23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.
I find it very telling that Nephi quoted so much from Isaiah.
Of all prophets recorded in the brass plates, including Zenock, Zenos, and
Neum, who Nephi mentioned earlier in the chapter, he chose to quote from
Isaiah. By definition, all prophets testify of Christ (see Revelation 19:10; 1
Nephi 10:5; Jacob 7:11), and there are others besides Isaiah who are more direct
and plain. But Nephi quoted Isaiah. And the stated reason was that he “might
more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer.” The first
thing I get from that is that while Nephi’s brethren must have at least believed
some of the prophets (remember that whenever he wanted to pull them back in
line he recited Moses, and again here they were giving him time to read from
Isaiah) they clearly did not understand those prophets, at least not totally. For
sure they didn’t understand that the prophets testified of Christ. But that
they might be converted Nephi read Isaiah to them. Why not Zenos? Why not
Zenock? After all, they were more easily understood in their testimonies.
Nephi’s brethren already had one of the ingredients Nephi later identified as
necessary to understanding Isaiah. They may not have had a spirit of prophecy
(i.e. testimony of Jesus—Revelation 19:10), but they understood the “manner of
prophesying among the Jews” (see 2 Nephi 25:1, 4). I wonder if Nephi hoped that
because they understood that part that he could help them “connect the dots”
and gain a testimony of Christ. And maybe once you have both ingredients
(testimony of Christ and understanding the Jews) you find out that Isaiah
really is one of the most, if not the
most powerful testifiers of Christ, and one of the most plain. Ultimately
Nephi’s audience was we who live in the latter days, but his immediate audience
was his brethren. I’m sure he had the same hope for both audiences.
Another important key in the verse is that we “liken all
scriptures unto us…for our profit and learning.” The people who get nothing out
of the scriptures are the ones who read them thoughtlessly, or without applying
them to their own lives and circumstances. This is an important key to
understanding and benefiting from the testimonies of these prophets.
- Timothy 3: 16–17
- 1 Nephi 5: 11
- 2 Nephi 4: 15
- 2; 2 Nephi 25: 5 (2–6)
- 3 Nephi 23: 1
- Moses 1: 41 (40–41)
