … , this conference calls out Jehovah’s unrelenting refrain, ‘[My] hand is stretched out still’ [Isaiah 5:25; 9:17, 21]. ‘I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them,’ He said, ‘[and even if they] deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, … if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts’ [2 Nephi 28:32]. His mercy endureth forever, and His hand is stretched out still. His is the pure love of Christ, the charity that never faileth, that compassion which endures even when all other strength disappears [see Moroni 7:46–47].
“I testify of this reaching, rescuing, merciful Jesus, that this is His redeeming Church based on His redeeming love” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Prophets in the Land Again,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 106–7).
