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

Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19

Orientation: Why Tabernacle, Law, and Sacrifice Belong Together

Come, Follow Me frames Israel’s wilderness worship as a covenant pedagogy aimed at holiness, not mere national stability. The stated divine end is explicit:

“Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

The bundle situates the tabernacle, covenantal instruction, and sacrifice as coordinated means to re-form a people after generations of captivity. It also anchors holiness in the Messiah’s enabling power:

“I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7).

Three-lens doctrinal architecture

Ancient context: Israel learns to approach Jehovah through a consecrated space (tabernacle), consecrated life (Leviticus 19), and consecrated mediation (sacrifice, including the Day of Atonement material in Leviticus 16).
Modern application: Saints learn to order worship, offerings, and daily ethics so that covenant belonging becomes covenant becoming.
Eternal principle: God sanctifies a covenant people through ordained patterns that center on Jesus Christ and require willing, consecrated hearts.

Historical and Cultural Matrix (Wilderness Holiness)

The bundle highlights that leaving Egypt did not complete God’s purposes. Israel required a new social and spiritual grammar after “captivity for generations” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 27–May 3. ‘Holiness to the Lord’”). The tabernacle functions as a portable center of ordered holiness in a liminal setting, the wilderness, where identity is forged through worship and law rather than land.

Two tensions shape the week’s texts as presented:

External proximity versus internal sanctification: “Of course, simply being in holy places doesn’t make us holy” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 27–May 3. ‘Holiness to the Lord’”).
Ritual action as Christ-centered instruction: The bundle states that sacrifice and ritual “were meant to point their minds, hearts, and lives toward the Savior” (same source).

Exegetical Analysis (8 Key Passages and Doctrinal Trajectories)

1) Leviticus 19:2, Holiness as covenant identity

“Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

Holiness here is grounded in God’s own holiness, not in Israel’s achievement. The bundle pairs this with the reminder that commandments in Leviticus 19 were given “to help the Israelites increase in holiness” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”).

2) Doctrine and Covenants 60:7, Holiness as divine capacity

“I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7).

The bundle uses this line to interpret the entire tabernacle-law-sacrifice complex as Christ-directed sanctification rather than mere moralism.

3) Exodus 35:5, Offerings and the willing heart

“Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord” (Exodus 35:5).

Come, Follow Me emphasizes the heart theology of consecration: Israel’s giving becomes a case study in covenant responsiveness, even amid inconsistency (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord asks me to make my offerings with a willing heart.”).

4) Exodus 36:1, Spiritual gifts for sacred labor

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded” (Exodus 36:1).

The bundle uses this verse to teach that God supplies capacities for His work (“what the Lord gave Bezaleel and Aholiab,” Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: God has given me gifts to help with His work.”). In scholarly terms, craftsmanship becomes a liturgical vocation, wisdom placed by the Lord for “service of the sanctuary.”

5) Exodus 40:12–14, Ancient ordinances and Christological witness

The bundle explicitly connects Exodus 40:12–14 to “ancient ordinances that are also administered in our day in the house of the Lord” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Temple ordinances were given anciently.”). Because this touches temple ordinances: This is sacred and personal, please speak with your bishop or refer to the temple recommend questions.

The bundle provides a Christ-centered study chain for these themes:

Washing: Psalm 51:2; Ezekiel 36:25–27
Clothing: Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 22:11–14; Revelation 19:7–8
Anointing: Luke 4:18–19; Acts 10:38 (“Temple ordinances were given anciently,” Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)

6) Leviticus 1:1–4, Sacrifice as a grammar of forgiveness in Christ

The bundle teaches that Old Testament sacrifices “were meant to teach the children of Israel about forgiveness through Jesus Christ” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”). It instructs readers to look for “words or phrases” that “remind me of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice” while reading Leviticus 1:1–9; 4; 16 (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”).

7) Leviticus 16 (selected), Atonement pedagogy and covenant maintenance

The bundle places Leviticus 16 within the same interpretive frame as the other sacrificial chapters: rituals “meant to teach principles that are familiar, repentance, holiness, and the Savior’s Atonement” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”). The Day of Atonement material becomes a structured annual witness that covenant life requires cleansing mediated by God’s appointed means.

8) 3 Nephi 9:19–20, The law of sacrifice transformed

Come, Follow Me directs attention to the post-resurrection command that replaces animal sacrifice with an inward offering:

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

“And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 9:20).

The bundle frames this as the present form of sacrifice: “The Lord doesn’t require animal sacrifices anymore. But sacrifice is still an important principle of the gospel” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”).

Cross-Reference Web Matrix

Doctrinal Threads Across Dispensations

Primary Pattern: Holiness through covenant worship and consecrated sacrifice centered on Jesus Christ ├─ Ancient Foundations (Genesis through Malachi) │ ├─ Leviticus 19:2: │ │ > “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). │ ├─ Exodus 35:5: │ │ > “Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord” (Exodus 35:5). │ └─ Prophetic type/symbol: Tabernacle objects and sacrificial rites as Christ-directed instruction (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Holiness to the Lord”). │ ├─ Meridian Fulfillment (New Testament parallels) │ ├─ Matthew 5:14–16 (see also, in bundle): lamp imagery linked to discipleship (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”). │ ├─ John 8:12 (see also, in bundle): Christ as light (same source). │ └─ Gospel fulfillment: Ordinance-symbols (washing, clothing, anointing) testify of Jesus Christ (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Temple ordinances were given anciently.”). │ ├─ Restoration Revelation (D&C/Pearl of Great Price) │ ├─ Doctrine and Covenants 60:7: │ │ > “I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7). │ ├─ Doctrine and Covenants 64:34 (see also, in bundle): further study on present sacrifice (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”). │ └─ Latter-day application: Sacrifice continues as covenant formation, with Christ enabling holiness (D&C 60:7; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026). │ └─ Living Prophets (From bundle sources only) ├─ Henry B. Eyring, “Holiness and the Plan of Happiness,” Liahona, Nov. 2019, 100–103: see also (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”). ├─ “The Tabernacle” (video), Gospel Library: see also (same source). └─ Modern application: see also the cited resources for prophetic and apostolic teaching on holiness and worship (bundle citations only).

