Welcome to the Old Testament: Lesson 1

Introduction to the Old Testament

The Old Testament Testifies of a Caring Heavenly Father and of Jesus Christ

The Old Testament contains many teachings and symbols about the Lord Jesus Christ and His role as Savior of the world. Stories from the Old Testament can help students learn about Him and see how He is involved in our lives. This lesson is intended to help students increase their desire to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through their study of the Old Testament.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to review a favorite story from the Old Testament and ponder what that story might teach about Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

Our focus

To begin the lesson, think of how you can help students look more carefully for the Savior in the Old Testament. One way to do this is to put up several pictures of the Savior around the room before class. After class begins, you could ask students how many pictures of the Savior they noticed and discuss why they did or did not notice the pictures.

Another way to do this is to explain to students that they are about to watch a video showing two teams: one wearing white and one wearing black. Both teams will be passing a basketball. Invite students to try to correctly count the number of passes the team in white makes.

Show the video “Focus Test,” found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to 0:22. Then pause the video.

• How many passes did you count?

• Did you notice anything else happening in the video? If so, what?

  Play the remainder of the video (it repeats the same passing drill) and invite students to watch for anything they may not have seen the first time.

• What did you notice that you hadn’t seen the first time?

  If needed, you could point out that an older woman walked across the floor, a ninja warrior wearing black replaced one of the players, some boys put on hats, and some passed a football instead of a basketball.

• Why did you not see some of those things the first time watching?

• How might this be similar to what someone might experience when reading the stories of the Old Testament?

With either approach to starting the lesson, be sure it is clear to students that, if we are not careful, we might focus on other things and overlook what the Old Testament has to teach us about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Read the following statement by Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the Seventy, looking for what we can learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as we read the Old Testament.

We are the focus of Heavenly Father’s plan and the reason for our Savior’s mission.

Chapter after chapter [of the Old Testament] we discover examples of how Heavenly Father and [Jesus Christ] are intimately involved in our lives. (“For God So Loved Us,” Liahona, May 2022, 88–89)

• According to Elder Ringwood, what does the Old Testament show us about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Students might come up with truths similar to:

We are the focus of Heavenly Father’s plan and the reason for the Savior’s mission.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are intimately involved in our lives.

Ask students to share what they think and feel about these truths and why they may be meaningful to them. Invite students to complete the following self-assessment on their own. They can record their answers in a study journals.

Think of any experiences you have had with the Old Testament.

• What has your experience with the Old Testament been like?

• If you have had experiences with the Old Testament, have they helped you feel closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

As you study this lesson, seek help through the Holy Ghost to know how to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through your study of the Old Testament.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

Consider asking students to share things they already know about the Old Testament. If needed, you might share that the Old Testament begins with an account of the Creation of the world and of Adam and Eve. It relates the stories of many prophets and people who mostly live in and around Israel and ends about 400 BC. Then, explain the following in your own words.

As you study the Old Testament, it will refer to the Lord or Jehovah. It is helpful to know that Jehovah is Jesus Christ. Jehovah did the will of Heavenly Father in all things. As you learn about Jehovah, you also learn about Heavenly Father, who guided and empowered Him.

Display several pictures in a circular pattern that depict Old Testament stories. (It might be helpful to prepare yourself before class by briefly reviewing the stories that are presented.) In the center of these pictures, place an image of Jesus Christ. You may choose to use images like the following.

Alternatively, you might display the image of Jesus Christ and invite students to think of stories on their own that illustrate His involvement and love in the Old Testament. Students could write simple titles for those stories around the Savior.

The stories are listed below, starting from the top and working around clockwise.

• Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 37:23–28; 39:1–5). After Joseph shared his dream with his family, Joseph’s brothers conspired against him.

• Moses parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10, 13–16, 21–22). The children of Israel were fleeing Egypt when Pharaoh’s army approached to attack and enslave them again.

• Serpent on the pole (Numbers 21:4–9). After the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt and miraculously provided bread from heaven, the Israelites complained against God.

• David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:43–49). Goliath the Philistine warrior challenged Israel to send their best fighter against him. David volunteered to face him.

• Fiery furnace (Daniel 3:4–6, 12–13, 16–25). King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image and called the rulers of his land together to dedicate it.

• Lion’s den (Daniel 6:7, 10, 16–23). Darius made Daniel a ruler in Babylon. Other rulers conspired against him so he would lose favor with the king.

