Daughter of Zion

    I've been pondering Isaiah 1:8. This verse comes after the Lord laments how having nourished and brought up his children, that they have rebelled against him (1:2). How the land has become desolate, overthrown by strangers and devoured by those strangers, thus describing the situation that exists for this verse:

"And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard,

as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a beseiged city."  Isaiah 1:8

    I pondered the domestic references of the words cottage and garden of cucumbers, in juxtaposition with vineyard. Normally this word is used symbolically with the Lord's people and how on earth can those two references be linked with 'a beseiged city.'
Here is what I've come to conclude:
The Scene has Changed
    The Priesthood are usually referred to the watchmen on towers protecting the vineyard. Well, they've got to live somewhere, don't they? So they've left their wives in the cottage in the vineyard while they are off doing their work. But the economic and political situation that Isaiah describes in the first verses of this chapter indicate that the watchmen and their families no longer live in a protected place anymore, but the enemy (strangers) has overcome the children of the Lord and they've become stricken, and faint, and have rebelled from the Lord's ways.
    The daughter of Zion verse is followed by the Lord being thankful that He saved a "very small remnant" or else we'd have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus we see the daughter of Zion and her small remnant as a city besieged.
Our Cottages are Under Bombardment
    Our homes are under bombardment of evil from the onslaught of mass communications. Our current day idols are Cell phones, Ipods, Ipads, Computers, Mini pads, laptops, downloadable movies and music from a million sites including Netflix and Crackle, etc.

Walking on the Dark Side

    As daughters of Zion, if we are not very very careful and diligent, we've given our young children permission to enter thru the door into pornography, bullying, malicious gossip and horror movies. They learn about the dark side of the world such as black fantasies of werewolves, vampires, the walking dead, and gothic images. I told a young LDS friend to try on the vanilla look instead of dark chocolate. The taste is more subtle but just as deliciously satisfying. But the young seem to be addicted to this dark chocolate look. They prefer black backgrounds on their FaceBook pages, painting their rooms black and wearing black clothing with designs of dark fantastical meanings parading on their chests and backs like badges of honor. They are assaulted with images and movies on the media that encourage tatoos, body piercings, sexual deviations, and glorify fornication, adultry, bestiality and homosexuality. Now, having been surrounded by this food of images for several years as "entertainment," they honestly think that same sex marriages are okay and are the typical "modern family." They don't see the insidious rot and decay of the family defined as the Lord ordained it in the world. (See the Family Proclamation to The World)

Come Walk in the Light

    So the daughter of Zion's kitchen garden of cucumbers, her children, are in jeopardy. Her cottage home is being threatened by subtle hidden strangers lurking in cyberspace. She does live in a home that is like a city besieged, but at a very intimate and personal level.
I looked up the meaning of besieged, because the first thing that came to my mind was cannon balls being lobbed over the city walls, guns and bombs type of attack. But the words in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, eleventh edition give only these three more subtle meanings:
1. To surround by armed forces
2. To press with requests
3. To cause worry or distress to
    These actually are less action oriented than I anticipated, and more accurately describe our modern homes or cottages.

Lust No Longer After the Things of the World

    Following verse eight, the Lord says don't just come to give me thought on Sundays and holidays, because He just can't endure it! And when we come to plead with him in time of need for help, He will hide His eyes and not hear our prayers. This is a pretty dangerous position to find ourselves.
T    he Lord then says (1:16) repent and cease to do evil; (1:17) lean to do well, seek justice, relieve the oppressed, watch out for the orphans/fatherless and plead for the widow.
    Even though our sins are as scarlet they can be as white as wool (1:18) if we are willing and obedient (1:19) we'll eat the good of the land. But if we rebel we'll be devoured by the sword (1:20). Yikes!!!
    He says that the faithful city has become a harlot lusting after things of the world and they have become murderers (abortion?) and the young Priesthood holders (the princes) are rebellious. (1:21-2)
    He then describes our modern world only too accurately in verse 23. Merchants defraud consumers, and money/silver has become as dross (waste or foreign matter). In our day silver is worth little and money is now held captive by foreign debt payments. Our young people love gifts and follow after rewards whether they earn them or not. They don't think of the fatherless or widows nor give service to the poor and needy.
    The Lord God of Israel, Jesus Christ, will avenge himself and his people against the enemies of God. He will purge the dross and take away our sins. And he will restore judges, counsellors and afterwards we'll again be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city:
    "Zion shall be redeemed with (justice) judgment, and her converts (sound familiar) with righteousness."
    Then those that have sinned and repented NOT will be burned or as a mighty oak in drought will fade just as does a garden that hath no water."
The Daughter of Zion is the Tipping Point: A Fulcrum
    The verse 8 has become the fulcrum or tipping point in Isaiah's opening chapters. Think this is for us in our day? The Daughter in Zion is the caretaker of the cottage and garden and although besieged on all sides by wickedness and evil, must bring the living waters of the gospel to her daughters and young princes, who will one day bear the Royal Priesthood, so that they may overcome the world and be nourished, walking in the His light and serving Him by serving others.