Based on Mike Walch’s presentation of January 4, 2026, including the concluding question-and-answer discussion.
Video Presentation
The Old Testament becomes a different reading experience when we begin asking what its authors meant in their own language, what their audiences already understood, and what additional light restored scripture brings to their words.
That is the invitation at the heart of Mike Walch’s presentation, “Learning from the Old Testament.” Moving between archaeology, Hebrew vocabulary, biblical names, covenant practices, and the writings revealed through Joseph Smith, Walch encourages readers to move beyond merely finishing the assigned chapters. His approach is to recover the people, circumstances, language, and testimony of Christ behind the English text. Throughout the presentation, the Restoration provides an essential interpretive framework: the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation, and the Pearl of Great Price help readers recognize a gospel that reaches back to the earliest generations of humanity.
This article follows Walch’s explanations and interpretations. Scripture quotations come from the Church’s official online editions; where he refers to a passage without giving its location, the corresponding reference is supplied. Some quotations are relevant excerpts rather than entire verses or chapters. Additional Restoration cross-references are identified as such rather than presented as passages he explicitly quoted.
1. Read the Old Testament as the Record of Real People
Walch’s purpose is not simply to make readers better acquainted with ancient facts. He wants them to recognize that the people of the Old Testament faced recognizable spiritual and family challenges.
They experienced trials of faith. They encountered opposition while attempting to live what God had taught them. They struggled with children who chose other paths. Their communities changed under the influence of prosperity, wealth, and ease. Although their circumstances differ from ours, their experiences can teach us how to respond to similar pressures.
The obstacle, he suggests, is that the Old Testament can feel as though it happened in a distant world with little connection to ordinary life. Historical background, geography, and language help overcome that distance. They are not distractions from spiritual study; they help readers understand what the scriptural accounts are actually describing.
His method therefore combines several questions:
- What did this word mean to its original audience?
- What cultural practice is being assumed?
- What historical circumstance makes this event more understandable?
- What does restored scripture reveal that the biblical account leaves unstated?
- Where does this passage testify of Jesus Christ?
These questions shape the entire presentation.
2. Ancient Records and Joseph Smith’s Restoration of Patriarchal History
One of Walch’s recurring interests is the relationship between Joseph Smith’s revelations and ancient materials that became available later.
He begins with the first-person voices preserved in the Pearl of Great Price. Abraham speaks as a participant in his own history, and Moses describes his encounters with God.
Abraham 1:1 begins:
“In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence.”
Moses likewise speaks personally in Moses 1:11:
“But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes.”
These passages present the patriarchs as recipients of revelation who could preserve their own experiences.
The book of remembrance
Walch connects this record-keeping tradition with the book of remembrance described in the book of Moses.
Moses 6:5 states:
“And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration.”
Later, Enoch declares in Moses 6:46:
“For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language.”
For Walch, these verses portray early humanity as possessing a religious and literary inheritance rather than beginning without revelation, priesthood, or sacred records.
He compares this with the Genesis Apocryphon among the Dead Sea Scrolls, initially associated with the name Lamech. In his explanation, its first-person patriarchal narratives provide an intriguing parallel to the kind of ancient record-keeping Joseph Smith’s revelations describe.
The significance Walch draws from the comparison is a recurring one: restored scripture had already presented ancient patriarchs as speaking, writing, and preserving revelation before modern discoveries broadened readers’ acquaintance with comparable ancient literary traditions.
3. Enoch: A Brief Biblical Notice Becomes an Extensive Restored Account
Enoch provides one of Walch’s clearest examples of how latter-day revelation expands the Old Testament.
The main Genesis account occupies only four verses. Genesis 5:21–24 reads:
“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
“And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
The New Testament also preserves a statement attributed to him. Jude 1:14 says:
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”
These passages indicate Enoch’s significance without giving an extensive account of his ministry.
Walch contrasts that brevity with the substantial Enoch material in Moses 6–7. Restored scripture describes his prophetic calling, his preaching, his people, and the establishment and translation of Zion.
Moses 7:18 explains:
“And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.”
Moses 7:69 adds:
“And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled.”
Here, latter-day revelation supplies much more than an additional biographical detail. It reveals a prophetic ministry and a covenant community behind Genesis’s brief statement that Enoch “walked with God.”
