An Offering in Righteousness LDS Temple Worship

Today Zion is on my mind.

Perhaps it is because my adventure to the San Diego Temple last night is fresh on my mind.

I had the opportunity to go with a group of Young Adults and do a special “after hours” session of baptisms for the dead as we contributed our portion to our Stake’s “offering in righteousness”. I knew it would be a perfect time to take some family names to have work done for them in the Temple, so I decided to do some research for a friend of mine who gives many hours of service to the Young Adult Branch where I also am privileged to serve. As I entered the names of her family into the New Family Search Program I marveled once again at how fast and easy it is now to contribute and clear names for ordinance work to be done.

My research on her family line led me to a group of collateral relatives that needed their work done. The interesting thing about these people is that they were all from Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. Their time on this earth is precisely the time that the Saints would have felt persecution from those of the area. I felt a feeling of peace and healing as I researched this family line and contributed them to the Temple so that they could have their ordinance work done. It was a beautiful “come to Zion” moment for me.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell who creatively taught, some “people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon” also stated, “Since there are no instant Christians, to withhold what we can do to accelerate the process of the perfection of Zion until Zion is nearly perfected is to misconstrue mortality. To withhold all (or even much) of our fellowship, our talents, or our tithing until the Church and its people meet our “high” standard is like trying to book passage on Noah’s ark without driving a nail in a plank. We simply walk on board and ask to be shown to our stateroom and inquire as we enter the stateroom about what time dinner is served at the Captain’s table! We must sign on for the voyage with all our imperfections, and commit to help each other.”

I am grateful for the blessings of the Temple and the healing power it brings into our lives by application of the covenants we make there. It is a beautiful “ritualistic, ceremonial, memorial” that we are allowed to participate in to remind us that the power to save is only by the “strong hand of God.” It is an illustration of what it takes to live a consecrated life. It is a visual teaching of the process we need to follow to learn to “walk with God” as our Father Abraham did. But, last night, for me, it was also a moment to reflect on how we need to help each other, imperfections and all.

The Temple Garment, Putting on the Armor of God

This week in Institute we discussed Section 27 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which I will hopefully discuss further in another post. While I was studying for class I came across a really great Ensign article by Elder Carlos E. Asay called, The Temple Garment: “An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment.” It was so perfect for discussing the “armor of God” that I decided to post part of it here for reference.

Look for the important purposes the Garment serves:

There is, however, another piece of armor worthy of our consideration. It is the special underclothing known as the temple garment, or garment of the holy priesthood, worn by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have received their temple endowment. This garment, worn day and night, serves three important purposes; it is a reminder of the sacred covenants made with the Lord in His holy house, a protective covering for the body, and a symbol of the modesty of dress and living that should characterize the lives of all the humble followers of Christ.

Look for what the marks are to remind us of, or direct us to:

It is written that “the white garment symbolizes purity and helps assure modesty, respect for the attributes of God, and, to the degree it is honored, a token of what Paul regarded as taking upon one the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13; compare D&C 27:15). … Garments bear several simple marks of orientation toward the gospel principles of obedience, truth, life, and discipleship in Christ.”

(Notice how those correspond with the covenants one makes in the Temple.)

Look for why it is important to wear the Garment:

Much, much more could be said about the war for the souls of men and the whole armor of God. The war on the earth began in the days of Adam, continued down through the years with Moses and the children of Israel, and still rages in a dispensation known as the fulness of times—a dispensation ushered in by the revelations received through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Hence, the issue of protective coverings enabling us to withstand the fiery darts of Satan will continue to be of great significance.

Look for how many items of “clothing” we are instructed to put on:

We must put on the armor of God spoken of by the Apostle Paul and reiterated in a modern revelation (see D&C 27:15–18). We must also “put on the armor of righteousness” (2 Ne. 1:23) symbolized by the temple garment. Otherwise, we may lose the war and perish.

Look for what the blessings are for faithfully wearing the Garment:

The heavy armor worn by soldiers of a former day, including helmets, shields, and breastplates, determined the outcome of some battles. However, the real battles of life in our modern day will be won by those who are clad in a spiritual armor—an armor consisting of faith in God, faith in self, faith in one’s cause, and faith in one’s leaders. The piece of armor called the temple garment not only provides the comfort and warmth of a cloth covering, it also strengthens the wearer to resist temptation, fend off evil influences, and stand firmly for the right.

The Lord has given us a beautiful reminder, by way of clothing, of His power to save us. How we wear the Garment of the Holy Priesthood is an expression of the testimony we have of the power of the Atonement and the ability Christ has to cover all of our sins. It is also an expression of our willingness to enter into covenants with the Lord. Obedience to these covenants bring blessings, the greatest of these being eternal life. The Garment is a symbol of our commitment and dedication to our Father. They are really "an outward expression of an inward commitment."

The Torah Pointed To Jesus Christ

As I was studying from one of my new favorite books called, Beloved Bridegroom by Donna B. Nielsen, I was struck by a description of the Torah she gave as she quoted Ariel Berkowitz from his book, Torah Rediscovered.

