What Church Leaders Have Said About Studying the Old Testament

Download Photo

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Kaitlyn Bancroft, Church News

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will read the Old Testament throughout 2026. Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about studying the Old Testament.

A Specific Invitation

Download Photo

“Friends, Jesus Christ is both the purpose of our focus and the intent of our destination. To help us to remain fixed and heading in the right direction, the Savior invites us to see our lives through Him in order to see more of Him in our lives. I’ve come to learn more about this specific invitation through my study of the Old Testament.

“The law of Moses was given to the early Israelites as a preparatory gospel, designed to ready the people for a higher covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The law, rich with symbolism pointing believers to ‘look forward to the coming’ and Atonement of Jesus Christ (Alma 25:15), was meant to help the people of Israel focus on the Savior by practicing faith in Him, His sacrifice, and His laws and commandments in their lives — it was intended to bring them to a greater understanding of their Redeemer.

“Just as we are today, God’s ancient people were invited to see their lives through Him in order to see more of Him in their lives.”

— Sister Tracy Y. Browning, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, October 2022 general conference, “Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives”

‘Their Work and Their Glory’

“Brothers and sisters, we are the focus of Heavenly Father’s plan and the reason for our Savior’s mission. Each of us, individually, is Their work and Their glory.

Download Photo

“To me, no book of scripture illustrates this more clearly than has my study of the Old Testament. Chapter after chapter, we discover examples of how Heavenly Father and Jehovah are intimately involved in our lives. …

“The Old Testament is packed with miracles and tender mercies that are the hallmark of Heavenly Father’s plan. In 2 Kings 4, the phrase ‘it fell on a day’ is used three times to emphasize to me that important events happen according to God’s timing and no detail is too small for Him. …

“I testify that this year we can learn more about God’s plan for us in the Old Testament. That sacred volume teaches the role of prophets in uncertain times and of God’s hand in a world that was confused and often contentious. It is also about humble believers who faithfully looked forward to the coming of our Savior, just as we look forward to and prepare for His Second Coming — His long-prophesied, glorious return.”

— Elder Michael T. Ringwood, General Authority Seventy, April 2022 general conference, “For God So Loved Us”

The Savior’s Light and Healing Power

“This year we are studying the Old Testament — sacred scripture that fills our souls with light. While reading the Old Testament, I feel like I am spending time with trusted guides: Adam, Eve, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and so many others. …

“In ancient times, as the children of Israel followed the Lord’s direction given through the prophet Moses, they were blessed with safety and freedom. Today, as we follow the Lord’s direction given through our living prophet, … we are equally blessed with conversion in our hearts and protection in our homes.”

— Brother Mark L. Pace, then the Sunday School General President, April 2022 general conference, “Conversion Is Our Goal”

“The Old Testament teaches of an aromatic spice or ointment used for healing wounds that was made from a bush grown in Gilead. In Old Testament times, the ointment came to be known as the ‘balm of Gilead.’ The prophet Jeremiah lamented over the calamities that he observed among his people and hoped for healing. Jeremiah questioned, ‘Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?’ (Jeremiah 8:22) Through literature, music, and art, the Savior Jesus Christ has often been referred to as the Balm of Gilead because of His remarkable healing power.”

— Elder Brent H. Nielson, General Authority Seventy, October 2021 general conference, “Is There No Balm in Gilead?”

‘They Shall Be White as Snow’

“The scarlet dye of the Old Testament was not only colorful but also colorfast, meaning that its vivid color stuck to the wool and would not fade no matter how many times it was washed. Satan wields this reasoning like a club: white wool stained scarlet can never go back to being white. But Jesus Christ declares, ‘My ways [are] higher than your ways’ (Isaiah 55:9), and the miracle of His grace is that when we repent of our sins, His scarlet blood returns us to purity. It isn’t logical, but it is nevertheless true.

“‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool’ (Isaiah 1:18). The Lord says emphatically: he or she ‘who has repented of … sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). In essence: Come, let us reason together. You made mistakes; all come short. Come unto me and repent. I will remember the sin no more. You can be whole again. I have a work for you to do. Christ makes wool white.”

— Sister Sharon Eubank, then the First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, April 2019 general conference, “Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness”

‘Precious Jewels of Truth’

“How do you personally use the scriptures? Do you mark your copy? Do you put notes in the margin to remember a moment of spiritual guidance or an experience that has taught you a profound lesson? Do you use all of the standard works, including the Old Testament? I have found precious truths in the pages of the Old Testament that are key ingredients to the platform of truth that guides my life and acts as a resource when I try to share a gospel message with others. For that reason, I love the Old Testament. I find precious jewels of truth spread throughout its pages.”

