I've run across the phrase "how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.." (Isaiah 52:7) in my scripture study and a few things strike me.
First, the “on the mountains”. I think this points out that those who teach us the gospel are visible, established as a city on a hill, shining light that none can miss.
What is that mountain? The mountain of the Lord – the temple. There are many temples now, so it can truly be mountains.
Furthermore, Isaiah probably saw a vision of the Latter-day Saints settled in the mountains of Utah and loved what he saw.
What are the “good tidings”? It is the gospel of Christ.
“him that bringeth good tidings” – Christ made it all possible, so certainly He is the first one we think of. Then the prophets who have all testified of Christ. Then the missionaries who go to all the world. And then all of us, whether male or female. Everyone in the church must be able to share these glad tidings, so Isaiah is referring to all of us who share our faith.
Secondly, the phrase “how beautiful…are the feet of them”. We learn more about this phrase when we consider that in Isaiah’s culture, the feet were extremely dirty and that they symbolized the lowliest parts. If the Isaiah says that even the feet of those who teach the gospel are beautiful, then these people must be well onto perfection. Saintly. Even in a dirty world, they keep themselves unsoiled.
This scripture isn't about having photogenic feet. I think the lesson for us here is that to best teach the gospel, we must keep ourselves clean from the sins of the world.
0 comments:
Post a Comment