“The word Torah in Hebrew does not only mean ‘law’, it also means ‘teaching’. Moreover, the root for ‘Torah’ can be traced to the Hebrew word meaning ‘to shoot an arrow,’ or ‘to hit the mark.’ Thus, the word ‘Torah’ means literally, ‘teaching,’ whether it is the wise man instructing his son, or God instructing Israel. Hence, we can say that ‘Torah’ is God’s teaching, hitting the mark of man’s needs including his need to know who God is and what His righteousness looks like.”

The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch or the first five books of Moses. For the Christian world these can be recognized as the first five books in the Old Testament. The Torah was a record written on scrolls that was to be read aloud to the congregation in the synagogue.

According to Alfred Edersheim in his book, Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ, the main objective of the synagogue was the teaching of the people. He states, “At present the Pentateuch is for this purpose arranged into fifty-four sections, of which one is read on each successive Sabbath of the year, beginning immediately after the feast of Tabernacles. But anciently the lectionary, at least in Palestine, seems to have been differently arranged, and the Pentateuch so divided that its reading occupied three, or, according to some, three and a-half years.”

In the Gospel of Luke we read about this very experience concerning Jesus as he read in the synagogue.

Luke 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16 ¶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

This “law” or “instruction” given to Moses was simply a pattern for what was to come, a witness to bear testimony of the “Law of the Gospel” which was the “good news” of Jesus Christ. Christ himself bore witness that He was the law.

D&C 88: 13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.

The Torah or “arrow hitting the Mark” took three and a-half years to read starting right after the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast was celebrated in the Fall. It is interesting to note that many believe that the ministry of Christ began in the Fall of AD 26 and continued until the Spring of AD 30, exactly three and a-half years. In my opinion, the Torah was simply another testimony of Jesus Christ or the Mark.

Jacob 4:14 But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.

We know that all things point to Christ. With that understanding, as we worship today, we need to take special precautions so that we do not make the same mistake of looking beyond the Mark.

The Burnt Offering A Sacred Temple Ritual

In my study of the Book of Leviticus, I have noticed some interesting insights concerning the procedure outlined for the Burnt Offering at the Tabernacle.

The person who desired to be cleansed brought the offering to the priest at the Tabernacle. The offering could be “from the herd”, “from the flock” or “of birds’. This designation was made according to the wealth and social standing of the offerer. For example, if the offerer owned a herd, then a bullock must be offered for a sacrifice. A lamb would not be an acceptable sacrifice for him. If however, he did not own a herd, but a flock only, then his offering must be a sheep or a goat. If neither a flock nor herd was owned, a bird, meaning turtledoves or pigeons, would suffice. We have been taught that to those who are given much, much is required in return. The Children of Israel were taught that lesson each day, as the smoke of the burnt offering constantly adorned the Tabernacle grounds.

Whatever their status in life was, the offerer was the one required to present the offering to be sacrificed. After he laid his hands upon the offering, the offerer was required to kill the offering himself. Everything was to be burned except the skin or feathers. It was a way in which the offerer could present himself, by way of transference on the offering, willing to “put off” or kill his “natural or sinful” nature in the act of complete submission of his will and seek for the change that would allow for a covering from the Lord. It was a great way of teaching them of the vicarious offering that would be made in their behalf, of the Savior himself. The skin “or covering” was the memorial of the sacrifice used to cover the priest with a “robe of righteousness”, or construct the garment of the holy priesthood, it served as a reminder of what the sacrifice meant to the individual.

The offering was then cut into portions and offered upon the altar. Each cut was symbolic of a covenant that was to be kept. Cuts and covenants are unilaterally the same thing. Today we may even use the euphemism, “to cut a deal” with reference to forming a contractual arrangement. It is interesting to note what parts were to be cut and what they might have represented.

The Head - representing the mind and the intellect

The Inwards - representing the emotions or heart

The Fat - representing health and virility and increase

The Legs – indicating the walk, which represent conduct and lifestyle

The head and inwards were symbols of the mind and heart. Oliver Cowdery was instructed that this process was the process of experiencing revelation when The Lord taught him in Section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

This process of turning ones thoughts to the Lord is the process involved in living the law of obedience and being willing to offer the sacrifice of ones own will. In turn, the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ then enters the heart by way of the Holy Ghost, allowing one to have that change of heart needed to continually desire righteousness, and be taught all things.

The fat was always completely burned in every offering. It served as an example of exactness in offering complete fidelity to the Lord. It promised that putting the Lord first before any thing else would lead to a life of consecration in ones walk. In today’s vernacular, it is hard to give everything you have to something unless you are married to the idea. The legs represented the consecrated life, the complete “walk with Him” as Abraham was instructed. This consecration was only possible because of the willingness to sacrifice the fat, or increase.

The instruction that the Lord gave the Children of Israel, through the prophet Moses, concerning the burnt offering is such a beautiful way to view the application of the Atonement and our, as offering and offerer, relationship to our Savior. The sacred teachings of the LDS Temple are memorials of this same sort of instruction. Although the ceremony has changed from times past, and the “cuts” or portioning of the sacrifice are not quite as obvious to the participant, they are still beautifully taught in sacred ritual form. The understanding of what one is actually offering makes all the difference in the world in comprehending the beauty of the LDS Temple ceremony.

