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A Voice from the Dust

A king with five “I will”s, a professor who couldn’t read a sealed book, and a farm boy who could

  • 🧭 Youth 12–13
  • Week 39
  • 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Pride always falls, but the Lord keeps His promises: He brought the Book of Mormon out of the dust as a marvelous work, and He can make anything dry in my life bloom again.

I can choose “Thy will” over “I will,” and build my testimony of the Book of Mormon line upon line.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 13–23 is a string of bold warnings to the proud nations of Isaiah’s day. Babylon gets the biggest one: its glory would end, and it did. Babylon becomes a symbol of pride and worldliness. In Isaiah 14, Isaiah mocks the king of Babylon, and in verses 12–15 the words reach past him to Lucifer, the “son of the morning,” who said in his heart “I will” five times and wanted to be “like the most High.” Compare Moses 4:1–4: Satan wanted God’s honor for himself, while the Beloved Son offered to do the Father’s will and give Him the glory. Pride is the difference.

Isaiah 29 is the heart of this week. Isaiah saw a people who would “speak out of the ground” with a voice that whispers “out of the dust” (29:4). Nephi applies this to his own people’s record, the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 26:15–16; 2 Nephi 27). Isaiah also saw a sealed book handed to a learned man who says “I cannot; for it is sealed,” and then to a man who is “not learned” (29:11–12). In 1828 Martin Harris took characters copied from the gold plates to Professor Charles Anthon in New York City. Anthon first wrote a certificate saying they were genuine, tore it up when he heard an angel was involved, and then said he could not read a sealed book (Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65). Joseph Smith, with little schooling, translated by the gift and power of God. The Lord calls it “a marvellous work and a wonder” (29:14; see also D&C 4:1).

Jesus Christ is all over these chapters. Isaiah 22:22–23 describes a faithful servant fastened “as a nail in a sure place,” holding the key of the house of David; Revelation 3:7 applies that key to the Savior. He is “a refuge from the storm” (25:4), He will “swallow up death in victory” and wipe away tears (25:8), He keeps in “perfect peace” those whose minds are stayed on Him (26:3), and He makes the desert “blossom as the rose” (35:1). He also teaches us the way we can actually learn: “line upon line” (28:10).

For 11- to 14-year-olds: they are new deacons and Young Women, going to the temple for the first time, and deciding for themselves whether the Book of Mormon is true. Pride shows up for them as comparison, clout, and needing to look like they know everything. Celebrate that the Lord gave the book to a humble teenager, not a famous professor. Invite them to gain their own testimony a little at a time, and be honest that it grows line upon line, not all at once.

Only have 5 minutes?

Open with the sealed envelope. The “learned” volunteer can’t read it, so the youngest gets to open it. Tell the story from the Teach Mode scenes, and ask the question on each screen. Teach Isaiah 29:14 with the motions. Ask two Real Talk questions. End with Isaiah 35:1 and your testimony of the Book of Mormon. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Your own closed scriptures become the sealed book.

What to bring3 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Put the slip in the envelope and tape it shut. Write “Read this, I pray thee” on the front.
  2. Read the seven scenes out loud once, so you can tell them instead of just reading. Bookmark Isaiah 14:12–15 and 29:11–14.
  3. Think of one short, true time the Book of Mormon helped you. You’ll share it at the end in under a minute.

If your class is wild

  • Tell the story like gossip you can’t believe is true. The Anthon part really happened, and teens love that.
  • Every scene has one question. Take one or two quick answers and keep moving. The story is the main event.
  • Keep the King of Babylon about the attitude, all those “I will”s. Nobody acts out Satan.
  • Phones are fine for the verse match-up in Gospel Library. Set the rule first: scriptures app only, then face-down.
  • End quiet. Lower the lights for Isaiah 35:1, and wait for real stillness before you testify.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Read This, I Pray Thee

3 min

Playing out Isaiah 29:11–12 before anyone knows it’s scripture makes the prophecy feel real and a little eerie.

