Verse by Verse: The Old Testament, Volume Two

by D. Kelly Ogden, Andrew C. Skinner

The Old Testament is as long as all the other standard works combined. Rather than discuss every verse and person in this standard work, the authors have concentrated on two objectives: first, providing an accurate, engaging, and inspiring commentary; and second, helping the reader see the coming of Jesus Christ in the verses of the Old Testament.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction

974 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2013

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of helpful insights about the Old Testament. Some quotes I liked:

"The unique and central aspect of our commentary is its focus on seeing Jesus Christ in the verses of the Old Testament. Special feature sections describe the lives of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Job, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, and Esther as types and foreshadowings of Jesus Christ (p. ix)."

"We have not followed exactly the order of the books in the Old Testament as found in either the King James Bible or the ancient Hebrew Bible. Rather, we discuss the individual books chronologically, according to our understanding of the historical period to which they belong, and to avoid duplication, we correlate the books of Samuel and Kings with the parallel accounts in Chronicles (p. x)."

"First Kings is a continuation of the historical narrative begun in 1 and 2 Samuel... We do not know with any degree of certainty who wrote 1 and 2 Kings. Jewish tradition ascribes authorship to Jeremiah (p. 1)."

"Because the installation of Solomon as king was initiated by the prophet Nathan, it must have had the approval of the Lord (p. 3)."

"The quest of mortals to enter the presence of God is a significant theme in the Old Testament, a theme that is illustrated by this story, in which Solomon may be seen at his best (p. 7)."

"Temples of the Lord are the most holy and important structures in mortality (p. 11)."

"Solomon's Temple was built according to the Lord's specifications by Phoenician artisans (p. 13)."

"'All direct and plain references to baptism have been deleted from the Old Testament' (p. 14)."

"The fall of Solomon resulted from his marrying royal women from all the countries round about--which may have been for economic and political reasons as well as for his 'love' of 'strange [foreign] women' (p. 19)."

"Perhaps a more important point to focus on is how the Lord's hand is directly involved in history so many times (p. 21)."

"God is not outside the historical process (p. 22)."

"The people in the northern tribes rebelled and declared their independence from the Judah-based monarchy (p. 24)."

"Good kings such as Asa in Judah made the difference between the unstable condition of Israel and the relatively stable condition of Judah (p. 29)."

"There were no righteous kings in the northern kingdom of Israel (p. 30)."

"Though the disease was severe, he made things worse--he failed to seek help from the Lord and instead relied only upon physicians. His lack of trust in God turned into belligerence once he was chastised for his foolishness. This is a powerful lesson for us (p. 30)."

"Israel was divided, and violence and bloodshed were rampant (p. 31)."

"Almost all of Israel had departed from the covenant of the Lord and from all trust in the Lord's promises (p. 34)."

"When Elijah found Elisha, he symbolically placed his mantle on Elisha... Elisha... was required to leave all and follow him. The Lord's principles are constant through every dispensation (p. 37)."

"Moses and Elijah were translated to fulfill a later assignment on this earth (p. 45)."

"For many centuries, Jewish people have honored Elijah with a vacant place for him at every Passover table; Elijah is the anticipated herald of the messianic kingdom as they understand it from the promise of the prophet Malachi (p. 45)."

"The New Testament indicates that Christ was keenly aware of Elijah's and Elisha's missions and even identified with them. Truly, the lives and activities of Elijah and Elisha were similitudes of the God whom they served (p. 49)."

"'Can you lie to a prophet?' (p. 54)"

"Some have tried to explain the floating axe head by means of natural phenomena. It was a miracle! (p. 55)"

"Apparently the most persistent institution and thus the most difficult reform to accomplish was the removal of false worship in the 'high places' (the old hilltop shrines) where the people continued to burn incense and offer sacrifices, sometimes to the Lord and sometimes to idols (p. 63)."

"Hoshea sought to free his land from the burden of paying tribute to Assyria and instead brought about the total destruction of his nation (p. 72)."

"Hezekiah kept the commandments and trusted in the Lord. He ordered the Temple to be cleansed and sanctified, appointed the proper courses of priests and Levites, and commanded that the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba join in a grand Passover celebration once again, and that they pay their tithes (p. 72)."

