Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Teacher Manual
Lessons 1–2
Welcome to the Old Testament
- Lessons 1–2
  Welcome to the Old Testament
- Lessons 3–6
  Moses 1; Abraham 3
- Lessons 7–9
  Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5
- Lessons 10–12
  Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5
- Lessons 13–15
  Genesis 5; Moses 6
- Lessons 16–18
  Moses 7
- Lessons 19–21
  Genesis 6–11; Moses 8
- Lessons 22–24
  Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2
- Lessons 25–28
  Genesis 18–23
- Lessons 29–32
  Genesis 24–33
- Lessons 33–34
  Genesis 37–41
- Lessons 35–37
  Genesis 42–50
- Lessons 38–40
  Exodus 1–6
- Easter
- Lessons 41–44
  Exodus 7–13
- Lessons 45–47
  Exodus 14–18
- Lessons 48–51
  Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
- Lessons 52–55
  Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19
- Lessons 56–57
  Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27
- Lessons 58–60
  Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34
- Lessons 61–64
  Joshua 1–8; 23–24
- Lessons 65–67
  Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16
- Lessons 68–70
  Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7
- Lessons 71–73
  1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16
- Lessons 74–76
  1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7
- Lessons 77–80
  2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11
- Lessons 81–82
  1 Kings 12–13; 17–22
- Lessons 83–85
  2 Kings 2–7
- Lessons 86–89
  2 Kings 16–25
- Lessons 90–91
  2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30
- Lessons 92–93
  Ezra 1, 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8
- Lessons 94–96
  Esther
- Lessons 97–99
  Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42
- Lessons 100–103
  Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46
- Lessons 104–106
  Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86
- Lessons 107–108
  Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150
- Lessons 109–112
  Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12
- Lessons 113–116
  Isaiah 1–12
- Lessons 117–118
  Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35
- Lessons 119–122
  Isaiah 40–49
- Lessons 123–125
  Isaiah 50–57
- Lessons 126–129
  Isaiah 58–66
- Lessons 130–133
  Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
- Lessons 134–137
  Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3
- Lessons 138–141
  Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47
- Lessons 142–145
  Daniel 1–7
- Lessons 146–148
  Hosea; Joel
- Lessons 149–151
  Amos; Obadiah; Jonah
- Lessons 152–154
  Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah
- Lessons 155–157
  Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14
- Lessons 158–160
  Malachi
Lessons 166–170
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Lessons 166–170
  Scripture Study Skills
- Lessons 171–176
  For the Strength of Youth Guide
- Lessons 177–180
  Building Self–Reliance
- Lessons 181–187
  Physical and Emotional Health
- Lessons 188–191
  Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Lessons 192–195
  Succeed in School
- Lessons 196–200
  Missionary Preparation
- Lessons 201–204
  Temple Preparation
- Lessons 205–208
  Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Isaiah 44–47: “Beside Me There Is No God”

“Isaiah 44–47: ‘Beside Me There Is No God,’” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2026)

“Isaiah 44–47: ‘Beside Me There Is No God,’” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Isaiah 40–49: Lesson 120

Isaiah 44–47

“Beside Me There Is No God”

Every day, we face influences that challenge our devotion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Faced with similar temptations, some Israelites in Isaiah’s day turned to worshipping other sources. In response, the Lord lovingly but clearly warned the Israelites against worshipping false gods. This lesson can help students place Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before anyone or anything else in their lives.

Student preparation: Invite students to think about what they have learned throughout their study of the Old Testament. Then, invite them to ponder, “How has what I’ve learned about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ increased my desire to put Them first in my life?”

Possible Learning Activities

Hero worship

Consider beginning class by asking the following question.

If you were to survey teenagers in our area about who their heroes are, who do you think they might include?

Then invite students to do the following in their study journals.

Make a list of your personal heroes. Put a star next to the ones who seem to have the most influence in your life.

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric shared the following counsel about our heroes.

10:7

When I was a young boy, my first heroes were athletes. My earliest memories are of collecting baseball cards with the pictures and statistics of Major League Baseball players. “Hero worship” as a child can be fun and innocent, as when children dress up as their favorite superheroes for Halloween. Although we admire and respect many talented and remarkable men and women for their abilities and contributions, the degree to which they are revered, if taken to an excess, can be the equivalent of the children of Israel worshipping a golden calf in the desert of Sinai. …

The hero—our hero, now and always—is Jesus Christ, and anything or anyone that distracts us from His teachings, as found in the scriptures and through the words of living prophets, can negatively impact our progress on the covenant path. (“More Than a Hero,” Liahona, Nov. 2023, 90)

What stands out to you from Bishop Waddell’s message?

To help students assess where they place Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in their lives, you could invite them to look back at their list of heroes as they silently ponder the following questions.
Do any of the heroes on your list distract you from your worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Are there any interests, activities, or objects that might distract you from worshipping Them?

