A story early in Genesis describes our ancestor Jacob meeting an angel and, somewhat unexpectedly, engaging him in a wrestling match. After wrestling through the night, the angel compliments Jacob’s perseverance and grants him a blessing (see Genesis 32:24–30).
The Old Testament itself is like Jacob’s angel—it is both holy and challenging. The blessings are there, but sometimes they only come through a wrestle. The Old Testament’s unique challenges can make it especially daunting for parents who take seriously the idea that “learning the gospel, at its best, is home centered and Church supported.”1
I feel that pressure: even though I teach the Old Testament professionally to college students, my biggest challenge this year will be making it understandable and relevant to my 16-, 14-, 13-, 9-, and 6-year-old kids.
What can we do to have more meaningful experiences with this wonderful and perplexing book of scripture?
1. See the Big Picture
If you feel overwhelmed at how long and complicated the Old Testament is, be assured that you can do this! The Come, Follow Me reading schedule does not include all the chapters in the Old Testament—in fact, by word count, the suggested schedule only includes 46.5 percent of it, making it only a little more than the length of the Book of Mormon. That makes the portions we are reading each week more manageable, so just take it one week at a time.
To avoid feeling lost in the details, I highly recommend following along with the Come, Follow Me manual. It does an amazing job helping us see the eternal relevance of Old Testament stories. I also echo the manual’s encouragement that we pay special attention to what we can learn about Jesus Christ and about the covenant relationship that He offers to have with us.2
2. Prioritize Scriptural Learning
The Old Testament has a complicated history and assumes its readers have some familiarity with its ancient cultures. You may find it helpful to find supplementary resources (such as podcasts, books, articles, or videos) that help explain that historical and cultural context.
At the same time, no one should feel like background knowledge is a prerequisite for having meaningful experiences in the scriptures. Personal revelation is your greatest teacher. And while background resources can be quite enriching, my strong caution is not to give into the temptation to substitute a podcast or a little background reading for studying the scriptures themselves. They should constitute the main course of our spiritual feast (see 2 Nephi 31:20).
In my own study—although I’m wired to love the history, cultures, and languages of the scriptures—sometimes I deliberately put away other books and silence my phone to make sure I’m getting quality time engaging directly with the word of God.
3. Consider Different Translations
The General Handbook recommends that members “use a preferred or Church-published edition of the Bible” in Church meetings, but it also says that “other Bible translations may also be used.”3
With my own kids, I have tried to find a balance. Sometimes we read in the King James Version so that they can get practice understanding the older English words and grammar. Other times, we read a modern English translation (such as the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) when our priority is understanding exactly what the biblical authors were trying to say.4 And sometimes we’ll have family members use different translations simultaneously—the differences that emerge provoke some great scripture conversations!5
4. Learn from the Good and the Bad
Old Testament stories can sometimes be weird or even disturbing. It is helpful to remember that the Israelites lived in an ancient culture. The Come, Follow Me manual explains that as we read their writings we’ll inevitably come across “people doing or saying things that, to modern eyes, seem strange or even troubling. … Violence, ethnic relations, and the roles of women are just some of the issues that ancient writers might have seen differently than we do today.”6 I understand that some of what they recorded can be shocking, and I freely admit that sometimes I skip certain parts till my kids are older.
At the same time, I think the Lord had a purpose in allowing misguided attitudes and wicked deeds to be recorded in the scriptural record. At the end of the Book of Mormon (a record with a few of its own disturbing accounts), Moroni advises us, “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” (Mormon 9:31). We can learn from what the Israelites and Nephites got right, and we can learn from what they got wrong. Let’s be grateful for both.
I’m looking forward to learning from and wrestling with the Old Testament this year—and I hope that as you and your family participate in studying this great work of scripture, it will provoke greater connection with and love for the God of the Old Testament, our Savior Jesus Christ.
More articles for you:
▶ 5 teachings from Pres. Oaks to help you with your goals
▶ 2 things to do when you want to help but don’t know how
▶ 5 verses to memorize for when you need courage
Your guide to the Old Testament
Notes:
1. Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026 (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2025), 3.
2. D. Todd Christofferson, “The Blessing of Scripture,” Ensign, May 2010, 33.
3. See Come, Follow Me, 13–15.
4. See Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, October 2022, 4–11.
5. General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2025), 38.8.40.1.
6. See Gaye Strathearn, “Modern English Bible Translations,” in Kent P. Jackson, ed., The King James Bible and the Restoration (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; xDeseret Book, 2011), 234–59, at rsc.byu.edu.
7. See Ben Spackman, “Why Bible Translations Differ: A Guide for the Perplexed,” Religious Educator 15.1 (2014): 31–66, at rsc.byu.edu.
8. Come, Follow Me, 142.
