Week 1: Introduction

The Old Testament is not a single book but a library—39 books spanning over a millennium, written in three languages, covering poetry, law, prophecy, history, and wisdom literature. Its Hebrew title, *Tanakh*, arranges these texts differently than our Christian Old Testament, grouping them as Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). Understanding this structure matters because Jews and early Christians read these texts with different emphases; when Paul says 'the Law and the Prophets,' he's referencing this traditional division. The order of our Old Testament, inherited from the Greek Septuagint, places books chronologically and thematically to point toward Christ's coming—a Christian editorial decision with profound interpretive consequences. The Restoration radically reframes how Latter-day Saints approach the Old Testament. Joseph Smith's Translation corrects thousands of verses, restoring plain and precious truths removed or obscured over centuries. The Book of Mormon serves as the Old Testament's best commentary—Nephi, Jacob, and Abinadi read Isaiah with clarity we often lack; the Brother of Jared's theophany illuminates premortal Jehovah; Alma's discourse on priesthood unlocks Melchizedek's story. We also possess the book of Moses and Abraham, expanding Genesis with temple-saturated cosmology and covenant theology. No other Christian tradition has these interpretive keys. The Old Testament's central message is covenant. From Eden to Sinai to the promised return from exile, God binds Himself to His people through sacred oaths, and His people repeatedly break them—then He comes to rescue them anyway. This pattern prefigures the Atonement on every page. Jehovah is not a distant deity but the pre-mortal Christ, intimately involved, appearing to patriarchs, dwelling in the tabernacle's Holy of Holies, promising through prophets that He will one day come in the flesh. When modern members struggle with Old Testament violence or law, they often miss that these texts wrestle with the same question we do: How does a holy God dwell with an unholy people? The answer is always the same: through covenant, sacrifice, and ultimately through His own condescension. The Old Testament is also the Bible Jesus knew. Every parable He told, every sermon He preached, every debate He had with Pharisees assumes deep familiarity with these texts. When He says 'I am the bread of life,' He's invoking manna in Exodus. When He cleanses the temple, He's embodying Malachi's prophecy. When He says 'before Abraham was, I am,' He's claiming the divine name revealed to Moses at the burning bush. To understand Jesus—especially the risen Lord who appears in 3 Nephi and tutors the Nephites in Isaiah—we must know the scriptures He knew. The Old Testament isn't ancient history; it's the vocabulary of revelation. This year's study will take us from Creation to the Babylonian exile and return, through the rise and fall of Israel's kingdom, the ministry of prophets who saw our day, and the poetry that has consoled the faithful for three millennia. We'll encounter passages that inspire and passages that disturb. The Restoration doesn't eliminate every hard question, but it gives us a lens no other tradition possesses: the knowledge that Jehovah is Jesus, that priesthood and temple predate Moses, that Israel's story is our story, and that the God of the Old Testament is not wrathful but long-suffering, 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in goodness and truth.'

The Restoration provides three interpretive keys that unlock the Old Testament in ways unavailable to other traditions. First, the Joseph Smith Translation corrects doctrinal losses—restoring Genesis 50's prophecy of Joseph Smith, clarifying Genesis 14's account of Melchizedek, and correcting Exodus 6 to show that the patriarchs did know the name Jehovah. These aren't minor edits; they're restored theology. Second, the Book of Mormon serves as the Old Testament's best commentary. Nephi and Jacob quote and expound Isaiah with authority; Abinadi uses Moses to teach Christ's Atonement; Alma unlocks the mysteries of Melchizedek's priesthood in ways Genesis never could. When we read the Old Testament alongside the Book of Mormon, obscure passages become plain. Third, modern revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants directly connects Old Testament figures to our dispensation: Elijah's return in 1836, Moses delivering keys in the Kirtland Temple, the calling of a latter-day Joseph. These aren't just historical parallels—they're the same covenant, same priesthood, same Lord. The temple is the Restoration's master key to the Old Testament. Without temple context, the tabernacle seems like primitive ritual; with it, we recognize Atonement symbolism in every detail—the veil, the Holy of Holies, the altar, the washings and anointings. The Levitical ordinances aren't arbitrary; they're types and shadows of Christ's sacrifice and our covenant path. Modern members often underestimate how temple-saturated the Old Testament is because we're the only ones who can see it. Ancient Israel's high priests wore garments with specific markings; they performed ritual washings before entering sacred space; they covenanted at altars; they received new names. This isn't coincidence—it's pattern. The Old Testament describes the temple's exterior; Latter-day Saint temple worship lets us understand its heart. Prophetic commentary from modern apostles consistently reframes Old Testament difficulty. When we struggle with the conquest of Canaan, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminds us that we're reading through the lens of ancient Near Eastern holy war rhetoric, not a transcript. When Levitical law feels oppressive, we remember that the higher law was taken from Israel after the golden calf, and the preparatory law was given until Christ. When genealogies feel tedious, President Russell M. Nelson has taught that every name represents a covenant child of God whose story matters eternally. The Restoration doesn't erase hard questions, but it gives us prophetic guidance that helps us read with faith and nuance, seeing Christ in texts that, without revelation, seem Christless.

For the active member who's always found the Old Testament intimidating, this year is an invitation to stop skimming and start noticing. You don't need to become a Hebrew scholar, but you do need to read with the tools the Restoration provides: use the Joseph Smith Translation footnotes, cross-reference with the Book of Mormon, and recognize that Jehovah is Jesus. When you read about the Passover, think Sacrament. When you read about covenant renewal at Sinai, think baptism. When you read about the Day of Atonement, think Gethsemane and Calvary. The Old Testament is Christ's autobiography before He was born—every page points to Him if you have eyes to see. For the parent trying to make Come Follow Me meaningful, the Old Testament offers something unique: stories. Children remember narratives—David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion's den, Esther's courage. But don't just retell the stories; teach the covenant pattern embedded in them. Help your children see that every deliverance prefigures the Atonement, every covenant points to Christ, every prophet testifies of Him. Use the Old Testament to teach that God keeps His promises across millennia, that He knows His people by name, and that He doesn't give up on them even when they give up on Him. This is the year to teach your children that the God of the Old Testament is the same Jesus they sing about in Primary. For the Gospel Doctrine teacher, ward council member, or ministering brother or sister, the Old Testament offers profound insight into covenant community. Ancient Israel's story is our story: called out of the world, given commandments, blessed and chastened, scattered and gathered, always invited back. When you read about Israel's apostasy, don't spiritualize it into abstraction—recognize that covenant people in every age struggle with idolatry, whether it's golden calves or screens. When you read about prophets calling Israel to repent, hear the echoes in modern conference talks. The Old Testament teaches that God's patience is longer than our failures, that His covenant is more durable than our fickleness, and that He will move heaven and earth to bring His children home.