Lynne's Old Testament Study Notes

 2/28/2022 – Genesis 28 I want to start out with President Marion G. Romney’s explanation as to why this vision of heaven was shown in the form of a ladder and why the name of the place where it happened was, for that time on, called Bethel.  “When Jacob traveled from Beersheba toward Haran, he had a dream in which he saw himself on the earth at the foot of a ladder that reached to heaven where the Lord stood above it. He beheld angels ascending and descending thereon, and Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings—blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord. “Because he had met the Lord and entered into covenants with him there, Jacob considered the site so sacred that he named the place Bethel, a contraction of Beth-Elohim, which means literally ‘the House of the Lord.’ He said of it: ‘… this is none other but the hous...

 2/24/2022 – Genesis 27 The Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual has two very interesting paragraphs concerning Isaac’s blessing to Jacob to preside over his brethren: “… although Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, their father, Isaac, still had the responsibility to bestow the birthright blessing on one of his sons. Summarizing Genesis 27:1–33: Isaac intended to give the birthright blessing to Esau. However, Rebekah had previously learned by revelation that Jacob was to receive the birthright (see Genesis 25:23). Rebekah instructed Jacob to approach Isaac, who was physically blind, and present himself as though he were Esau so that Jacob could receive the birthright blessing. Jacob reluctantly carried out this plan and received the blessing.  The Lord intended from the beginning that the birthright blessing be given to Jacob. After Isaac learned that he had unknowingly bestowed the birthright blessing on Jacob, he could have revoked the blessing and cursed Jacob instead....

 2/23/2022 – Genesis 26 This chapter starts with another famine, and we see that at this time “the Lord appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee…” As He described the blessings that would come to Isaac & his family, I feel that the most wonderful one was that “…in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” This wonderful communication could not have happened unless Isaac…and Rebekah…had been keeping His commandments and communicating with Him regularly. (v 4)   Ah! I should have read further!  Verse 5: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” In v 15 -19 we learn that the Philistines envied Jacob, and they came and stopped up all the wells that Abraham had digged and filled them with dirt.  Isaac’s response to this was that he departed thence and pitche...

2/22/2022 – Genesis 25 I was surprised to read that Abraham married again, after Sarah’s death. Her name is Keturah. Together, they had six children. In v 5 we read that “Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.” And then we learn in v 6 that Abraham also had concubines, but at this time he gave them gifts and sent them away from Isaac. Abraham lived 175 years. And when he died “his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah” (v 9) which was where Sarah was buried. We know much about the twelve tribes who eventually descended from Jacob (Isaac’s son), but v 16 tells us that Ishamael  also fathered  twelve tribes. We know that Isaac married Rebekah when he was 40 years old, and he loved her--but v 21 tells us that Rebekah was barren. “And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.”  Again, their prayers were not answered quickly—it was a 20 year wait, for v 26 tells us th...

 2/21/2022 – Genesis 24 Some facts: Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, and Esau and Jacob were born 20 years later. Isaac was a herdsman and had a large household. It was important that his large household, and herds, were able to find sufficient pasture. They had to move when they experienced famines in order to find more water. So Isaac dug many wells, in many places. He was a peaceful man. He would choose to move on and dig new wells rather than fight for the ones he had already dug. Isaac prospered exceedingly. When Abraham was quite old, he asked the man who took care of all that Abraham had, to find a wife for Isaac, but Abraham stipulated that the wife could not be a Canaanite, for they had a different religions and worshiped idols. Abraham had been told by an angel to “take a wife unto my son” from the country of Abraham’s father. His servant, who was given this task, was worried that he would not be able to find a woman who would come to be a wife without k...

 2/19/2022 - Genesis 23 Sarah dies at 107 years of age, “and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” (v 2).  He buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah. We need to remember that Abraham and Sarah had earlier entered into a covenant with God, and this covenant allowed them to have an eternal marriage. 

 2/18/2022 – Genesis 22 This is when the Lord commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son, as a test of his faithfulness. The first thing we think of is that Abraham, as a much younger man, was miraculously saved from his father’s giving him up to be sacrificed to false gods.  Sacrificing Isaac is a commandment that certainly surprises us. But Abraham obeyed immediately by making plans and preparations for a commandment he probably didn’t understand, and certainly didn’t want to do.  V 1 explains “that God did tempt Abraham”. In Hebrew, the word ‘tempt’ means ‘to test or to prove’. Could it be that Abraham was such a good, and honest, and compassionate man who had always kept the Lord’s commandments, even when Abraham helped those who were not helping him at all? He always put others first, and often at a physical or temporal cost to him. Could it be that because of the amazing covenant that God had made with Abraham and would include all of Abraham’s—and Isaac’s—posteri...

 2/17/2022 – Genesis 21 V 1 assures us that the Lord’s promises were completed, for “Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age…” (v 1) Then v 5 gives us some very important information: “And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.” This birth occurred 10 years after the angels, or holy men, said that Sarah would conceive [this information came from my favorite institute class]. What a lesson that is for us to have faith enough to “wait upon the Lord”! God always keeps His promises to the faithful according to His timetable.) Trouble in the family began after Isaac was weaned, as “Sarah saw the son of Hagar…mocking”. She went to Abraham, saying that Hagar and Ishmael should be cast out. (v 10)  “And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.” (v 11) But in the very next verse “…God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman…and also of the son of the...

 2/16/2022 – Genesis 20 This chapter was confusing to me and I had to search for some help—which I found in the Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual—which said: “Following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah journeyed to the land of Gerar, where Sarah was taken from Abraham by Abimelech, king of Gerar. After learning that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, Abimelech restored Sarah to Abraham and allowed them to dwell in his land. In this land, Isaac was born in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.”  Even though Sarah was no longer young, she must have kept enough of her beauty that the King of Gerar took her into his house. This is a repeat of what had happened so many years ago in Egypt. But this time “God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.” (v 3)  The Lord told Abimelech that He knew this had been done, thinking that Sarah was Abraham’s si...

 2/15/2022 – Genesis 19 This chapter starts with Lot at the gate of the city of Sodom. He sees two angels approaching, he gets up to meet them, bows down recognizing their holiness and asks them to come to his home for food and for staying the night in safety. In Sodom, Lot has been surrounded by wickedness, yet he immediately recognizes these two men as angels. [Interestingly, the JST says three angels.]    When the men of Sodom knew there were new men visiting, they came to Lot’s door demanding that the angels (that they see as men) be given to the men of Sodom for ill purposes. Lot offers his two daughters, who are virgins, to the crowd, but they wanted these men who had just arrived in the town. When Lot refused, the crowd came toward him threatening, angry that Lot was telling them that what they were doing was wrong.  They came toward Lot, then the angels opened the door, pulled Lot inside, and caused all the men in the mob to be blind, and unable to enter the ...

 2/14/2022 – Genesis 18 We knew, before we came to earth, that coming here would be a test: Would we be able to keep our faith in our Heavenly Father when we no longer lived in His presence? Would we be able to handle the good things that would come into our lives? Would we be able to handle the bad things that would come into our lives? Could we live our earthly life as uprightly as we had imagined in our pre-existence? Abraham and Sarah had waited well into their old age, hoping for a child, and probably now, when Sarah is well past the age of having children, verse 1 tells us that the Lord appeared unto Abraham as he sat in the door of his tent on a hot day. We have no record of what the Lord said to Abraham, or what Abraham said to the Lord. But we do know that after the Lord departed from Abraham, that very soon after that “three men stood by him”.  The JST states that “the angels…were holy men, and were sent forth after the order of God.” Perhaps the Lord told him that m...

 2/11/2022 – Abraham 2 This chapter starts with the fact that there is a famine in Haran, the land where Abraham was raised. People died due to the famine, but Abraham’s father still lived. (v1) The Lord said to Abraham: “Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” (v3) and Abraham’s reaction was: ”Therefore I left the land of Ur, of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan”. He took Lot, his nephew, Sarai, is wife. His father also followed after him, but the famine abated and his father tarried in Haran and dwelt there, as there were many flocks in Haran; and my father turned again to his idolatry.” (v5) Abraham and Lot’s action was to pray, and that prayer brought an appearance of the Lord  (Jehovah) who said: “arise, and take Lot with thee; for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after...

 2/10/2022 – Abraham 1 The Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price comes from the Egyptian Papyrus and was written by his [Abraham] own hand. Joseph Smith said that Abraham was of the tenth generation from Noah, which is several hundred years. We think of the progress that can come with time. Unfortunately, there is much back-sliding that can come with time. Abraham doesn’t linger on the fact that he came from quite a troubled family. He merely says in v 1 that he “saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence.” That comment comes, I believe, after an angel had rescued him from the sacrificial table. The things Abraham does say are that he sought greater happiness and peace and rest: “I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess...

 2/9/2022 – Genesis 16 & 17 Genesis 16: Abraham had been promised that he would be the father of a great posterity, and yet as the years past, they had no children. Abram was around 86 years old now. Saria went to Abram, saying “the Lord hat restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid [Hagar]; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” (v 2) The Bible Commentary tells us that “according to the custom of the time, Sarai’s giving her handmaid, Hagar, to be a wife to Abraham was an expected and logical act.” Hagar, an Egyptian, became pregnant, but then we learn in v 4 that Sarai was now “despised in her eyes.” When Sarai told Abraham about Hagar’s attitude, he told her that as Hagar was Sarai’s maid, Saria could handle the situation as she saw fit. V 6 tells us that “Saria delt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.” It seems that Sarai acted in love toward Abraham, but when Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sa...

