“Come to the House of the

Lord”

2 Chronicles 29–30; 32; 34 Lesson 30: “Come to the House of the Lord”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, pg 144

King Hezekiah diverted the water of the spring of Gihon to the pool of Siloam, inside the city walls . This was done by digging a conduit (tunnel) for the water through about 1770 feet of limestone rock. Hezekiah then ordered that the

fountains outside the city be covered to deny the Assyrians easy access to the water. Without this water inside the walls of the city, the people of Jerusalem would not have survived the siege by the Assyrians.

Just as the water from the spring of Gihon

was vital for the physical survival of Hezekiah’s

people during their battles

with the Assyrians,

living water is essential

for our spiritual survival during our

battles with Satan.

Living Water10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4: 10-14)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that LIVING WATER is “the words of eternal life, the message of salvation, the truths about God and his kingdom; it is the doctrines of the gospel” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. , 1:151).

Living Water

• Hezekiah reigns in righteousness and restores worship of Jehovah

• Levites cleanse and sanctify the house of the Lord

• Priests offer sacrifices and make reconciliation and atonement for the people

• Hezekiah and all the people worship the Lord and praise his name.

(2 CHRONICLES 29 :3-11)Hezekiah orders the house of the Lord to be cleansed

• Hezekiah invites all Israel to a solemn passover in Jerusalem

• Some accept the call; others laugh him to scorn

• Faithful portion of Israel worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 97 15 And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it; 16 Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. 17 But if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come into unholy temples.

DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 109 20 And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it; 21 And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.

• Sennacherib and his Assyrian army invade the kingdom of Judah and besiege her cities

• Hezekiah diverts the water and testifies that the Lord is with Judah

• Sennarcherib rails against the Lord

• Isaiah and Hezekiah pray for help

• An angel of the Lord destroys the leaders and much of the Assyrian army

• Hezekiah reigns in righteousness despite some faults

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” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 8; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8).

Josiah and his people covenant to serve the Lord:

• Josiah sought the true God,

• Josiah destroyed idolatry in the kingdom

• Josiah sent people to repair the temple.

• Josiah was only 15 or 16 years old when he began making these important changes

• Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.

• Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

• When the Josiah had heard the words of the law, he rent his clothes.

21 Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.

(2 CHRONICLES 34:21)

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 the Book of Mormon lightly, are we under any less condemnation if we do the same?” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 3–4; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 4–5).

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 Ne. 3 Nephi 23:1–5); and we must let them govern our lives” (“How Rare a Possession—the Scriptures!” Ensign, Sept. 1976, 5).

“Come to the House of the

Lord”

…To Receive the Promised Blessings

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.

COME and

ENJOY the BLESSINGS of

the TEMPLE by

living worthily and attending as often

as possible.