Walch also discusses ancient Enoch traditions and the Enoch material found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. He sees the prominence of those traditions as another reason to appreciate the expanded role Enoch receives in Joseph Smith’s revelations.
4. The Gospel Was Known Before the Ministry of Jesus Christ
Walch urges readers not to approach Genesis as though the people before Moses lacked the gospel.
His framework is that the patriarchs possessed priesthood authority, knowledge of saving ordinances, and sacred worship. Genesis covers such a long span of history that it often gives only brief glimpses of those things.
The book of Moses makes this gospel setting explicit. Moses 6:52 records God’s instruction to Adam:
“If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
This is a particularly important Restoration contribution to Walch’s reading of the Old Testament. The passage names Jesus Christ and describes faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost in the earliest generations of human history.
Abraham’s grove and sacred worship
Walch uses Abraham’s planting of a grove as an example of a detail modern readers may overlook.
Genesis 21:33 says:
“And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.”
Walch interprets this setting in relation to sacred worship among people whose lives did not center on permanent religious buildings. He connects groves and high places with places set apart for worship, while explaining that such locations could later become associated with corrupted practices.
His study lesson is to avoid treating every ancient religious term as self-explanatory. A grove is not necessarily an incidental landscaping detail; in his interpretation, it belongs to the religious setting of Abraham’s life.
5. Archaeology Can Help Readers Ask Better Questions
Walch’s archaeological discussion illustrates how information outside the biblical text can clarify questions arising inside it.
Joseph’s position in Egypt
He begins with a puzzle. Joseph held extraordinary authority in Egypt, yet the narrative describes a strong social barrier between Egyptians and Hebrews.
Genesis 43:32 states:
“And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.”
Walch asks how a Hebrew could rise so high in a society that would not even share a meal with Hebrews. He presents the rule of the Hyksos, foreign rulers in Egypt, as an explanatory historical setting for Joseph’s advancement.
He then connects a subsequent change in rulers with Exodus 1:8:
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”
In Walch’s reconstruction, the restoration of native Egyptian rule helps readers understand the change from Joseph’s privileged position to the oppression described in Exodus. His broader point is methodological: when a narrative raises a question, historical research may help explain what the text assumes rather than spells out.
Inscriptions and seals
Walch also discusses three archaeological objects:
- The Merneptah Stele, which he presents as an early extrabiblical reference to Israel in Canaan.
- The Tel Dan Stele, whose “House of David” inscription he discusses as an intersection between archaeology and the biblical account of David’s dynasty.
- A small seal impression associated with the name Isaiah, which he presents as possible evidence connected with Isaiah the prophet, while noting that the final letter needed for the proposed reading of “prophet” is missing.
His enthusiasm centers on the way tangible objects can connect readers with the world of the biblical record. The presentation treats archaeology as a means of adding historical depth to scripture study.
6. Learn the Geography and the Measurements
Ancient writers frequently assumed that their readers knew the places being mentioned. Modern readers often do not.
Walch illustrates this with the expression “from Dan to Beer-sheba.” Dan marks a northern point and Beer-sheba a southern one; the expression refers broadly to the country.
For example, Judges 20:1 describes:
“The congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.”
Walch compares the expression to a modern way of saying “coast to coast.” A map turns an unfamiliar pair of names into a recognizable statement about national scope.
Measurements matter in much the same way. Walch mentions Isaiah’s description of agricultural failure.
Isaiah 5:10 reads:
“Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.”
Without understanding the units, readers may miss the force of the warning. Walch explains that the harvest would be smaller than the quantity planted. A passage that initially seems obscure becomes a vivid description of failed productivity.
His practical advice is straightforward: use a Bible atlas, maps, and reference works that explain weights, measures, coins, and agricultural practices. These details frequently carry part of the message.
7. Compare Translations Rather Than Assuming English Is Transparent
Walch speaks candidly about his dissatisfaction with some King James renderings. His criticisms concern both the age of the English and the interpretive decisions of translators.
English has changed substantially since the translation was produced. Familiarity with the sound of a verse does not necessarily mean that a reader understands it. He also argues that translators’ theological assumptions sometimes influence the English wording.
