“Come to the House of the
Lord”
Lesson 30 – 2
Chronicles 29-30, 32, 34
Hezekiah ordered the house of the Lord to be cleansed.
Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, was a wicked king who
had desecrated the temple of the Lord and “shut up [its] doors”
(2 Chronicles 28:24).
When Hezekiah became king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in 715 B.C., one of the first
things he did was open the doors of the temple and order the priests and
Levites to cleanse and sanctify it (2
Chronicles 29:3-5). According to
Hezekiah, the temple needed to be sanctified because the people had been “turn[ing] away
[our] faces from the habitation of the Lord”.
2 Chronicles 29:8-10 - Because
of their disregard for the temple, the Lord had forsaken them. By cleansing the
temple and preparing it for worship again, Hezekiah hoped the Lord would turn
away his wrath.
2 Chronicles 29:20-21,
29-31, 36 - Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem consecrated
themselves, offered sacrifices, and worshipped when the temple had been cleansed.
By the time of Hezekiah’s reign, much of the
kingdom of Israel [the Northern Kingdom] had been taken captive by the
Assyrians. Hezekiah promised the remaining Israelites that if they would “turn again
unto the Lord,” the captives would be released. Instead,
most of the people of Israel rejected Hezekiah’s invitation. Because of the
wickedness of the people, the remainder of the kingdom of Israel was taken
captive several years later (see 2 Kings 18:10-12). The captive
Israelites became the lost ten tribes.
The Assyrians invaded. Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed for help, and the Lord answered.
2 Chronicles 32:1 - After
Israel was taken into captivity, the Assyrians began to attack Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:6-8 - Hezekiah
told his people that the Lord was with them so they should be strong.
2 Chronicles 32:9-17 - Sennacherib
sent his servants to speak to and scare the people in Jerusalem by telling them
that their God could not save them any more than other nations’ gods had saved
them.
Of course, today Satan tries to convince us that
God cannot or will not help us.
2 Chronicles 32:20
- Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayedd to heaven for protection.
Their prayers were answered as the Lord slew the
leaders of the Assyrian army. The
Lord’s protection was received because of their righteousness, which was
demonstrated by their worship at the temple.
President Howard W. Hunter encouraged: “Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend
the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple
in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of
the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and
to remain worthy of that blessing. If
proximity to a temple does not allow frequent attendance, gather in the history
of your family and prepare the names for the sacred ordinances performed only
in the temple. This family research is essential to the work of the temples,
and blessings surely will come to those who do that work”
(Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8).
Josiah and his people covenanted to serve the Lord.
Hezekiah was succeeded as king by his son Manasseh and his grandson Amon. Manasseh ruled Judah in wickedness, placing idols in the temple and leading the people to sin. Manasseh eventually humbled himself, however, and repented before his death. Manasseh’s son Amon also worshiped the idols his father had made. Amon did not repent, and was slain by his own servants. His son Josiah became king of Judah when eight years old. He became a righteous king who rejected the wicked ways of his father and grandfather.
2 Chronicles 34:1-2 - King Josiah “did which was right in the sight of the Lord.” Josiah sought the true God, destroyed idolatry in the kingdom, and sent people to repair the temple. He was only 15 or 16 years old when he began making these important changes.
2 Chronicles 34:14
- During the renovation of the temple, HHilkiah the high priest found a book of
the law of the Lord. By this time in
Judah’s history the written law apparently had been lost and was virtually
unknown.
2 Chronicles 34:19, 21
- When the book of the law was read to hhim, Josiah was caused to mourn because
the wrath of the Lord would be poured out on he and his people.
2 Chronicles 34:22-25
– The prophetess Huldah said the judgment of God would come upon Judah
because the people had failed to keep the word of the Lord and do what the
scriptures taught.
