OT Podcast

Scot

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed as we start this particular year of studies in the Old Testament. Perhaps it is the sheer size of the book. Perhaps it is the archaic language and culture. Perhaps it seems to be so disconnected from us in time. But let us remember how the Old Testament permeates all the other scriptures.

When Nephi says that his soul delights in the scriptures, he is talking about the Old Testament. When Jesus Christ quotes scriptures to the Devil who is trying to tempt Him, He is quoting from the Old Testament. When Moroni came to the young Prophet Joseph and quotes at least 28 passages of scripture with more than 84 verses, more than 90 percent of them came from the Old Testament. When Jesus Christ was talking to His followers during His mortal ministry He said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Jesus here was referring to the Old Testament—He testified that the Old Testament writings testified of Him! And that is the grand key to our own understanding and enjoyment of this sacred book in our studies this year: We will always be searching for Jesus Christ in our studies of the Old Testament!

Maurine

Welcome to Meridian Magazine’s New Come and See Podcast where we go right to the heart of the scriptures to see the Savior Jesus Christ in all we read and study. We are Scot and Maurine Proctor and we are excited to jump right in to our wonderful studies of the Old Testament. As Scot just recounted, the Old Testament does strike many as a formidable, unapproachable, hard-to-understand ancient book. The 1,184 pages can seem daunting. The 39 books of the Old Testament can sometimes seem confusing. Getting through 929 chapters can be overwhelming—even getting through the 66 chapters of Isaiah can seem daunting. Leviticus or Isaiah or Deuteronomy can stop a reader dead in her tracks. So, as we begin this full year of study of the Old Testament, let’s start with a few tools and methods of approach that may help this process of study not only NOT be painful, but be delightful and fulfilling.

Scot

The Old Testament might better be named, the Old Covenant. This is the story, from the beginning of time, of God’s dealings with His children and how He binds them to Him by immutable covenants, starting with Adam and Eve, then Enoch, then Noah, then Fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, then Moses. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9) And, as His covenant children obey His words, and live by every word which proceedeth forth from the mouth of God, they are protected, prospered, given promised lands, even given His Divine Presence.

Maurine

“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: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Ex. 19:5-6)

Now, as Latter-day Saints or “Latter-day Covenant Israel,” as President Russell Nelson has called members of The Church of Jesus Christ, we should immerse ourselves in the Old Testament, studying, pondering and learning all we can about this ancient and holy covenant which binds us to the God of Israel.

President Dallin H. Oaks has taught that “The Old Testament frequently refers to God’s covenant with Abraham and his seed.” We are the seed of Abraham. So, as you begin your studies, then, always look for the covenant and for covenant language. Ponder the covenants God has made with His children. Pray about the power of covenants in your own life and in your family. Reflect upon the covenants you have made in the temple and see how they have bound you to the God of the universe and how they keep you safe. Think of yourself, as part of “Latter-day Covenant Israel.”

Scot

If we had the original manuscripts of the Old Testament, compiled as dictated by the Holy Ghost, the title page of this venerable book may well have read something like this:

This book is “…to show unto…the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” (See Title Page of the Book of Mormon)

As we study together in the Old Testament this year, let’s look for Jesus Christ in every story, in every pattern, in every book, in all the covenants. As it says in Moses 6:63:

63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual…all things bear record of me.

Maurine

So, we are looking for Jesus Christ in all of our Old Testament studies and we are looking for covenant language. This now becomes a journey of wonderful discovery.

President Dallin H. Oaks has 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.” So often in the Old Testament we forget that the words from Deity spoken here are the words of Jesus.

