1 Introduction to the Old Testament
Introduction to the Old Testament
Value the experiences of people in the Old Testament that
shed light on helps you may need now. Don’t be overly concerned about
differences in culture, attitudes, and time. Concentrate more on the Spirit and
the lessons you can learn, especially in the development of your Testimony in
God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
Look for gospel themes that testify of Christ, God’s plan,
and the covenant relationship He seeks to have with His children. These people
of old, in the Old Testament, faced similar problems and emotions to what you
have faced and will face. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, and the
Father’s gift in sacrificing His Son helped Bob and me be able to allow Robby
to return to our Heavenly Father and still find joy in his short life and in
our own. With peace, brought from the Savior, our testimonies were
strengthened.
The covenant people of the Old Testament “exercised faith,
repented, made covenants, had spiritual experiences, and never gave up on the
promise of a Savior.” We will be able to see parallel in their lives and in our
own.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light unto my path.
140 Thy word is very pure:
therefore thy servant loveth it.
Learn to love the word of the Lord!
The Old Testament testifies of Jesus Christ.
John
6:48 I am that bread of life.
In the New Testament, Jesus is called the Bread of Life. Who
is this also depicted in the Old Testament?
- Manna
(Exodus
16:4, 11–15; John
6:35)
Exodus 16:14-15 And when the dew
that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small
round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
And when the children of Israel saw
it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And
Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them,
I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst.
- The
sacrificial lamb (Exodus
12:3–5; John
1:29)
Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall
be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out
from the sheep, or from the goats:
John 1:29 The next day John seeth
Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.
- The
brass serpent (Numbers
21:4–10; John
3:14)
Numbers 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of
brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had
bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up:
- Jonah
(Jonah
1:4–17; Matthew
12:38–41)
Jonah 1:15-17 1So they took
up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly,
and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
Now the Lord had prepared
a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days
and three nights.
Jesus
Christ Is the Treasure “Remember and always focus on Jesus Christ,” (Elder
Dale G. Renlund.
Look for
symbols that testify of Jesus Christ. The Lord taught Adam, “All things have their likeness,
and all things are created and made to bear record of me” (Moses
6:63). Whether you are studying or teaching, focusing on Jesus Christ can
help you find meaning in the scriptures and increase your love for and faith in
Him. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7.)
Jesus Christ is Jehovah in the Old Testament.
President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “The Father introduced
His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Redeemer and gave us the
command to ‘hear Him.’ From this direction we conclude that the scriptural
records of words spoken by ‘God’ or the ‘Lord’ are almost always the words of
Jehovah, our risen Lord, Jesus Christ” (“The
Teachings of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2023, 102). He is the
Word of God!
The Jews of Jesus’s day thought it was blasphemous when He said,
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
They understood rightfully that He was proclaiming that He
is “I Am” or “Jehovah”. This they thought was preposterous.
John
8:58–59 58 Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him:
but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of
them, and so passed by.
Exodus
3:13–15 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I
come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your
fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his
name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am:
and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath
sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt
thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent
me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto
all generations.
6:3–5 3 And
I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob,
by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was
I not known to them.
4 And I have also established my covenant with
them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage,
wherein they were strangers.
5 And I have also heard the groaning
of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have
remembered my covenant.
Why is it important to understand that Jesus Christ is Jehovah?
The Lord restored many “plain and precious things”
through Joseph Smith.
The Lord showed Nephi the record that would be brought forth
by the Gentiles.
1 Nephi
13:21–29, 38–42 39 And after it had come forth unto them I
beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from
the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the
remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon
all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb are true.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying:
These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the
truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken
away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that
the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of
the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
41 And they must come according to the words
which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb
shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of
the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established
in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all
the earth.
42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest
himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the
Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the
Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the
Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be
last.
2 Nephi
3:12 12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and
the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which
shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be
written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false
doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among
the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of
their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants,
saith the Lord.
As you study the Old Testament this year, you will also
study some of the “other books” Nephi foresaw. These include:
- The
book of Moses, part of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible. It
restores truths and accounts not found in the current text of Genesis
1–6. (Revealed text; this is okay, remember that much found in the
first five books in the Old Testament was revealed to Moses.)
- The
book of Abraham, which was revealed to Joseph Smith as he examined
ancient Egyptian papyri (see Topics and Questions, “Book
of Abraham,” Gospel Library).
- Various
passages from the Joseph Smith Translation, some of which appear in
the footnotes, the appendix of the Bible, and the Guide to the Scriptures.