His recommendation is not to stop reading scripture, but to compare translations, consult Hebrew notes, and examine alternatives. He particularly praises the Jewish Publication Society translation as a resource he finds useful.
He also describes the value of reading several translations side by side. When their wording differs, the difference becomes an invitation to investigate rather than a reason to avoid the passage.
The Joseph Smith Translation is especially important in this process. Walch reminds listeners that the excerpts printed in the Church’s biblical footnotes do not reproduce every change in the larger translation project. Readers who consult more complete editions can encounter additional material that the footnotes alone do not show.
8. Genesis 1:1: What Does the Creation Account Say?
Walch devotes considerable attention to the opening verse of Genesis.
Genesis 1:1 reads:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
He unpacks several Hebrew expressions behind this familiar sentence.
“In the beginning”
Walch relates the opening expression to the idea of a beginning, head, or commencement. Using the Jewish New Year as an analogy, he argues that the beginning of a new period does not itself establish that nothing existed before it.
His interpretation emphasizes a new time, era, or stage rather than treating the English phrase as a complete explanation of the origin of all existence.
“Created”
He explains the creation verb in terms of creating, forming, or fashioning. His central point is that the word does not, by itself, require creation from nothing.
The Church’s online footnote likewise gives “shaped, fashioned, created” and directs readers to Abraham’s language of organizing and forming.
“God” and “the Gods”
Walch emphasizes the plural form Elohim and reads the Creation narrative as describing divine plurality. He connects this with the plural language in Genesis 1:26:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
For Walch, “us” and “our” are important features of the passage, not details to pass over.
An especially relevant Restoration comparison is Abraham 4:1:
“And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.”
Likewise, Abraham 4:26 states:
“And the Gods took counsel among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, after our likeness.”
These restored passages explicitly express the organizing activity and divine council that Walch emphasizes in his interpretation of Genesis. They provide additional revealed wording with which to read the biblical account.
“Heaven and earth”
Walch also asks whether readers automatically understand “heaven” as God’s dwelling place when the immediate expression may concern the sky and the land—the world being ordered for human life.
The overall study principle is to let the ancient language inform the picture rather than importing an entire modern cosmology into a short English sentence.
9. Noah’s Ark: Let the Text Shape the Picture
Walch challenges the conventional artistic image of Noah’s ark as a large sailing ship with a curved bow and stern.
The command in Genesis 6:14 is:
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
Genesis 6:15 supplies its dimensions:
“The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.”
Walch explains the Hebrew term in the sense of a container or box. He asks what the ark actually needed to do: preserve Noah’s family and the animals, and float. The account does not describe Noah navigating toward a chosen destination.
He contrasts that assignment with Nephi’s.
1 Nephi 17:8 says:
“Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.”
Nephi needed a vessel for a journey across the sea. Walch’s comparison illustrates how two scriptural vessels can have different purposes and should not automatically be pictured alike.
His larger warning is against allowing inherited artwork to become an unnoticed substitute for the words of scripture.
10. Elisha and the Bears: Why a Translation Note Matters
One of Walch’s strongest examples concerns the account of Elisha and the mocking youths.
2 Kings 2:23–24 reads:
“And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
“And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”
Walch says the description “little children” had long troubled him. He argues that readers should understand the group as youths rather than imagine a gathering of very small children. The Church’s online footnote explicitly supplies: “HEB youths (not little children).”
He illustrates the vocabulary by referring to other narratives involving young people and attendants.
Genesis 22:3 says Abraham:
“Took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son.”
Genesis 22:5 records:
“I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”
In the account of Rebekah’s departure, Genesis 24:61 states:
“And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man.”
Walch uses these comparisons to show why a Hebrew word’s usage elsewhere can change the picture formed by one English rendering. He places the mockery in the context of Elisha’s succession to Elijah and understands it as a challenge to prophetic standing.
11. “Thou Shalt Not Kill”: Distinguishing Murder from Killing
Walch next examines Exodus 20:13:
“Thou shalt not kill.”
He explains that the underlying Hebrew expression concerns murder—the wrongful taking of human life—rather than functioning as an undifferentiated prohibition covering every circumstance in which death occurs.
The Church’s online footnote gives the same lexical clarification: “HEB murder.”
