Lesson 37
Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things (Isaiah 22; Isaiah 24–26; Isaiah 28–30)
Church Cirriculum
The official church guide can be seen at the Official LDS Church site for Gospel Doctrine
We encourage you to make sure you are familiar with the official church curriculum as the first step in your lesson preparation, as this is the material recommended by the General Authorities of the church.
Supplementary material here is not intended to substitute for lesson preparation, but hopefully it will enhance your preparations for Sunday School.
Teaching Ideas
There are a few ways to approach this lesson. In this lesson, the church manual has a big emphasis on scriptures that relate specifically to the prophecies, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ. There are many scriptures in Isaiah relating to this topic, and certainly this is an excellent way to show that Isaiah spoke frequently about the coming Messiah.
If you would like a historical background, be sure to refer to Lesson 36 and Isaiah to understand what is going on in the days of Isaiah. Many people, both in and outside the church find the words of Isaiah difficult to understand, and there is another way to approach these chapters. Many have found that other translations have been helpful, and the prophet Joseph Smith was known to consult other translations of the bible to help in understanding.
In Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, on page 349 he said I have an old edition of the New Testament in Latin, Hebrew, German, and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and find it to be the most (nearly) correct translation, and to correspond nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last fourteen years.
Most of us can't read German, or any other foreign language. Some may find other easier to read editions of the english bible helpful in understanding. In the links below, there is an excellent book by David J. Ridges, a religion teacher at BYU, on the Old Testament. He also wrote a book specifically on Isaiah. Both books contain essentially the same information with regards to Old Testament Isaiah. As for more up to date language, the book by Brother Ridges is a great resource for understanding Isaiah's writings in the same narrative way as the book is written, as opposed to the church manual's way of only pulling scriptures out that relate to the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Additional Teaching Materials
- Prophets. A&E Home video. Chapter 4. 1994. ISBN 0-7670-8501-9.
- Old Testament Institute Manual
- The Old Testament Made Easier Part 3. David J Ridges, 2006. ISBN 1-55517-957-6
- Isaiah Made Easier in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. David J Ridges, 2002. ISBN 1-55517-615-1
