The Lord promises that those who honor the Sabbath will be able “to ride upon the high places of the earth” (Isaiah 58:14). In the Hebrew, “to ride” means to climb up on something. In other words, to ride a horse you must climb up to the saddle. This passage suggests that we can climb the mountain of the Lord’s house and experience holy worship.
The “high places” were shrines and altars, usually on a mountaintop. Often, this was idol worshipping. In earlier times, proper temple-like worship was done in “high places,” but after Solomon’s Temple was dedicated, worshipping in the high places was a major spiritual violation. This linking of Sabbath observance to temple worship reminds us of the importance of worshipping on the Sabbath day, and particularly partaking the sacrament so we can have a holier experience in the temple.
As we partake of the bread, we witness that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. If we do this, the Lord promises we can always have His Spirit to be with us.
In Isaiah 61:1-3, the anointing ordinance is associated with the Holy Ghost:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”
The washing ordinances allow us to be “clean from the blood of this generation” (D&C 88:138), and the anointing seals the blessings upon us. The anointing oil is called the “oil of joy” in this Isaiah passage.
Once we are washed and anointed, we can be clothed. Notice how sacred clothing follows in Isaiah 61:10: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
In the next chapter, we are given a “new name” and a “crown of glory” (Isaiah 62:2-3). Verse 8 states, “The Lord hath sworn by his right hand.” The right hand is the covenant hand. God’s purpose is to make us into a “royal priesthood,” a “kingdom of priests” and priestesses so we can say, “O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Isaiah 64:8).
The final Isaiah chapter clarifies the purpose of the gathering of Israel:
“And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.” (Isaiah 66:20)
In all dispensations of time and on both sides of the veil, the gathering is always to the temple.