"Hezekiah not only freed his nation from the Assyrian oppression but drove the old Philistine foe out of the land (p. 73)."

"The reason for the collapse of the nation of Israel was that 'they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant' (p. 75)."

"'Each of us, at some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves--and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again' (Spencer W. Kimball, p. 85)."

"The prophet Jeremiah, first introduced in Chronicles as a mourner of Josiah's death, finds more to mourn in Judah's decline and demise as a nation in the next two decades, for there were no righteous kings after Josiah (p. 87)."

"It is evident from the book of Ezekiel that the Jews in Babylon were kept in a unit and not scattered, as were the ten tribes who were taken into captivity and relocated to various places by the Assyrians (p. 97)."

"Jeremiah predicted the Babylonian captivity would be of seventy years' duration (p. 97)."

"'And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy' (p. 97)."

"Displaced Jews of the Babylonian captivity must have experienced similar heart-wrenching yearning for their homeland (p. 98)."

"'Wisdom' is the equivalent of the Hebrew hokhmah, which probably derives from an ancient root that originally meant 'firm' or 'fixed' (p. 100)."

"The book of Proverbs has no particular unity of theme but could be studied by topics (p. 103)."

"Ecclesiastes is another type of biblical wisdom literature. It is like a report of a man's search for that which is enduring among the world's transitory things (p. 104)."

"Ordinary man cannot understand the purposes and processes of all these actions and reactions unless he partakes of 'the eternal' which only God can set in his heart (p. 106)."

"Faith is more dominant than pessimism and cynicism in this chapter (p. 108)."

"The author once more admonishes recognition of God's overruling hand and the doing of that which is good before the dust which mortal man is made of goes back to dust, and the spirit of God who gave it (p. 109)."

"Ecclesiastes presents a quest to find meaning in life; it describes the dead ends we often pursue and offers the only true alternative to the vanity and futility we may experience: a God-centered life (p. 110)."

"'The Songs of Solomon are not inspired writings' (p. 111)."

"'Job is one of the greatest masterpieces of the human mind' (Victor Hugo, p. 112)."

"Job is a circumspect, God-fearing, law-abiding man; he is portrayed as rich, whole-hearted, upright, reverent to God and quite immune to evil (p. 114)."

"Both Job and Jesus suffered alone (p. 115)."

"I know that those things are true about God, but who can interrogate or content with God? He manages all things in the universe; the forces of chaos and all the created universe bow to him (p. 118)."

"Few are the days of man, and what is there left for me? (p. 119)"

"Have you done anything that is helpful or profitable to God? Would he punish you for righteousness? (p. 122)"

"'No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God' (Orson F. Whitney, p. 123)."

"The Spirit of God made me and gave me life, and I am toward God as you are (p. 125)."

"God asked if Job really thought he was smart enough to counsel Deity (p. 127)."

"We cannot possibly understand all the experiences of this life. The Lord never intended us to understand all our earthly experience while in mortality. It is our response to tragedy and suffering that increases or limits our wisdom and understanding (p. 129)."

"'It is recorded that Jesus was made perfect through suffering' (Young)... 'Every Latter-day Saint who gains a celestial glory will be tried to the very uttermost' (Cannon, p. 131)."

"The Lord prepares a way for even a reluctant prophet to be saved (p. 136)."

"Perhaps the greatest miracle of all was the Ninevites' repentance (p. 137)."

"When Amos's ministry began, it had been two hundred years since the Davidic kingdom was divided (p. 139)."

"There is no denying that God had entrusted to Israel the precious burden of laws, statues, and ordinances under which he wanted all people to live (p. 147)."

"Many of the predictions of the ancient prophets of Israel like Hosea have multiple fulfillment (p. 154)."

"Isaiah's book focuses on four major themes: the first and second comings of Jesus Christ to the earth, the last days, and the Millennium (p. 167)."

"Isaiah gave revelations concerning all things and all stages of the great plan of salvation... Time, rather than being linear, is circular (p. 169)."

