The Old Testament is more than a collection of ancient stories. It is a record of God’s relationship with His children, His covenants, His promises, and His patient efforts to lead His people back to Him.

From the Creation in Genesis to the words of the prophets, the Old Testament continually points us toward Jesus Christ and His plan of redemption.

This chapter-by-chapter study is designed to help us do more than simply read what happened. It invites us to ask:

What can this chapter teach me about God?

How does it point me toward Jesus Christ?

What can I learn from the faith, choices, struggles, and experiences of the people in these scriptures?

How can I liken these scriptures unto myself and apply them to my life today?

As we study, we will look for principles that strengthen faith, deepen testimony, and help us recognize God’s hand in our own lives.

Some chapters will contain extraordinary miracles. Others will tell stories of ordinary people trying to follow God, sometimes faithfully and sometimes imperfectly. There will be stories of creation and covenants, families and nations, obedience and rebellion, faith and fear, deliverance and wandering.

Through all of them runs a consistent message:

God does not give up on His children.

The Old Testament also teaches us that spiritual growth does not happen all at once. Just as God patiently worked with His covenant people generation after generation, He patiently works with us.

Our goal isn’t simply to finish the Old Testament.

It is to allow the Old Testament to change the way we live the gospel in our everyday lives.

As we move chapter by chapter, we will pause to reflect, make connections to other scriptures—including the Book of Mormon—and look for ways each chapter can bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

We don’t need to understand everything at once.

We simply need to keep seeking, keep learning, and keep moving toward the Savior—one chapter, one principle, and one day at a time.

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ…”
— 2 Nephi 25:26

Welcome to the journey.

Let’s begin deeply anchored in Christ.