Consider organizing students into pairs or small groups. Students could choose one or more stories, read the associated verses, and discuss the following questions.

• How does this story demonstrate the love or involvement of both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

• How can understanding the story this way be helpful to you?

You might invite students to share with the class insights gained from their discussion.

If students do not mention it, explain that studying how the Lord is involved in the lives of individuals in the Old Testament can help us ponder how He is involved in our lives. Invite students to ponder how the Lord has blessed and helped them. Ask a few students to share their thoughts and experiences if they are not too personal.

Studying the Old Testament

This may be a good opportunity to remind students of their daily scripture study goals. You could invite students to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost as they review, adjust, or create scripture study goals. You might ask students if any of them would like to share their goals with the class to help generate ideas for others.

Consider inviting students to discuss as a class or write their answers in their study journals to the following questions.

• What have you learned today that you think could help you in your study of the Old Testament?

• Why would it be a blessing to you to experience and recognize the love and involvement of both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in your life?

To help students with their study of the Old Testament this year, you might invite them to mark in their scriptures or note in their study journals every time they see evidence of God’s love or involvement in the lives of His children. Consider concluding with your testimony of how studying the Old Testament can help us draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and gain faith in Their involvement in our lives.

You might invite students to share with their families what they learned today. This could help their families as they study the Old Testament.

Additional Resources

What do we know about Jehovah?

Jehovah is the premortal Jesus Christ and came to earth as a son of Mary (Mosiah 3:8; 15:1; 3 Nephi 15:1–5). Usually, when the word Lord appears in the Old Testament, it means “Jehovah.”

Jehovah is Christ: Jehovah was known to the ancient prophets (Exodus 6:3; Abraham 1:16). The Apostle Paul taught that Christ was the Jehovah of the Old Testament (Exodus 17:6; 1 Corinthians 10:1–4). The brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon saw the premortal Christ and worshiped Him (Ether 3:13–15). Moroni also called Christ “Jehovah” (Moroni 10:34). At the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw the resurrected Jehovah (Doctrine and Covenants 110:3–4). (Guide to the Scriptures, “Jehovah,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

Before the Fall, our Heavenly Father spoke directly to Adam and Eve. Thereafter, 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)

Why is it important to study the Bible?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles helped answer this question in the video “The Blessings of Scripture.”

Supplemental Learning Activities

What do you know about the Old Testament?

To help students familiarize themselves with some of the major details of the Old Testament, consider displaying the following quiz. Invite students to answer each question in their journals.

1. When did the Old Testament take place?

   1. After the birth of Jesus Christ leading up to a few hundred years before Joseph Smith.

   2. From before the time of Adam and Eve until a few hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

   3. From the time of Moses until Lehi left Jerusalem with his family.

   4. From 200 years before Christ until 200 years after Christ.

2. Where did the Old Testament take place?

   1. Somewhere in the Americas.

   2. Mostly on the continent of Africa.

   3. Mostly in and around the land of Israel.

   4. It is not known.

3. Which of the following are some of the major themes or topics of the Old Testament? Select all that apply.

   1. The gathering and scattering of Israel.

   2. The calling and ordaining of the Apostles.

   3. Making and keeping covenants with the Lord.

   4. The role of prophets in Heavenly Father’s plan.

Correct answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A, C, D

You might also show the video About the Old Testament, found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Books in the Old Testament

It can be helpful for students to know how the Old Testament is organized. Most Christian Bibles arrange the books into four categories: “The law” (Genesis–Deuteronomy), “History” (Joshua–Esther), “Poetic books” (Job–Song of Solomon), and “The prophets” (Isaiah–Malachi). You might invite students to outline or take note of these categories in their scriptures.

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible

Students can benefit from understanding what the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible is and how it is used. Consider asking them what they already know about it.

Be sure it is clear that the Lord commanded Joseph Smith, as part of his prophetic mission, to go through the text of the Bible and translate, restore, and revise it under inspiration. This collection of revisions is called the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Many of these revisions can be found in the footnotes and appendix of Latter-day Saint editions of the Bible. The book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price was also revealed as a part of this translation.

You might invite students to look up one or more examples from the following chart of Joseph Smith’s inspired revisions.

Original Passage	Revised Passage
Genesis 6:5–6	Moses 8:22–25
Exodus 7:3, 13	JST Exodus 7:3 footnote a, JST Exodus 7:13 footnote a
Exodus 33:20	JST Exodus 33:20 (found in appendix of the Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible)