Israel remonstrates with a series of complaints:
Verse 14—complaint 1: The Lord forsook and forgot Israel. Some in Israel felt wronged by the Lord. They felt severely punished through their sufferings due to political oppression, exile, famine, plague, and more.
Verses 14–16—answer: “buthe will show that he hath not.” A powerful attachment is expressed: graven on palms of hands are the nail wounds in the Savior’s hands. Far from forsaking them, he gave his all for them. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins. He cannot forget us because he has the evidence of that price in his hands and feet (D&C 6:36–37).
Verse 18: The covenant people of Israel will eventually be clothed and ornamented (that is, prepared) as a bride for the Bridegroom, as reflected in various scriptures; see, for example, Matthew 25:1–10; D&C 33:17; 133:10, 19.
Verse 21—complaint 2: Israel has lost all her children.
Verses 22–23—answer: The Lord will raise a standard or ensign (for example, the Church, the Book of Mormon, and the everlasting covenant) and bring the children of Israel back to their promised inheritance.
Is the Lord talking about Jews in the Holy Land or the Israelites broken off inhabiting the Americas? See 1 Nephi 22:6. Isaiah speaks to all Israel, which assures multilevel fulfillment.
Kings and queens and other political leaders will be nursing fathers and mothers in helping restore the remnants of Israel. Note one fulfillment of this prophecy in the following excerpt from Orson Hyde’s dedicatory prayer given 24 October 1841 on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem:
“Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication… . Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye.
“Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel—raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government.” 59
Verse 24—complaint 3: Israel is prey; she is held captive.
Verses 25–26—answer: Read 2 Nephi 6:16–18. The Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people.
A Special Servant
Isaiah announced a special servant of God who would come forward in the future, possessing several significant and unusual characteristics. Originally recorded in Isaiah 49, Nephi describes again this prophetic figure. He would be someone—
• whom “the Lord hath called … from the womb” (1 Nephi 21:1).
• who would say that the Lord “formed me from the womb” to do a special work, or in other words, someone who knew he had been foreordained (21:5).
• whose “mouth [was] like a sharp sword,” or in other words, someone who spoke with authority (21:2).
• who was hidden “in the shadow of [the Lord’s] hand” (21:2).
• who was “made … a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he [the Lord] hid [him]” (21:2).
• who would say, “I have labored in vain” (21:4).
• who would authoritatively say, “And now, saith the Lord” (21:5).
• whose life’s work would be “to bring Jacob again to [the Lord]—though Israel be not gathered” (21:5).
• who would be the Lord’s “servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel” (21:6).
• whom the Lord would “give … for a light to the Gentiles” (21:6).
• “whom man despiseth,” but at the same time, someone whom “kings shall see and arise, princes also … worship” (21:7).
• who will be given to Israel “for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages,” who will free the prisoners and enlighten those who sit in darkness, and who will shepherd the chosen people (21:8–9).
Though various specific aspects of this list could probably fit a number of individuals, taken together they apply to only two beings. One is obviously Jesus, but the other is Joseph Smith! Consider the following:
• Joseph Smith was indeed called “from the womb,” or foreordained.
• He knew through revelation, now recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 127:2, that he had been chosen to be the prophet of the Restoration. On another occasion he also said: “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council. It is the testimony that I want that I am God’s servant, and this people His people.” 60
• Joseph Smith spoke as a “sharp sword” because he spoke the words of the Lord (D&C 18:35–36; 21:5), which are described in modern revelation as “quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow” (D&C 6:2).
• Joseph Smith was “hid” by the Lord (D&C 86:9).
• Joseph Smith became a “polished shaft” in the quiver of the Almighty, as his own characterization of himself testifies (see commentary at 1 Nephi 21:2).
• Joseph Smith at times became discouraged and felt that he labored in vain (D&C 121:2).
• Not only did Joseph Smith have the authority to speak for God but on numerous occasions he validated his messages by uttering the very words Isaiah predicted he would say: “Thus saith the Lord” (for example, D&C 52:1; 54:1; 60:1; 87:1).
• Joseph Smith’s life work was to bring the house of Israel again to the Lord (Mormon 8:16; D&C 5:9–10; 6:6; 109:67).
• Joseph Smith was also commissioned to “raise up the tribes of Jacob” and “restore” them by overseeing the latter-day gathering of Israel (D&C 110:11).
• Joseph Smith is spoken of in the scriptures as “a light unto the Gentiles” (D&C 86:11). Only one other person can claim that distinction—the Lord himself (Isaiah 42:6).
• Joseph Smith was both despised and revered, just as the Lord had predicted (Joseph Smith–History 1:33). Joseph was also promised that the gospel he restored would be preached before “kings and rulers” (D&C 1:23).
• Joseph Smith was the servant through whom the eternal gospel covenant was reestablished (D&C 1:17–22). Surely it is not just coincidence that Doctrine and Covenants 1, the revelation by which the Lord introduces Joseph Smith to the world, begins with the same language as Isaiah 49:1. Just as Isaiah had foretold, the Prophet Joseph was also commanded to “proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the gospel of salvation” (D&C 93:51).