Lynne's Old Testament Study Notes

10/27/2022 – Ezekiel 47 Ezekiel was given a vision from the Lord, and near the end of that vision, the Lord brought Ezekiel to the doors of the temple, and there here he saw water flowing out from under the temple, and flowing into the Dead Sea. The waters that flowed were clean and they healed the Dead Sea which before the waters came, could not sustain plant nor animal life. In v 7, Ezekiel saw that on the edges of the waters that were flowing from the temple, many trees were growing—for the water had brought with it all the things that would provide for growth. V 9 starts this way: “And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live…” This shows us the blessings that what can happen to us as we go to the temple: “The blessings of the temple heal and give life to those who keep the sacred covenants they make in the temple.” V 11 tells us that in this marvelous change in the Dead Sea, “…the miry places thereof and the...

10/26/2022 – Ezekiel 36 & 37 Chapter 36 : Once again the chapter synopsis is very helpful: “In the last days all the house of Israel shall be gathered to their own lands—The Lord will give them a new heart and a new spirit—They shall have his gospel law.”   We feel that we are we are now living in the Last Days, and these are the days when these prophecies will be fulfilled, but the things this chapter speaks of those things that have been prophesized, but have not yet fully transpired. I think it’s kind of the Lord to tell us what to look for.  In v 8, the Lord tells them: “O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.” In v’s 10-11: their “cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be builded. And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you …and will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I...

10/25/22 – Ezekiel 33 & 34 Chapter 33 : I just read that the name Ezekiel means “God is strong” or “God will strengthen”—both are true! The Lord made Ezekiel the Watchman for the Israelites…a watchman who raised the warning voice to save the souls of the people. “…whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning: if the sword come, and take him away his blood shall be upon this own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.” (33:4-5).  The Watchman has a calling that he must carry out for the benefit of all others, as well as his own benefit. 33: 9-10 give some of the Lord’s instructions to His watchman: “…If thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou has delivered thy soul. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel…” And v 13 is very interesting—as it tells just why ...

10/24/2022 – Ezekiel 1-3 Ezekiel was a prophet with the Israelites in their captivity in Babylon—he “sat where they sat”. He was with them to remind them that most all the warnings that the Lord gave them in Jerusalem had gone unheeded. But Ezekiel is now with them to let them know that there is a way back. In Jerusalem, Ezekiel had been a priest serving in the temple. It is interesting to me that Ezekiel’s first vision in Babylon came to him in the 30th year of their captivity there, that “the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest…” (1:3) His vision was of four heavenly creatures, and Ezekiel saw that each of the four followed the Lord’s promptings promptly, and they didn’t get distracted. “Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went” (1:20) It was when he saw “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (1:28), that he heard a voice. “And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me…” (2:2) The Lord tells him that the children of Israel have been ...

10/21/2022 – Lamentations 1 & 3 The book of Lamentations is written by Jeremiah. The Israelites refused to follow the commandments of the Lord, and now Jeremiah records—and laments—that they ARE now living in the desolate state of Jerusalem, that has now been basically destroyed by the Babylonians.  Jeremiah, as the prophet of the Lord, acknowledges that Jerusalem was destroyed because the people ignored the commandments of the Lord. Jeremiah writes in poetry recording his people’s grief, shock and suffering. Chapter 1 : “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitud...

10/20/2022 – Jeremiah 36 Jeremiah told, and continued to tell, the Jews the things they needed but did not want to hear. The Lord was giving them the things that would change their lives, but they closed their ears and continued to follow the errors of King Zedekiah, and then King Jehoiakim, and his people.  In v’s 1-3 the Lord told Jeremiah to write “all the words that I have spoken unto thee” for “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”  Once it was written by his scribe, Baruch, Jeremiah (who was now under arrest) told Baruch to go to the temple on their day of fasting so that Judah will hear the Lord’s words once again. (v6) Jeremiah’s hope was that they would finally HEAR the Lord’s words and “return every one from his evil way” (v 7).  The Israelites were still fasting and coming to the temple as had been commanded, bu...

10/19/2022 – Jeremiah 32-33 Chapter 32 starts with King Zedekiah putting Jeremiah into prison, because Jeremiah had prophesied that Zedekiah would be taken captive and Jerusalem would be conquered by the king of Babylon.  While Jeremiah was in prison, his cousin came to him and asked him to buy property in their family’s ancestral homeland, which was near Jerusalem. The Lord had already told Jeremiah that this would happen (v 7), and that is what the Lord wanted him to do. The Lord explained to Jeremiah that purchasing this land was a symbolic witness that the Jews would someday return from captivity and possess the promised land once again. (v’s 15, 43-44) So Jeremiah is in prison. He has told everyone that Babylon will conquer them. He has completed every task the Lord has given him, and then in this bleak time, Jeremiah goes to the Lord in prayer: “Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and earth by thy great power and stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for...

