The Bible

I love the Old Testament. It now is one of my most favorite books. But it wasn't early on in my life. Back then I thought it was nothing but boring accounts of the dusty travails of Moses' people. Page after page of Leviticus and Numbers used to bore me till I couldn't stand reading the Old Testament any more! I quit my effort.

That was, until I took a Mormon Institute class near my college. (Institute is a religion class offered for college kids.) One semester I decided to take an Old Testament class. To this day I'm not sure why.

I remember the first evening well. The Institute teacher stood before us and declared with absolute certainty that by the end of the semester he felt we'd love the Old Testament as much as he did.

I wanted to laugh. Not so, I thought. The Old Testament is a book of dusty stories and boring lists. Was I wrong!

Throughout that semester I learned that the Old Testament exists basically to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, His sufferings, and His hope that we will accept of His offering for us.

Just imagine my astonishment as I read verses such as these below (from a volume of scripture I'd thought was dusty). My heart ached for Christ and His sufferings as I read them; the scripture was so powerful. The Old Testament apparently was a more important book than I'd thought:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed...." (Isaiah 53:3-7)

To read these words were heart-wrenching for me. And it continued:

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth..." (Isaiah 53:3-7).

I'll stop here. But there is more to this chapter describing the suffering that Jesus Christ went through ... for us! It is a chapter worth reading. And once I'd read that, I realized that the Old Testament is NOT a dry dusty old book that held nothing for me.

To the contrary, the Old Testament has led me to a deeper, clearer understanding of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and especially to an understanding of the sufferings of Jesus Christ went through for me.

[To read the free online Old Testament, click on the Old Testament link. To access free online study materials, click on the Old Testament seminary study link and the Old Testament institute study link A or B.]

Have you ever felt completely fatigued? Not physically, but emotionally? Where you feel that life cannot get any worse? Or perhaps you wonder why you were even born?

One of the most powerful scripture stories I've ever read can be found in the Old Testament and for me, it speaks directly to these feelings. It's all about a brazen serpent.

Moses had his hands full. He had been called of the Lord to bring the children of Israel out of Pharaoh's clutches and into freedom. But even after escape, the Israelites would do nothing but complain. As a result, Moses' burdens were great.

Moses was told by the Lord before delivering the Israelites:

"Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land....

"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments;

"And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exo. 6:1, 6-7).

So Moses knows clearly what lays ahead of him. But he has yet to meet the true nature of those he's been called to lead. Again, nearly from the beginning, the Israelites complain and murmur and gripe and complain and....

In fact, even though for years they'd cried unto the Lord for deliverance from slavery to Pharaoh, they still start griping just prior to the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea:

"And they said unto Moses, ... hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?" (Exo 14:11)

The man is leading them to safety and yet they complain?

Moses response is simply, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exo 14:13). And the sea parts and they cross on dry ground.

But soon they begin murmuring again.

"Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, ... when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exo 16:2-3).

What does Moses do for them? Through the Lord, Moses shows them manna - a miraculous substance that appears daily and feeds them for the next 40 years.

The Israelites continue this pattern of murmuring. I'm not sure why Moses doesn't just throw them into some pit. But no, he continues to lead and serve, giving them water from a rock and counseling in righteousness. He gives them the 10 Commandments to lead them in ways of truth and happiness. But still they complain.

And the Lord Himself continued to lead them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. Still they complained! And then rebellions enter in, lustings grow (the book Numbers in the Old Testament is quite instructive of the events during this time). Eventually the Lord "sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died" (Numbers 21:6).

This becomes a significant fixture in the history of the ancient children of Israel. (And Moses once again shows his valiant nature.) Moses gives them a momentous choice. While the Israelites lay writhing on the ground from snake bites, the Lord instructs Moses:

"Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" (Number 21:8).

If you were present, would you have looked? It was a simple thing, really. Just lift your head and you will be healed. To find the rest of the story, read Numbers 21:9. But the point is, Moses teaches an important lesson. "Be humble enough to look and live," is that lesson. All from a "brazen serpent!"

In the Book of Mormon, we read:

"And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. As the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be save" (2 Nephi 25:20).

Moses showed the way, even for us today. That brazen serpent which he placed on a pole and lifted for the Israelites' healing, represented none other than the Healer who can save - even Jesus Christ.