So, we will look for Jesus Christ in the story of Noah and the flood. We will look for Jesus Christ and His words in the story of Abraham and his striving to obtain the blessings of heaven. We will look for Jesus Christ and His words in the story of the Children of Israel leaving Egypt and going on the wilderness journey. AND, we will find Him. The entire Old Testament points to the coming of Jesus Christ. And think of it: Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Christ and we now live 2,000 years after Christ. He and his people looked forward to His First Coming. We now look forward to His Second Coming. Abraham made covenants with Jesus Christ in holy places in the wilderness. We make covenants with Jesus Christ in holy temples in our wilderness sojourn upon the earth.

Scot

So, Maurine, that means that when we are studying in the Book of Exodus and we come upon the story of manna in the wilderness in chapter 16, let’s not miss the clear message that this is not just something the Children of Israel gathered every day to sustain themselves and was a temporal blessing. This was a clear symbol of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Himself, in his mortal ministry, taught the people such as they wanted Him to give them physical bread to sustain them, He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”  That’s such a beautiful symbol of Christ in the Old Testament.

Maurine

And all through the Law of Moses there are numerous symbols that turned the people to look to Jesus Christ. Some are more obvious than others but as we look for them, we will find them.

Nephi taught it as plainly as possible:

23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

25 For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Nephi taught here and elsewhere that everything about the Law of Moses prefigured Jesus Christ and turned his people to look to the Savior and live.

Scot

Well, and this reminds me, Maurine, that the best commentary on the Old Testament, besides the promptings and revelations of the Holy Ghost to us individually, is the Book of Mormon.

For example, remember the Nephi who lived near the time of the birth of Christ? He is the one who got up on the tower in his garden and he was lamenting the sins of the people of Zarahemla. He taught these truths very clearly about the brazen serpent the Moses raised up in the wilderness for the people to look upon when the fiery, flying serpents were attacking the people:

14 Yea, did [Moses] not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.

16 And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham.

I love that symbol of Christ in the wilderness. Again, let us be looking for Christ in all of our studies in the Old Testament this year.

Maurine

Now back to looking for the covenant in all our readings. Our good friend, Dr. Taylor Halverson, has taught:

“The Old Testament is not a random collection of ancient religious writings. It is a covenant record shaped over centuries by a people trying to understand their relationship with God across creation, failure, deliverance, exile, and hope. Its dominant question is not “How do I behave well enough for God?” but “How and why does God remain faithful to people who repeatedly struggle to trust Him?” Ancient Israel preserved these texts because they believed God had bound Himself to them through a covenant of hesed. Covenant in the ancient world was relational and enduring. It created belonging, obligation, and shared future. The Old Testament tells the story of a God who commits Himself to people and then patiently teaches them what that relationship requires over time. The structure of the Old Testament reflects this purpose. Narrative teaches identity. Law teaches belonging. Prophecy calls people back when covenant loyalty frays. Wisdom literature trains daily trust. All of it assumes that God initiates relationship and sustains it across generations, even when human faithfulness wavers. This is hesed.”

Scot

He brings up that word hesed which is probably my favorite word in any language. Understanding a little about that word helps me in my understanding the Old Testament. Douglas Clark has written:

“What motivated God to undertake the grand enterprise [of creation]? Tradition insists that he acted on hesed, a Hebrew word whose meaning includes loving-kindness and mercy. The Psalmist declared that ‘the world is built on hesed.’ while the medieval Jewish scholar Mosese Maimonides taught that ‘all being is an act of divine hesed, for the universe has come into existence only by virtue of God’s abundant grace or loving-kindness.’ But another essential element of God’s hesed is his loyalty to the covenant, which apparently was a factor even in the Creation, for tradition indicates it was then when God first made a covenant with Abraham.”

So, there is something else we can look for all through our studies is the hesed, the Divine loving kindness and mercy and pure love of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the scriptural text. It’s there all through the ancient text.

Maurine

AND, we look for patterns all through the Old Testament. The Lord loves to teach by divine patterns and archetypes.