As students prepare to study the teachings of Isaiah today, invite them to listen for impressions from the Holy Ghost about ways they can put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in their lives.

No other God

Explain that the children of Israel in Isaiah’s day struggled to put the Lord first in their lives. Instead, they turned to false gods such as idols for help.

Consider inviting partnerships or small groups to read the following verses and come up with a single-sentence summary of what they learned.

Read Isaiah 44:6, 8 and 46:9, looking for what the Lord wanted the children of Israel to understand about the focus of their worship.

Invite several students to share the summary of what their group learned. If they don’t naturally share it, help students identify a truth similar to the following: No one and nothing on earth can compare to Jesus Christ.

As part of your discussion, you might point out that Isaiah 44:6 contains several titles for Jesus Christ. You could invite students to share what these titles teach about Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 44–46, the Lord describes the Israelites’ worship of false gods. He reminds the people that they created, worshipped, and prayed to idols made of the same wood they used to make fires and cook food. And when the Israelites were carried into captivity, their animals struggled to pull carts weighed down with their heavy man-made idols.

Read Isaiah 44:14–19 and Isaiah 46:1–2, looking for the Lord’s description of ancient idols that could apply to things that distract people from the Lord in our day. (It may be helpful to know that two of the idols they worshiped were called Bel and Nebo.)

What did you find?

You might write the phrase “Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?” (Isaiah 44:19) on the board. Ask students to share what this question means in their own words.

Then erase the phrase “the stock of a tree” from the question, leaving “Shall I fall down to ?”

Invite students to come to the board and finish the sentence in ways that apply to people in our day.
What is the danger of putting these people or things ahead of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Why can it be difficult to always put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in our lives?

Putting Jesus Christ first

To help students put the Savior first in their lives, you could display an image of Jesus Christ, such as the one at the beginning of the lesson, in the center of the board. As students do the following activity, they could write the attributes they find around the image.

Study at least two of the following passages. As you read the verses slowly and carefully, look for what we can learn about Jesus Christ that gives us confidence to put Him first in our lives.

Isaiah 44:1–4
Isaiah 44:21–23
Isaiah 44:24–25
Isaiah 45:20–22
Isaiah 46:3–5

You might ask students to add any other attributes to the board that they know about Jesus Christ from their experiences or from other scriptures.

To help students share their thoughts about the matchless power of Jesus Christ, you might ask the following.
How might understanding these truths about Jesus Christ help someone who finds it difficult to put Him first in their lives?
What experiences have you had that have helped you put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in your life?

Planning to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first

2026 Old Testament Seminary Teacher Materials

Additional Resources

In what ways can God bless me when I put Him first in my life?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

I reaffirm a profound teaching of President Ezra Taft Benson: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, … lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.”

… As you let God prevail in your life, I promise you greater peace, confidence, joy, and yes, rest. (“Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 97)

What are some consequences of choosing false gods over Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared:

14:32

Turning from the worship of the true and living God and worshipping false gods like wealth and fame and engaging in immoral and unrighteous conduct result in bondage in all its insidious manifestations. These include spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage and sometimes bring destruction. (“Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 89)

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace. (“Think Celestial,” Liahona, Nov. 2023)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Practice scenarios

To help students practice putting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in their lives, you might share one or both of the following scenarios or create one of your own.

Anna enjoys fashion. She spends her free time studying the latest trends and works most nights and weekends to earn money to buy more items. Anna is often too tired for prayers or scripture study and sometimes misses church to work or sleep.
Jaron often discusses different religious views with a friend whose opinion he values. Sometimes his friend disagrees with the teachings of God’s prophets and apostles. Jaron is starting to wonder which prophetic teachings he should accept and follow.

Students could discuss the questions below in small groups before sharing their ideas with the class.

What might make it hard for this person to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in their life?
What might be a good first step this person could take to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in their life?

Alternative scenario

Instead of the “Practice scenarios” option above, you might share the following account with students. You could invite them to work in small groups to discuss what similar challenges they might face and brainstorm multiple solutions they might consider.

Dale is a doctor who often has to work on Sundays as part of his profession. What do you think he could do to overcome some of the challenges he faces to putting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in his life?

Then show the following video of Elder Dale G. Renlund from timecode 0:44 to 02:43.

3:1

What did you learn from Elder Renlund’s experience that could help you put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in your life?

Why not now?

To help students feel the importance of choosing to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in their lives today, invite them to study Isaiah 45:23. Students could look for how the Lord said everyone would eventually respond to Him. Then share the following from Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

… If you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? (“Why Not Now?,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 13)

What does it look like to kneel and confess that Jesus is the Lord in our lives today?
Why might it be important to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in our lives right now rather than procrastinating?