There will be more overlap in this post as we enter the Books of Chronicles. Kings and Chronicles cover the same historical period. Originally, First and Second Kings were one book, but with the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) they were split into two books. The Vulgate translation had four books of the kings, combining First and Second Samuel. Easton’s Bible Dictionary states, “While in the Chronicles greater prominence is given to the priestly or Levitical office, in the Kings greater prominence is given to the kingly.” This parallels Nephi’s creation of two sets of plates: “Wherefore these plates are for the more part of the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part of the reign of the kings and the wars and contentions of my people.” (1 Nephi 9:4).
2 Chronicles 3:1 states, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
From this verse we know the location of Solomon’s Temple and its relationship to an important earlier event. This is the same mount where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac according to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Mount Moriah is identified in Genesis 22:2, and its name means “chosen by Jehovah.” The Lord commands, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty” (Deuteronomy 16:16). The three required annual feasts are a gathering to the temple.
Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his “only son” in similitude of the Father’s offering of His only begotten Son. But there was even more on the line. All the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant were established with Isaac. Everything God had promised was lying on that altar. This was the supreme trial of Abraham’s faith. There were only three possibilities. Either God was a liar, or Abraham was not worthy of the covenant promises, or God would raise up Isaac from the dead. We know from Hebrews 11:18-19 that Abraham believed in the third outcome with God raising Isaac from the dead. Think of this! How farfetched was this miracle of being raised from the dead! Yet, Abraham knew the character of God, that He could not lie. He knew his standing before God was acceptable. The miracle had to be the most likely possibility. What faith!
There was another altar and a threshing floor on this mountain. David had purchased this threshing floor from Ornan (or Araunah). Here, oxen crushed the stalks of wheat, and the wind swept away the chaff in a refining process, much like our experience in the temple, as we come to the altar with broken hearts and contrite spirits ready to be fed by His Spirit. Araunah offered David the oxen, wood, and threshing instruments for free, but David said, “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Discipleship comes with a cost.
The burnt offering (‘olah) gets its name from the ascending smoke from the burning of the whole animal on the altar. Our self-will goes up in smoke and carnal appetites are consumed. But we don’t get to burn an animal like ancient Israelites. Instead, we get to do the real thing. We offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (See 3 Nephi 9:20; D&C 59:8).
In the temple, we covenant to live the law of sacrifice. It is given as a blessing for living the law of obedience. The law of sacrifice provided a Savior, who gave His life and suffered for our sins and sorrows, allowing us the possibility of returning to the presence of the Father and the Son to enjoy exaltation and eternal life.