Elder Dale G. Renlund taught: “As recorded in the Old Testament, when Naaman sought a cure for his leprosy, he was indignant at being asked to dip himself seven times in a nearby ordinary river. But he was persuaded to follow the prophet Elisha’s counsel rather than rely on his own preconceived notions of how the miracle should occur. As a result, Naaman was healed. When we trust God’s prophet on the earth today and act on his counsel, we will find happiness, and we too can be healed. We need to look no further.

“Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to remember and always focus on Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer, the ‘mark’ to whom we should look, and our greatest treasure. As you come to Him, you will be rewarded with strength to face life’s challenges, courage to do what is right, and the ability to fulfill your mission in mortality. Treasure the opportunity to repent, the privilege of partaking of the sacrament, the blessing of making and keeping temple covenants, the delight of worshipping in the temple, and the joy of having a living prophet.”

Obedience to the living prophet of the Lord is a seminal characteristic of the people of the covenant. We are Latter-day Covenant Israel and we need to constant heed the words of the living prophet today.

Scot

Nephi loved these sacred scriptures and he said:

“And I did read many things unto [my brothers] which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.” (See 1 Nephi 19:23)

So, we need to liken all that we study and all that we read this year unto ourselves in our times and circumstances, in this dispensation—in this day and time and pray that the Spirit will bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

If you seek greater faith in the Savior as you study the Old Testament, you will find it. Perhaps this could be the aim of your study this year. Pray that the Spirit will guide you to find and focus on passages, stories, and prophecies that will bring you closer to Jesus Christ.

Maurine

Oh, Scot, my mind races to the people in ancient Israel and how they regarded and loved what we call the Old Testament. In Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, 21 manuscripts of the Book of Isaiah were discovered, most dating to the 2^nd Century B.C. and those that were completely intact contained all sixty-six chapters of that venerable book! And I read Isaiah today and there it is in my Old Testament—all sixty-six chapters. That really is something to be so grateful for.

Part of the practice of this particular sect of Judaism was the daily, careful copying of the holy canon of the scriptures and they were especially fond of Isaiah. There is something about that practice that is so impressive. They were looking for spiritual strength in their circumstances and in their tumultuous times.

And why did God preserve all these ancient records for us today? Perhaps He preserved them because He knows each one of us and what we would be experiencing in our times. Through the people and the stories of the Old Testament He has prepared numerous spiritual messages for us to help us draw closer to Him and to build our faith in Him.

Let us always pray that the Holy Ghost will be with us as we study these ancient truths—that He might lead us to all truth, that He will lead us to those passages and insights that will help us bless our friends, family members, and fellow Saints.

Scot

I depend on the help of the Holy Ghost in leading me to all truth in the Old Testament.

The Holy Ghost guides us to the truth and bears witness of that truth (see John 16:13). He enlightens our minds, quickens our understandings, and touches our hearts with revelation from God, the source of all truth. The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts. He inspires in us a desire to live by truth, and He whispers to us ways to do this. Truly, “the Holy Ghost … shall teach [us] all things” (John 14:26).

For these reasons, we should first and foremost seek the companionship of the Spirit. This goal should govern our choices and guide our thoughts and actions. We should seek after whatever invites the influence of the Spirit and reject whatever drives that influence away—for we know that if we can be worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost, we can also be worthy to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Maurine

I love what Dr. Ellis T. Rasmussen wrote about our approach to studying the Old Testament:

“The individuals and the peoples of the Old Testament experienced hopes and fears, aspirations and disappointments, achievements and failings in all of which we can find examples of good or evil, to be emulated or avoided. Indeed, as we see Old Testament accounts of our spiritual forebears and sense their faith, reverence, hope and joy—or feel their doubt, infidelity, despair, and misery—we may find ways to avoid pitfalls ourselves, reach our ideals, and attain more joy. But it must here be declared that the most important aid to understanding the Old Testament, or any other book of scripture, is the inspiration from the Holy Spirit, which is promised to us…”   

Scot

Yes, and those promises of the Spirit are true. We read in 1 Corinthians, chapter 2:

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Maurine

And we know from the promise of Moroni that:

4 …when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

That last verse applies to all truth and will certainly help us in our studies in the Old Testament this year.

