Nephi Discusses Isaiah - 2 Ne. 25

It's pretty interesting reading what Nephi says after he recorded chapters of Isaiah on the plates reserved for spiritual things.  It's always been a contradiction to me that Nephi says he glories in plainness and then says he glories in the writings of Isaiah.  Isaiah's writings, to me, have been anything but plain.  But in carefully reading 2 Nephi 25, you can see that it really isn't a dichotomy.  For one thing, I think Nephi misses his old neighborhood - Jersalem - somewhat, but growing up there gives him insight.  He also tells us the key to understanding gospel truth. He says: 
1)  Isaiah is hard to understand unless you've lived among the people of Jerusalem and understood their ways;  Nephi says "I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews..." (2 Ne 25:5).
2) The prophecies of Isaiah are plain when discerned by the spirit of prophecy:  "... the words of Isaiah...are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy." (2 Ne 25:4).

Nephi teaches us in these passages these lessons: 
   The Lord's word can be felt, understood, and learned when we have the spirit with us.  If we don't have the spirit, we are left to the devices of man and therefore we can't feel, understand, or learn His word. 
   The more familiar we are with the gospel - the scriptures, the hymns, the ordinances - the more we can understand and appreciate them. 

We need to pray for guidance whenever reading the scriptures.  Listen to the prelude music and feel the prayer when you attend Sacrament meeting.  Open your spirit, mind, and heart when you are at Sunday School.  Do this and the spirit will attend you in your spiritual life.  Do this regularly and with purpose, and you become ever so much closer to God's word.

True to his nature, Nephi tells us - in his plain and direct way - about the visions and revelations he was given.  He starts off by saying what every person on the planet ever needs to know and do:  "...we labor diligently to write to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.  ...we are made alive in Christ because of our faith...  And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, rejoice in Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies..." (2 Ne 25:23-26). 

The rest of the next few chapters consist of Nephi prophesying and relating the visions he has had and then tying them to relevant Gospel living.  He is very specific about the future of his descendants.  These chapters are a treat to read and re-read.  If you have breezed through 2nd Nephi in the past, I challenge you to go back and read them carefully.  More to come concerning the rest of 2nd Nephi.
 
Don