Moses' staff with the brazen serpent entwined was a type or figure of Christ which was to come. This is why I find this scripture story one of the most powerful ones available in the Old Testament.

And this is why when I'm emotionally fatigued, I think on Moses. He was fatigued, I'm sure, from leading those miserably challenged Israelites. Yet he'd learned something. His future Lord, even Jesus Christ, heals all emotional complaints. Moses knew that for those writhing on the ground, and for us today, all we need do is "look and live."

To read more scripture stories, click on this scripture link.

When I think on the goodness of God, it reminds me of the word "mercy", and yet in so much more depth than the traditional meaning of mercy.

Just what does "mercy" mean? If we go to most dictionaries, they will tell us traditional definitions of "mercy." The explanation would go something like this:

"Mercy means to give kindness when it is not deserved."

And that definition is indeed an accurate one. But I feel that mercy - at least when we speak of the goodness of God - is so much broader.

Just as a judge has the power to stop a pending punishment or to actually pardon someone for an earthly crime, so too does God have the power to pardon us for greater offenses than even earthly tribunals might consider.

But He only does this because His Son was willing to come and pay for our sins. Jesus Christ was whipped, scourged because we have sinned. He bled and suffered deeper than eternity can tell, in the Garden of Gethsemane, because of our indiscretions. He was nailed to a cross because He loved us enough - He loved us enough to cross the threshold of death and then return, so that we might do the same.

So does a simple definition of "mercy" suffice for me? It can't come close.

For all the times my God has given me evidence of His divine caring, my heart soars. And yet in the same moment, I am overcome with grief that because of me and my mistakes, His Son suffered.

Yet this was the eternal plan. God would create an earth for us so that we, as His children, could be tested. We would prove that we indeed valued the things of God greater than the dusty things of mortality. But walking here, we (and He) could see that we would make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes would be grave ones, ones called sin because of their serious offensive nature before Him.

It was because of this that there was a need for a Savior to compensate for our shortfalls. This is why the Savior Jesus Christ is so often called the Redeemer of the world.

Think of the word "redemption" like this - when you receive a coupon in the mail, you have the option of returning it to a store to "redeem" the item offered. But it is all choice based. The offer of Jesus Christ to us from God Himself is very similar. The intensely priceless "coupon" of eternal life is given freely to us. It is up to us to decide whether we grasp that coupon and effectuate the offer - or whether we throw it away carelessly.

This is why, when I hear the term "mercy", for me it is so much greater than a simple act of kindness, like so many assume. For me the word mercy has such depth it is difficult for me to articulate its meaning. The goodness of God is manifest by the gift of His Son; what an amazing extension of God's goodness that is!

I've been thinking a great deal lately about the power of Jesus Christ. Reason being, I'm a seminary teacher for Mormon high school kids. In fact, I'm an early morning seminary teacher.

What this means, is that when most people haven't even stirred yet to get up, these 14-18 year olds are already showered, dressed, and sitting in chapels across the world - studying the life of Jesus Christ as found in the scriptures (all before beginning their high school day).

It is an amazing experience to work with these kids, to see the light of the testimony of Jesus Christ in their lives. True, some kids struggle to find the Savior in their daily paths, but once found, most grow spiritually in amazing ways.

Well, that's modern-day people; what about ancient individuals? So many times the "ancient children of Israel" rejected God with outright abandonment (Israel was originally named Jacob who was the son of Abraham; he was faithful, but so many of his descendants were not).

This year in seminary we've been studying the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a bit of a quixotic book for many people. Its stories are puzzling, the people's ways are puzzling, in fact, the choices of many found in Old Testament pages are nothing but puzzling.

Currently the seminary kids and I have reached the stories of Samuel, one of the exceptional examples of righteousness and (as a result) heard the Lord speaking to him as a boy.

What I'm finding in these Old Testament pages is over and over again the power of Jehovah (Jesus Christ) is mighty to save - if the Israelites would just wake up and listen to the Lord's prophets!

But am I any different today? Or does my faith falter - do I stumble and fall into erroneous ways, just like the ancient children of Israel? To whom do I look ... modern idol-types or to the Lord Himself ... during my personal times of challenge?

