The Pride Cycle in Isiah

I’ve long struggled to understand the meaning of the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon. I know I’m not the first to struggle to understand what can at times seem almost cryptic in these chapters, so I have been excited to dive into Isaiah this year. Nephi explains that he includes the writings of Isaiah in his recored because he delights in it’s plainness.  While this may seem ironic, knowing the historical background to the time of Isaiah’s writings sheds light on the meaning within the pages. Isaiah tells a story of how in a time of great geopolitical turmoil Israel’s pride caused it to fall to the rising powers of the day. Despite predicting this fall, Isaiah shared a message of hope for his people the children of Israel would redeem themselves and reclaim their land of inheritance. Understanding the underlying story is the starting point to extracting the rich doctrinal meaning from the rest of the book. Even without this knowledge several clear and important themes repeat themselves through Isaiah, the one I want to focus on is pride. 

We can read about the first theme in 2 Nephi 12:12. This scripture reads, “ 12 For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.”  

Warnings against pride appear all throughout scripture.  In Isaiah, we see that pride is what led Northern Israel to fall to the Assyrians. It is what caused the Jaredite and Nephite civilizations to fall. Pride can cause us to fall as well if it is not kept in check. 

Their is a difference between confidence and pride.  Confidence comes from within. Confidence is a knowledge that one’s abilities are sufficient to complete a task. It is a sense of self-esteem that comes through living virtuously and working diligently.  Confidence itself is a virtue and is essential to demonstrate to others that were are a capable and trustworthy individual.

Were confidence comes from the self, pride is often a lack of confidence.  It is the need for more, the need to contently be reenforced because one lacks the internal confidence to be satisfied with themselves. Pride is an enemy to gratitude. If you can not express gratitude than it is almost impossible to be happy with the blessings that you already have been given. Pride makes it difficult to be honest with oneself. Unlike confidence, one is not certain of their own abilities, and may even doubt their value. This leads to an increased focus on seeking the validation of the self and less focus on the things that matter in life. It is this pattern that led so many peoples in scripture to forget that which mattered most in the pursuit of their own glory. 

As we learn to forget ourselves and focus on the Lord he can help us become strong a truly grow our talents. The Lord can take us in our weakness and help us gain confidence that we have true value, and with that value become one who can be of service to others.