This past week in class, we started
discussing the words of Isaiah. I do not usually look forward to the words of
Isaiah, but I loved how we approached it! Instead of just reading it and
basically getting through it, we were able to understand why Isaiah wrote the
way he did, for what times, and especially about the important symbolism used
in his Hebrew poetry. It was SO cool to see Isaiah presented this way! And it
makes so much sense! Specifically in 1 Nephi 19 and 20, Isaiah is discussing
the House of Israel. As a set up to this chapter, we went over the history and
background we need to know for Isaiah’s writings.
The one thing that really impressed
upon me was discussing the Abrahamic covenant. The teacher asked what that
covenant entailed, and we listed off the many things we have heard time and
time again before: posterity, prosperity, land, etc. The professor then turned
it on us and stated, “What we always call the Abrahamic covenant is the fruits
of the covenant that God will give us. A
covenant is two ways, between us and
God. What are we giving?” We discussed how the true covenant is that we
covenant that God will be our God and that we will be his people. I began to
wonder how often I uphold that covenant.
It specifically gives more significance,
at least for me personally, to baptism and the Sacrament. With these
ordinances, we uphold the Abrahamic covenant. But I need to try harder to do
that in my every day life as well. Ordinances can only have the power that we
give to it. Of course, they have no power without God offering it, but that
power can only be accepted by us. God will never take away our agency. And he
wants so much to covenant with us and to take us under his wing as his people!
Of course He does, for He is our Eternal Father! Can there be any greater love?
Never. This Abrahamic Covenant is so full of promised love and blessings from
God. But we must never forget that we must accept it by taking upon us God’s
name and choosing to be his people.
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