In Isaiah 5, Isaiah combines parable, warning, and promise together with poetry and irony in an effort to portray the Lord’s work with the children of Israel.  This chapter contains the themes reflected in the first four chapters of Isaiah and serves as a transition between chapters 1-4 and theContinue Reading

When teaching the Old Testament I find it useful to tie the teachings of these ancient prophets to the revelations of the restoration.  The Book of Mormon is an excellent key that can be used to unlock the Bible.  By teaching the words of Isaiah in concert with Nephi’s inspiredContinue Reading

Isaiah 6 retells the experience Isaiah had when he saw the Lord in the temple.  The Lord called Isaiah to be a prophet, to go for him and teach the people, to bring them to understanding that they may be healed (Isaiah 6:10).Continue Reading

This contains links to a few books that have helped me understand the context and content of the scriptures. As an Amazon Affiliate, I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you). Click here to see all of my favorite books on Amazon. Imagine that youContinue Reading

The book of Esther deals with many issues that apply in the lives of young people.  Young people today are constantly facing times when they need to stand for something.  Like Esther, they deal with being a covenant person in a very Persian world.  Sometimes they are facing situations likeContinue Reading

I must say that I love the Old Testament.  There are just so many stories that relate to our lives.  The story of Elijah and his contest with the priests of Baal is a dramatic example of the power of the Lord over all the earth.  He is the supremeContinue Reading

Due to Ahab’s wickedness (1 Kings 16:33 – 1 Kings 17:1) the Lord sent a famine throughout the land of Israel.  After a time, Elijah is sent by the Lord to a widow that lives north of the land of Israel near Sidon in Zarephath (F1 on the map: GreekContinue Reading

Just about everyone at some point in their lives has played “King of the mountain”.  As young children we would go to the local hill, and the person on top was the king.  Everyone else would strive to take that person down off the top, thus becoming the new king.Continue Reading

1 Kings 11-14 tell the story of the division of the Kingdom of Israel.  We spent a few minutes setting up the circumstances surrounding the division of the kingdom as outlined in 1 Kings 11-12.  After establishing the narrative where Jeroboam decides to set up false worship in the northernContinue Reading

We had several students ask questions about repentance in class after our discussions surrounding the downfall of Saul, David and Solomon.  Some questions revolved around those who battle with the same sin repeatedly as well as how repentance works.  One student asked, “what if you have done something you cannotContinue Reading