Walch observes that the distinction matters because readers have debated the commandment in relation to self-defense, warfare, and other circumstances. His point is that such discussion should begin with the meaning of the word actually used.
This example reinforces his broader advice: a familiar English sentence can conceal a distinction that becomes clearer when readers consult the original language and the study notes already available to them.
12. Biblical Names Often Explain a Person’s Role
Walch’s discussion of names is not a list of curiosities. He argues that names can communicate identity, mission, circumstance, or the theme of a prophetic book.
Modern readers often think of names chiefly as labels assigned at birth. In his explanation, biblical names frequently function as meaningful language inside the narrative.
Adam, Eve, and Cain
Walch connects Adam with the earth or ground and with mortal existence.
Genesis 2:7 states:
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 3:19 includes:
“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
He contrasts Adam’s earthly name with Michael, which he discusses in terms of “Who is like God?”
For Eve, Walch draws attention to the Hebrew form Havah or Chavah and its relationship to life. He also offers a tentative suggestion involving beauty, explicitly presenting that part as his own guess.
Genesis 3:20 explains:
“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”
Cain’s naming involves another wordplay. Genesis 4:1 reads:
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.”
Walch’s lesson is to look for explanations embedded in the narrative itself.
Abraham and Sarah
Walch explains Abram in terms of an exalted father and Abraham in connection with the fatherhood promised in his covenant.
Genesis 17:5 states:
“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”
He also discusses Sarah as “princess” and Sarai in terms of a possessive form.
Genesis 17:15–16 reads in part:
“As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
“And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.”
The changed names belong to the covenant story rather than standing apart from it.
Israel and Joseph
Walch discusses several proposed meanings of Israel, including expressions involving striving, princely standing, and God. He also openly questions the linguistic derivation of “let God prevail,” while saying that he has no doctrinal objection to the principle of letting God prevail in one’s life.
The narrative explanation appears in Genesis 32:28:
“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
His discussion distinguishes agreement with a spiritual application from certainty about an etymology.
Joseph provides a more direct example of narrative wordplay.
Genesis 30:24 states:
“And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.”
Walch connects Joseph’s name with adding and gathering, noting how well gathering describes his work storing food in Egypt. The Church’s footnote discusses the related meanings “to add,” “to take away,” and “to gather.”
Joshua, Jesus, and the prophets
Walch also draws attention to the linguistic relationship between the names represented in English as Joshua and Jesus. His point is that movement between Hebrew or Aramaic, Greek, and English can hide connections that were more apparent in the names’ earlier forms.
He then gives several prophetic names as guides to the messages associated with their bearers:
- Elijah: “My God is Jehovah.”
- Isaiah: “Jehovah is salvation.”
- Daniel: “My judge is Elohim.”
- Zechariah: “Jehovah remembers.”
- Malachi: “My messenger.”
For Malachi, the relationship is especially visible in Malachi 3:1:
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.”
Walch encourages readers to use such names as thematic signposts when studying prophetic books.
13. Moses and the Two Mosiahs: A Book of Mormon Connection
One of Walch’s most distinctive Restoration arguments concerns the name Mosiah.
He connects the Hebrew form of Moses’ name, Moshe, with the Book of Mormon name Mosiah and emphasizes two roles associated with Moses: leading a people toward a promised land and serving as a lawgiver.
Walch then compares those roles with the two kings named Mosiah.
The first Mosiah leads a people to Zarahemla
Omni 1:12–13 describes Mosiah being:
“Warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi.”
The account continues:
“They were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla.”
Walch sees a Moses-like deliverer in this movement of a righteous people into a new homeland.
The second Mosiah establishes a new governmental order
Mosiah 29:11 states:
“Nevertheless, let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people.”
Walch sees this Mosiah as a lawgiver associated with the transition from kingship to the reign of judges.
He regards the correspondence between the names and the two men’s functions as a striking feature of the Book of Mormon. In his presentation, it becomes another example of meaningful ancient patterns appearing in the record Joseph Smith translated.
14. Covenants Were Enacted in Visible, Memorable Ways
Walch explains that ancient covenant-making could be far more physically demonstrative than modern readers expect.
