The Christmas story began in our pre-mortal life, when Jesus said to the Father, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27; see also Moses 4:2). Of this, Elder Neal A. Maxwell declared, “Never has anyone offered so much to so many in so few words” (April 1976 general...
read moreHaggai 1 “Consider Your Ways” Haggai was a prophet in Jerusalem about 520 BC, after a number of those of Judah, along with their descendants who were born abroad, had returned from captivity in Babylon. Haggai’s name means “feast” or “celebration.” He was contemporary...
read moreJonah Introduction Jonah (whose name means “dove”) ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel in about 790-760 BC. Jonah’s reluctance to obey the Lord’s call to preach in Nineveh creates a natural doubt over whether he was actually a prophet, but the Savior referred...
read moreHosea 1 Introduction/Hosea and Gomer The prophet Hosea’s name is essentially the same as the name Jesus, and it means “Salvation” or “Deliverance.” Hosea’s ministry took place between about 760 to 720 BC, laboring in the northern kingdom of Israel before its fall to...
read moreEzekiel 1-3 The Prophet’s Call The name “Ezekiel” means “strength of God” or “God will strengthen.” Ezekiel’s ministry—from about 592 BC to 570 BC—was to raise his voice in both Jerusalem and Babylon (also called Chaldea). In Babylon he worked among the captive Jews...
read moreJeremiah 1 Introduction and Calling After Isaiah, came Jeremiah, preaching repentance and warning of destruction to the people of Jerusalem. His ministry was from about 627 BC to 586 BC, meaning he was a contemporary (in both time and place) with the prophet Lehi of...
read moreIsaiah 50 Jesus Gave Himself In verse 1 the Lord speaks to the unfaithful children of Israel, asserting that He did not “divorce” their mother, nor had He “sold” them away, but that they had sold themselves through their iniquities. Read verse 11, which tells what...
read moreIsaiah 13-35 “Blessed Are All They That Wait for Him” As we watch the signs of the times and participate in the ongoing Restoration, we can rest assured that the prophecies related to our days will be fulfilled. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord of hosts hath sworn,...
read moreThe Book of Proverbs Introduction and Chapter 1 The thirty-one proverbs are poetic sayings of instruction and wisdom, dating to about 1,000 BC and often attributed to King Solomon (see Proverbs 1:1). Major themes are cited below, but as an introduction: Find in...
read morePsalms 49-50 “God Will Redeem My Soul” Read Psalm 49:6-7, 10-12, 17. “You can’t take it with you” is a phrase we hear from time to time; and it’s true—for as we depart this earth through death, we will have no possessions to take along. Now read verse 15. This great...
read moreMalachi 1 Introduction/The Burden of the Word Our last book and prophet of the Old Testament is also the last chronologically. Malachi, whose name means “my messenger,” ministered in about 430-420 BC, likely in and around Jerusalem. For only the third time in the Old...
read moreNahum Nineveh Returns to Wickedness “Nahum” means consoler or comforter. This prophet’s ministry was in the southern kingdom of Judah, around 650 BC or later. Unlike other prophets in Judah, he doesn’t speak of the evils of his own people, but in all three chapters he...
read moreAmos 1-2; 4-5 “The Lord Will Roar from Zion” The name Amos means “burden” or “to carry,” which can be taken to mean “to be carried by God.” The ministry of Amos was in the northern kingdom of Israel in about 780-740 BC, during the time that Isaiah was the prophet in...
read moreDaniel Introduction The name Daniel means “God Is My Judge,” and Daniel truly appears to be one who can stand before God in confidence. The events of the book of Daniel take place during the Jewish captivity in Babylon (in present-day Iraq); Daniel being among the...
read moreJeremiah 21-29 What You May Not Want to Miss Because the Come, Follow Me curriculum skips these chapters, you may choose to read the chapter headings for Jeremiah 21-29 (as well as other chapters that are skipped). Here are some of the more significant references:...
read moreIsaiah 58:1-12 An Appropriate Fast and its Blessings This chapter offers helpful teachings about what is a true fast (verses 3-12) and what is a true Sabbath (verses 13-14). In verse 1 the Lord instructed Isaiah to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a...
read moreIsaiah 40-49 “Wait Upon the Lord” Chapters 40-66 are highlighted by Isaiah’s prophecies of the future, mostly pertaining to the latter days. For example, in relation to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Isaiah declared, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and...
read moreIsaiah Introduction During His ministry among the Nephites, Jesus said to them, “Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah” (3 Nephi 23:1). About six-hundred years before, the prophet Nephi said that...
read morePsalms 102-103 “Loving Kindness and Tender Mercies” Think of a time in your life when you poured out your heart in passioned pleadings to Heavenly Father. Read Psalm 102:1-9, pondering the goodness of God in receiving the prayers of His children who are feeling...
read morePsalms Introduction The 150 psalms are songs and poems of praise, written about 1,000 years before the time of Jesus Christ. Scholars have determined that of the almost 300 Old Testament quotes that are found in the New Testament, more than 100 come from Psalms,...
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