10/18/2022 – Jeremiah 30 & 31 Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a time when so many of the Israelites had shifted over to following the religious ways of those who worshiped idols. As a prophet, Jeremiah had been called “to root out, and to pull down”. (1:10) But in the same verse, Jeremiah had also been called “to build, and to plant”.  And as the Israelites did not pay attention to Jeremiah, here they are again, with the Lord acknowledging their “lamentation, and bitter weeping”. (31:15) But He also continues to speak of the consolation and hope they would feel if they would only turn back to Him and His commandments: “They shall be my people, and I will be their God.” But for now, Jeremiah is continuing to call to repentance. He tells them they are heading for a situation of impending doom because of their failure to follow Heavenly Father’s commandments, and yet there is light and wonderful promises if they return to following God’s laws. He tells them to not be dismay...

 10/12/2022 – Jeremiah 18 & 20 Chapter 18: In this chapter, the Lord uses the art of making pottery to teach Jeremiah that the Israelites can repent and avoid destruction. In v 2 the Lord tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house, and He will speak to Jeremiah there. Jeremiah followed the Lord’s directions. When he got to the potter’s house, the potter was working with clay on his potter’s wheel where he created a vessel. But as the potter examined that vessel, he saw that it was not a very good vessel. So he took up the soft clay and worked with it to make a very good vessel.  That’s when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah: “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? Said the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” (v 6)  In v 8, the Lord explained his thoughts more clearly: “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I well repent [relent regarding the punishment] of the ev...

 10/11/2022 – Jeremiah 16-17 Chapter 16: Once again, the chapter synopsis tells us what to look for: “Utter ruin of the Jews foreseen—Israel rejected and scattered for serving false gods—Fishers and hunters shall gather them again, and they shall serve the Lord—Gospel to be restore for the last time.” This is a sad time. The Israelites have fallen away from the Lord to worship false gods. The Lord cautions Jeremiah, telling him not to marry, and not to have children ( 3)…for all the Israelite women have fallen away from the Lord, and living within this group would also lead any child away from the Lord. The Lord continues saying “…for I have taken away my peace from this people...even loving kindness and mercies.” (v 5) There are times in my daily living, when I forget to pay attention to the peace I feel from my Heavenly Father. This is not something I should just assume as though it is always there. I need to remember that that sweet feeling of peace comes when I am staying clos...

 10/10/2022 – Jeremiah 7 God had called Jeremiah as a prophet, and his calling was to warn the people of Judah that unless they repented, they would be conquered by another nation. In v 2 we find that Jeremiah has been commanded to stand at the temple gate, pleading with the people to enter into the temple gates to worship the Lord. And then he gave them the reason for coming into the temple: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.” (v 2) At this time, the people of Judah were NOT following the Lord’s commandments, and the Lord wanted them to know that if they repented, they would be blessed. At this time the Lord reminds them that their problem is their placing their “trust in lying words, that cannot profit”. (v 8) And the Lord also gave them instructions as to how to turn their lives around: “amend your ways and your doings; thoroughly execute judgement between a man and his neighbor; oppres...

 10/9/2022 - Jeremiah 1-3 Jeremiah 1: Jeremiah’s calling (a privilege or a burden?) was to prophesy, and then to live through, the fall of Judah to Babylon. V’s 4-5 tells us that Jeremiah was foreordained to this task: “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” When Jeremiah heard this, he immediately responded to the Lord, that there was no way he could do this since “I cannot speak: for I am a child.”  (v 6) Jeremiah soon found that the Lord will enable us to do all He commands, for the Lord recognizes our limitations, but He doesn’t accept our using our limitations as an excuse not to do as He has commanded us. This is what the Lord told Jeremiah: “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with t...

 10/8/2022 - Isaiah 66 Once again, the chapter synopsis is very appreciated: "At the Second Coming, Israel, as a nation, shall be born in a day; the wicked shall be destroyed; and the Gentiles shall hear the gospel." We've leaned that the Second Coming will come first, and teh entire world will be aware of it at the same time. We also know that the Millennium will come after Christ has finished the work of the Second Coming. We know that the times leading up to His Second Coming will be difficult. He shall come "with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many." (v's 15 & 16) He is telling us how He shall come, and He shall set things straight. We also know that the Millennium will follow and will be a time of peace and righteousness. At that time, Christ will stay and reign on this ...

 10/7/2022 – Isaiah 64-65 Isaiah 64 : Isaiah continues to tell us of the last days. He prays for the Second Coming and for the salvation that will follow. D&C 133 is very similar: v 40-45: “Calling upon the name of the Lord day and night, saying: O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence….O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence….For  since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither that any eye hath seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee.”  But back to Isaiah: in v 4 he tells us: “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” The Second Coming and the following Millennium are the culmination of ...