  1. SAY“I need the most learned person in this room. Who reads the most, or knows the most random facts?”
  2. Let the class vote. Hand the winner the sealed envelope and read the label. No opening it! They’ll say, “I can’t, it’s sealed.”
  3. Give it to the youngest person here. They open it and read the slip aloud: “a marvellous work and a wonder.”
  4. Read Isaiah 29:11–12. Then say, “Isaiah wrote about what you two just did, twenty-seven hundred years ago. Today we find out who really lived it.”
🌪️ If the “learned” volunteer tries to peek, even better. Just say, “Nope. Sealed.”

Class screen: ✉️ Read this, I pray thee… without opening it. · The most learned person in the room gets first try

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: An envelope taped shut, labeled “Read this, I pray thee,” with a slip inside that says “a marvellous work and a wonder (Isaiah 29:14)”

The Sealed Scriptures

  1. SAY“I need the most learned person in this room.”
  2. Let the class vote. Hold your own scriptures shut with both hands.
  3. Tell the winner, “Read this, I pray thee. Isaiah 29, verse 14. But the book stays shut.” They’ll say, “I can’t, it’s sealed.”
  4. Open to Isaiah 29:14 and let the youngest person read it aloud.
  5. Read Isaiah 29:11–12. Then say, “Isaiah wrote about what you two just did, twenty-seven hundred years ago. Today we find out who really lived it.”

Class screen: 🔒 Read this, I pray thee… but it’s sealed. · Isaiah 29:11–12

2. Story

The Story: Five “I Will”s and a Sealed Book

8 min

Hearing the proud king’s fall next to the true story of the sealed book shows that the Lord passes over pride and works through the humble.

  1. SAY“Here are two true stories. One is Isaiah’s picture of pride. The other really happened in eighteen twenty-eight, and Isaiah saw it coming. Watch how they connect.”
  2. Show each scene in Teach Mode and tell it in your own voice. Pause at each question and take one or two answers.
  3. At scene 2, read Isaiah 14:13–14 while everyone counts the “I will”s on their fingers.
  4. After scene 7, ask, “Pride says ‘I will.’ What does humility say?” Listen for “Thy will be done,” the Savior’s words in Luke 22:42.
🌪️ When the room gets loud, whisper “out of the dust…” and wait for them to whisper it back.

Class screen: 📜 A proud king falls. A sealed book comes out of the dust. · Isaiah 14 · Isaiah 29 · Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65

3. Scripture

Isaiah Saw It Coming: Isaiah 29:14

5 min

Youth memorize Isaiah 29:14, then find where Isaiah’s prophecies came true in the Restoration.

  1. SAY“Isaiah called it ‘a marvellous work and a wonder.’ Let’s lock that in.”
  2. Teach Isaiah 29:14 with the motions. Say it twice together.
  3. Start the Big Timer for 90 seconds. Pairs look up two matches: Isaiah 29:4 with 2 Nephi 26:16, and Isaiah 29:13 with Joseph Smith—History 1:19.
  4. Each pair shares one sentence. What did Isaiah see, and how did it come true?
  5. SAY“Isaiah never saw any of this happen. We get to see it. We’re part of it.”
🌪️ Give each pair one book or phone. The partner without it reads the verse aloud.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🔎 Isaiah saw it coming. Find where it came true! · 29:4 ↔ 2 Nephi 26:16 · 29:13 ↔ JS—H 1:19

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for pairs: Bibles, a quad, or the Gospel Library app on phones

Prophecy or Fulfillment?

  1. SAY“Isaiah called it ‘a marvellous work and a wonder.’ Let’s lock that in.”
  2. Teach Isaiah 29:14 with the motions. Say it twice together.
  3. Read Isaiah 29:4 from your own scriptures, then 29:13.
  4. After each one, the class calls out how it came true. Think of the Book of Mormon, and the First Vision.
  5. SAY“Isaiah never saw any of this happen. We get to see it. We’re part of it.”

Class screen: 🔮 Isaiah wrote it. Where did it come true? · Isaiah 29:4 · 29:13 · 29:14

4. Talk it over

Real Talk

5 min

Honest questions connect Isaiah’s warnings and promises to what 11- to 14-year-olds actually face.