 2/8/2022 – Genesis 14 & 15 Chapter 14 starts with the kings of individual city/states beginning to war with one another. These conflicts included the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah (v 8). V 10 tells us that it was in these conflicts that “…the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they  that remained fled to the mountain.” The winning kings then took “…all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot…and his goods, and departed.” (v’s 11-12) One of Lot’s servants escaped and came running to Abraham with the news. Abraham immediately gathered his servants, “he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” (v 14) Abraham was not a man of war, but he had trained his people for war…just in case. His people divided their forces in the night and were successful not only freeing Lot, but all others who had been taken--they also bought back their...

 2/7/2022 – Genesis 12 and 13 Genesis 12: We know that Abraham had a difficult life. We know that he was saved by an angle when his own father had given him to the priests to be a sacrifice to false gods, and that the Lord “said unto Abram. Get thee out of thy country and from thy Kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation…and thou shalt be a blessing. (v’s1-2) Abraham immediately responded to the Lord’s directions, taking his wife Sarai and his brother’s son, Lot, and “their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran” and their journey ended in Canaan, where the Lord had directed them to go. (v 5)  The Lord told him where to stop traveling, for “the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land” (v7) Then first thing Abram did was to build an alter unto the Lord who had appeared unto him.  The Bible Dictionary states that an altar was “used fo...

 2/6/2022 – Genesis 10-11 and Moses 8 (very busy week that I am making up for today) The flood has abated, and once again there is only one family on earth. We read in chapter 9 that Noah and his sons-- Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives-- are commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Chapter 10 gives us their early genealogy. There is one in the long list of descendants that the scriptures give more information on. We are told that Nimrod “began to be a mighty hunter before the Lord, wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter….” The JST interprets that phrase “he was a mighty hunter in the land.” The Bible commentary by Clarke, 1:86 has this to say about Nimrod: “Though the words are not definite, it is very likely he was a very bad man. His name Nimrod comes from … marad, he rebelled; and the Targum [ancient Jewish translations or paraphrases of the scriptures], on 1 Chron. i. 10, says: Nimrod began to be a mighty man in sin, a murderer of innocent men, and a ...

 2/4/2022 – Genesis 9 An interesting item: In the book “Answers to Gospel Questions”, Joseph Fielding Smith speaks of this great flood, and that it changed the earth “when the great deep was broken up….and during the flood great changes were made on the face of the earth. The land surface was in the process of division into Continents.” This chapter begins with the beginning of Noah’s family [his wife and his 3 sons and their wives] as they make a new beginning on earth. The Lord’s direction to them is to “multiply, and replenish the earth” (v1) He then explains in v 2 that the animals, on land or in the waters or the sky, are available for their food, as will the “green herbs” that the Lord has given them. The animals will fear man, which means to me that Noah and his family do not have to fear the animals at this point in time. Then the Lord speaks of what many scholars call ‘the Law of God Regarding the Shedding of Blood.’ These verses are difficult for me to really understand. ...

2/3/2022 – Genesis 8 In chapter 8 the water has finally stopped, but this critical time is not over.  The beautiful thing of this chapter is that the first verses tell us “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing…that was with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.” Noah, and all in the ark, had worked hard to obey the Lord and had made it through the biggest calamity to ever occur on this earth. But now, even with the waters residing, they are nowhere near “normal” and they have much work in front of them. But the important thing was that they had the Lord with them. They waited TEN months for the waters to receded enough to allow the tops of the mountains were seen. (v 5) They then waited 40 more days in that ark with all those animals who would require care and feeding. They had yet another wait of 2 months and 20 days, u...

 2/2/2022 – Genesis 7 In v 4, that Lord does something He rarely does. He has given Noah instructions to construct an ark, and also instructions on bringing animals and exact numbers of their kind. And finally, I’m thinking after much work and preparation, the Lord tells Noah that he has seven days until the rains will come. The Lord also tells Noah that it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. The Lord is usually not this precise with His instructions. Perhaps it is because Noah’s faith did not need strengthening. V 5 gives us an excellent picture of Noah: “And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.” The Lord had watched Noah and his family, as they continued to keep His commandments in a continuing wicked world. Add to that the fact that the world outside his family continually berated him and mocked him and finally wanted to kill him. Noah and his family did as they were instructed. It had to have been an amazingly difficult task to collect and contain the prope...

 2/1/2022 – Genesis 6 V 2 is a bit difficult to understand, but Joseph Fielding Smith, in Answers to Gospel Questions, wrote that the “daughters of Noah” whose parents were immersed in the gospel of the Lord, were marrying men who had not been raised to live according to the Lord’s gospel. And President Kimball, in the Miracle of Forgiveness, wrote that marrying someone from a different faith can often “frustrate” people’s lives together, putting extra stress on how people spend their time, on basic ways people choose to live, and on significant differences in the foundations of people’s lives. V 3 tells us that the Lord was not happy with how so many of the children of men were living. “…My spirit shall not always strive with man…” and then He goes on to say that man’s “days shall be an hundred and twenty.  Many gospel scholars feel that this 120 days was the time that Noah was allowed to preach to the people, hoping that they would repent of their ways and come closer to the...