He describes ceremonies involving the division of an animal, passage between the pieces, an oath concerning the consequences of breaking the covenant, witnesses, and a shared meal.
A corresponding biblical scene appears in Genesis 15:10:
“And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another.”
Genesis 15:17–18 continues:
“Behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.”
A later passage explicitly links divided animals and covenant obligations. Jeremiah 34:18 refers to those who:
“Have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof.”
These passages help locate covenant language in a world of visible actions and solemn consequences.
The table and the covenant
Walch applies this background to the tabernacle, interpreting its table and sacred food in relation to covenant fellowship and renewal.
The scriptural instruction in Leviticus 24:8–9 says:
“Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
“And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place.”
His central study point is to ask what an ordinance or object communicates. The table is not merely furniture, and sacred food is not merely an unexplained ritual detail. He reads them within Israel’s relationship with God.
15. Look for Christ in Symbols, Hymns, and Familiar Stories
Walch encourages readers to watch for symbols of the Savior throughout the Old Testament.
One example is the balm of Gilead.
Jeremiah 8:22 asks:
“Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?”
Walch suggests tracing scriptural references printed with hymns. He observes that Isaiah and Psalms appear repeatedly in those references. The exercise connects language sung in worship with the scriptural imagery from which it comes.
Jonah and the Savior’s burial
He also discusses the sign of Jonah.
Jonah 1:17 states:
“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jesus explains the sign in Matthew 12:39–40:
“There shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Walch emphasizes the “great fish” wording in Jonah and directs attention to the relationship between Jonah’s experience and the Savior’s time in the tomb.
His broader point is that readers need familiarity with the Old Testament to understand many of the Savior’s own explanations of His mission.
16. The Two Great Commandments Come from the Old Testament
Walch rejects the idea that the Old Testament can be adequately summarized as “an eye for an eye.”
That expression does appear in the law. Exodus 21:24 reads:
“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
But Walch insists that readers who stop there overlook the very commandments Jesus identified as foundational.
Deuteronomy 6:5 states:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
Leviticus 19:18 teaches:
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”
Jesus brings these teachings together in Matthew 22:37–40:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Walch’s conclusion is that the Old Testament contains the religious foundation Jesus explicitly affirmed. Readers should not become so occupied with unfamiliar regulations that they miss its teachings about love, holiness, and covenant faithfulness.
Israel also needed civil law
Walch adds that the law addressed social government as well as religious observance.
His example is the dangerous ox. Exodus 21:28–29 says:
“If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned … but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
“But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in … the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”
Walch describes this as an ancient counterpart to questions of civil liability. Knowing that an animal was dangerous created a different degree of responsibility.
The example helps explain why the law contains detailed rules about property, injury, and conduct between neighbors.
17. Isaiah 53 Explains the Meaning of the Savior’s Suffering
Near the conclusion of the formal presentation, Walch turns to what he regards as a central reason to study the Old Testament: its testimony of the Atonement.
He compares the Gospel descriptions of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:37 says Jesus:
“Began to be sorrowful and very heavy.”
Mark 14:34 records:
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.”
Luke 22:44 states:
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Walch observes that these accounts portray profound suffering, while John does not provide a comparable description of the agony in Gethsemane. He then directs readers to Isaiah for an explanation of the suffering’s redemptive meaning.
The chapter Walch urges readers to study
Walch identifies Isaiah 53 as a description of Christ’s life and Atonement. Although time prevented him from reading the whole chapter aloud, it is central to his closing argument.
Isaiah 53:1–12 reads:
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
“Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
For Walch, the essential explanation is that Christ bears the griefs, transgressions, and iniquities of others. The suffering is not merely an account of anguish; it accomplishes redemption.
He also mentions a helpful additional phrase in a Dead Sea Scrolls Isaiah manuscript, but does not state that phrase in the transcript. His emphasis remains on how much the ancient prophetic record already understood about the coming Savior.
18. Restoration Scripture Supplies Additional Clarity
Several strands of Walch’s presentation show how restored scripture contributes to Old Testament understanding:
- The book of Moses expands the account of Enoch and Zion.
- It explicitly describes the gospel being taught to Adam.
- Abraham’s account presents creation as organizing and forming, with the Gods taking counsel.