  1. SAY“Real talk. There are no wrong answers, and anyone can pass.”
  2. Sit in a circle. Pick two or three questions from the screen. Use the Name Spinner or ask for volunteers.
  3. Share one honest answer of your own first. That way it doesn’t feel like a test.
💬 Ask the class
  • Lucifer’s plan was “I will… I will… I will.” Where do you see that kind of pride at school or online?
  • Isaiah 29:13 talks about people who honor the Lord with their lips. But their hearts are far away. What helps your heart really show up during the sacrament?
  • Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to the one “whose mind is stayed on thee.” What keeps your mind on the Savior when your screen keeps pulling at it?
  • In Isaiah 28:10, the Lord says He teaches “line upon line.” What’s one line you’ve already learned from the Book of Mormon?
  • Isaiah 35:1 says the desert will blossom. What feels dry in a teenager’s life that Jesus Christ can make bloom again?
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

5. Testimony

Blossom as the Rose

3 min

A quiet ending with Isaiah’s biggest promises and a personal witness of the Book of Mormon helps each youth feel the marvelous work is for them.

  1. SAY“This is the voice from the dust.”
  2. If you brought a Book of Mormon, hold it up. Wait for real quiet.
  3. Read Isaiah 35:1 and Isaiah 25:8: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.”
  4. Share your short moment when the Book of Mormon helped you. Testify that Jesus Christ can make any dry place in their lives bloom again.
  5. Invite them to take the Hear the Voice from the Dust challenge this week. Then ask a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🌹 The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. · Isaiah 35:1

6. Wiggle break

I Will vs. Thy Will

2 minBONUS

A fast command game makes the lesson’s big contrast physical: Lucifer’s “I will” versus the Savior’s “Thy will be done.”

  1. SAY“Everybody up. When I call a move, do it fast.”
  2. Pick a youth to call the moves.
  3. “I will ascend!” means jump. “I will exalt my throne!” means tiptoes, chin high. “Brought down!” means squat. “Marvellous work!” means hammer a fist on your palm.
  4. Last call: “Thy will be done,” from Luke 22:42. Everyone freezes, bows their head and stays silent for ten seconds.
  5. SAY“Lucifer said ‘I will’ five times. In Gethsemane, Jesus Christ said, ‘not my will, but thine, be done.’ That’s the whole difference.”

Class screen: 🙇 I will ascend! Brought down! …Thy will be done. · Isaiah 14:13–15 · Luke 22:42

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Babylon, the sealed book, and Isaiah’s promises about Jesus Christ.

  1. SAY“Two teams, one device. Ten seconds to whisper, then point.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. The winning team earns a bonus point if they can name the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Team Rose vs. Team Refuge!

Story and questions

Five “I Will”s and a Sealed Book

Isaiah 14:12–15; 29:4, 11–14; Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65 ↗

Scenes

  1. 👑🏛️ Babylon: the proudest kingdom on earth

    In Isaiah’s day, Babylon was rich, powerful, and very impressed with itself. Isaiah warned that its glory would end, and it did. Then he painted a picture of its proud king. And that picture pointed at someone even older and prouder. Lucifer.

    🙌 Ask: “What does ‘very impressed with itself’ look like at school or online?”

  2. 🪜☁️ “I will… I will… I will…”

    Isaiah tells us what Lucifer said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the most High.” Listen again. Every sentence starts the same way.

    🙌 Read Isaiah 14:13–14. Everyone counts the “I will”s on their fingers. There are five.

  3. ⬇️💥 “How art thou fallen from heaven”

    Then the answer: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” All that climbing, and he is “brought down… to the sides of the pit.” Pride promises to lift you up. It always takes you down.

    🙌 Ask: “Lucifer wanted God’s glory for himself. What did he end up with?”

  4. 📜🤫 A voice whispering out of the dust

    Now Isaiah looks far ahead. He sees a people whose voice would “whisper out of the dust.” He sees a sealed book handed to a learned man. The man says, “I cannot; for it is sealed.” Later, Nephi said this was about his people’s record.

    🙌 Ask: “A book that speaks out of the dust. Any guesses what it is?”

  5. 🧑‍🌾🎓 1828: Martin Harris meets a famous professor

    About twenty-five hundred years later, Joseph Smith copied characters from the gold plates. His friend Martin Harris was a farmer. Martin carried them to New York City, to Professor Charles Anthon. The professor said they looked genuine. He even wrote a certificate saying so.

