From YA Weekly
Young Adults, Old Testament: Getting Started with This Ancient Book
What does this ancient book have for us?
The Old Testament is, well, old. It starts at the dawn of time and ends—ends—about 2,500 years ago.
You might wonder how such an ancient book can be relevant today, especially for young adults. Many key Old Testament figures accomplished their most famous works when they were, shall we say, the opposite of young. And while there were some inspiring young people too, all of the stories about them are ancient.
But that just means that these accounts of people’s interactions with God have stood the test of time. The stories themselves are inspiring—and the fact that they have inspired people for millennia is, itself, kind of inspiring.
If you are wanting to know how to apply your study of the Old Testament to your life this year, here are a few things to look for in your readings:
Look for Similar Issues
Like the people of the Old Testament, we are waiting for a long-promised Savior. Like them, we wish it would happen today, if not yesterday. Like them, we have to wait for God’s appointed time—but we don’t doubt for a moment that it will happen.
We’re waiting for the Savior’s Second Coming. Our ancestors were waiting for His first. Our faith is strengthened by the knowledge that He already lived and accomplished the Atonement. Our ancestors had to have faith in the Savior before He was born on earth or had performed His Atonement!
Keeping these parallel challenges in mind can make the Old Testament stories of faith and devotion even more inspiring.
Look for the Savior
One crucial doctrinal insight is this: The divine personage referred to as “God and “the Lord” (or “the Lord”) in the Old Testament is usually the Savior Jesus Christ. He was then called Jehovah. He oversaw the affairs of the world under the direction of His (and our) Heavenly Father.
When God spoke to Moses, it was through Jesus Christ.
When Jonah fled from the Lord’s mission assignment, it was Jesus Christ he was running from.
When God spoke to Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and all of the other prophets, He did so through the Being who would later atone for their (and our) sins.
The name “Jesus Christ” does not appear in the Old Testament. But once you realize who He is, you find Him on almost every page.
Look to the Future
We said earlier that the Old Testament ends 2,500 years ago. That’s true in terms of the human history it covers, but the prophecies it contains go much further than that. Many apply to our day and beyond.
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have known from the beginning what was going to happen to the world They created. The scriptures, including the Old Testament, are here in part to teach us what our ancestors learned—or failed to learn: that faith in God and in His Son is the most important thing we can develop in our lives. This year, we all have the chance to find new inspiration in a very old book.