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 194: Organizing Tasks and Priorities—The Savior’s Example Can Help Us Bring Order to Our Lives

Succeed in School: Lesson 194

Organizing Tasks and Priorities

The Savior’s Example Can Help Us Bring Order to Our Lives

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

A popular acrobat act involves spinning several plates on various sticks. Once one plate is spinning steadily, an acrobat can begin balancing and spinning a new plate on another stick. While the act is impressive, the goal isn’t to have all the plates rotating at the same speed. That would be impossible. The acrobat’s success lies in knowing which plate is about to fall and then continually moving to spin the slowest one, keeping all the plates in the air. Sometimes your responsibilities and commitments can feel like trying to keep spinning plates in the air. But as you follow the Savior, you can learn to organize and prioritize what matters most in your life.

Lesson Purpose: To help you learn how the Savior’s example can bring order to your schoolwork.

Learn How

The blessings of organizing tasks and priorities

The scriptures repeatedly teach the following truth: We can follow Jesus Christ by having order in our lives.

As you read the following passages, make a note next to one of them, recording the previously stated truth.

Psalm 37:23–24 (David teaches the blessings of following the Lord.)
1 Corinthians 14:40 (Paul counsels the Corinthians.)
Doctrine and Covenants 28:13; 132:8 (Revelation to Joseph Smith about establishing the Church.)

Modern prophets have also taught about order. President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency shared about the importance of order in reaching our goals:

We so often make the mistake of setting a very long-range goal, like a student who told me once that he was studying to be a brain surgeon. I said, “That’s all right. But shouldn’t your first goal be to pass a course in biology?” … So remember, you can take the long view. But remember that the most effective goals to move you toward the long view are intermediate goals, short-term goals that get you toward that destination. (“Face to Face with President and Sister Oaks [Strive to Be]” [worldwide broadcast, Feb. 23, 2020], Gospel Library)

As you study today, consider how you can organize the tasks in your life to help you bring order to your schoolwork.

Dig Deeper: If they are available, watch the following videos, which provide examples of how to organize your schoolwork and prioritize what is most important: “Time Management Tips for BYU Students” (3:30) and “The Gift of Time” (2:27).

The Creation: A pattern of order

Under the direction of Heavenly Father, the Savior’s creation of the earth can teach us strategies to better organize our tasks and priorities. The Lord didn’t create everything all at once. He organized the Creation into six distinct periods, modeling a practice of planning and order.

You can apply the following steps from the story of the Creation to your planning and organization.

As you begin a project, take time to organize yourself.
Evaluate your plans as you go.
Take occasional breaks from your tasks.

Read Abraham 4:1, 21; 5:2, looking for the three previously stated steps. Next to each verse, make a note recording the steps you found.

Organizing your schoolwork

You can follow the Savior’s example of organizing, which applies the principles used in the Creation. Make a plan to organize your own schoolwork. Complete the following steps in your notebook.

Make a list of all the schoolwork you need to complete this week. This may include homework, tests, projects, or assigned readings (including seminary).
Look at your list above. Determine how urgent each task is. For each item on your list, you might ask questions such as the following: Does it have a deadline? Are others waiting or depending on me? Does it affect my progress in the class? Put a * by those items on your list that are important or urgent to complete. What can you do to make sure you work on those assignments first?
List one or more things you will do to bring the light of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ into your life first thing each day.
Choose something from your list above that feels like a big project. Practice breaking that project into at least three smaller pieces.

After you’ve practiced organizing and prioritizing your schoolwork, discuss the following questions with a family member or friend. Be sure to both share your answers and ask for their thoughts.

What can you do to notice the things that are “good” in your life? What can you do to celebrate the things you have accomplished?
What are some ways we can honor and prioritize Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on the Sabbath as a day of rest from our labors?

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you learn how the Savior’s example can bring order to your schoolwork.

Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:

Your plan to organize your schoolwork.
Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.
Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?