Thoughts on 2 Nephi 16
Isaiah’s writings always leave me with more questions than answers, and 2 Nephi 16 was no exception.
The chapter begins with the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” and someone answers, “Here am I; send me.” My first thought was of the premortal life and the Savior volunteering to come to earth. But in this chapter, it appears to be Isaiah accepting the call to warn the people.
Warn them of what?
That may be the uncomfortable part.
Isaiah describes people with “fat hearts,” “heavy ears,” and “shut eyes”. At first, those phrases sounded strange to me, but the more I sat with them, the more familiar they became.
A hard heart is easier to understand. Perhaps a “fat” heart is one so layered with worldliness that it can no longer feel. Not disease of the body, but constant exposure to the world — pride, selfishness, corruption, noise, sin, and endless distractions. Maybe the heart becomes insulated, wrapped so tightly that truth can no longer penetrate it.
Heavy ears may simply describe people unwilling to hear. I have seen that in my own life, and if I’m honest, probably in myself too.
And shut eyes? That one feels painfully obvious. Some things people simply do not want to see because seeing them might require change.
As I reread the chapter, a phrase from someone I knew well comes to mind:“I like who I am. I don’t want to change.”
That sentence suddenly seemed to explain all three conditions at once.
Perhaps conversion is frightening because it requires surrendering the version of ourselves we have grown comfortable protecting.
Isaiah then asks how long these conditions will continue, and the answer becomes bleak: cities wasted, homes abandoned, the land desolate.
It is difficult not to think about modern wars when reading those verses. Images from places like Ukraine and Iran show emptied cities, destruction, fear, and people fleeing for safety. Isaiah’s words no longer feel ancient and disconnected. They feel “NOW”.
One phrase especially stayed with me: “a great forsaking in the midst of the land.”
I still do not fully understand it.
Is it individuals forsaking righteousness? Entire societies collapsing morally? People abandoning responsibility? Or simply the natural result of turning away from God for so long that eventually everything begins to unravel?
I honestly do not know.
Isaiah often feels like standing in fog where shapes appear for a moment and then disappear again. Some verses feel clear while others remain far beyond me. But perhaps part of studying Isaiah is learning to sit with questions instead of forcing quick answers.
What I do know is this: the Lord’s desire is not to condemn, but to heal.
And maybe the real danger comes when we no longer want healing at all.
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