Scot

And I love the counsel the Lord gave to Hyrum Smith even before the formation of the Church. He said,

12 …put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;
[Remember this while you are carefully studying and reading the Old Testament this year]

14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

The Lord will open avenues of understanding to you and you diligently seek to understand and comprehend the teachings, the lessons, the stories, the doctrines and the words of the Old Testament this year.

Maurine

And I love this reminder from Dr. Paul Y. Hoskisson about our approach to our Old Testament studies:

“Without any doubt, the best and most important commentary on the Old Testament is the Book of Mormon, with the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants not far behind. Many of the authors in this collection make extensive use of the Latter-day scriptures to help explain Old Testament concepts and themes. Their example demonstrates how we as a people can approach other aspects of the Old Testament using Restoration scripture to guide us.

“The prophets of this dispensation also have not been silent about the Old Testament. In fact, without the foundation of the Old Testament, many aspects of the Restoration would not be comprehensible. The prophets of the Restoration have not shied away from pointing out Old Testament grounds for Restoration concepts, and thereby they have provided us with invaluable insights.”

Scot

And one of my favorite professors, mentors and friends at BYU, Dr. Robert J. Matthews encouraged us to make our study of the Old Testament a journey of discovery. In a fun way he taught:

“Many well-known phrases from the Old Testament have entered our current language: a good old age (Genesis 25:8); the apple of his eye (Psalm 17:8); a mother in Israel (Judges 5:7); a land of milk and honey (Joshua 5:6); the windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10); the valley of decision (Joel 3:14); a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12); precept upon precept, line upon line (Isaiah 28:10); a drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15); in the hollow of his hand (Isaiah 40:12); trodden the winepress alone (Isaiah 63:3); the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley (Song of Solomon 2:1); can a leopard change its spots (Jeremiah 13:23); I was saved by the skin of my teeth (Job 19:20); my hair stood on end (Job 4:15); handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5:24); nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 6:1); a coat of many colors (Genesis 37:32); mantle of the prophet (2 Kings 2:13–14); a mess of pottage (Genesis 25:34); and God save the king (1 Samuel 10:24).”

Maurine

As we studied to give this podcast, we found this wonderful summary that will help all of us in our studies this year of the Old Testament.

“It should not surprise us, then, that the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ were taught and practiced in the time frame of the Old Testament: the first principles and ordinances of the gospel; the pillars of the Creation, Fall, and Atonement; the ordinance of celestial marriage and subsequent importance of children, posterity, and family history work; the covenant and the mission of holy and chosen people; the sacrament; tithes and offerings; patriarchs and patriarchal blessings; names and titles of God, Jehovah, Jesus Christ; the appearance of God and angels; the role of prophets and prophecy, including messianic prophecies; revelation, dreams, and visions; premortal life; the spirit world; worship practices; record keeping; miracles; observance of holy days and Sabbaths; priesthood functions and administrations; Temples and Temple worship, clothing, and sealing power; laws of health; scattering and gathering of Israel; apostasy and restoration; missionary work, or raising the warning voice to individuals and nations; human deification (theosis, or the doctrine of humans’ potential to become like Heavenly Father); signs of the last days; the Second Coming; the Millennium; and Zion. All these things were known and taught during Old Testament times.”

That is what we have to look forward to this year. What could be more exciting?!

Scot

That’s all for today. We have loved being with you again. This has been Meridian Magazine’s “Come and See” podcast. Thank you for joining us. Next week we will be studying Moses chapter 1 and Abraham chapter 3 in a lesson entitled, “Behold, This is My Work and My Glory.” A special thanks to Jenny Oaks Baker for the beautiful music that accompanies this podcast and to our producer, Michaela Proctor Hutchins.

Have a wonderful week and see you next time.