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old testament student manual 1 kings­malachi

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old testament student manual 1 kings­malachi religion 302 prepared by the church educational system published by the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints salt lake city utah

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send comments and corrections including typographic errors to ces editing 50 e north temple street floor 8 salt lake city ut 84150-2772 usa e-mail ces-manuals@ldschurch.org third edition copyright © 1981 1982 2003 by intellectual reserve inc all rights reserved printed in the united states of america english approval 11/02

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table of contents preface v maps and charts viii chapter 1 solomon man of wisdom man of foolishness 1 kings 1­11 1 chapter 2 wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom proverbs ecclesiastes 13 chapter 3 hast thou considered my servant job job 23 enrichment a the divided kingdoms 33 chapter 4 a kingdom divided against itself 1 kings 12­16 41 enrichment b prophets and seers in ancient times 53 chapter 5 elijah and the sealing power of the holy priesthood 1 kings 17­2 kings 2 59 enrichment c the messianic hope in ancient israel 67 chapter 6 hearkening unto the counsel of god 2 kings 3­13 73 chapter 7 god will not be mocked joel 83 chapter 8 the lord reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets amos 89 chapter 9 one cannot flee from one s responsibilities jonah 97 chapter 10 the ministry of hosea a call to faithfulness hosea 103 enrichment d the assyrian conquest and the lost tribes 113 chapter 11 promise of judgments promise of salvation micah 119 chapter 12 the fall of the northern kingdom 2 kings 14­20 125 enrichment e understanding isaiah 131 chapter 13 the establishment of zion isaiah 1­12 137 chapter 14 a voice of warning to the wicked isaiah 13­23 153 chapter 15 prophecies of the dispensation of the fulness of times isaiah 24­35 161 enrichment f the world of isaiah 171 chapter 16 the god of israel and the nations isaiah 36­47 179 chapter 17 the gathering of israel and the coming of the messiah isaiah 48­54 191 chapter 18 the last days and the millennium isaiah 55­66 203 chapter 19 judah s return to wickedness 2 kings 21­25 213 chapter 20 the burden of nineveh nahum 219 chapter 21 the day of the lord s wrath zephaniah 223 chapter 22 a question is asked of the lord habakkuk 227 enrichment g babylonia and the conquest of judah 231 chapter 23 as ye sow so shall ye reap jeremiah 1­19 235 chapter 24 the babylonian captivity jeremiah 20­22 24­29 32 34­45 52 lamentations 245 chapter 25 prophecies of a latter-day gathering jeremiah 23 30­31 33 46­51 obadiah 253 enrichment h the lasting effects of the fall and captivity of judah 261 chapter 26 ezekiel watchman of israel ezekiel 1­24 265 chapter 27 prophecies of the restoration ezekiel 25­48 279 enrichment i the battle of armageddon a prophetic view 291 chapter 28 daniel prophet of god companion of kings daniel 297 enrichment j the persian empire the return of the jews and the diaspora 311 chapter 29 the exiles return ezra 319 chapter 30 haggai prophet of the second temple haggai 325 chapter 31 esther queen of persia and advocate for her people esther 329 chapter 32 nehemiah builder of walls and wills nehemiah 335

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chapter 33 preparations for the lord s return in glory zechariah 341 chapter 34 behold i will send you elijah the prophet malachi 351 enrichment k between the testaments 359 chapter 35 the old testament closes 367 bibliography 372 author index 375 scripture index 384 subject index 406