"By searching the writings of Isaiah we learn about God and glorify him. Isaiah's teachings apply to us (p. 169)."

"Isaiah is a spiritual workout. Proper study of his writings can sharpen us mentally and spiritually... We can become acquainted with the manner of writing among the Jews, coming to understand their literary mechanisms for better comprehension (p. 170)."

"Understanding Isaiah requires us to be filled with the spirit of prophecy (p. 171)."

"Learn something of the history and geography of the Holy Land (p. 171)."

"Why would the Lord send a prophet to a people he knew would reject the message? (p. 177)"

"The book of Isaiah is not a sequential narrative; it is more like sections in the Doctrine and Covenants (p. 177)."

"'Israel gathers for the purpose of building temples in which the ordinances of salvation and exaltation are performed for the living and the dead' (Bruce R. McConkie, p. 183)."

"Zion is defined as the city of the living God... the law of the Lord may go forth out of Zion through worldwide broadcasts... and through preaching God's word to all the world (p. 185)."

"When people are full of the world, it is difficult to find place for God (p. 186)."

"Economic prosperity is gone. Bread and water are both literal and symbolic (p. 187)."

"Note the use of future tense verbs, as if future events and conditions are accomplished realities (p. 187)."

"The branch of the Lord and the fruit of the earth symbolize the Messiah himself and people who live under his rule during the millennial era (p. 191)."

"The people were famished and thirsty because they had not turned to the Bread of Life and the Living Water (p. 194)."

"After the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, the prophet turned to the fate of Judah (p. 203)."

"Seeking God was commendable... but not through diabolical mediums (p. 204)."

"Should we not turn to the Lord's living prophets?" (p. 204)"

"Jesus it the 'great light' (p. 206)."

"Unity among the people of Israel, the covenant people of the Lord, helps to spiritually subdue surrounding peoples in the world (p. 220)."

"'God has provided a solution: flee Babylon' (p. 223)."

"Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind (p. 230)."

"Catastrophic changes at the Second Coming portend cleansing and renewal (p. 239)."

"The ultimate sacramental meal was the one celebrated in honor of the Savior, who 'by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us' (p. 240)."

"'God shall wipe away tears from off all faces' (p. 241)."

"The Lord had promised Israel that he would serve as a protective shield for them; he would fight their battles for them (p. 249)."

"The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation (p. 250)."

"Idols are ancient and modern. Place no trust in earthly objects or powers (p. 269)."

"Just as gold is smelted in the fire to remove impurities, so God has tried his people with fire to remove impurities. The Lord is working hard to draw impurities out of us (p. 272)."

"Salvation for the dead is taught in the Old Testament (p. 278)."

"The Lord does not forsake us when we sin (p. 280)."

"To loose herself from the bands of her neck means to repent and remove herself from 'the curses of God upon her' (p. 287)."

"Many do not respond to the Spirit because of hard-heartedness, that is, unwillingness to listen to the prophets (p. 292)."

"Christ's sufferings at Gethsemane and Golgotha are described. He took upon himself the pains and sins of the world to heal and redeem the Father's children (p. 295)."

"In many cultures, when a woman marries a man, she takes his name and is then legally his heir and represents his name as long as she is married to him. So it is in the relationship between God and his bride, his people (p. 300)."

"The scattering and gathering of Israel is not merely a process of moving people about, but of bringing people to Christ, of establishing Zion (p. 301)."

"We understandably feel God-forsaken when we abandon him and his Spirit (p. 303)."

"Fasting helps 'undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free' (p. 309)."

"'If the Lord be with us... where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of?' (p. 319)"

"People of all ages have dreamed of and hoped for an ideal world where there is no war, no hatred, no death, not even sickness or disease (p. 321)."

"Satan is powerless because of the righteousness of the Lord's people (p. 323)."

"'If there is anything great, noble, dignified, exalted, anything pure, or holy, or virtuous, or lovely, anything that is calculated to exalt or ennoble the human mind, to dignify and elevate the people, it will be found among the people of the Saints of the Most High God' (Taylor, p. 324)."