- The Book of Mormon preserves narratives and meaningful patterns that Walch connects with the ancient biblical world.
- Latter-day revelation keeps open the possibility of additional sacred records.
Two additional cross-references help readers pursue the Atonement discussion beyond the passages Walch expressly cites.
The footnotes to Luke’s account direct readers to Mosiah 3:7, which includes:
“For behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.”
They also direct readers to Doctrine and Covenants 19:18, where the Savior describes suffering that:
“Caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore.”
These are supplementary study connections, not quotations Walch develops in the presentation. They illustrate how the Restoration provides explicit information alongside the Gospel descriptions he discusses.
It is also useful to distinguish the kinds of contribution involved. An expanded revealed narrative, an illuminating parallel, a name interpretation, and the recovery of a specific textual reading are not identical claims. Walch’s presentation chiefly emphasizes restored context, doctrinal clarity, and meaningful correspondences; it does not provide a verse-by-verse reconstruction of an original Old Testament manuscript.
19. Additional Ancient Writings and an Open Scriptural Canon
The concluding discussion returns to ancient writings outside the Bible.
An audience member asks whether newly available apocryphal works might eventually receive greater attention. Walch responds that additional records are possible, but he does not claim to know which writings might be accepted or when that might happen.
He discusses the Temple Scroll as an example of an ancient text presenting divine instruction directly. To illustrate the difference in voice, he refers to the biblical wording concerning vows.
Deuteronomy 23:21 states:
“When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.”
Walch compares this with a formulation in the Temple Scroll in which God speaks in the first person. His interest is in how ancient religious records present revelation and how much material may exist beyond the biblical collection familiar to modern readers.
Doctrine and Covenants 91 and spiritual discernment
The discussion points to Doctrine and Covenants 91.
Doctrine and Covenants 91:1–2, 4–5 teaches:
“There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly;
“There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men.”
It then adds:
“Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;
“And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom.”
This revelation gives a model for reading with discernment rather than assuming that every ancient religious document must be either entirely true or entirely worthless.
The brass plates contained more
Walch also recalls the Book of Mormon’s description of the biblical record in relation to the brass plates.
1 Nephi 13:23 says:
“It is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel.”
For Walch, the comparison raises an important question: what did the more extensive record contain that modern readers do not possess?
The Restoration invites that question because it does not assume that God has finished speaking or that every inspired record has already been gathered.
Christ’s ministry extended beyond the people whose records we have
Walch broadens the discussion to peoples outside the familiar biblical map.
3 Nephi 17:4 records Jesus saying:
“But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.”
Walch sees this as reason for humility about the limits of present knowledge. God knows peoples whose sacred history is not fully represented in the records currently available to us.
He cautions against imagining that the history familiar to Western Christians exhausts God’s dealings with humanity.
20. The Old Testament Also Speaks to the Latter Days
Walch reminds listeners that the Old Testament is not only about the ancient past.
He points to Moroni’s instruction of Joseph Smith. After introducing the Book of Mormon, Moroni turned to Old Testament prophecy.
Joseph Smith—History 1:36 states:
“After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament.”
The verse explains that Moroni quoted Malachi, including variations from the biblical wording.
For Walch, this is a reminder that ancient prophets addressed the Restoration, gathering, judgment, and the coming of Christ. He expresses his own sense that remaining prophetic events could unfold rapidly, without supplying a timetable.
His final comparison is devotional: ancient believers looked forward to Christ’s coming, and latter-day believers also look forward to His coming. That shared orientation makes the Old Testament more immediately relevant than its age might suggest.
21. Religious Heritage Does Not Replace Personal Righteousness
The final exchange brings the discussion from ancient records to personal accountability.
An audience member mentions the first being last and the last being first.
Matthew 20:16 reads:
“So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”
Walch considers the warning particularly serious for people who assume that their religious position guarantees their standing with God.
He quotes the Savior’s rebuke in Matthew 21:31:
“Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”
He also recalls Matthew 23:15:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
These passages illustrate his concern that religious confidence can coexist with failure to repent and live righteously.
Finally, he turns to John the Baptist’s warning in Matthew 3:9:
“And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Walch applies the principle directly: having Abraham in one’s ancestry—or pioneer ancestors in one’s family history—does not substitute for personal righteousness.