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preface the importance of studying the old testament the old testament has greatly influenced many people down through time the roots of three of the world s great religions christianity islam and judaism have sprouted from the richness of its soil except perhaps to those for whom the books were originally written these recorded messages are of greater value to those living in the dispensation of the fulness of times than to any other people and they are especially valuable to latter-day saints some of the lessons and insights that make a careful study of the old testament not only meaningful but critical are 1 the testimony of the existence of god 2 the record of the beginnings of mankind as a divine race placed on the earth for eternal purposes 3 the importance of establishing a covenant relationship with god 4 the history and purpose of the establishment of the elect lineage through which the priesthood would be restored and the blessings of the gospel extended to all in the last days 5 the revelation of a divine law upon which civil and criminal codes of many nations would be built 6 the knowledge that god intervenes directly in the lives of men and nations and that through him many are divinely led directed and protected 7 the blessings of obedience to the laws of god and faith in his name 8 the consequences of disobedience and rebellion against god and his laws 9 the corruption that results from any form of idolatry and the reasons for the commandments of the lord against it 10 the need to live and endure throughout mortality in obedience to god s laws even though suffering and pain and persecution may come 11 the way by which the saints can escape the corruptions and resulting judgments of the last days 12 the promises of a literal gathering of israel in the last days and a time of restoration and redemption for israel 13 the greatness and the dreadfulness of the day when the lord will come in his glory 14 the testimony that the god of the old testament is jesus christ and that he came to earth to free us from death and make it possible for us to be freed from sin and thus return to the presence of god the father the spiritual gems in the book were meant to be enjoyed the prophets whose words are recorded in the bible were anxious that their message be clear and comprehensible through time mistranslation and corruption part of that clarity has been obscured fortunately for latter-day saints much of this clarity has been restored by 1 inspired commentary of modern prophets 2 the guidance of the holy ghost and 3 the revelation of the fulness of the gospel in the other standard works including the book of mormon the doctrine and covenants the pearl of great price and joseph smith s translation of the bible your goal in taking this course to israel moses declared unto thee it was shewed that thou mightest know that the lord he is god there is none else beside him deuteronomy 4:35 this course of study is designed to increase your opportunity to come to know the god of the old testament in an intimate personal and powerful way he is our redeemer and your goal in taking this course should be to declare as did job for i know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth job 19:25 in the pages of the old testament we see the lord the premortal jesus working with our heavenly father s children to save them from various perils from these accounts we can learn much about how to come unto christ moses summed up the process with these words if thou shalt seek the lord thy god thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul deuteronomy 4:29 what better guidance and greater goal could we seek reaching this goal most effectively through the prophet jeremiah the lord declared my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water jeremiah 2:13 cisterns as sources of a reserve water supply were extremely important to people in the arid lands of the old testament for it was on these that they relied to preserve themselves during the dry seasons cisterns were carved out of rock they could only retain water they could not produce it on occasion the rock would prove full of fissures and be unable even to hold water using this fact as a metaphor the lord brought two accusations against israel the first was their lack of trust in him jehovah as the spring of living water could always be relied upon but ancient israel hewed new cisterns for themselves that is they turned to idolatrous sources for security and spiritual life and power second the new cisterns could preserve the spirit no better than a fractured cistern could hold water thus israel was like a people in a drought who ignore a living spring that provides sufficient reserves and trust instead in broken wells that provide nothing each chapter in this manual is designed to help you find the true source of living water the lord jesus christ your study of the old testament is an opportunity to come to know him better each lesson designates a part of the old testament as a reading assignment this assignment will be the core of your study and should be read carefully for each lesson v

