The Old Testament tells the first chapter of our shared covenant story. The same God who created, delivered, and restored ancient Israel continues to speak and guide His people today, inviting us to live His enduring love and carry His promises forward.

Dear friends,

Over the past weeks we have traced the great themes of the Old Testament: Ḥesed, covenant, prophecy, wisdom, and temple. Each part reveals the same truth that God’s love endures. His plan and story is the living foundation of our own discipleship.

Though it seems ancient and distant, the Old Testament is not someone else’s scripture. It is our family story, the first record of the same God who continues to bind Himself to His people today.

From Eden’s garden to Israel’s wilderness, from temple to exile, every chapter of the Old Testament records the rhythm of relationship. God speaks, His people respond, they stumble, and He restores. The pattern never changes because His Ḥesed never changes.

Abraham’s call, Moses’ covenant, and David’s prayers all point toward a God who initiates relationship and stays faithful when we do not. The same God who parted the Red Sea also parted the veil at Christ’s resurrection. Both acts declare the same truth that love makes a way back home.

When we read these stories, we read the story of humanity’s longing and God’s loyal pursuit.

The covenant God made with Abraham still echoes in our ordinances and covenants today. Through baptism, priesthood, and temple, we participate in that same promise God declared from the beginning: “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

As Latter-day Saints, we should remember as we are reading Israel’s story we are also continuing it. Zion is the renewed form of the covenant community. Every act of service, every Sabbath gathering, and every family prayer joins the ancient melody of belonging to God’s covenantal community.

The scriptures remind us that God’s goal has never been to build institutions; it has always been to create a people who love as He loves.

The Book of Mormon is another witness of the same divine story. Nephi, Abinadi, and Moroni see themselves as part of Israel’s unfolding covenant drama. And we should, too.

When the resurrected Christ appears at the temple in Bountiful, He fulfills every promise made to Abraham and every Messianic prophecy of Isaiah.

Even the name Mormon, meaning “love endures forever,” reminds us that the covenant continues without interruption.

As you prepare for the 2026 Come, Follow Me year, let the Old Testament become your own sacred memory.

These lenses will help you see the Bible as God’s love letter to us, though ancient and sometimes the context may feel foreign, it is a love letter nonetheless.

The Old Testament begins with creation and ends with anticipation. Its closing words look forward to hearts turning, families uniting, and covenants renewing. That work continues in us.

As you step into this new study year, remember: the God of Abraham is your God too. The same Ḥesed that guided Israel through wilderness and exile still guides you through your own journey.

This is your story: the story of divine love written across time, sealed by covenant, and fulfilled in Christ.

[Note: Each Saturday morning, beginning next week, I’ll be emailing/posting CFM related content for the Old Testament year.]

—Taylor Halverson, Ph.D.
Learn Deeply. Live Meaningfully. Spread Light and Goodness!

Some journeys change how you read scripture.
Others change how you live it.
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PS: I didn’t know the Church would update it’s English Bible Translation policy on Dec 16, 2025, only days after I published this new translation! So as you prepare for the New Year of Old Testament study, this new translation of the Bible’s Five Books of Moses helps you read like an ancient Israelite.

PPS: More from Taylor Halverson…