Congratulations for opening up this book!  I have to say, I admire anyone (especially a teenager) who is brave enough to dive into a study of Isaiah.

Why Write About Isaiah?

     The Book of Isaiah is considered by many in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to be both necessary and scary. 

     It’s necessary, because Christ said so in 3 Nephi 23:1. “And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things.  Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.”

     The Book of Isaiah is considered scary, because few of us have any idea of 1) what Isaiah is talking about and 2) how it applies to us.  It is very confusing to us and nobody likes to be confused.  It’s hard to get excited about something that is confusing. (How many people have you known that are excited about Isaiah?  I’ll bet you can count them on the fingers of no hands.) 

     So if Isaiah is necessary and scary, then anyone who makes it less scary and more understandable is doing everyone a big favor.  (If that someone also happens to make it fun and fascinating, then of course that’s an even bigger favor.)

Why Write To Teenagers About Isaiah?

     Why did I write this book for teenagers and not adults?  Several reasons.  I think teens are underserved and underestimated. 

     You teens are underserved in the Isaiah department, because everyone thinks it is so hard.  People seem to think that only old geezers who know Hebrew and who have read it a million times can understand it.  People are having such a hard time understanding it that they aren’t sure what it means to them, let alone how to apply it to teenagers. 

     You teens are underestimated in the Isaiah department, because adults think that if they are having troubles with it, there is no way that a teen will be able to get it.  But that’s where they are wrong.  The cool thing about you teens is that you are quick learners. 

     Another way adults underestimate you teens is by assuming that you don’t care about spiritual stuff.  They are wrong.  You do care.  You just don’t like to be taught religion stuff by someone with an unconvincing, wishy-washy testimony.  You want to be set on fire with enthusiasm.  You want to be excited by the Gospel and you want to be taught by someone who will spark that in you so that you can become strong.  You know Satan’s out to get you, and you instinctively know that you need to feed on strong doctrine and strong testimony to resist.  You also sense that applying what you learn is the only way it can do you any good

How Is This Book Organized?

     First I have a chapter in which I discuss important keys to understanding Isaiah, and this chapter sets you up to understand how I formatted the verses of Isaiah that I quote.  Understanding the format will help you start to see patterns of meaning you haven’t seen before.  I strongly recommend you read that chapter first, because it sets you up for what comes after.

     Every book about Isaiah that I have come across in the past goes chapter by chapter through the Book of Isaiah.  I’m not going to do that, though.  I go by topic.  Each chapter after the first one is devoted to a particular issue that you face and must deal with and the temptations that go with that territory.  Dating.  Fashion.  Chastity.  Mass media.  The Word of Wisdom.  Pornography.  Rebellion.  Homosexuality.  Hypocrisy.  Role models.  And lots more.  For each topic, I have searched through the Book of Isaiah to find what can be applied to that topic to give insight into those temptations and which seem best calculated to fortify you against them. 

     In each of my chapters, the headings are the temptations you face.  They are followed by verses of Isaiah that apply to them.  Then I explain further with particular teenage applications and I tell stories to illustrate.  For instance, in the chapter about dating, you can expect to confront “The Temptation to Date Nonmembers” and then read what Isaiah has said about that.  You will read verses that can relate to all kinds of dating temptations, or to look differently at a verse that was quoted in a previous chapter and relate it to dating too.  It is amazing to see how putting Isaiah into the context of a particular temptation opens the door to understanding!  It’s the coolest! 

     At the end of each chapter, I will give a nice list of all the things we learned from Isaiah about the topic, so that you can see how far we’ve come and review really fast.

     The last three chapters of this book deal with the temptations of materialism and the love of worldly things.  As I wrestled with this issue of materialism, I tried to do it in one chapter, but found that it was bigger than I thought, and that it could only be dealt with effectively with doctrines of stewardship, warnings against idolatry, and principles of consecration, in that order, and all from Isaiah.  The ideas build on each other, so I recommend that you read them in order.

     Most of the time it is easy to see how the scripture relates, but there are a few that are somewhat obscure, and I will try my best to make them clear. I will tell lots and lots of stories to help illustrate.  Still, this book is not necessarily a “this equals that” format.  I may go line by line, or I may discuss the general meaning and application I see in a loose framework.  I may skip lines that don’t apply. 

     Still, You may look at the verses then read my commentary or application and say, “WHAT?!  How does she get all this stuff out of that little short verse?  She must be smoking something.”  The reason I found so much was not because I caught it all at once, but because I kept coming back to the verses with questions about parts that I didn’t understand yet.  As I kept studying and writing, additional insights came to me.  Sometimes there was so much that I actually had to cut it down to keep it coherent and on-topic. 

     You may be disappointed that I left something out.  I apologize.  I tried my best to fit everything in where it would be appropriate and helpful.  And I don’t know everything that Isaiah means, and I don’t know every single application or meaning that is possible.  In fact, I only know a little bit, and this book represents part of the little bit I know.  I’m sure that there are volumes worth of stuff to learn in this lifetime about Isaiah’s teachings.  I’d be glad to hear from you if you found something fabulous that I didn’t mention. 

How Did I Figure This Stuff Out?

     First, I looked for scriptures in Isaiah that would have helped me resist temptations when I was a teenager.  I prayed for the Lord to help me understand and explain it.  I fasted about it.  And I studied it out very carefully and put a lot of thought into it.  And I wrote a lot.  And I rewrote even more.  And I prayed more.  And fasted more.  And wrote more.  Every insight was an exciting inspiration and there were times when I simply had to do a happy dance about what I was learning.  It was difficult at first, but it got much easier with practice.  You can do the same thing; you don’t have to read this book.  But reading this book will give you a significant headstart.

The Long Range Goal Of This Book

     When you see how Isaiah’s word apply to you and your temptations, it is my hope that you will

   • Resist those temptations in the future

   • Be strengthened in the Gospel

   • Learn to love and understand Isaiah

   • Be inspired to continue to study Isaiah’s writings to learn even more

       • Share everything you’ve learned every opportunity you get. 

Dig in!  This is great stuff!