Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026

Joshua places twelve stones to commemorate the crossing of the Jordan—Joshua is magnified before the children of Israel as they cross the Jordan—After the priests bearing the ark pass over, the river returns to its course.

Joshua leads Israel to the Jordan—The Lord cuts off the water of the Jordan; it stands up as a heap, and Israel passes over on dry ground.

Joshua sends spies to Jericho—They are received and concealed by Rahab—They promise to preserve Rahab and her household.

The Lord speaks to Joshua—He is commanded to be of good courage, to meditate upon the law, and to keep the commandments—He prepares Israel to enter Canaan.

It had taken several generations, but the Lord’s promise was about to be fulfilled: the children of Israel were finally going to inherit the promised land. But in their way stood the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho, and a mighty people who had rejected the Lord (see 1 Nephi 17:35). And they would have to face all of that without their beloved leader Moses. The situation may have made some Israelites feel weak and fearful, but the Lord said, “Be strong and of a good courage.” What reason did they have to be courageous? It wasn’t because of their own strength—or even Moses’s or Joshua’s—but because “the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). When we have our own rivers to cross and walls to bring down, wonderful things can happen in our lives because “the Lord will do wonders among [us]” (Joshua 3:5).

The books of Joshua through Esther are traditionally known as the “historical books” of the Old Testament. This doesn’t mean that other books in the Old Testament don’t have historical value. Rather, the historical books are called that because their writers’ main objective was to show God’s hand in the history of the people of Israel. The purpose was not to outline the law of Moses, as Leviticus and Deuteronomy do. It was not to express praise or lament in poetic form, as the Psalms and Lamentations do. And it was not to record the words of prophets, as the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel do. Instead, the historical books tell stories.

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I invite you to remember each day the greatness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and what They have done for you.

By Brother Jan E. Newman

Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency

One of our most sacred responsibilities is to help our children come to know deeply and specifically that Jesus is the Christ.

By President M. Russell Ballard

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

What things can you do within your own life to show that you love the Lord first?

Moses sees the promised land and is taken by the Lord—Joshua leads Israel—Moses was Israel’s greatest prophet.