The point of studying covenant history is not to borrow someone else’s faithfulness. It is to learn how to become faithful ourselves.
22. Mike Walch’s Practical Study Recommendations
Walch offers a substantial collection of resources and habits. He stresses that his own library accumulated over a lifetime; listeners do not need to acquire everything at once.
Use resources that explain rather than merely repeat
He recommends looking for study materials that add historical background, explain unfamiliar details, provide maps, and illuminate difficult passages.
The resources he mentions include:
- Old Testament course study guides and manuals used in university religious instruction.
- Sidney B. Sperry’s The Voice of Israel’s Prophets and The Spirit of the Old Testament.
- Chaim Potok’s Wanderings.
- Isaiah studies by Avraham Gileadi.
- Hugh Nibley’s Enoch the Prophet, Abraham in Egypt, and Old Testament and Related Studies.
- Isaiah and the Prophets, published through BYU’s Religious Studies Center.
- Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Bible.
- Victor L. Ludlow’s Unlocking the Old Testament.
- Donald W. Parry’s Visualizing Isaiah.
- An archaeological study Bible.
His recommendations reflect several different purposes: historical orientation, Hebrew interpretation, literary background, visual understanding, and acquaintance with ancient traditions.
He also notes that some traditional stories are plainly fanciful. His interest in such collections is not an instruction to treat every story as scripture, but to consider what they reveal about the traditions surrounding biblical figures.
Keep a Bible dictionary and atlas nearby
Walch values the Church’s Bible Dictionary while recommending additional dictionaries for broader historical and textual discussion.
He similarly recommends an atlas rather than relying only on a vague mental map. Recognizing where people traveled, where kingdoms stood, and what geographical expressions meant can resolve confusion before it becomes an obstacle.
His advice is to use these tools during reading, not merely after completing a book.
Read the footnotes
Several of his examples demonstrate how much information is already available in the Church’s scripture notes:
- Genesis explains the creation verb with “shaped, fashioned, created.”
- The Elisha account identifies “youths,” not little children.
- Exodus clarifies “murder.”
- Cross-references connect biblical passages with restored scripture.
Walch’s presentation effectively turns the footnotes from optional small print into part of serious reading.
Do not make finishing the only goal
Walch cautions against approaching scripture as a race from the first page to the last.
A difficult word, unexplained custom, or puzzling event is worth stopping to investigate. The interruption may lead to the very insight that makes the account meaningful.
Reading fewer verses with understanding can accomplish more than completing many pages without knowing what they describe. That principle underlies his use of language, history, and cross-references throughout the presentation.
Watch Fiddler on the Roof
His memorable homework assignment is to watch Fiddler on the Roof.
He asks viewers to notice how Jewish people attempt to incorporate religious teachings into everyday life and how those commitments create both meaning and difficult choices.
The assignment extends his larger objective: understand religious people as people, not merely as names and doctrines in a distant text.
His recommendation concerning the Song of Solomon
Walch specifically recommends skipping the Song of Solomon, explaining his view in relation to Joseph Smith’s notation concerning the book.
The Church’s Bible Dictionary entry on the Song of Solomon quotes the Joseph Smith Translation statement:
“The Songs of Solomon are not inspired writings.”
This is Walch’s particular reading recommendation, presented as part of his advice about studying the Old Testament.
Conclusion: Read for Understanding, Covenant Faithfulness, and Christ
Walch closes by encouraging readers to overcome the barriers of time, distance, unfamiliar language, and inherited assumptions.
His presentation offers a connected approach: use historical background to understand the setting, Hebrew insights to examine the wording, names to recognize themes, covenant practices to interpret sacred actions, and restored scripture to recover a fuller gospel context.
The expanded account of Enoch, the explicit teaching of Christ’s gospel to Adam, Abraham’s description of creation, the Book of Mormon’s ancient patterns, and the possibility of additional records all contribute to his central invitation.
Above all, he asks readers to look for the Savior. The people of the Old Testament were not merely preparing the scenery for a later religious story. In Walch’s presentation, they were seeking to live the gospel, preserve revelation, keep covenants, and look forward to Jesus Christ—the same fundamental work to which latter-day readers are called.