10/6/2022 – Isaiah 62-63 Isaiah 62 : Isaiah continues to prophesy of Christ’s Second Coming and the Millennium which will follow. This chapter is a bit difficult for me to understand, so I’ve gone to my study guide: “Isaiah refers to the Old and New Jerusalems. Both are to possess “righteousness” witch will “go forth as brightness” and offer salvation “as a lamp that burneth” (v1)” Zion is to be called by a “new Name” (v 2), the New Jerusalem, and the Old Jerusalem shall “no more be termed Forsaken” nor ‘Desolate” (v 4) Once again Zion shall be married to the Lord. This symbol represents Zion’s return to spiritual righteousness, for “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall God rejoice over [Jerusalem’s restoration] (v 5).” V's 4-5 speak of the shifting of continents. D&C 133:24 also speaks of this amazing shift. The JST of these verses says that the lands, like a man and woman in holy wedlock, will be sealed by the authority of the one officiating.  In v’s 6-7 He s...

 10/5/2022 – Isaiah 60 & 61 Isaiah 60 : Isaiah continues with prophecies of events that will occur in the last days, as well as during and after the Millennium. He begins with the positive statement: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (v1) And then he prepares us for the difficult things that will happen before the Lord makes His appearance: “For, behold, the darkness [ignorance and wickedness] shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise [shine upon, illuminate thee], and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (v 2) V 3 then tells us “and the Gentiles shall come to thy light…” The Church is growing. Isaiah encourages us to “lift up thine eyes round about and see…” (v 4) Then in v 5, he warns us that “…thine heart shall fear and be enlarged…”  There is a lot in this chapter that I am far from understanding. But I know that the Lord knows exactly what will happen. My part is to stay close to Him...

 10/3/2022 – Isaiah 58 & 59 Isaiah 58 helps us in learning how to put some of the Lord’s commandments into our daily lives.  This chapter speaks of the law of the fast and Sabbath day observance—and that observance helps us keep the rest of our days in ways the Lord would approve of. He wants us to “take delight in approaching to God.” (v 1).  Evidently the Israelites have been fasting, but not in a way to bring them closer to the Lord. He wants us to fast in order “to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free…it is to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house…when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him” (v 6-7)  Then the Lord tells them what to expect after fasting in this manner: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee: the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. ...

 9/30/2022 – Isaiah 56-57 Isaiah 56 I love the synopsis of this chapter “All who keep the commandments shall be exalted—The sons of strangers will join Israel—The Lord will gather others to the house of Israel.” The Lord reminds us so many times, in so many places, the things we should do to be able to come back into His presence. “Keep ye judgment, and do justice…Blessed is the man that doeth this and the son of the man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing evil…” (v’s 1-5) The Lord is assuring us that His words will be fulfilled. He promises that He will also gather and bless individuals who were not members of the house of Israel but who would love and serve the Lord. He is aware of our efforts. We will be rewarded. We should not be discouraged by our situations. We simply need to keep His commandments. Isaiah 57 In verses 1-2 the Lord tells us not to worry when a righteous person dies, for that person will enter into...

 9/29/2022 – Isaiah 54-55 Isaiah 54: I like the student manual’s introduction to this chapter: “The Lord spoke of the Latter-day gathering of Israel and of His mercy toward those who repent. The Lord also taught that His ways are higher than man’s ways and condemned the wickedness of the Israelites.”  The synopsis of this chapter is also very helpful: “In the last days, Zion and her stakes shall be established, and Israel shall be gathered in mercy and tenderness—They shall triumph” V 2: “Enlarge the place of thy tent and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, length thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;” These Israelites certainly understood tents, as they had spent 40 years in the desert putting them up and taking them down. We might look at the tent symbolically: the prophet and the apostles are like the center pole of the tent; the tent is large and covers the earth—it brings us protection from the elements of the world; the stakes of the Chur...

 9/28/2022 – Isaiah 52-53 Chapter 52 synopsis: the Lord is telling us about the last days when Zion shall return and Israel will be redeemed and the Messiah shall deal prudently and be exalted.  In v 1 the Lord is telling Israel to AWAKE, AWAKE put on thy strength, put on thy beautiful garments”. I read this and think: First and foremost, we should pay attention to Him on a daily basis, for that brings me strength each day. But D&C 113:7-8 has the real answer in a question that Elias Higbee asked, and was told that our strength was the power of the priesthood.  The student manual says that “putting on thy beautiful garments” means that we are to clothe ourselves with purity and sanctity, or in other words, clothe ourselves in righteousness.  In v 2 the Lord continues [we need to remember that the Israelites had shifted to worshiping idols instead of following the commandments the Lord had plainly given them] saying “Shake thyself from the dust and rise…” Startin...

 9/27/2022 – Isaiah 50-51 Isaiah 50 : Since the beginning of time, Heavenly Father and Jesus have given us the map that will take us safely through this earth life. When we stray from those commanded paths to explore other paths, we leave the protection and closeness of our Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost. But when we realize that, all is not lost. We can go back to our map, and get on the right path, and it is there where we will once again feel their closeness, their love, and their guidance.  Isaiah tells us how it works: V 7- assures us “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” And v 9: “Behold the Lord God will help me;” And finally v 11: “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand…” Isaiah 51 : In this chapter, the Lord z...