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the student manual for religion 302 covers approximately one-half of the old testament from 1 kings through malachi except for psalms the rest of the old testament is covered in the student manual for religion 301 the course does not require you to read every chapter of the second part of the old testament after you complete the parts assigned in the reading blocks however you will have read the greater part of the old testament and acquired the skills necessary to understand the rest on your own combined with sincere prayer scripture study can become a source of personal revelation and an avenue to increased spiritual power in your daily life it is the way to come to the true spring that will quench your thirst the one cistern filled with living water why a student manual some parts of the ancient scriptures are not easily understood by today s readers even the jews who returned from exile around 500 b.c needed assistance the bible records that ezra the scribe caused the people to understand the law so they [the scribes read in the book in the law of god distinctly and gave the sense and caused [the people to understand the reading nehemiah 8:7­8 although their problem was caused primarily by changes in their language the word of the lord still needed some explaining so it is today corrupt texts archaic language and a lack of understanding of the doctrinal historical or geographical settings cause some of the difficulty in reading and comprehending the old testament for these reasons this student manual provides the following to assist you 1 background information to help you better understand the middle eastern world in which the prophets declared their messages 2 background information about old testament prophets and important contemporary political figures 3 background information on many of the books in the old testament 4 interpretive and prophetic commentary on many of the most important passages and some of the difficult passages 5 a maps section which identifies key geographical places some of the major activities of the prophets and the israelites a time line for the events being studied and modern equivalents of ancient measurements how the manual is organized the twenty-eight chapters in the manual are organized to correspond with the chronology of events in the old testament this organization does not strictly follow the sequence of books as they appear in the old testament it is not possible to adhere exactly to the chronology because several accounts overlap in the time periods they cover and sometimes several prophets ministered at the same time in different areas also the time of the writing of some books is not known job and proverbs for example this manual does however basically follow the chronology of the old testament throughout the text you will find special enrichment sections eleven in all that provide information to help you better understand the chapters that follow them this manual should be used to help you organize your study and get the most from your reading of the scriptural passages each chapter includes 1 a short introduction that sets the stage for the scriptures you will read 2 a reading assignment 3 notes and commentary that will help with particularly difficult passages 4 points to ponder that call your attention to some of the major lessons of the part of the old testament you are studying and give you the opportunity to thoughtfully consider how these lessons can be applied in your life how to use your student manual the basic text for this course is the old testament this student manual does not replace your reading of the scriptures nor can it substitute for inspired guidance of the holy ghost as you seek that guidance in humble prayer here are some suggestions on how this manual may be used most profitably 1 before reading the scriptures study the maps to get a feeling for the location of various lands areas peoples geographical features and cities then throughout your study refer to the maps as needed 2 read the reading assignment for each chapter the number of chapters you are asked to read for each class period may vary according to your instructor s wishes and according to whether you are studying on the semester quarter or individual-study system whatever system you are on however you will read most of the old testament from 1 kings to malachi 3 study the enrichment sections as you come to them you will find that understanding the history geography or doctrine explained in these sections will help you better understand the scriptures as you read them 4 read notes and commentary on any passages that are difficult to understand 5 complete the assignments in points to ponder as directed by your instructor 6 use the indexes at the end of the manual to locate a particular scripture author or subject which version of the bible should you use in your study of the old testament a large number of bible translations are now in existence the king james version the translation recommended for english-speaking latter-day saints has been spoken of many times by the church leaders the following are examples of their counsel none of these [other translations surpasses the king james version of the english bible in beauty of language and spiritual connotation and probably in faithful adherence to the text available to translators it is this version which is used by the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints in all of its official work [in the english language both at home and abroad the literature of the church refers invariably to the king james translation other translations are used by the church only to help explain obscure passages in the authorized version john a widtsoe evidences and reconciliations p 120 vi

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this king james or authorized version `as far as it is translated correctly has been the version accepted by this church since it was organized j reuben clark jr in conference report apr 1954 p 38 the official bible of our church is the king james version editorial church news 14 nov 1970 p 16 in languages other than english available versions are acceptable of course the official recommendation does not mean that the king james version is a perfect translation elder james e talmage gave a reason why there is not a perfect translation there will be there can be no absolutely reliable translation unless it be effected through the gift of translation as one of the endowments of the holy ghost the translator must have the spirit of the prophet if he would render in another tongue the prophet s words and human wisdom alone leads not to that possession the articles of faith p 237 such an effort to translate the bible scriptures by the power of the holy ghost was begun by the prophet joseph smith at the command of the lord see d&c 45:60­61 93:53 the status of the joseph smith translation in the church today is as follows the inspired version [as it is called by its publishers does not supplant the king james version as the official church version of the bible but the explanations and changes made by the prophet joseph smith provide enlightenment and useful commentary on many biblical passages part of the explanations and changes made by the prophet joseph smith were finally approved before his death and some of these have been cited in current church instructional materials or may be cited in future church instructional materials accordingly these cited portions of the inspired version may be used by church writers and teachers along with the book of mormon doctrine and covenants and pearl of great price in connection with biblical interpretations applying always the divine injunction that `whoso is enlightened by the spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom d&c 91:5 when the book of mormon doctrine and covenants and pearl of great price offer information relative to biblical interpretation these should be given preference in writing and teaching but when these sources of latter-day revelation do not provide significant information which is available in the inspired version then this version may be used editorial church news 7 dec 1974 p 16 references from the joseph smith translation are used throughout this manual for clarification of particularly vague or faulty passages of the king james version in 1979 a new edition of the king james version was published by the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints it contains an extensive cross-referencing system that includes latter-day and biblical scriptures alternate renderings of difficult passages language insights to certain hebrew and greek words and many helpful changes from the joseph smith translation it also has an appendix which includes a topical guide a bible dictionary passages from the joseph smith translation too long to include in the footnotes and a section of maps similar bible study helps have been added to triple combinations in other languages since that time these are without question the finest collection of study aids designed specifically for latter-day saints ever provided with the scriptures they will prove to be an invaluable aid as you study the old testament a selection of cross-references and significant joseph smith translation changes are also included in this manual using the internal references numerous works by biblical scholars have been cited throughout the manual shortened references to these works have been used in order to interrupt the reading as little as possible complete reference information has been given in the bibliography near the end of the manual a special system of referencing was devised for quotations taken from commentary on the old testament by c f keil and f delitzsch the original work was published in twenty-five books but the reprint edition quoted in this manual combines the twenty-five books into a ten-book set this organization means that in some cases one book may have three different pages with the same number to minimize confusion and to keep a shortened reference a three-number system was devised commentary 3:2:51 means that the reference is found on page 51 of the second volume contained in book 3 vii