Here are some examples of Old Testament accounts restored
through Joseph Smith: Enoch’s city of Zion (Moses
7:18–19), Abraham’s vision of the council in heaven (Abraham
3:22–28), and the ministry of Melchizedek (Joseph
Smith Translation, Genesis 14:25–40). Why are these accounts “plain and
precious” to you?
Moses
7:18–19 18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because
they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and
there was no poor among them.
19 And Enoch continued his preaching in
righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he
built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.
Abraham
3:22–28 22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that
were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many
of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good,
and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers;
for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and
he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before
thou wast born.
24 And there stood one among them that
was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down,
for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will
make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25 And we will prove them herewith, to
see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall
command them;
26 And they who keep their first estate shall
be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in
the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep
their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads
for ever and ever.
27 And the Lord said: Whom shall
I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me.
And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said:
I will send the first.
28 And the second was angry, and kept
not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.
Joseph
Smith Translation, Genesis 14:25–40 25 And Melchizedek
lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.
26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who
wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths
of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.
27 And thus, having been approved of God, he
was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with
Enoch,
28 It being after the order of the Son of
God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor
mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;
29 And it was delivered unto men by the
calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed
on his name.
30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto
his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this
order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide
the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;
31 To put at defiance the armies of nations,
to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to
do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue
principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was
from before the foundation of the world.
32 And men having this faith, coming up unto
this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.
33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this
order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of
peace.
34 And his people wrought righteousness, and
obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken,
separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the
end of the world;
35 And hath said, and sworn with an oath,
that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should
be tried so as by fire.
36 And this Melchizedek, having thus
established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in
other words, the King of peace.
37 And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed
Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God;
38 Him whom God had appointed to receive
tithes for the poor.
39 Wherefore, Abram paid unto him tithes of
all that he had, of all the riches which he possessed, which God had given him
more than that which he had need.
40 And it came to pass, that God blessed
Abram, and gave unto him riches, and honor, and lands for an everlasting
possession; according to the covenant which he had made, and according to the
blessing wherewith Melchizedek had blessed him.
The Old Testament helps me understand my covenant
relationship with God.
Exodus
19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me
above all people: for all the earth is mine:
God want to make His children a peculiar treasure to Himself
through covenant. He wants to bless us with all that He has.
Learn more about covenants—specifically the everlasting
covenant God offered to ancient prophets like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their
posterity, which is the same covenant He offers to us today in His Holy Temples.
1.
Why are covenants important to me?
2.
What “special kind of love and mercy” do I
receive from God as I keep my covenants with Him?
3.
What does Father want to teach me about my
covenant relationship with Him?
Jeremiah
31:31–34 31 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake,
although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will
remember their sin no more.
For Kids:
I can learn of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
Share stories and symbols from the Old Testament that will
help children learn about Jesus Christ.
Show them the picture, “The Prophet Isaiah Foretells
Christ’s Birth.”
What did Isaiah write about Jesus’s birth?
Isaiah
7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold,
a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his
name Immanuel. (or God with us.)
9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
Speak about your love for Jesus Christ and allow the
children to do so as well.
What do the following sections of scripture teach you about
the Lord’s role in your life and His Atonement for you? How important are you
to Him?
Heavenly Father wants to make covenants with me.
Covenants are an important theme in the Old Testament. How
important are promises to you? Have your parents made promises to you? Have you
made promises to others? Why is it important for us to keep righteous promises
that are made in good faith? What happens if we break promises?
Did you know that baptism is a covenant ordinance? We make
promises to our Heavenly Father, and His promises to us are even greater if we
always remember Jesus and keep the commandments. Did you know that one day you
will also be able to make more covenants in the Temple? The ultimate blessings
of keeping promises made in our covenants, because of Heavenly Father’s love
and the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ, are that one day we can live with
them and be like them and have all the privileges that they have.
Mosiah
18:10, 13 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your
hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of
the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with
him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his
Spirit more abundantly upon you?
13 And when he had said these words, the Spirit of
the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from
the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to
serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the
Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through
the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of
the world.
See this week’s activity page.
Jesus Christ is Jehovah in the Old Testament.
Exodus
6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was
I not known to them.
JST Ex. 6:3 … and unto Jacob. I am the Lord God
Almighty; the Lord Jehovah. And was not my name known unto them?
So they did know His name.
What names that Jesus is known by before He was born?
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