Old Testament Seminary Student Manual (2026)

Contents
Introduction
Old Testament Lessons
- Welcome to the Old Testament
- Moses 1; Abraham 3
- Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5
- Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5
- Genesis 5; Moses 6
- Moses 7
- Genesis 6–11; Moses 8
- Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2
- Genesis 18–23
- Genesis 24–33
- Genesis 37–41
- Genesis 42–50
- Exodus 1–6
- Easter
- Exodus 7–13
- Exodus 14–18
- Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
- Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19
- Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27
- Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34
- Joshua 1–8; 23–24
- Judges 2–4; 6–8
- Ruth 1–4; 1 Samuel 1–7
- 1 Samuel 8–16
- 1 Samuel 17–26; 2 Samuel 5–7
- 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11
- 1 Kings 12–22
- 2 Kings 2–7
- 2 Kings 16–25
- 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30
- Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8
- Esther
- Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42
- Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46
- Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86
- Psalms 102–3; 110; 116–19; 127–28; 135–39; 146–50
- Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12
- Isaiah 1–12
- Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35
- Isaiah 40–49
- Isaiah 50–57
- Isaiah 58–66
- Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
- Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3
- Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47
- Daniel 1–7
- Hosea 1–6; 10–14; Joel
- Amos; Obadiah; Jonah
- Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah
- Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14
- Malachi
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Future Education and Employment
- Succeed in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders

Lesson 167: Finding Gospel Truths in the Scriptures—Learning to Identify Doctrine and Principles

Scripture Study Skills: Lesson 167

Finding Gospel Truths in the Scriptures

Learning to Identify Doctrine and Principles

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

girl and grandmother in the kitchen making food with pictures of items hidden within the picture

What do you see when you look at the picture above? The obvious answer is a family cooking in their kitchen, but with a little effort, you’ll find each of the items shown to the side of the image.

Scripture study can offer a similar experience. Some truths are obvious and clear. Others are embedded in a way that takes a little more effort to find. Often, the key is knowing what you’re looking for.

Lesson Purpose: To help you increase your ability to find gospel truths in the scriptures that can bring you closer to the Lord.

Learn How

Identifying stated truths

One type of gospel truth you can discover in your study is a stated truth. Such truths are stated in a simple sentence or phrase in the scriptures.

One example of a stated truth is found in Proverbs 3:5–6. Read the passage, and mark the phrase “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart … and he shall direct thy paths.”

A way to organize the truths you find is to tag them with a word or short phrase that will help you find them easily in the future. For example, you could tag Proverbs 3:5–6 as “trust” or “understanding.”

Review the Old Testament doctrinal mastery passages in “Doctrinal Mastery Scripture Passages and Key Scripture Phrases by Course.” Find at least two passages that contain stated truths. Use the one-word summary approach to tag the passages with what you find.

Identifying implied truths

Another type of gospel truth you can discover in your study is an implied truth. Like the hidden objects in the image at the start of the lesson, these truths are not typically found without additional effort. Fortunately, when you know what to look for, finding implied truths can be highly satisfying.

We can find these truths by asking questions like the following:

What does this passage teach you about Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ?
What did the people in the scriptures do, and what happened to them after they did it?
Why do you think the writer felt inspired by God to include these events or passages?

Study Numbers 21:5–9. As you find answers to the questions above, make a note recording what you find.

Possible implied truths could include the following:

Speaking against God and His prophets will eventually lead to sorrow.
The prophet points us to Jesus Christ.
God is merciful and makes a way for us to be healed.

Practice

President Mark L. Pace, Sunday School General President, said:

10:25

To be most effective, your experiences with the scriptures must be your own. Reading or hearing about another person’s experiences and insights can be helpful, but that won’t bring the same converting power. There is no substitute for the time you spend in the scriptures, hearing the Holy Ghost speak directly to you. (“Conversion Is Our Goal,” Liahona, May 2022, 111)

scriptures, conversion, revelation

Now that you’ve learned how to identify stated and implied truths, practice finding and marking truths in one or more of the following passages.

Make a note next to implied truths explaining what you learned.

1 Samuel 17:44–49 (David facing the giant Goliath)
2 Kings 6:14–18 (A Syrian army surrounding the city to capture Elisha)
Judges 6:11–16 (Gideon’s call to save his people from an invading army)

Plan how you can look for truths—stated and implied—when you study the scriptures. Think about how you can do it during personal study and family study, at church, or in other places. Doing so can help you draw closer to the Savior.

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you increase your ability to find gospel truths that can bring you closer to the Lord.

Share the following with your teacher or class:

A truth you found, either stated or implied. Explain where you found it and why you feel it is an important truth to know.