Which Direction Does Your Tent Door Face?

Towards the Temple or towards the World? Hopefully after General Conference this should be an easy answer for you.

From the scriptures we learn of two powerful illustrations about the importance of facing our tent door in the right direction. In the Book of Mormon we read about the General Conference that King Benjamin called:

“And it came to pass that after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a proclamation throughout all the land, that the people gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them.
 “And there were a great number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied exceedingly and waxed great in the land.

                                                                      …
 “And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.
 “And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;”

~Mosiah 1: 1-2, 5-6

The result led to a deeper conversion to the truth among the listeners. 

The second illustration paints a different picture, yet emphasizes the same point. In the book of Genesis we read about Lot and his poor decision to pitch his tent towards Sodom:

“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”

~Gen 13:12-13

 At first it seems innocent for Lot to face his tent towards Sodom as he was well without the walls of the city, and wasn’t part of their wickedness. However this choice doesn’t seem so innocent in the following chapters. In the very next chapter we read that Lot dwelt in Sodom. Eventually the wickedness in the city became so great that the Lord had to destroy it. Before destroying the city the Lord sent angels to save Lot before the city was destroyed. Yet, although Lot was saved physically from harm, his spirit was greatly harmed and stained with unrighteousness by staying in the city. Peter recounts what happened to Lot before he was delivered:

“And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
“(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”

~2 Peter 2: 7-8

To stay pure and clean we cannot live in the midst of sin. We must flee from Babylon and into the Mountains of Ephraim to dwell. For in the mountains dwells the Lord, his servants and his house. Let us then face our tent towards the temple, and the Prophets that we may be able to withstand the enemy in the war against sin.