Have students find the phrase “my soul delighteth.” Ask them to list the four things Nephi said brought him delight. Why would these things bring Nephi delight? How are they like the things that bring you delight?
I Have Seen Him: 2 Nephi 11:2-3
Nephi, Jacob and Isaiah all saw the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.
Nephi declares that he, Isaiah and Jacob have seen “my Redeemer.” Have students read the following verses and discuss how the things they saw concerning the Redeemer are alike:
1) Jacob’s witness – 2 Nephi 6:9
2) Nephi’s witness – 1 Nephi 11:31-33
3) Isaiah’s witness – Isaiah 53:4-9
Why is it important for us to know that these men saw the Redeemer?
Quotations from the Brass Plates of Laban: 2 Nephi 12-24
Remind students that 2 Nephi 12-24 come from the Brass Plates of Laban. These chapters are similar to Isaiah 2-14 in the King James Version of the Old Testament.
Lift Up Your Hearts and Rejoice: 2 Nephi 11:8
Have students read 2 Nephi 11:8 and explain that there are many things that should cause people who read the words of Isaiah to rejoice. Have them read the following verses and ask them why these verses should bring them joy:
1) 2 Nephi 12:2-4
2) 2 Nephi 14:2-6
3) 2 Nephi 19:2-7
4) 2 Nephi 21:1-5
5) 2 Nephi 21:6-9
6) 2 Nephi 21:10-16
7) 2 Nephi 22:1-6
Syria Is Confederate With Ephraim? 2 Nephi 17: 1-14
Scripture Analysis
Before reading 2 Nephi 17:1, help students understand the following about Judah, Syria, and Israel. You may want to make a chart to show these important relationships.
1) Ahaz is the king of the nation of Judah. His father’s name was Jotham. His grandfather’s name was Uzziah. The capital city of Judah is Jerusalem. Those who are kings in Judah are descendants of David or from the “house of David.”
2) Rezin is the king of the nation of Syria. The capital city of Syria is Damascus.
3) Pekah is the king of the nation of Israel. His father’s name is Remaliah. The capital city of Israel is Ephraim, which is in the province of Samaria.
[The highlighted words will form a sentence that may make this verse easier to understand.]
1 And
it came to pass in the days of Ahaz,
the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah,
that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel,
went up toward Jerusalem to war against it,
but could not prevail against it.
2 And it was told the house of David [Ahaz and his family associates], saying: Syria is confederate [define word] with Ephraim [the nation of Israel, whose capital city is Ephraim]. And his [Ahaz] heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah: Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit [define word] of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;
4 And say unto him: Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands [firebrands are coals that have been separated from the fire and produce only smoke. The two firebrands are Rezin and Pekah.], for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria [one firebrand], and of the son of Remaliah [another firebrand].
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying:
6 Let us go up against Judah and vex [define word] it, and let us make a breach [define word] therein for us [Syria and Israel], and set a king in the midst of it, yea, the son of Tabeal.
7 Thus saith the Lord God: It [the plan that Syria and Israel have made] shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8 For the head [leader] of Syria is Damascus [the capital city], and the head of Damascus, Rezin [the king]; and within three score and five years shall Ephraim [meaning the nation of Israel] be broken that it be not a people.
9 And the head [leader] of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son [King Pekah]. If ye will not believe [If you will not believe that these nations are led by men] surely ye shall not be established.
10 Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying:
11 Ask thee a sing of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depths, or in the heights above.
12 But Ahaz said: I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
13 And he said: Hear ye now, O house of David; is it a small thing for you to weary [define word] men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore [because Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign], the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [see Matthew 1:23. The head of the other two nations are men. But, in Judah “God is with us.”].
Ask students why the words of Isaiah should have given Ahaz hope. What have prophets told us in our day that gives us hope?
