Temples of Old

I really like my calling as a Temple Prep teacher at church. At first I was a little intimidated because I felt like there everyone in the class had so much more knowledge than I do and that my co teacher is a much better teacher than I am. But the temple is one of my favorite topics to talk about so this calling really is perfect for me and I am able to grow in my ability to teach other adults.

This weeks lesson, my co teacher and I decided to discuss ancient temples from the Old and New Testaments and the Book of Mormon. I focused my part of the lesson on Moses Tabernacle. To give a little background, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and on Mt. Sinai he received Gods law for the children of Israel. This included the Ten Commandments and the ordinances of the Temple (Exodus 25-30). Due the children of Israel's transgression below with the golden calf, they were only allowed to participate in the lesser law of the temple ordinances. Bummer for them. But the children of Israel were still given a lesser law and the doctrine was still there. Instead of being able to got through the tabernacle for themselves, the tribe of Levi worked the tabernacle as proxy for others.

I found it really enlightening to read about how the Tabernacle was designed, the layout of where everything was placed, and the symbolism of it all.


http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-03-045-the-tabernacle?lang=eng

 

I am so grateful for modern temples today. It is a joy and blessing in my life to be able to go to the temple and feel closer to God every week. I was really grateful to be able to study old testament temples and learn from them. It gave me a new perspective on the ordinances performed in todays temples. God really is a loving Heavenly Father.