Life can be most frightening at times. Yet the Lord - He who walked on water during New Testament times - has the power to redeem me from all mishaps, mistakes, and miseries. This is the message of the Old Testament and it is a message that is sinking deeper than ever into my heart, as I teach these terrific modern-day youth the Old Testament stories.

But finding the power of Christ requires that I first look. And finding time to look, study, and ponder can be challenging in this world that is spinning by faster and faster each day. I must grab moments of peace and quiet or they will pass me by. How urgent it is that I require of myself study time each day in the scriptures themselves.

Otherwise I might go my whole life and never learn completely the true power of Christ. For it is within the pages of scriptures that His power is most obviously made manifest. Why not learn from history and refuse to repeat the mistakes made by those poor ancient souls who could not seem to learn otherwise - that the power of Christ is sure and can save all those who look and trust in Him. Here is a link to the Old Testament to make scripture study easy!

For some the Old Testament is a thick book, murky and difficult to understand. For good reason - the book has been around for thousands of years and during its many translations and re-translations, some conflicts have occurred in the record (see my previous blog, "The Lord Still Calls Prophets Today.")

But its purpose still remains - to bear witness that Jesus is the Christ and that He still leads His people today as back then. In fact, many of the ancient Biblical prophets actually saw our day and shared warnings and teachings for us now! Is that not stupendous? I find this so exciting and it gives me the drive to study this ancient book, the Old Testament.

As a Mormon (or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes nickname-called the Mormon church) I love that the Lord still calls prophets today. And this is one beautiful reason why - because modern-day prophets can add clarity to ancient revelation:

"Latter-day revelation is the key to understanding the Old Testament, because it still retains its own original flavor and intent. That is, we can be certain that the text of latter-day revelation gives the inferences and understandings that the Lord wishes this generation to have....

"The revelations [for example] given to the Prophet Joseph bear record that the biblical story is essentially correct, although not complete" (Robert J. Matthews, "Modern Revelation: Windows to the Old Testament," Ensign, Oct 1973, 21).

The Lord is still guiding His children today! And He does so through mouthpieces or prophets, just like He did anciently. Isn't that exciting to know God cares enough to do so?

We don't need to stand on the precipice of life and its myriad of choices without an explanation of it all. Isn't that great news? God still calls prophets today! Those prophets still speak to us as the prophets in ancient times did to the peoples back then. And we still have the choice to hearken to their words - or not - just as ancient people had way back when. (Here is a website compilation of prophetic discourses from the past thirty years, for example. Enjoy studying the modern prophets' words and feeling the spirit of peace that comes in studying them.)

Oh, it's so easy to judge the recalcitrant and wayward Israelites in the Old Testament. But are we doing any better today? Regardless of whether we read ancient prophets' words - as found in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, for example - or regardless of whether we are reading modern prophets', do we hearken and obey their words of wisdom? I can only hope we do, because the Lord's blessings for the obedient are mighty and eternal.

So, the Old Testament need not be a difficult book to study nor to understand - not if we use the wonderful resources of modern-day revelation to aid us in studying it. Feel free to read the past thirty years of prophetic utterances from prophets and church leaders from the Mormon church or use the free online study guides. What a treat it will be to finally understand the meaty and wonderful Old Testament!

I remember sitting in an institute class during college. I loved my institute classes. Although typically a Mormon college kid will take just one religion class during a college semester, I would take three at a time. This on top of the usual college schedule of Biology, World History, math, etc! But I loved having a religion class almost every day of the week, and so you could nearly always find me at some point in the institute building across the street from my college campus.

The institute teachers are individuals who love the gospel of Jesus Christ. So much so that they taught gospel classes full time to the college kids who would register for institute classes. Well, that would be me. And one semester one of the many classes I chose to sign up for was the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is such a long thick section of the Bible that the O.T. institute classes were actually divided into two semesters - there was so much to cover.

I'd taken Old Testament before - both semester classes! But again, I loved being able to hear, talk, and study about the gospel of Jesus Christ ... and so I signed up for one more pass at the Old Testament. And what a treat it was!

The instructor stood in front of us in the class and expressed his love for the Old Testament. In fact, he said that by the end of the semester he hoped we would all feel the same love for this great book that he did.

I was a bit astounded. I'd had the Old Testament before. I thought the Bible stories therein were great and all, but I could not imagine loving the Old Testament more than any other book of scripture.