Theological Discussion Points (Advanced)

How does Leviticus 19:2 define holiness as a derivative attribute, grounded in God’s nature rather than human initiative (Leviticus 19:2)?
Come, Follow Me states that holy places alone do not make a person holy. What covenant mechanisms does the bundle place alongside sacred space to address the heart (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”)?
What does Exodus 35:5 contribute to a theology of consecration, particularly the relationship between material offerings and “a willing heart” (Exodus 35:5)?
How does Exodus 36:1 frame skilled labor as a divine endowment “for the service of the sanctuary” rather than as mere human competence (Exodus 36:1)?
The bundle presents tabernacle objects as symbolic teachers. Which object most directly reorients attention to covenant (ark), prayer (incense), discipleship (lampstand), atonement (altar), or cleansing (laver), based on the cross-references provided (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”)?
How does the bundle’s linkage of Exodus 40:12–14 with washing, clothing, and anointing establish continuity in divine pedagogy across dispensations (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Temple ordinances were given anciently.”)?
What interpretive method does the bundle require for Leviticus 1; 4; 16, namely reading ritual detail as instruction in “repentance, holiness, and the Savior’s Atonement” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven.”)?
How does 3 Nephi 9:20 transform sacrifice from external offering to interior consecration while retaining covenant seriousness (3 Nephi 9:20)?
How does Doctrine and Covenants 60:7 prevent holiness from being reduced to self-improvement, and instead anchor it in Christ’s capacity (D&C 60:7)?
Come, Follow Me suggests sacred music as a pedagogical tool (“More Holiness Give Me”). How can hymnody function as doctrinal reinforcement alongside legal and ritual texts (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Use sacred music.”)?
How does the bundle’s mention of captivity to sin and invitation to leave it behind shape the Exodus narrative as a type of repentance (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Holiness to the Lord”)?
What does it mean to read Leviticus ethically through Leviticus 19 while also reading it christologically through sacrifice, without collapsing one into the other (Leviticus 19:2; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)?

Modern Prophetic Synthesis (Bundle-Limited)

The bundle provides citations to modern prophetic resources without reproducing their wording. For faithful source use:

Henry B. Eyring, “Holiness and the Plan of Happiness,” Liahona, Nov. 2019, 100–103, see also (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”).
“The Tabernacle” (video), Gospel Library, see also (same source).

These resources should be consulted directly for authorized prophetic articulation beyond the bundle’s framing.

Seminary and Institute Integration (Text-Driven Skills)

Practice symbol-to-doctrine mapping using the bundle’s suggested objects list (ark, incense altar, lampstand, sacrifice altar, laver) and its provided cross-references (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”).
Use intertextual reading: read Leviticus 19:2 alongside Doctrine and Covenants 60:7 to keep holiness both commanded and Christ-enabled (Leviticus 19:2; D&C 60:7).
Teach covenant affect through Exodus 35:5, emphasizing willing-hearted offerings as a spiritual disposition, not a fundraising model (Exodus 35:5).

Teaching Applications (Home, Class, and Council)

Object lesson approach: Assign small groups one tabernacle object and require them to use only the bundle’s cross-references to articulate its Christ-centered meaning (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord wants me to become holy.”).
Textual close reading: In Exodus 36:1, underline divine agency: “in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding” (Exodus 36:1). Discuss spiritual gifts as consecrated capacity.
Reverent boundary for ordinance discussions: When Exodus 40:12–14 arises, keep the discussion at the level the bundle provides, and for personal or procedural questions: This is sacred and personal, please speak with your bishop or refer to the temple recommend questions (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Temple ordinances were given anciently.”).

Personal Study Pathways (Structured)

Holiness thread: Read Leviticus 19 and record every imperative that shapes daily life; pair it with Leviticus 19:2 as the theological rationale (Leviticus 19:2; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Consecration thread: Read Exodus 35:4–35; 36:1–7 and mark phrases about willingness, stirring of heart, and divine gifting (Exodus 35:5; Exodus 36:1; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Sacrifice thread: Read Leviticus 1; 4; 16 asking the bundle’s guiding questions about Christ and atonement; then read 3 Nephi 9:19–20 to locate the covenant’s present form of sacrifice (3 Nephi 9:20; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Research Extensions (Church-Approved)

Bible Dictionary: “Leviticus” (as directed in the bundle).
Gospel Library Topics: “Sacrifice” (bundle: “Topics and Questions, ‘Sacrifice,’ Gospel Library”).
Video study: “The Tabernacle” and “Temples” (Gospel Library), as cited in the bundle.

These covenantal patterns of tabernacle worship, willing offerings, and Christ-centered sacrifice merit sustained study in the scriptural witnesses the bundle provides.

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