PUZZLE #10 - The Temple

"...of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were IN GREAT ABUNDANCE" and "I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for THEY WERE NOT TO BE FOUND UPON THE LAND," (2nd Nephi 5:15-16 Page 66).

These two verses present one PUZZLE. Which is it? First precious ores are available in "GREAT ABUNDANCE", enough that he was teaching people to work with refined metals. But, then, the very next verse says there weren't any "precious things to build with. Were the precious things there or not? What was lacking?

Nephi was "exceedingly young" when he left Jerusalem (1st Nephi 2:16 Page 4). His older brothers weren't married when they left Jerusalem. What did Nephi know about building that he could have taught his people (2nd Nephi 5:15)? It's another PUZZLE. It was B.C. 588. They had all spent the last twelve years living in tents. What did this young man know about buildings?

For that matter, who was there to teach? Yet another PUZZLE. He says "my people". Which people? Anyone born since the day they had left Jerusalem behind would be under age 12. Lehi and Sarah were old. Verse 14 says that the Lamanites were already a separate people, living elsewhere.

That means that his "my people" consisted of Sam and Nephi, Ishmael and his wife and a bunch of kids under the age of 12. Are we supposed to believe that they could even build a temple, much less one like Solomon’s temple, with "exceedingly fine" workmanship?

The writer states that Nephi built a temple in the Americas. This temple would be used by these people, who he claims were Israelite. Nephi must have been special, indeed, to have been authorized to build God's earthly habitation. King David was not allowed to build the temple because he had Uriah killed. Nephi had killed Laban. Would God have allowed him to build a temple? It's another PUZZLE.

The Law of Moses was still in effect for all Israelites, so, the temple service was that of animal sacrifice. Killing animals, capturing their blood in vessels, burning their carcasses on the altar and doing all the work of the temple priests would keep any man busy. The entire tribe of Levi was needed to accomplish the work within the temple in Jerusalem. Nephi didn't have any Levites to help him. In fact, Nephi wasn't a Levite. He was a descendent of Joseph, not Levi.

Nobody in the group was a descendant from Levi, and no one was a descendant of Aaron. So, why were they allowed to be working in the temple? In Canaan, King
Saul, who was a Benjamite, once took it upon himself to make an offering in the temple. It cost him his kingdom.

God specifically stated that only the family of Aaron could function in that office, and He dedicated the tribe of Levi for service in His temple. No one else was ever
to be authorized. Nephi claimed to be a descendant of Joseph, and that tribe was not authorized to do temple work. There are many PUZZLES here.