    🙌 Ask: “If you were Martin, how would you feel walking out with that certificate?”

  6. 🔒😤 “I cannot read a sealed book”

    Then Anthon asked where the plates came from. Martin said an angel had shown them to Joseph. So the professor tore up the certificate. Bring me the plates, he said. Martin explained that part was sealed. “I cannot read a sealed book,” the professor answered.

    🙌 Hold up your Bible open to Isaiah 29:11. Ask: “How close is that to what Isaiah wrote?”

  7. 👦📖 Given to the one “not learned”

    The book went to the one Isaiah called “not learned.” That was Joseph Smith, a farmer with little schooling. He translated it by the gift and power of God. In eighteen thirty, the Book of Mormon was printed. Isaiah called it “a marvellous work and a wonder.”

    🙌 Ask: “Why do you think the Lord gave it to the farm boy and not the professor?”

Key verse

Isaiah 29:14 ↗
“I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish”
In plain words: The Lord said, “I’m going to do something amazing among My people, something truly wonderful, and the people who think they know it all will be left behind.”
🙌 “I will proceed” = march in place · “a marvellous work” = pound a fist on your palm like a hammer · “among this people” = sweep a hand around the room · “and a wonder” = hands burst open like fireworks · “the wisdom of their wise men” = tap your temple, chin up like a know-it-all · “shall perish” = hands drop, fingers wiggle down like falling dust.

More verses

Isaiah 14:13–14 ↗
“I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the most High.”
In plain words: Lucifer’s whole plan was about himself: me first, me on top, me in charge. That pride is exactly what brought him down.
Isaiah 29:4 ↗
“thy speech shall be low out of the dust … thy speech shall whisper out of the dust”
In plain words: A people long gone would speak again from the ground. The Book of Mormon came out of a hill and still speaks today.
Isaiah 22:23 ↗
“I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place”
In plain words: A nail hammered into something solid holds whatever you hang on it. Jesus Christ is that sure place.
Isaiah 26:3 ↗
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
In plain words: When your mind stays locked on the Lord and you trust Him, He gives you a peace nothing else can.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 📜 Isaiah
  • 🏛️ Babylon
  • ⬇️ Lucifer
  • 🦚 Pride
  • 🔒 Sealed Book
  • 📀 Gold Plates
  • 🧑‍🌾 Martin Harris
  • 🎓 Professor
  • 👦 Joseph Smith
  • 📖 Book of Mormon
  • 🌫️ Dust
  • 🔨 Nail
  • ⛺ Refuge
  • 🌹 Rose
  • 🏜️ Desert
  • 🕊️ Perfect Peace
  • 📏 Line upon Line
  • 😢 Tears
Clues for each word
  • Isaiah: Prophet who saw a sealed book 2,500 years early
  • Babylon: Proud kingdom Isaiah said would fall
  • Lucifer: “Son of the morning” who fell because of pride
  • Pride: “I will… I will… I will…” attitude
  • Sealed Book: “I cannot; for it is sealed”
  • Gold Plates: The record Joseph Smith translated
  • Martin Harris: Farmer who carried the characters to New York
  • Professor: Charles Anthon’s job; he ripped up his certificate
  • Joseph Smith: The “not learned” young man who got the book
  • Book of Mormon: The voice that whispers out of the dust
  • Dust: Isaiah said a voice would whisper out of it
  • Nail: Fastened in a sure place (Isaiah 22:23)
  • Refuge: A safe shelter from the storm (Isaiah 25:4)
  • Rose: The desert will blossom like one
  • Desert: Dry place that will rejoice and bloom
  • Perfect Peace: What you get when your mind is stayed on Him
  • Line upon Line: How the Lord teaches us, a little at a time
  • Tears: The Lord will wipe them from all faces
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. How many times does Lucifer say “I will” in Isaiah 14:13–14?
    • A. Two
    • B. Five
    • C. Ten
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Five Five “I will”s, all about himself. Then verse 15: brought down.

  2. Isaiah 22:23: “I will fasten him as a nail in a ___ place.”
    • A. sure
    • B. secret
    • C. high
    Show answer

    ✅ A. sure A nail in something solid holds whatever you hang on it. Jesus Christ is that sure place.

