The Israelites were on the move for forty YEARS! Can you imagine? During that time the Lord wanted his people to worship Him. They couldn't build a structure in a permanent place, so God commanded them to build a tabernacle; or in other words a temple that was like a tent. The tabernacle had deep symbolism throughout. Many of the items used in the tabernacle were rich with symbolic meaning. This week's lesson will teach about some of symbols found within the tabernacle.
LESSON BUNDLE DOWNLOADS:
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "I Love to See the Temple"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
You will need a piece of green paper, a piece of red paper, two popsicle sticks, and some tape! Cut a tennis ball-sized circle from each sheet of colored paper and attach each circle to a popsicle stick. You are making signs that you can hold up to represent a green light and a red light. If you do not have popsicle sticks, you can also use pencils.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N A C T I V I T Y
Play “Red Light, Green Light!” Invite the children to stand on one side of the room while a volunteer stands on the other side of the room with the two “traffic lights.” When the volunteer holds up the green light, participants may begin walking, but when the volunteer holds up the red light, they must stop. The goal is to reach the traffic lights! The first person to make it to the traffic lights gets to hold up the traffic lights for the next round!
Play until all the children have had a turn to hold the “traffic lights.”
Once you have completed the activity, discuss the following questions.
1) How did you know when to go? (The green paper was held up in the air!)
2) How did you know when to stop? (The red paper was held up in the air!)
3) How did you know what the colors meant? (Discuss.)
Explain: The green and red lights are symbols! Symbols can help us learn things, and they can help us remember things! While the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, God commanded them to build a tabernacle. Many of the items inside the tabernacle were symbols meant to teach the Israelites about the gospel! Today we are going to learn about some of those symbols!
🎥 V I D E O : "Symbols of the Tabernacle | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids"
Now we are going to watch a video about the symbols of the tabernacle! See if you can remember what some of the symbols mean!
[Watch Video: “Symbols of the Tabernacle | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids”]
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) When the smoke rose up in the air from the altar of incense, what did that symbol mean? (It represented the prayers of the people rising up to Heavenly Father.)
2) What did the candle lights on the lamp stand represent? (They represent the light of Christ, and the Holy Ghost.)
3) When the priests washed their hands and feet with the basin of water, what did that symbol mean? (It was a symbol for purity and cleanliness.)
4) When the priests made animal sacrifices on the altar of sacrifice, what did that symbol mean? (It was a symbol for when Jesus Christ would sacrifice Himself to save all of us.)
5) What was the mercy seat a symbol for (on top of the ark of the covenant)? (It was a symbol for the place where the Lord could come and dwell with His people.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the following scriptures and discuss the questions that follow.
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
1) Who is talking in this verse? (The Lord.)
2) Who told the Isrealites to build the tabernacle? (It was a commandment from God.)
According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
1) Who told the Israelites how to build the tabernacle and everything inside it? (The Lord told them how to build everything.)
2) What did Moses and the Israelites do? (They did everything as the Lord had commanded them.)
3) Why do you think the Lord made so many symbols in the tabernacle? (To teach the Israelites, and to help them remember the things the Lord wanted to teach them.)
4) Can you think of some other symbols that the Lord uses to teach us things about the gospel? (Discuss symbols of baptism, the sacrament, the temple, and other symbols from the scriptures such as the tree of life.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Pass out the “Symbols of the Tabernacle” booklet activity. Invite the children to color the pages of the book, then help them to fold, cut, and construct the booklet. Invite the children to teach others about the symbols of the tabernacle using the booklets they made!
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
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