A local Fox television news reporter in Memphis recently mocked the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a "man on the street" segment.

“Not everything in life is . . . black and white, but it seems that the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and its keystone role in our belief is exactly that. Either Joseph Smith was the prophet he said he was, who, after seeing the Father and the Son, later beheld the angel Moroni, repeatedly heard counsel from his lips, eventually receiving at his hands a set of ancient gold plates which he then translated according to the gift and power of God or else he did not. And if he did not… he is not entitled to retain even the reputation of New England folk hero or well-meaning young man or writer of remarkable fiction. No, and he is not entitled to be considered a fine teacher or a quintessential American prophet or the center of great wisdom literature. If he lied about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, he is certainly none of these” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "A Standard unto My People," delivered at the CES Book of Mormon Symposium, 9 August 1994, BYU Marriott Center).

As I have read and taught these chapters in the books of Kings, I have found what I think are some worthwhile insights on following prophets. These principles will form the outline of this Old Testament lesson. Once again I offer this disclaimer. This lesson is not meant to replace the one in the Old Testament Gospel Doctrine manual. Its purpose is to give some additional insights into the lesson and to illustrate with Old Testament examples some great principles taught here.

Read the stories behind the top three songs online, or buy the January/February issue of LDS Living to learn the stories behind all the top 10 songs, from the high school student who wrote one of them late one night for a seminary devotional the next day to the struggling artist whose song launched a prolific career.