Tag Archives: Old Testament

Jealousy and Its Close Relatives

Jealousy is an extremely destructive emotion that often leads to other sins. The Bible recounts a number of incidents of jealousy. Here are a few from the Old Testament. Rachel was jealous of Leah because her sister had children by Jacob and she did not, Genesis 30:1. Joseph’s brothers were jealous because Joseph was the favored son of his father, Genesis 37:11. Saul was jealous of David for the praise and popularity he had with the people, 1 Samuel 18:7-9, 16. David’s prosperity because God was with him and not Saul, 1 Samuel 18:14-15 provided another reason for Saul’s jealousy, … Continue reading →

Putting God in a Box – Part 4

Over a few days we’ve looked at some people who had distorted views of God. They did not see the all powerful God of the Bible but tried to put human restrictions and limitations on God. So often we can do that too. We can expect God to do the big, miraculous things and fail to see him in the everyday, little things of life. Elijah had seen a decisive demonstration of God’s power and might at Mt Carmel, I Kings 18. Mt Carmel was a victory for Isaiah’s God against the so called gods of Baal as Israel acknowledged … Continue reading →

Warnings from Isaiah

How much notice do you take of warnings? Every day we see warning signs telling us to slow down on the road, to take corners at a safe speed or warnings about the dangers of smoking or alcohol or overuse of painkillers. Too often people ignore the warnings and trouble results. Isaiah contains a number of warnings for God’s people. In verse 14, God through Isaiah, warns of the dangers of scoffing and treating God’s Words lightly. Jerusalem thought they were okay because they were God’s people. But that does not mean a license for them to do as they … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: The Trial of Prosperity

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In President Kimball’s lesson for this week, he notes the cycle that repeats throughout the Old Testament, and then, later, through the Book of Mormon. A group of people worship God in righteousness. They receive blessings and prosper. That prosperity leads them to trust more in the arm of the flesh and turn their back on the world, and they become wicked. They are then humbled or even destroyed. As we go through our lives, we must be careful not to fall into a similar cycle. I have been thinking lately about how most of the Saints I have come … Continue reading →

Seven Steps Towards a Stronger Relationship with the Lord.

What can we learn from the Old Testament and God’s relationship with His people,Israel? Exodus 19:1-25. 1. In the third month after they set out from Egypt, Israel reaches the desert of Sinai and camps at the foot of the mountain. Verses 1-2. It is often when we are in the harsh situations, which feel like a desert, that God meets with us. 2. Moses goes up the mountain. The Lord tells Moses exactly what he is to say to the people of Israel, verse 3. God is always clear about what He tells His people. At times he speaks … Continue reading →

Five Reasons to Study the Old Testament

Generally, if someone believes in God they will read and study the New Testament. Yet for some reason many people who believe in God do not have the same desire to study the Old Testament. Sadly, I have often heard people say it is not important to study the Old Testament. Even worse, I have heard people say that the Old Testament is just filled with legends and the stories simply are not true. I have even heard of people who believe in God make those types of remarks about the Old Testament. It IS important to study the Old … Continue reading →

Helping Children Memorize the Books of the Bible

Memorization can often be a frustrating task, even for adults. Children could certainly use some help regarding the memorization of the books of the Bible (there are 66 books after all). (Actually many adults could use some help regarding the memorization of the books of the Bible too!) Here is an activity that I developed to help the children in my Bible school class learn the books of the Bible. You will need just a couple of simple materials. First, you need a strip of paper with each book of the Bible written on it (I printed it out on … Continue reading →

Bible Stories: The Old Testament Books

Once children have mastered the books of the New Testament, they can begin learning about the books of the Old Testament. As I mentioned previously, I started out teaching the children in my Bible school class the books of the New Testament before the books of the Old Testament because, overall, the books of the New Testament are much simpler. The names of the Old Testament books are much more complex than those of the New Testament. Children might even have a difficult time learning to pronounce the names of the books of the Old Testament. Depending on the age … Continue reading →

Bible Stories: The Bible

In the children’s Bible school class I teach on Sunday mornings I decided to “take a break” from the lessons I had been teaching the children from the book of Matthew for three lessons which I think are vital to any child’s Bible knowledge. The three part series is over the Bible and includes the following lessons: The Bible, The New Testament, and The Old Testament. These lessons seem so basic it might be easy to forget to teach children these important lessons. When I began teaching the children in my Bible school class I assumed they had some knowledge … Continue reading →

When Pride Goeth

Recently I was struck with the similarity between two of the kings in the Old Testament, the first being King Darius and the other King Ahasuerus. We know their stories; King Darius sent Daniel to the lions’ den, and King Ahasuerus signed the decree that would mean the death of the Jews, until Esther stepped in. What is it that these two men had in common? Their pride. In each instance, they were prevailed upon by men in their court to do something they knew was wrong, and because the men used flattering words, the kings caved in and acted … Continue reading →