Well, I have to say that by the end of that semester I did. This instructor had opened to my eyes the wondrous world of the Old Testament and the power of its words in witnessing of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was in awe.

I hope you too have the opportunity to study the Old Testament. I'm going to include some resources here for your enjoyment and excitement. I think that if you take advantage of them you too will join that institute instructor in his enthusiasm for this ancient book and part of the Bible.

As Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nicknamed the Mormon church), we believe in modern day prophets. Here is what one said about studying the scriptures. It can apply to you too!

"Search the scriptures - search the revelations which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. No; for when men receive their instruction from Him that made them, they know how He will save them. Then again we say: Search the Scriptures, search the Prophets and learn what portion of them belongs to you" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, pp. 11-12.)

And again, here are two resources to aid you in your study of the wondrous Old Testament world:

The Old Testament (online)
Study Manuals (online)

Enjoy!

As Mormons, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we love the scriptures - even the Old Testament. Many people struggle with the Old Testament, confused by the ancient rhetoric of prophets who lived long ago.

But with aid from God, through His modern-day prophets and through the aid of the Holy Spirit, we can discern the value of the Old Testament writings. And how important to do so! There is so much that is contained in the Old Testament.

Just think about it - three of the world's religions spring from the Old Testament world: those of Islam, of Judaism, and those especially of Christian faith.

The messages contained within the Old Testament are priceless gems for those who are willing to polish personal scripture study of it with prayer and sincere effort.

Here are a few samples of knowledge gained from Old Testament study. There are actually more, but here are three to whet your spiritual appetite!

1. The testimony of the existence of God ...

2. The history of the beginnings of mankind as a divine race placed on the earth for eternal, divine purposes ...

10. The way by which the Saints can escape the major destructions of the last days ...

These are just a few of the many powerful strengths of knowledge to be found in the Old Testament. This list is contained in the Church's student manual as an aid to the Old Testament.

So although some might find the Old Testament to be hard to understand, it is not once you begin studying it in the right light. One of the best ways to do so is to use the online manuals offered for free by the Mormon church. I'll share that link at the end, but just know how excited I am for you to experience and explore the rich stories contained in the Old Testament.

Just think! These men and women really lived! They were mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, like us today. They had desires and dreams and difficulties, just like we do. But in some ways they were different than those around them during their time. These faithful individuals chose to put God first. And because they did so, we can read of amazing blessings and opportunities.

The children of Israel saw miracles: the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, the miracle of manna, the miracle of water coming from a rock when they were ready to faint with thirst. But the children of Israel also rejected the God of Israel and as a result wandered for 40 years before being allowed to enter their promised land.

How often do we wander in this life, forgetting the One who created this world and who gave us spiritual life? It is for this reason I love to read the Old Testament, because as I read I am reminded of God's patience with all His children, who waits until they realize that indeed they need His help and His tutoring. If He could be patient with the wayward children of Israel so long ago, certainly He can be patient with me! This, then, is what studying the Old Testament does for me.

Here is a link to the Old Testament online and to the accompanying Old Testament student manual. I invite you to explore them. I think you'll love the experience.

The news of today never ceases. School shootings. Fires. Drought. Job troubles. Spreading illnesses. Trouble in the housing market.

It's enough to weary an individual. The news in all its new-ness, though, is quite old. In fact, it is rather ancient. The prophets of long ago foresaw our day. Centuries ago they spoke quite clearly of the troubles that would plague the inhabitants of the earth throughout its history - including our time.

And along with all the "news" of doom and gloom (spoken both by modern TV reporters and by ancient prophets), there comes a glimmer in the darkened lining of our day . . . the Lord has known it all. He has created a way for our escape.

Where and how is the good news to be found? In the scriptures. It is one of the reasons I love the Old Testament. I love it for its authentic voice. I love it for the reasonings of the ancient prophets. I love it for the peace I feel when I read in its pages.

The Old Testament is more than just funky stories of ginormous floods and talking donkeys. It is a sober account of the Lord's dealings with His children whom He loves greatly.

Just the other day a good friend of mine said, "If I were the Lord, I would have destroyed the Israelites after just one century!" She was referring to the amount of hateful wickedness acted out by so many of God's children early on in the world's history.