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maps and charts old testament canaan old testament world old testament chronology chart the empire of david and solomon the kingdoms of israel and judah empires in the mediterranean world standards of measurement jerusalem ancient jewish calendar viii

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old testament canaan 0 0 scale 5 10 10 20 15 30 20 25 40 30 50 miles kilometers cia tyre dan kedesh pho eni hazor acco sea of chinnereth va l bashan c t m el a rm jokneam dor megiddo taanach j ez le n l ho ree kis y mt tabor endor shunem jezreel r ya golan river mu iver kr ramoth-gilead beth-shan jabesh-gilead tishbe ron great sea mt gilboa dothan plain samaria sebastia mt gerizim aphek kingdom of israel tirzah mt ebal shechem of sh a gilead jabbok ri v e r succoth penuel mizpah-gilead joppa ah al ai j a lo n bethhoron aijalon kirjath-jearim bethel shiloh j ordan r iver n na s hal o gezer lod rek ai mizpah gibeon gibeah jerusalem bethlehem cave of adullam rabbah jericho ammon heshbon mt nebo ashdod ashkelon n ah al ti ph gaza eglon la ch is h ekron beth-shemesh gath azekah ela h socho tekoa lachish mareshah hebron debir n ah al a il is medeba al g e gerar rar ziklag kingdom en-gedi of judah salt sea moab dibon na h arnon river r hal beso na beersheba hormah arad zoar negev ascent of akrabbim zered riv er edom © 2003 iri

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old testament world scale 0 25 50 75 100 125 miles 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 kilometers hittites tarsus carchemish haran padan-aram kittim cyprus hamath kedesh byblos syria tadmor great sea sidon tyre acco bashan megiddo shechem joppa tia damascus alexandria gaza zoan rameses goshen r i ve i ph r of e ammon jericho jerusalem moab hebron beersheba kadesh-barnea heliopolis on memphis noph lis pt gy edom petra le r i ve r ezion-geber egypt midian mt sinai ni cush ethiopia red sea © 2003 iri

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caspian sea nineveh assyria media asshur rates riv er euph r ti g ecbatana is ri ver babylonia elam babylon susa persia ur chaldea persian gulf

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old testament chronology chart 1000 b.c 950 900 b.c bubasite libyan kings 850 theban kings 800 b.c memphite 21st dynasty tanite sheshonk psusennes i amenemope siamon osorkon i psusennes ii shishak osorkon ii takeloth osorkon ii sheshonk ii sheshonk iii egypt solid yellow united israel kingdom of judah sheshonk sacks jerusalem and exacts tribute from rehoboam joash ath aliah ahaziah jehor am jehoshaphat asa solomon rehoboam temple of solomon completed abijam job amaziah joel david nathan gad kingdom of israel jeroboam ahijah nadab baasha jehu shallum zechariah amos jonah hiram of tyre elah zimri tibni omri elisha jehoash jehoahaz ahaziah joram ahab elijah jehu jeroboam ii founding of samaria by omri canaan solid orange ben-hadad ii hadad of zobah tabrimmo n hezion rezon ben-hadad i moabite stone hazael [jeroboam ii ben-hadad iii syria aram dark solid violet damascus light solid violet ashurnasirp al ii shalmaneser iii jonah warns nineveh battle of qarqar mesopotamia assyria dark solid brown persia light solid brown babylon light diagonal brown lines parthia light vertical brown lines homer first olympic games founding of carthage northern mediterranean world © iri macedonia light solid green seleucids light diagonal green lines ptolemies light vertical green lines rome dark solid green