President Ezra Taft Benson described the dangers of neglecting one of our books of scripture, the Book of Mormon: “In 1829, the Lord warned the Saints that they are not to trifle with sacred things (see D&C 6:12). Surely the Book of Mormon is a sacred thing, and yet many trifle with it, or in other words, take it lightly, treat it as though it is of little importance. In 1832, as some early missionaries returned from their fields of labor, the Lord reproved them for treating the Book of Mormon lightly. As a result of that attitude, he said, their minds had been darkened. Not only had treating this sacred book lightly brought a loss of light to themselves, it had also brought the whole Church under condemnation, even all the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, ‘And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon’ (D&C 84:54-57). … If the early Saints were rebuked for treating [it] lightly, are we under any less condemnation if we do the same?” (Ensign, Nov. 1986, 4-5).
2 Chronicles 34:26, 28
- Huldah said Josiah would die in peace because of his righteousness.
2 Chronicles 34:29-30
- After Josiah found that his peoplle would be condemned because they had
not done as the scriptures instructed, he called all the people to the temple
and read the scriptures to them.
He did this knowing that the people could not
follow God’s laws if they did not know them.
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “The Lord is not
trifling with us when he gives us these things, for ‘unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall be much required.’ (Luke 12:48). Access to these things means responsibility for them. We must
study the scriptures according to the Lord’s commandment (see 3 Nephi 23:1-5);
and we must let them govern our lives” (Ensign,
Sept. 1976, 5).
2 Chronicles 34:31-33
- While Josiah and his people were at thhe temple, they made a covenant with the
Lord to follow the Lord and keep his commandments with all their hearts and
souls.
The people in the kingdom of Judah eventually
became so wicked that the Lord allowed them to be taken captive. During their
reigns, however, Hezekiah and Josiah had sought to strengthen the people by
turning their attention to the temple and the scriptures. As we focus our
attention on obeying the Lord’s commandments and being worthy to enter the
temple, we will be blessed with spiritual strength and joy. Enjoy the blessings
of the temple by living worthily and attending as often as possible.
Excerpt from a talk by President Gordon B.
Hinckley: “I hold before you two credit cards. Most of you are familiar with
cards such as these. The first is a bank credit card. It permits me to secure
merchandise on credit and then pay for my purchases at one time. It is a
valuable thing and something to be safeguarded. If stolen and dishonestly used,
it could cause me great loss and perhaps considerable embarrassment. In
accepting it from my bank, I enter into a contract and become bound by
obligations and agreements. In accepting the card, I agree to meet the
conditions under which it was issued. It is issued for one year only and must
be reissued each year if I am to enjoy the privileges afforded by it. It is not
really mine. The bank retains ownership. If I fail in my required performance,
then the bank may shut off the credit and repossess the card. The other card which I have is what we call
a temple recommend. It represents a credit card with the Lord, making available
to me many of His greatest gifts. The bank card is concerned with things of the
world, the recommend with things of God.
To secure a temple recommend, the receiver must also have demonstrated
his eligibility, and that eligibility is based on personal worthiness. Once
granted, it is not in place forever but must be reissued each year.
Furthermore, it is subject to forfeiture if the holder does anything which
would disqualify him for its privileges.
Eligibility for a temple recommend is not based on financial worth. That
has nothing whatever to do with it. It is based on consistent personal
behavior, on the goodness of one’s life. It is not concerned with money
matters, but rather with things of eternity.
The bank card opens the door to financial credit. The temple recommend
opens the door to the House of the Lord. It is concerned with entry into holy
precincts to do sacred and divine work. … This recommend which I have and which
so many of you have is a precious and wonderful thing. It makes one eligible
for an exclusive and remarkable privilege—the privilege of entering that House
which says on its wall, ‘Holiness to the Lord—the House of the Lord.’ Live worthy
to serve in that house. Keep it holy. Do your part to keep from the Lord’s
house any unclean or defiling influence or person. Enjoy its beauty. Enjoy the
wonder of the things that are spoken there, the beauty and the blessing of the
ordinances there administered. To
[those] who have not yet been to the temple, may I suggest that you take
advantage of the opportunity of being baptized in behalf of the dead. And then
let that sacred experience become an anchor to your lives, that you so conduct
yourselves at all times and in all circumstances that, at the proper time, you
may secure a special and restricted credit card with the Lord, even a recommend
to His holy house, there to enjoy all of its blessings and privileges”
(Ensign, May 1990, 49, 52).