Busy Week and More to Come

I have been reading my scriptures everyday but I haven't kept up my blog. I apologize. Life is going to get extremely busy for the next two weeks. I am in the last days of this term at school and that means that I have 2 projects and my final portfolio to put together by the 9th of September. So I will most likely be logging on my notes on the Sabbath. But this morning I have a few minutes to put down my thoughts so I will bring things up to date.

I've been reading 2 Nephi 15 (Isaiah 5) and it has taken a great deal of thought and prayer to understand the symbolism of this chapter. I am grateful for my years of teaching seminary and gospel doctrine because the things I learned during those years have returned as I have studied this chapter.

verses 1-2 are filled with symbols that the Savior used when He was teaching those in Jerusalem and surrounding areas.
vineyard = (see vs 7) the house of Israel, therefore, anyone today who have made covenants with the Lord need to pay attention since we are the house of Israel today.
fence/hedge = a means of protection from predators
gathered out stones = cultivating the land in preparation for planting
choicest vine = (see vs 7) men of Judah; today I am thinking the priesthood bearers and those blessed by the priesthood
tower = a means to see danger when it is far away; today it could symbolize the Prophet and General Authorities of the Church
wine press = always associated with the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ and can be associated with the trials and tribulations of mortality that refine our souls

verses 5-6 show the consequences of rejecting the ways of the Lord
hedge removed & breaking of the wall = protection of the Lord is gone
eaten up = disease and predators devour the plants [children of the covenant]
not pruned or digged = the care of the Lord is removed and weeds take over the garden is strangled, today when we choose to ignore the Holy Ghost and/or break our covenants we will loose the care of the Lord in our lives and we are left to ourselves
no rain = water is a basic need of every living thing, the garden will experience great harm when water is withheld for only a short period of time; today without the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost we will loose our way very rapidly in a world that no longer values the ways of the Lord and calls wickedness righteousness.

September 1, 2009 Yes, life has gotten so very busy, the last 9 days of this term are upon me and I have not kept current with this blog. But I have kept current with my reading. Let me finish transcribing my handwritten notes:

2 Nephi 15:7-25 The people of the House of Israel loose blessings and the protection of the Lord because they choose to follow the ways of the world around them. They choose to live to fit into the society that does not believe in the Lord or His ways. We must learn from this example that the consequences of such decisions are dire. Humility and repentance are keys to reconciliation with God.

The Lord lists the sins that causes the people to draw away from Him in verses 18-23: vanity, arrogance, deception (calling evil good and seeing darkness as light), pride, addiction, and oppression/force. The consequence of making these choice is experiencing the anger of the Lord and the destruction of their souls.

Isaiah foretells our time in verses 26-29 when he sees the restoration of the gospel and the Lord's church on the earth. We have now reached the point where the sun truly does not set on the Church. Missionaries are sharing the gospel message throughout the world every hours of the day. It is a remarkable time to live in. And the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled to our blessing or destruction according to the choices we make.

2 Nephi 16 (Isaiah 6) I don't understand this chapter and I am grateful for the chapter heading to direct my attention to the important portions (1) Isaiah sees God, (2) he is forgiven of his sins, (3) he was called as a prophet to teach the people, and (4) we are told that we can perceive the Holy Ghost in our lives by humbly seeking to see with our eyes the hand of the Lord in our lives, hear the whispering of the still small voice, and feel with our heart the converting power of the Spirit. When we do the Lord promises us that He will heal us from the affects of mortality that cause harm to our bodies and spirits.

2 Nephi 17 (Isaiah 7) This chapter relates to war but we can glean important counsel from the Lord to (1) take heed--pay attention, listen carefully to the Lord through the Spirit, our Leaders, and our impressions; (2) be quiet--turn off the world and its influences for a time each day to communicate with Heavenly Father; (3) fear not--trust that the Lord will keep His promises and that man has no power in comparison to Heavenly Father so whatever he may do will not have a lasting impact on our eternal lifes unless we allow it; (4) be not faint hearted--don't give up or give in to the "what if..." of mortality; overcome procrastination, and don't be discouraged while waiting upon the Lord. (5) "if ye will not believe" be aware that the Lord can do nothing in our lives without our faith in the Savior--we must be believing. Finally we must know that the Savior did come to earth (vs 14-16) and He did all that He promised He would do, therefore, He will continue to keep His promises in our lives.

There I am completely caught up. I will be posting again on Sunday because every other minute will be filled until the end of the term.