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750 kings 700 b.c ethiopian kings 650 saite kings 600 b.c 550 500 b.c the cushite pianki piy strikes memphis assyria sacks thebes taharga shebitku shabatka shabako shabaka osorkon iv psammetichus i tirhakah tanweta mani tanutamen necho ii psa mmetichus ii apries hophra amasis ahmose ii jeremiah taken captive to egypt psammetichus iii cambyses conquers and occupies egypt sheshonk iv uzziah azariah isaiah jot ham micah ahaz hezekiah manasseh obadiah zedekia h mattaniah jehoiachin many jews exiled habakkuk including ezekiel je hoiakim eliakim zephaniah jehoahaz jeremiah lehi leaves josiah jerusalem amon nahum daniel taken to babylon the jews return as a persian satrapy haggai zechariah zerubbabel rebuilding of the temple begun temple completed jeshua the high priest rule passed to high priests from zerubbabel to nehemiah menahem pekahiah peka h hosea hoshe a rezin dominant influence fall of damascus to tiglathpileser iii battle of carchemish nineveh falls to babylon zoroaster ashurbanipal cyr us nabonidus birth of buddha cam byses belshazzar darius i ezekiel jehoiachin king of judah in captivity darius the mede daniel nebuchadnezzar confucius evil merodach tiglath pileser iii sh almaneser v sargon ii esarhadd on sennacherib nabopolassar founding of cyrene on african shore founding of abydos the founding pythagoras laws of draco at athens founded a of democracy solon s one of the seven school at crotona wise men laws at athens etruscan city states founding of rome height of etruscan culture forum founded and seven hills connected with first pavement establishing of the roman republic carthage conquers west sicily foreign political influence in a nation is identified by a shading or line pattern that matches the color of that influential nation.

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old testament chronology chart 500 b.c 450 400 b.c 350 300 b.c 250 darius i completes a canal between the nile and the red sea and codifies egyptian law nile delta freed from persian rule for a brief period under amitaios of sais periods of revolt against persian occupation with overtures to greece alexander defeats the persians and is greeted as a deliverer and a god euclidian founding of library mathematics at alexandria septuagint written in alexandria ptolemy ii philadelphus ptolemy i soter alexander s general the intertestamental period alexander the great sacks tyre and enters jerusalem without the loss of blood ezra goes to jerusalem credited with giving the jews the law nehemiah the governor and cupbearer of artaxerxes i rebuilds the walls of jerusalem malachi the jewish high priest became sometimes acting as judea is annexed by ptolemy i seleucus i nicator alexander s general antiochus i soter antiochus ii darius s excellent road system legal reforms and coinage make founding of seleucia as his empire one of the most successful in ancient times mesopotamian capital alexander defeats persians at issus replacing babylon artabanus artaban kills xerxes i and dari us iii codomanus gains the egyptian kingdom for seven months arses alexander dies at babylon darius i xerxes i ahasureus artaxerxes iii ochus artaxerxes i artaxerxes ii mnemon arsaces an iranian nomad esther darius ii nothus parni chief kills the seleucid governor and sets up the kingdom of parthia battle at marathon parthenon at athens completed birth of euripides birth of plato demosthenes socrates birth of aristotle temple of zeus at olympia plato founds academy cimon defeats hippocrates trial and death of socrates persians golden age of pericles hanno explores west african coast epicurus epicurus opens school in athens philip unites euclid in alexandria greece gauls invade aristotle opens the lyceum macedonia colossus of rhodes built beginning of appian way first of the punic wars rome sacked by gauls dates represent a consensus and are best taken as approximate earlier dates may differ slightly in other chronologies

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