Her comment stopped me short. And I pondered on how merciful the Lord has been throughout mankind's sojourn on this earth. The Lord loves us, even if we refuse to see His hand or His kindnesses toward us.

It is precisely BECAUSE the Lord didn't destroy the seemingly imbecilic Israelites that I can take hope for me. Since He was willing to wait and wait and wait for them to turn to Him, I take hope that on my less than stellar days He too will be patient with me. If the Lord saw reason to be patient even with his reluctant prophet Balaam, then surely He has the means to be patient with me when I too am short-sighted or hasty in apprising a situation.

Yes, indeed, I'm most grateful for the Old Testament. Its richness and depth amaze me; its priceless accounts instruct me as to the Lord's goodness and patience with us, His recalcitrant children. If He could be patient with the children of Israel, He certainly can be patient with me. And that is a very good thing indeed.

So yes, even as the TV reporters blare on about yet another tragedy in the history of the world, I am comforted knowing that the Lord knows all of what is occurring. So much so that He instructed His ancient prophets to teach us today exactly what to do to be saved in the midst of it all.

Truly the Old Testament is a valued testament for me.

I remember sitting in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) years ago, listening to a powerful speaker talk about the Bible and its history. I was a new missionary, surrounded by hundreds of other missionaries. One of the church's leaders (called a General Authority) was speaking with great knowledge in front of all of us.

Looking around, I was in a sea of clean-cut young people seriously intent on learning the scriptures as best they could. We didn't have much time. For those of us going to teach about Jesus Christ in other countries, we would be in the MTC for approximately eight weeks. For those missionaries "going stateside" in the United States, the stay at this intensive learning center was much more brief - three weeks in total.

Thus, our days were packed tight with all kinds of classes, from classes that focused on the culture of our assigned missions (if going to a foreign country) to classes teaching us how to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and well.

But what I loved best were the once-a-week special meetings on Tuesday evenings. We congregated in a large hall, sang hymns, and heard a speaker. It was truly a spiritual feat and one I relished.

Which brings me back to the point at hand - sitting in this weekly Devotional, listening to a General Authority teach us about the history of the King James Bible. In fact, if you have a version of the King James Bible, open up with me to the dedicatory page at the beginning of the Bible. It is the page that begins with, "To the Most High and Mighty Prince James."

The speaker that evening also had us open up to this dedicatory page. I'd ignored it all the years I'd had my Bible. By the end of the evening, I felt ashamed I'd not relished such a gem of information.

The print may be small (there is much to squeeze in for content), but it holds a potent message. The individuals responsible for the translation of the Bible for their King expressed their supreme joy in their duties as translators. Indeed, they expressed their view of God's word as that of an "inestimable treasure" (second paragraph on the dedicatory page).

For eons, the general masses had no scripture. They were at the mercy of the priests who carried on the churchly tradition of a tight hold on Latin scriptures. Individuals risked (and even lost) their lives to eventually translate the scriptures into English.

We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, know how important the scriptures are to sustaining a Christ-like life. Without reading the Lord's living word, it's awfully hard to know His will and to see how He operates in our lives.

Of course, as ancient translations continued to occur, errors crept into the scriptures (note the conflict in the Bible between Genesis 32:30 and Exodus 33:11 compared to Exodus 33:20). God's word is perfect, but man's translation skills aren't always.

For example, ever play the telephone game? Where one person (at the beginning of a long chain of people) whispers as clearly as possible a phrase into the ear of the next person. The next person transmits the message quietly in the ear of the next person as clearly as possible. By the end of the chain, even with great effort errors will have crept in.

Thus, as the General Authority spoke that evening, I felt blessed he pointed out to us the enthusiasm of Prince James' translation team for their service. And it has been a beautiful effort, well-received in the lives and hearts of many people during the hundreds of years since the translation's completion.

Regardless of some of the apparent doctrinal conflicts (again, visit Genesis 32:30 and Exodus 33:11 compared to Exodus 33:20), the word of God blesses our lives. I saw this on my mission as I helped others study the scriptures for the first time in their lives. I still see this now as I study my scriptures today. I hope we all view the word of God with the same joy as that ancient body of translators - that the word of God is an "inestimable treasure."

When a treasure is "inestimable" we treat it differently. How is your scripture study going? Write and let me know!