Threads, Cords, and Chains or Freedom, Strength, and Peace- Isaiah 5:18

"Woe unto them that pull iniquity with words of falsehood, and sin with a cart rope.”  (Isaiah 5:18)

With this verse Isaiah painted for me one of the first vivid word pictures I understood; one that affected me so much I came back to see what else he might be able to help me understand.  At first, I saw a picture showing that a person with access to the truth, like Israel, who decides on iniquity (a twisting of the truth to justify what they want to do) is doing spiritually to themselves the equivalent of a person tying themselves, or yoking themselves, to a heavy cartload and pulling it around with them everywhere they go.  That was my first picture, and it was very useful, but thanks to Nephi, a person very close to the language and culture, I was able fill in some eternally important details.  He refers to this verse in 2 Nephi 26, where he is talking about how people are entrapped by the adversary, the devil: (H)e leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever. (2 Nephi 26:22) 

It helps to understand that a “flaxen cord” is literally a thread and “strong cords” happen when many threads or strings are woven together to make what we would call a rope.  Nephi is likening spiritually something recognized in most cultures.  For instance a Spanish proverb says, “Habits are first cobwebs, then cables.” (http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6811)  I found it enlightening to learn that ancient rabbi’s reflect a similar interpretation of Isaiah 5:18.

The Septuagint renders it, 'Woe to those who draw sin with a long cable;' that is," one sin is added to another, until it comes to an enormous length, and the whole is drawn along together. Probably the true idea is that of the ancient interpretation of the rabbis, 'An evil inclination is at first like a fine hair string, but the finishing like a cart-rope.' At first, they draw sin with a slender cord, then they go on to greater deeds of iniquity that urge them on, and draw them with their main strength, as with a cart-rope. They make a strong "effort" to commit iniquity. (Barnes' Notes on the Bible as quoted in http://bible.cc/isaiah/5-18.htm)

The verses immediately following this one tell us a lot about how the “flaxen cord” that leads to this “strong cord” is formed.  It has primarily to do with the how we approach the Lord, as reflected in our words to and about Gods. In verse 19 God is accused of not proving himself to them-  if God is real, he should prove it in a way obvious to their eyes.  In the next verse the “fact” God did no show Himself as instructed is then used to justify replacing His commands with their own self-proclaimed cleverness. The long and short of it, a steady theme we see throughout Isaiah, is a prideful insistence on not being a student, or child, of the Lord- but, at the very least, seeing yourself like an equally wise, if not equally powerful, partner who has every right to insist the Lord prove his worth, or get out of the way. (See also 2 Nephi 26:20,29 2 Nephi 9:28-29,45,51, see also themes 1 and 3 in “Prefacing Isaiah,” 3/22/2012)

Alma, another Book of Mormon prophet who knew the words of Isaiah well, calls these “strong cords” the “chains of hell” and describes how” they form- note how it all begins with hardness (bitterness, anger, it doesn’t apply to me) towards some portion of God’s word:

It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.  And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.  (Isaiah 12:9-11)

Immediately two scriptural examples come to mind that really illustrate the kind of iniquity or “twisting” that leads to a hardening of the heart and to being chained down.  The first is the Lord’s answer, in Isaiah 58, to Israel’s accusation that though they “afflict their souls” with fasting and doing what he said, he is not giving them the prosperity he promised. (Isaiah 58:3) This prosperity, in their minds, includes using fasting as a tool to order up His power, despite the fact they are paying very little attention to the first two commands- to love God and their fellowman.  (This picture illustrates how the Lord describes them in Isaiah 58:9) In short, if they are contending with (fighting) and accusing each other and God (remember Satan is The Accuser), they might be depriving their bodies of food, but they are not fasting according to the Lord’s fast.  The Lord’s fast was meant to focus them on making sure all are provided for with the resources the Lord has given them- to work with the Lord to “break the yoke ” for all men - including the yoke these angry, hungry children are laboring under in accusing each other and taking delight in the idea of God smiting someone else . To answer their fast and prayers the way they demand would be to strengthen their chains of spiritual bondage, and that is something the Lord will never do. 

Which brings me to the words of the oft quoted words of the Savior; - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

These verses come at the end of a discussion prefaced by John the Baptists’ disciples coming to Christ with an request from the imprisoned John than Christ affirm whether he is, indeed, the promised Messiah.  Christ does affirm he is the Messiah, and testifies that John was sent to prepare the way for him.  He then says, “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Matthew 11:6) 

The word “offended” means literally to “trip up” or “to cause to stumble” or “to entrap.”  In other words, “blessed is he, whosever” does not do as Luke describes, “laying in wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth that they might accuse him.” (Luke 11:54)  Although the “him” in that scripture clearly refers to the Savior himself, I love the use of a general pronoun because the Savior also taught “inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)  And, just for good measure, lets add Isaiah’s clear words (also quoted in Nephi’s commentary on Isaiah)- “All they which watch for iniquity will be cut off.” (Isaiah 29:20, 2 Nephi 27:31) In other words, if you see yourself in an exalted enough position to judge and accuse others, you are being bound by The Great Accuser.  You might say the great choice in this life is whether you want to walk the path of The Advocate of mankind to eternal life, or the many paths leading to nowhere which all have one thing in common- savory, self-righteous accusations. 

Which explains why those who find “rest unto (their) souls” are those who seek to learn of the Savior and accept his help and atoning strength in learning how to become, like him, meek and lowly of heart.  I find that “rest,” as it pertains to navigating life perfectly captured by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

The meek are filled with awe and wonder with regard to God and His purposes in the universe. At the same time, the meek are not awestruck by the many frustrations of life; they are more easily mobilized for eternal causes and less easily immobilized by the disappointments of the day.  (“Meekness-A Dimension of True Discipleship,” Ensign, March 1983)

I love that quote because it illustrates for me that meekness and repentance are irrevocably intertwined.  As I noted before, the actual word “repent” doesn’t occur much in the Old Testament, but phrases like “return” or “turn back.”   However, the word repent is used frequently in the New Testament, and looking at what it means in Greek is powerful.

When Jesus said “repent,” His disciples recorded that command in the Greek language with the verb metanoeo. This powerful word has great significance. In this word, the prefix meta means “change.” The suffix relates to four important Greek terms: nous, meaning “the mind”; gnosis, meaning “knowledge”; pneuma, meaning “spirit”; and pnoe, meaning “breath.  Thus, when Jesus said “repent,” He asked us to change—to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit—even our breath. A prophet explained that such a change in one’s breath is to breathe with grateful acknowledgment of Him who grants each breath. (Russell M. Nelson, “Repentance and Conversion,” Ensign, May 2007; Mosiah 2:20-24)

In my experience the moments I do “breathe with grateful acknowledgment of Him who grants each breath” are also the moments I am “filled with awe and wonder with regard to God and His purposes in the universe.”  And the more moments like that I have, happening with, I admit, increasing frequency, the more I am drawn to and find importance in things, like the words of Isaiah that used to just frustrate and anger me.  The more I am filled with further awe as those words open up for me and expand my still limited view of the infinite depth and breadth of all that has been done for mankind. The more I comprehend the tragedy of rejecting God’s infinite gifts- even in part.  And the less I disregard the Lord’s chastisements as meant for others, something I now see as a thread of accusation - and instead see them meant for all his fallible children, including me.   Now my greatest concern is how much I want to ponder and organize and remember in each chapter.  I mean this note only covers one verse!  Perhaps I am glimpsing what the Lord calls the “riches of eternity.”  Perhaps Isaiah’s great message is just illustrating, expanding and illuminating this promise:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.  And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. (Doctrine & Covenants 78:17-19)