  3. Who took characters from the gold plates to Professor Anthon?
    • A. Oliver Cowdery
    • B. Hyrum Smith
    • C. Martin Harris
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Martin Harris Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. Martin Harris, a farmer, went all the way to New York City.

  4. What did the learned man say when handed the sealed book?
    • A. “I cannot; for it is sealed”
    • B. “I already read it”
    • C. “Give it to the king”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “I cannot; for it is sealed” Isaiah 29:11. Professor Anthon said almost the same words in 1828.

  5. Isaiah 25:8 says the Lord will swallow up what in victory?
    • A. The sea
    • B. Death
    • C. Babylon
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Death Because Jesus Christ rose again, everyone will be resurrected.

  6. Perfect peace comes to the one whose mind is ___ on the Lord.
    • A. busy
    • B. closed
    • C. stayed
    Show answer

    ✅ C. stayed Isaiah 26:3. “Stayed” means fixed, locked on, trusting.

  7. According to Isaiah 28:10, how does the Lord teach?
    • A. All at once
    • B. Line upon line
    • C. Only to adults
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Line upon line “Here a little, and there a little.” Testimony grows the same way.

  8. Isaiah 35:1 says the desert shall blossom as the…
    • A. cactus
    • B. rose
    • C. palm tree
    Show answer

    ✅ B. rose The Lord can make the driest places, and people, bloom again.

  9. Which Book of Mormon chapter explains Isaiah 29 in detail?
    • A. 2 Nephi 27
    • B. Alma 32
    • C. Ether 12
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 2 Nephi 27 Nephi retells Isaiah 29 and makes it plain that it’s about a book coming forth.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • The Spirit of God Hymns, no. 2

    A hymn of the Restoration: the marvelous work Isaiah saw is happening. Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    Pairs with the nail in a sure place and the sure foundation of Isaiah 28:16. Find it ↗

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    He will swallow up death in victory (Isaiah 25:8). Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Hear the Voice from the Dust

This week, read 2 Nephi 27:6–26, a few verses a night. Line upon line! Mark every phrase you recognize from Isaiah 29. Pick one verse that speaks to you, and share it with your family or a friend by Sunday.

Text the parents

This week in class we studied Isaiah 13–35. We heard about the proud king’s five “I will”s and his fall. Then we heard the true story of Martin Harris taking characters from the gold plates to Professor Anthon. Anthon said he couldn’t read a sealed book, just as Isaiah 29:11 foretold. We memorized Isaiah 29:14, “a marvellous work and a wonder.” Ask your youth why the Lord gave the book to a humble farm boy instead of a famous professor.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

⛈️ Refuge from the Storm · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 25:4. Have one volunteer sit in the middle of the room.
  2. Teams get 45 seconds to build a “refuge” around them with chairs, jackets and arms. Everyone else makes a storm with snaps and stomps.
  3. Ask, “What storms hit people your age? How is Jesus Christ a shade from the heat when life feels like that?”

📏 Line upon Line Tower · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 28:10. Teams build the tallest tower they can from scriptures, hymnbooks or paper cups. Each person adds one item per turn.
  2. Anyone who tries to add two at once knocks their team back one level.
  3. Ask, “Why does the Lord teach us line upon line instead of all at once? How is a testimony built the same way?”

💗 Lips or Heart? · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 29:13. Then read Joseph Smith—History 1:19, where the Lord used the same idea in the First Vision.
  2. Call out quick situations, like praying while scrolling or singing a hymn and meaning it. Youth point to their lips or their heart.
  3. Ask, “What’s one thing you can do this Sunday so your heart shows up, not just your lips?”

🎒 A Nail in a Sure Place · 4 min

  1. Stick a sticky note on the wall and hang a loaded backpack on it. It crashes. Say, “That’s hanging your worth on likes, grades or popularity.”
  2. Hang the same backpack on a doorknob or a solid hook. It holds. Read Isaiah 22:23: “I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place.”
  3. Say, “Revelation 3:7 uses that same picture for Jesus Christ.” Then ask, “What’s heavy right now that only a sure place can hold?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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