"'The belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior the world, in that instant becomes the uniting rather than the divisive force that it had hitherto been, welding back into the fold his chosen people, and 'they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God' (p. 329)."

"The book of Nahum presents a harsh description of the destruction of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh because of her wickedness, cruelty, and idolatry (p. 330)."

"Both Jonah and Nahum were called to pronounce a burden or message of doom upon Nineveh, to lift the warning voice to the children of Heavenly Father living there (p. 330)."

"Just before Judah fell to the Babylonian Empire, many prophets appeared to sound one final warning to the people (p. 334)."

"We know almost nothing about the prophet whose name is attached to this book. Obadiah was a fairly common name in Old Testament times (p. 338)."

"Like other prophets ministering during the late 600s, [Zephaniah] warned Judah of impending invasion and exile, but his prophecies extend also to the end of times and the Second Coming (p. 341)."

"We know more about Jeremiah's personal life and challenges than about any of the other prophets in the Old Testament (p. 343)."

"The Lord commanded Jeremiah not to marry or raise children (because of the coming disasters of Jerusalem's destruction and Babylonian captivity). The absence of a wife and children would naturally have increased his feelings of aloneness (p. 343)."

"In similitude of Christ, Jeremiah faced the same kind of opposition, insults, and attempts on his life as Jesus did (p. 345)."

"Jeremiah 10... contains the prophet's reflection on the greatness of God--akin to a psalm of praise to the Lord (p. 354)."

"How quickly humans forget; how often we need reminders, and God's prophets are called to frequently and incessantly remind the children of God of their Father's ways--so that backsliding souls will repent and return to Him (p. 354)."

"'He who speaks the mind and will of the Lord to the condemnation of the ungodly finds adversity multiplied. It is a task of terrifying proportions, which even men of strength and courage would avoid if they could' (Richard L. Evans, p. 358)."

"Some common sense advice that Jeremiah gave by letter to those already exiled in Babylon. Prepare to stay in Babylon for seventy years and make the most of life there (p. 363)."

"In connection with Herod's extermination order to kill all babies two years of age and under, Matthew cites the prophesy of Jeremiah 31:15 that there would be great lamentation and mourning in Rama (p. 364)."

"Many components of what Jeremiah calls the new covenant were in operation from the time of Adam up to Israel's wilderness sojourn after their Egyptian bondage, things like the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances (P. 365)."

"The entire book of Lamentations is poetry (p. 370)."

"This lament is a plea for the Lord to remember his people, to restore them and return them to himself, to renew them (p. 372)."

"Ezekiel lived in turbulent times (p. 373)."

"'The Lord does communicate some things of importance to the children of men by means of visions and dreams as well as by the records of divine truth' (p. 375)."

"Ezekiel complained about false prophets, idolaters, and weak leaders (p. 379)."

"Daniel 'believed in God' and was faithful in all things before him (p. 407)."

"Daniel's visions are to be sealed up until the end of time; knowledge will increase in that day (p. 411)."

"Many see in the words of the prophets to Israel and Judah only a message of doom, despair, and destruction. A closer examination of the prophetic books, however, reveals that the prophets almost universally held out a message of hope to the Lord's people--their teachings anticipate a day of restoration, reinstatement, and redemption (p. 412)."

"Haggai was a prophet called to minister to the exiles who had returned to their own land after the Babylonian captivity ended in 538 BC. His was a message both of encouragement and chastisement (p. 415)."

"The Lord will always care for his people (p. 424)."

"Malachi main mode of teaching was asking questions and then giving inspired answers (p. 454)."

"Opening the windows of heaven means revelation (p. 459)."

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book! Very informative. I really liked the verse by verse stuff, the fact that they don't repeat stuff, they just point you back to the original lesson. Also, the additional information and stories were awesome and really opened up new trains of thought. I would totally purchase additional books as I read additional scripture.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Can't believe how much I learned and how much I enjoyed reading the Old Testament! This book is invaluable to understanding what the prophets of old were talking and prophesying about. Loved it!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

well done, a great companion to your study of the Old Testament

[Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was doing ok with the first part of the Old Testament but when I hit the later books I really needed the discussion, explanation and direction of this book.