Essential Study Guide: Exodus 35–40;Leviticus 1;4;16;19

Week 18 (April 27–May 3): “Holiness to the Lord”

Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19

Week Overview

Why did the Lord lead Israel out of Egypt and then ask them to build a tabernacle and live detailed laws of holiness? The weekly lesson frames the Lord’s purpose in a single commandment: “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). The tabernacle, covenants, and sacrifices were “steps toward what God really wanted for His people” and were “meant to point their minds, hearts, and lives toward the Savior” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 27–May 3. ‘Holiness to the Lord’”).

Key Scripture Moments

1. God’s standard for His covenant people

“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) Holiness is not a wilderness project, it is the Lord’s covenant aim for daily life.

2. The Lord’s promise of holiness through Christ

“I am able to make you holy.” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7) The lesson connects Israel’s journey to every disciple: leaving captivity is a beginning, and the Savior’s power is the path to holiness (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “April 27–May 3. ‘Holiness to the Lord’”).

3. Offerings given by willing hearts The lesson highlights Israel’s response to the tabernacle commandment: they gave offerings “with a willing heart” (Exodus 35:5; see Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, section “The Lord asks me to make my offerings with a willing heart”). Holiness grows as offerings become voluntary and consecrated.

4. Sacrifice points to forgiveness in Jesus Christ Leviticus teaches through symbols that “were meant to teach principles that are familiar: repentance, holiness, and the Savior’s Atonement” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, section “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven”). The lesson then turns to what the Lord requires now:

“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” (3 Nephi 9:20)

Hidden Connections (Cross-References from the Bundle)

• Tabernacle worship and prayer: The lesson pairs the altar of incense with Revelation’s image of prayer (see Exodus 40:26–27; Revelation 8:3–4, as cited in the lesson’s “Learning at Home and Church” table). This suggests that holiness includes learning to approach God through worship and prayer, not only through external structure.

• Light in the holy place and light in discipleship: The candlestick or lampstand (Exodus 37:17–24) is linked to Jesus Christ’s teachings about light (Matthew 5:14–16; John 8:12, as cited in the lesson). This suggests that the Lord’s house trains covenant people to carry His light into ordinary settings.

• Washing, clothing, anointing, and testimony of Christ: Exodus 40:12–14 is connected to washing (Psalm 51:2; Ezekiel 36:25–27), holy clothing (Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 22:11–14; Revelation 19:7–8), and anointing (Luke 4:18–19; Acts 10:38), as listed in the lesson. This suggests that the Lord uses outward ordinances to teach inward cleansing and consecration centered in Jesus Christ. This is sacred and personal, please speak with your bishop or refer to the temple recommend questions.

Pattern Discovery (Recurring Themes)

• The Lord gathers His people, then sanctifies them: deliverance from bondage leads into covenant worship and holy living (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “April 27–May 3. ‘Holiness to the Lord’”).
• Holy places support holy lives: “simply being in holy places doesn’t make us holy,” so Leviticus 19 gives commandments meant to “change their hearts” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, sections “The Lord wants me to become holy” and introduction).
• Sacrifice continues, even when symbols change: animal sacrifice ends, but sacrifice remains, now centered in “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20; see also Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven”).

Simple Questions (for personal or family study)

1. What does the Lord’s command, “Ye shall be holy” (Leviticus 19:2), imply about the purpose of commandments and covenants?
2. In the lesson’s description, what were the tabernacle, covenants, and sacrifices designed to do for Israel’s “minds, hearts, and lives” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, introduction)?
3. Where is the phrase “willing heart” used in the lesson’s discussion of offerings (Exodus 35:5), and what kind of offering feels hardest to give willingly?
4. What does “I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7) add to the command to be holy (Leviticus 19:2)?
5. When the Lord commands, “offer… a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20), what attitudes and choices would that change in a normal week?
6. The lesson says holy places alone do not make people holy (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord wants me to become holy”). What commandments in Leviticus 19 help holiness become a daily pattern?

One Big Idea

The Lord’s purpose is to make a covenant people holy, and He centers that work in Jesus Christ. The lesson states that Israel’s deliverance and even the promised land were “only steps” toward holiness (Leviticus 19:2), and that the tabernacle, covenants, laws, and sacrifices were “meant to point… toward the Savior” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, introduction). Holiness is not achieved by location alone, it is received as hearts and lives turn to Christ, who declares, “I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7).

Living It

• Choose one offering to make “with a willing heart” (Exodus 35:5): time in worship, service, or a private act of repentance, offered without resentment.
• Study Leviticus 19 with one question: Which commandment would “change [the] heart” most if lived consistently (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, introduction and “The Lord wants me to become holy”)?
• Practice the sacrifice the Lord requires now by praying with the intent to offer “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20), then taking one concrete step to repair a wrong.

Faith Builder (Modern Resources from This Bundle)

For further study connected to this week’s theme of holiness, see also: Henry B. Eyring, “Holiness and the Plan of Happiness,” Liahona, Nov. 2019, 100–103 (referenced in the lesson); and “The Tabernacle” (video), Gospel Library (referenced in the lesson).

These truths invite covenant disciples to seek holiness through Jesus Christ, offering willing hearts and contrite spirits as they worship in holy places and live holy laws.