"Moses Sees the Promised Land from Afar," by James Tissot The word "deuteronomy" comes from the Greek words deuteros (δεύτερος), which means "second," and nomos (νόμος), which means "law." At the end of Moses' life, after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, he gave the children of Israel his final words of instruction to... Continue Reading →
Numbers 11-14; 20-24: “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear” (May 9-15)
Relief of Israelite Scouts Returning from Canaan, parish church in Marazhofen, Germany In Hebrew, the book of Numbers is called Bemidbar (בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר), which means "In the Wilderness." It tells the story of the children of Israel from the time they left Mount Sinai until they were ready to enter the promised land. Here are some... Continue Reading →
Exodus 35-40; Leviticus 1, 16, 19: “Holiness to the Lord” (May 2-8)
"Moses Calls Aaron to the Ministry," (detail) by Harry Anderson The Tabernacle On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses detailed instructions about how to build an elaborate portable house of worship for the Israelites to use during their journey to the promised land. The Hebrew word shakan (שָׁכַן) means to settle or to dwell, so the... Continue Reading →
Exodus 24; 31-34: “My Presence Shall Go with Thee” (April 25-May 1)
"Moses with the Tablets," detail from a stained glass window in the Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Seattle Washington What an unforgettable experience Israel had at Mount Sinai, near the beginning of their journey to the promised land! Like Nephi in the land of Bountiful, Moses ascended the mountain multiple times to receive knowledge from God... Continue Reading →
Exodus 18-20: “All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do” (April 18-24)
Decalogue parchment by Jekuthiel Sofer (1768), Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana, Amsterdam "Thou wilt surely wear away." Although Moses had been raised in Pharaoh's court, and although he had led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the power of God, he still had a lot to learn about leadership. When his father-in-law, Jethro, visited him in... Continue Reading →
Easter: “He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory” (April 11-17)
"The Resurrected Christ" (detail) by Wilson J. Ong As we prepare to celebrate the Savior's resurrection next Sunday, we will certainly review the accounts in the New Testament of His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His crucifixion on Golgotha, and His interactions with multiple individuals and groups after His tomb was found empty. Here... Continue Reading →
Exodus 14-17: “Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord” (April 4-10)
"Passage of the Jews through the Red Sea" (detail) by Ivan Aivazovsky Crossing the Red Sea One of the most dramatic miracles recorded in the scriptures is the passages of thousands of Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground. The author of Exodus records that "the waters were a wall unto them on their... Continue Reading →
Exodus 7-13: “Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt” (March 28-April 3)
"The Fifth Plague of Egypt" (detail) by Joseph Mallord William Turner The Plagues Blood, frogs, lice, flies, cattle dying, boils, hail, locusts, three days of darkness, death of the firstborn. As the plagues escalated, I wonder if I would have responded sooner, or if I would have continued to harden my heart like Pharaoh. (See... Continue Reading →
Exodus 1-6: “I Have Remembered My Covenant” (March 21-27)
"Moses Before the Burning Bush" by Domenico Fetti Why did God choose Moses to rescue the children of Israel from captivity? What characteristics qualified him for this assignment? We get a clue from three events immediately preceding his calling: Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. Although he might have been expected to side with... Continue Reading →
Genesis 42-50: “God Meant It Unto Good” (March 14-20)
"Joseph of Egypt," by Michael T. Malm After reading last week about the adversity that Joseph endured, this week we get to experience the joy of his reunion with his family. We can all imagine his joy in seeing his brothers again and learning that they had changed, that they were no longer the men... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 