Temple Themes

In First Kings, chapter 22, we have a divine council setting. This follows temple rituals where an assembly is initiated into heavenly secrets. The famous verse in Amos 3:7 teaches this principle: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” The Hebrew word for secret is

Joseph F. Smith saw in vision a “vast congregation of the righteous,” who would be leaders in fulfilling the Lord’s work on earth. Among these was Elijah, who “was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the

There are striking similarities between the dedicatory prayer of Solomon’s Temple and the Kirtland Temple. They begin in a similar fashion. Here is the beginning of the dedicatory prayer for Solomon’s Temple: “And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands

King David has a realization that his own house is, in some respects, superior to the Lord’s. He said to Nathan, “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains” (2 Samuel 7:2). But the Lord said through Nathan the prophet, “And when thy days be fulfilled,

There is much temple imagery in 1 Kings chapter 1. David is on his death bed and Adonijah attempts to seize the throne. Bathsheba intervenes upon Nathan’s advice and approaches and bows before the king. Approaching the king is in likeness of approaching God. The king asks, “What wouldest thou?” (1 Kings 1:16).   David

I love how you can have your choice in the scriptures. You can get the pure doctrine in the Doctrine and Covenants, or you can get the symbolic story in the Book of Mormon or the Bible. King David is a great example. As I read about David in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel chapters

Second Samuel chapter 6 has the perplexing story of Uzzah, who steadied the Ark of the Covenant.   But first, I have to mention the story of Abigail. She is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. David is still running from Saul. He and his travel companions support themselves by defending farms and

After David slew Goliath, “the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music” and chanting, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul became jealous, and the scripture says, “Saul eyed David from that day and forward” (1 Samuel 18:6-9).

As David prepares to battle Goliath, Saul comes to his aid by providing “armor,” a helmet of brass, and a “coat of mail.” The translation is deceptive. It would seem to partially match the armor of Goliath, but it doesn’t. In the original Hebrew, Goliath is wearing the brass helmet and fish scales, which is

The Lord chose Saul to be king over a united Israel. “Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head” (1 Samuel 10:1) and anointed him. In the Old Testament, there is a close relationship between kingship (and queenship) and the Messiah. The king was actually referred to as a “messiah.” The