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

Holy garments are made for Aaron and the priests—The breastplate is made—The tabernacle of the congregation is finished—Moses blesses the people.

Bezaleel and others make the altar of burnt offerings and all things pertaining to the tabernacle—Offerings are made by 603,550 men.

Bezaleel makes the ark, the mercy seat, and the cherubims—He makes the table, the vessels, the candlestick, the incense altar, the holy anointing oil, and the sweet incense.

Wise-hearted men are chosen to work on the tabernacle—Moses restrains the people from donating any more material.

Israel is admonished to observe the Sabbath—Free gifts are offered for the tabernacle—The calls and inspiration of certain artisans are confirmed.

Leaving Egypt—as important as that was—didn’t fully accomplish God’s purposes for the children of Israel. Even a comfortable life in the promised land wasn’t God’s ultimate goal for them. These were only steps toward what God really wanted for His people: “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). How did God plan to make His people holy after they had lived in captivity for generations? He commanded them to create a place of holiness in the wilderness—a tabernacle. He gave them covenants and laws to guide their actions and change their hearts. And He commanded them to make animal sacrifices to teach them about atonement for their sins. All of this was meant to point their minds, hearts, and lives toward the Savior. He is the true path to holiness, for the Israelites and for us. We have all spent some time in the captivity of sin, and we are all invited to leave sin behind and follow Jesus Christ, who has promised, “I am able to make you holy” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:7).

For an overview of the book of Leviticus, see “Leviticus” in the Bible Dictionary.

As we read the Old Testament, we sometimes find long passages about things that were clearly important to the Lord but may not feel immediately relevant to us today. Exodus 25–30; 35–40 and Leviticus 1–9; 16–17 are examples. These chapters describe in detail Israel’s tabernacle in the wilderness and the animal sacrifices to be performed there. The tabernacle was a portable temple, the Lord’s dwelling place among His people.

By Elder Russell M. Nelson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

How can you ensure that your behavior on the Sabbath will lead to joy and rejoicing?

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship?

When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson (2014), 37–45;