ISAIAH 49 (1 NEPHI 21)

Bruce Satterfield
Department of Religious Education
Brigham Young University - Idaho

1-3  The Lord, speaking to scattered Israel (Israel in bondage), calls a servant to redeem captive Israel.  This is the second of what has been called the "servant songs" of Isaiah (there are four servant songs).  There is much debate about who the servant is.  In this chapter, the servant is identified as "Israel" (vs 3).  LDS scholars have identified the servant Israel as Christ, Joseph Smith, or Ephraim (the birthright tribe of Israel).  The servant is, in fact, all three of them since Christ is the Redeemer of captive Israel and Christ always works through his prophets beginning with Joseph Smith who is the head of Ephraim in the last days.  Since the death of Joseph Smith, Ephraim has continued on the redemptive process (missionary work, perfecting the saints, and redeeming the dead) of Israel under the direction of Joseph Smith's succeeding prophets.  The prophets have made it clear that it is Ephraim's birthright to gather the rest of Israel (Deut. 33:17; Jer. 31:6-9; D&C 58:44-45; 133:19-34; Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, pp. 528-529; Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p 289; Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, pp. 122-125).
      The servant is armed for battle in the following way: (1) called from the womb (foreordained); (2) mouth like a sharp sword (the word of God which is powerful enough to penetrate the soul of man); (3) in the shadow of His hand he hid me . . . in his quiver hath he hid me (the priesthood and priesthood bearers of Christ "have been hid from the world" until Joseph Smith and the restoration - D&C 86:8-9); (4) a polished shaft (like a reed that is polished and prepared to be an arrow so the servant has been prepared by the Lord to redeem Israel).  Having been prepared to fight, the servant begins the act of redemption.

4  Redeeming (missionary work) Israel is discouraging work at times.

5-6  These verses describe the two-fold work of the servant in the last days:  (1) to bring back, raise up, and restore the tribes of Jacob (Israel) to their God; (2) to be a light unto the Gentile nations.

7-12  In these verses, Israel is released from bondage (bondage symbolizes sin and the scattered condition of Israel).
7  The Redeemer talks to his servant.  The servant, like the mortal Christ, is despised of by man and nations abhor him (the latter-day church is often ridiculed for its beliefs and actions).  Yet, because the servant remains faithful to his calling (does not give in to the persecution), in time the world will come to honor him as "Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship."
8  The Lord declares that Israel will be redeemed from bondage in "an acceptable time" (the early 1800's in America where there was religious freedom and the church could be restored).  Like ancient Israel, who was in the bondage of the Egyptians had been promised by covenant that a redeemer (Moses) who would redeem them from bondage, so latter-day Israel is promised the "servant" by covenant to redeem them.  This servant (Ephraim) will "establish," prepare and build latter-day Zion throughout "the earth" (not just tiny Palestine) so that Israel will return to her promised land "to inherit the desolate heritages" which she lost as a result of spiritual poverty.
9-10  The "prisoners" (Israel) who "sit in darkness" (spiritual darkness) are freed.  They will feed and drink freely on the food the Lord provides similar to the manna and water from the rock the Lord provided the Israelites who had been redeemed from the Egyptian bondage. The food and water are reminiscent of the fruit of the tree of life and the living waters in Lehi's dream.  The Lord will guide them to this plentiful feast.  Note D&C 45:28, which says: "And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel."  Also note the phrase, "he (the Lord) that hath mercy on them shall lead them."  It is verses like this and verse 13 that justify Nephi quoting these chapters for Nephi uses these chapters as part of his proof of his thesis which he stated in 1 Nephi 1:20 (the thesis statement for all of 1 Nephi).
11  To all peoples in the ancient near east, including Israel, mountains were the sacred places of deities.  They were the houses of deity (temples).  Mountains, then, may symbolize the way of God or the strait and narrow path.  Consequently, the Lord is saying to latter-day Israel, "I will make all my mountains (temples-or his ways) a way" or in other words, his temples or teachings will show the way to redemption.  In the last days, the highways (the Lord's strait and narrow path) "shall be exalted" (lifted above the ways of the world).  Cf. 2 Nephi 12:2-4/Isaiah 2:2-4.

13-26  Zion is rebuilt and repopulated in the last days.
13  The feet of those who are in the east" initially had reference to the Jews who had been taken captive into Babylon (east of Israel).  They would once again be established in the gospel.  Referring to latter-day Israel, this statement would refer to those who have been captive by the ways of the world (modern Babylon).
14-16  Even though Zion, in her scattered condition, has said the Lord has forsaken her, the Lord will show by prophecy that He has not forsaken her, but in fact, He will redeem her.  He has even sketched a plan of her redemption on the palms of his hands. Because hands are symbolic of work, the Lord is saying that He has already planned the work of the redemption of captive (scattered) Israel.
17  The plan includes Israel returning from her captors.  This initially had reference to the returning of the Jews from Babylon.  However, to latter-day Israel this verse means they must leave the ways of the world and joining the church of God and following the strait and narrow of God.
18  Having left the ways of the world, Israel, who because of her transgressions in the past had been divorced of the Lord and His covenant, is now remarried to the Lord and covenant (the covenant of the gospel which is initiated at baptism and finalized in the temple where the Abrahamic covenant is fully advanced) and she is now happy.  Peace and righteousness resulting in happiness has returned to Israel (Recall 1 Nephi 20:18 where captive Israel has no peace and righteousness).
19-21  With the Abrahamic covenant being renewed, Israel (the modern church) begins to bear many children (the righteous who have been preserved for the latter-day).  So many join the church that the borders of the church do not seem large enough to contain them all (Recall 1 Nephi 20:19 where Israel's offspring would have been as the sands of the sea had she been faithful).  Israel wonders at the number of her children and asks where all her children have been (they have been scattered throughout the world in a hidden condition and are returning to the fold of God in great numbers and in great speed).
22-23  Unlike the Israel of the past who was a separate nation among the gentiles (a nation who, in fact, despised the gentiles), the Israel of the latter-day will be among the gentiles.  Latter-day Israel will not be her own nation but will live among the gentiles in such a way that the gentiles will no longer be her enemy but instead will be as "nursing" fathers and mothers.  In other words, Israel will live in gentile nations whose governments (which provide economic and physical security) will be their nursing fathers and mothers.  The enemy of the latter-day Israel will not be gentile countries but the great and abominable church.
24-26  The Lord reveals that no nation, no matter how mighty or terrible will be able to restrain His people.  Those that try will be not affect latter-day Israel but will be destroyed by their own internal strife and revolutions.