2 Nephi 7

Sometimes when I read Isaiah I get confused. I get confused for lots of reasons but in particular today I was confused as to whether Isaiah was talking about himself or about Jesus. The chapter heading answered that question for me. It says that in this chapter Isaiah is speaking Messianically, or in other words, that he is speaking about the Messiah. Then I had this question: Why did Jacob (this chapter is part of a longer discourse given by Jacob to the people of nephi) and Nephi (who decided to include Jacob's discourse in his records) feel that this was important for their people? And why is it important for us to have now?

I thought perhaps maybe the reason that Isaiah gave the prophecies originally was so that when the Messiah came his people would be able to recognize him. But the people of Nephi would not need to recognize the messiah, because when he visited them he didn't come as a man, and there was no mistaking. And for us in our day the messiah has already come we can compare the things we read in Isaiah to what we know of Jesus and in that way it can help us recognize the messiah, but I think that there is a more important reason that these prophecies are so important.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom though hast sent.

Salvation, or eternal life, comes through coming to know Christ and God. In this way all people in all periods of time need to be able to "recognize" the messiah. Not to identify him with an actual living person as the better part of the Jews failed to do when Jesus was on the earth. But to come to know who he is, to understand his character and his qualities, and then also to emulate them. One reason it's important to know God and to know Christ is so that we know who we are supposed to be. And so we have these scriptures from Isaiah that tell us about the Messiah.

2 Nephi 7:6-7

I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

So we learn about the type of man God is. His willingness to submit to the shame of man and his faith in God. Perhaps this is an example of what it means to "endure it well" (D&C 121:8). And this is just a couple versus. Isaiah, and the rest of the scriptures, filled with insights into the characteristics of Christ. Which is of course, one reason we read them.