Ruth, A Story of Both Faith and Works

One of my favorite stories about women in the scriptures is the story of Ruth and Naomi. Their stories are so similarly intertwined in an instructive twist of fate. Naomi, who was a woman from Bethlehem-Judah, finds herself in a strange land in a peculiar predicament. She and her husband chose to leave their homeland and venture to the area of Moab because of a shortage of “bread” in their land. While in Moab, Naomi loses her husband to death. She also loses her only two sons to death, but not before they each had taken a Moabite woman as a wife. With no means of financial support, and upon hearing there was food to be found in her homeland of Bethlehem-Judah, Ruth decides to return home.

To understand the predicament that each of the three women were in, one must understand the conditions of the Levirate marriage. Under the law, if a man should die the dead man's brother should marry the widow and raise a family to the dead man, meaning all children born to this new union would be counted seed to the deceased brother. The firstborn son to this union would still be considered the birthright child of the dead husband and would inherit all the property and rights that should have been his dead fathers.

This custom insured the security and protection of the widow, who might have otherwise been left friendless and destitute. The law further stated that if there were no brothers to take upon themselves this widow a more distant male relative would be required to perform this duty of marriage and continuation of seed to that family. This was the responsibility of the closest blood relative, who actually became the widows "redeemer or protector" called a "Go'el."

For Naomi to have a continuation of seed, she must require her daughter-in-laws to marry her husbands nearest living relative. It is important to note that posterity was one of the ways in which a person was measured as far as worth. Naomi unselfishly allows her two daughter-in-laws their freedom and instructs them to return to their families and to their ways of worship. At this point Naomi also blesses them with the following petition to the Lord on their behalf:

Ruth 1:8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

Orpah, one of the daughters, “kissed her mother in law” and left, but Ruth “clave unto her.” The true conversion that Ruth had to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love she felt for her mother-in-law and her God is shown by her response.

Ruth 1:16 Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

They both return to Judah and it is there we see a twist of fate; Ruth is now the one in a strange land facing a peculiar predicament. This Moabite woman is now required to provide support for her mother-in-law, whom she loves. To do this she is forced to go to the field and “glean” for their food.

The Lord explained this process of gleaning,

Leviticus 19: 9 ¶ And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

The “glean” was the food that was left for the poor, either on the vine or on the ground, after the harvest was gathered by the harvesters. Ruth had resolved to go into the field, for it was during the Barley harvest, and glean for food. As Ruth was gleaning in the field, the land owner who was called Boaz noticed her and found favor with her.

Ruth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Both the prayers of her mother-in-law Naomi, and of Boaz, who we ultimately find becomes her husband, desire for Ruth to be blessed because of her faith and her works. This faithful convert, does “find rest in the house of her husband” for his house is the House of David, which is the “house” Jesus Christ himself comes through. This “house” or family line is that of kings and priests, and would be considered a “full reward” for any righteous woman to have. Because of the faithful consecrated acts that Ruth performed, not only for her mother-in-law but for her God too, she received the blessings of redemption and eternal life.

Ceremonial Clothing and Temple Worship

The Lord has always used clothing as an avenue for teaching symbolism. As early as in the book of Genesis we learn that the “garment” or coat of skin was a symbol of that which would cover. Unlike the fig leaves, or fake covering, the coat of skin taught of the sacrificial covering, pointing to Jesus Christ and the Atonement as the full covering of nakedness, or sin.

Ceremonial clothing has always been a part of Temple worship as well. In the book of Exodus the Lord gave detailed instructions to the Children of Israel regarding the clothing that was to be worn by the Priests who were called to officiate in the Tabernacle. This process of washing, or becoming clean, and changing of their clothes was an outward expression of the inward change that was to take place to be worthy to participate in the sacred ordinances.

Exodus 29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:

6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

These garments of “glory and beauty” symbolized the change that was to take place of one nature to another or the act of “putting off the natural man.”

On one day of the year, known as the Day of Atonement, the High Priest of the Aaronic priesthood was instructed to make another clothing change.

Leviticus 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

This Day of Atonement offering required that the priest enter into another level of sacredness, or the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle. This offering took place inside the inner vail, as the priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial bullock on the mercy seat itself. This most sacred offering required the priest to change into white linen garments, which symbolized the absence of sin and his worthiness to make this vicarious offering on behalf of all the house of Israel. It was a very visual way to instruct the people about the sinless state of Jesus Christ, and the upcoming sacrifice he would make on their behalf.

Leviticus 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 ¶ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

The changing of clothing is symbolic of the progression one must make to enter into the presence of the Lord. It represents ones willingness to leave this world behind and seek for that of a better one. It is a beautiful way to learn about the application of the Atonement and the ability one has to “change”. It can be seen as easy as a simple “change of clothes.”

The Blessings of Obedience

Opposition creates the ability to choose.

The ability to choose gives us the opportunity to obey.

What blessings are promised because of obedience?