— The late Elder Richard G. Scott, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2011 general conference, “The Power of Scripture”

“When [Rudyard] Kipling spoke of a contrite heart as an ‘ancient sacrifice,’ perhaps he had in mind the words of King David in the 51st Psalm: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart’ (verse 17). David’s words show that even in Old Testament times, the Lord’s people understood that their hearts must be given to God, that burnt offerings alone were not enough.”

— The late Elder Bruce D. Porter, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2007 general conference, “A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit”

“I love the Old Testament’s compelling, profound stories and its great prophets testifying of the coming of Christ. … The first testament of Christ is the Bible’s Old Testament, which predicted and prophesied of the coming of the Savior, His transcendent life and His liberating Atonement.”

— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2007 general conference, “The Miracle of the Holy Bible”

Read this related Church News story Dan Belnap: My favorite Old Testament story, what I learned and how it has blessed my life

Miracles of the Old Testament

“One may also read in the Old Testament and the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Such a review of ancient scripture is even more enlightening after one is familiar with the temple endowment. Those books underscore the antiquity of temple work.”

— The late President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2001 general conference, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings”

“Think of the miracles of the Old Testament. Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. For all future generations of Israelites, the great miracles that led to their deliverance from Egypt provided undeniable proof of God’s existence and His love for them.”

— Sister Sydney S. Reynolds, then the First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, April 2001 general conference, “A God of Miracles”

Jehovah and Ancient Prophets

“Jesus Christ was and is Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of Adam and of Noah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jehovah appeared to and talked to the ancient prophets. When He spoke, He did so on behalf of the Father, and He said what His Father would have said. Jehovah of the Old Testament became Jesus Christ of the New Testament when He was born into mortality.”

— Elder Robert E. Wells, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1995 general conference, “Our Message to the World”

“As we open scriptural pages to read of the plan for life on earth, we see that our Father in Heaven made known to the prophets of the Old Testament that the Savior, His Only Begotten Son, would come to earth. Isaiah the prophet said that ‘a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son’ (Isaiah 7:14), and ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6), and later said that ‘the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth’ (Isaiah 40:28) was ‘the Holy One of Israel’ (Isaiah 43:3), even the ‘redeemer … that maketh all things’ (Isaiah 44:24; see Isaiah 40–45). Jeremiah, Zechariah, Job, Moses and others of the prophets had revealed to them the Christ and that He would come to provide the way for all of us to return to our Father in Heaven. These prophets left their witnesses for us to study and to pray about and to receive our own testimony of the ‘looked-for’ Savior of the Old Testament.”

— The late Elder James M. Paramore, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1990 general conference, “The Many Witnesses of Jesus Christ and His Work”

Read this related Church News story David and Jo Ann Seely: 5 types of Christ in the Old Testament

The Sticks of Judah and Ephraim

Download Photo

“I must tell you of a work that has moved quietly forward in the Church virtually unnoticed. It had its beginning in Old Testament times and is the fulfillment of a prophecy by Ezekiel, who wrote:

“‘The word of the Lord came … unto me, saying,

“‘Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

“‘And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand’ (Ezekiel 37:15–17).

“The sticks, of course, are records or books. In ancient Israel records were written upon tablets of wood or scrolls rolled upon sticks. The record of Judah and the record of Ephraim, according to the prophecy, were to become one in our hands. …

“The stick or record of Judah — the Old Testament and the New Testament — and the stick or record of Ephraim — the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ — are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other; as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other. They are indeed one in our hands. Ezekiel’s prophecy now stands fulfilled.”

— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1982 general conference, “Scriptures”

A God Who Speaks

“We read of the unchangeable Lord in the holy scriptures. In the Bible, which we proclaim ‘to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly’ (Articles of Faith 1:8), the Old Testament prophets from Adam to Malachi are testifying of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament, and it was He who conversed with Abraham and Moses. It was He who inspired Isaiah and Jeremiah; it was He who foretold through those chosen men the happenings of the future, even to the latest day and hour.”

— The late President Spencer W. Kimball, then the president of the Church, April 1977 general conference, “Revelation: The Word of the Lord to His Prophets”

“Anciently the Lord showed his willingness to speak to the people by raising up a long series of inspired men who served as his spokesmen, from the days of Adam to John the Baptist. We are familiar with their names, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Moses and Zechariah, to mention just a few. Their writings make up the Old Testament, one of the grandest collections of literature and revelation known to man.”

— The late Elder Mark E. Petersen, then a member of the Council of the Twelve, October 1972 general conference, “Another Prophet Now Has Come!”

Copyright 2025 Deseret News Publishing Company.