Scholarship, context and study plans for Come, Follow Me
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.” — Isaiah 1:18
Come, Follow Me · Old Testament 2026 · Week 38
“God Is My Salvation”
September 14–20, 2026Isaiah 1–1212 chapters · 252 verses
The Savior said, “Great are the words of Isaiah.” Isaiah opens with God's grief over a rebellious people, and an invitation: “Come now, and let us reason together … though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” He sees the mountain of the Lord's house rising in the last days, sees the Lord in His temple and answers, “Here am I; send me,” and prophesies a child named Immanuel, the Prince of Peace, a Branch from the stem of Jesse. These chapters end in a song: “God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid.”
Chapter
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Study guide
Isaiah is hard to read, and worth it. These notes give you tools for reading Isaiah, from Nephi, from the Savior, and from scholars.
How to read this week
Use Nephi's keys. Nephi said Isaiah is plain to those who have “the spirit of prophecy,” who know “the manner of prophesying among the Jews,” and who know the regions round about (2 Nephi 25:4–6). Pray, learn the style, and use a map.
Expect poetry. Isaiah writes mostly in Hebrew poetry. Look for parallel lines that repeat or contrast (1:3, 18; 2:4). The second line often explains the first.
Look for more than one fulfillment. Many prophecies applied in Isaiah's day and again in Christ's day or the last days. Isaiah 7:14 had meaning for King Ahaz and is fulfilled in Jesus.
Compare with the Book of Mormon. 2 Nephi 12–24 quotes Isaiah 2–14, sometimes with differences. A harmony (see the papers) puts them side by side.
Watch for Christ. Immanuel (7:14), the Prince of Peace (9:6), the Branch (11:1). The Savior said Isaiah “spake as touching all things concerning my people” (3 Nephi 23:2).
Isaiah's world
c. 740 BC — Isaiah's call “in the year that king Uzziah died” (6:1)
c. 735 BC — Syria and Israel threaten Judah; Immanuel prophecy to Ahaz (ch. 7)
722 BC — Assyria destroys the northern kingdom (see 2 Kings 17)
701 BC — Assyria besieges Jerusalem under Hezekiah (chs. 36–37)
Christ's ministry — Immanuel, the great light in Galilee (Matthew 1:23; 4:16)
Last days — Mountain of the Lord's house; the ensign; the gathering (2:2–3; 11:11–12)
Images and ideas to recognize
Passage
Image
What it means
Isa 1:18
Scarlet and snow
Sins deeply stained, made completely clean.
Isa 2:2
Mountain of the Lord's house
Temples in the last days.
Isa 5:1–7
Vineyard
Israel, carefully tended by the Lord.
Isa 6:7
Live coal from the altar
Cleansing through sacrifice.
Isa 11:1
Rod and Branch from Jesse
Christ, and a latter-day servant (D&C 113).
Isa 11:12
Ensign
A banner gathering Israel.
Restoration connections
3 Nephi 23:1–3 — “Great are the words of Isaiah.”
2 Nephi 25:1–8 — Nephi's keys for understanding Isaiah.
D&C 113:1–6 — Joseph Smith's answers about the stem, rod and root of Jesse in Isaiah 11.
Joseph Smith—History 1:40 — Moroni quotes Isaiah 11 and says it is about to be fulfilled.
Questions for the week
What does Isaiah 1:18 teach you about the Lord's invitation to repent?
How is the temple the “mountain of the Lord's house” in your life (2:2–3)?
When have you felt like saying “Here am I; send me” (6:8)?
Which title of the Savior in Isaiah 9:6 means the most to you right now?
How are Isaiah's prophecies of gathering being fulfilled today (11:11–12)?
Conference talks & Church resources
Talks the Church's lesson points to this week, plus other Church resources that teach from these chapters.
Scholarly papers
Faithful scholarship from BYU and related publishers, tagged with the chapters each one discusses.
Podcasts & video
Come, Follow Me shows and episodes covering this week's reading.