Meridian Magazine--Come Follow Me Latter-day Saint Podcast

Welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me Podcast where today we’re studying Isaiah chapters 40-49 where we are talking about the kind of help God is to His people. We have with us Dr. Kerry Muhlestein who is a professor of Ancient Scripture and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Brigham Young University. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from UCLA, directs BYU's Egypt Excavation Project, has taught at the BYU Jerusalem Center, and was a visiting fellow at Oxford University. His scholarship brings together the world of the ancient Near East and the scriptures, including extensive teaching and research on Isaiah and the Old Testament.

I love that in our reading we get to study parts of Isaiah 29 this week where the Lord speaks with this language:
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. (Isaiah 29:14)
I am taken by the word marvelous. Elder LeGrand Richards published a book in 1950 that many of you have read called A Marvelous Work and a Wonder. This used to be standard reading material for full-time missionaries. That word marvelous is used in Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants, “Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.” (Doctrine and Covenants 4:1) But that same word is used in Section 6, Section 8, Section 11, Section 12, Section 14 and Section 18. I think the Lord means to astound us.

Welcome to this special joint podcast today. The Meridian magazine podcast, and the Scriptures are Real podcast. We are with Dr. Kerry Muhlestein, and we are Scot and Maurine Proctor, and this is such a delight as we, today, study Isaiah chapters 1 through 12, with a lesson entitled, God is my salvation. We're so thrilled to be together today.

I learned a lot of lessons, proverbs, axioms, and helpful sayings when I was young. We used to pass around Chinese proverbs like, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” My parents used to say that when I was faced with a huge school assignment, like a semester paper I had to write, and I was feeling overwhelmed. You've all heard that one. Here's another one. “He who asks is a fool for five minutes. But he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” And, of course, one of my favorites is this. “Men who waits for roast duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very long time. “These are fun and can be very meaningful. But this week we study the proverbs of Solomon, and we have much to learn.

We know that faith is a power stronger than electricity or lightning or the flooding of many waters. It is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things.  So, of course we seek how to develop it in ourselves. In Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith teaches us: “Three things are necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.
“First, the idea that he actually exists:
“Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes;
“And thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will.”