Finding Covenants in the Old Testament

By Hollie Wells

When studying the Old Testament, there are many connections to be made to our temple worship. Soon in our reading we will read about the organization and building of the first physical tabernacle, but the temple work and covenants have been taking place since nearly the first chapters of Genesis. 

The ancient temple can sometimes feel unrelatable, and hard to see how it connects to the ordinances performed in our modern temples. Although it is a worthy pursuit to study these ancient temples, we can sometimes get lost in individual elements, or miss out on seeing the covenants play out in the lives of the Old Testament characters rather than just seeing the physical elements of the temples. To help us see how the temple covenants we know today were practiced back then, I will highlight an Old Testament story for each of the five laws we covenant to keep in the temple. 

Law of Obedience 

We hear this example in the temple, but it is recorded in Moses chapter 5. Adam and Eve have been sacrificing the first of their flock and fields, without a clear grasp on the purpose. Verse 6 tells us, “And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” They followed the directions of the Lord without even knowing why. Many times, God does give us a reason, or one can be deduced for the purpose behind some commandments. However, I love that the first covenant we keep in the temple is to keep all the commandments of the Lord, whether or not we fully understand them at all times. 

Law of Sacrifice 

The Old Testament is full of sacrifices, stemming from the laws and temple rites of the Mosaic Law. But perhaps no sacrifice is better known than when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son, his beloved son, Isaac. This sacrifice shows Abraham's undying willingness to serve God and give all that was required of him. All sacrifice, even the small sacrifices we make day-to-day, are in similitude of the greatest Sacrifice, the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Law of the Gospel 

In Moses 6, Enoch teaches about how Adam was baptized, emphasizing how the principles of faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end have been in place and part of Father’s plan for us since the very beginning of man. These principles of the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ are littered throughout scripture, although they may be more cryptic in the Old Testament. 

Law of Chastity

Perhaps the most obvious example of someone keeping the Law of Chastity in the Old Testament is Joseph of Egypt. After being approached numerous times by his master’s wife, he repeatedly turned down her sexual advances. When she turned physical, he fled the scene without looking back. Joseph did not even have to think about it, he just ran away from the temptation and coercion. 

Law of Consecration 

Because there is so much sacrifice in the Old Testament, sometimes it can be hard to distinguish someone who is going beyond sacrifice and into living the consecration. These two laws are closely related, but someone that comes to mind is Esther. The definition of consecration we receive in the temple is to use (rather than give up) everything the Lord has blessed us with to build up the kingdom of God. Esther used her position as the queen fully, despite endangering her life, to save the covenant people of the Lord from a genocide. She took what God gave her and used it to build the kingdom of God in a momentous way.