Old Testament Lesson 26 (2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11)
June 19–25
THE FALL OF KING DAVID
David and Bathsheba
● 2 Samuel 11:1–5 David committed adultery with Bathsheba.
— David was walking on his roof (v. 2). Many homes in Palestine have flat roofs. People often walk or sit on their roofs in the refreshing cool of evening or to catch a daytime breeze in the heat of the day. The roof of David’s palace was high enough that he could look down into the inner courts of a number homes below his palace.
— David saw Bathseba bathing, was attracted to her, and then acted upon his lustful thoughts (vv. 3–4). He could have avoided his tragedy by simply turning away and casting the thought out of his mind.
● President Spencer W. Kimball said:
“The thought that stirred the look that provoked the lust was evil in its beginning. To want, to desire, to crave—that is to lust. So when the thought is born which starts a chain reaction, a sin has already been committed. If the thought is sown, then develops into lust, it is almost certain to bring eventually the full harvest of the act of the heinous sin, adultery . . .
“Murder is generally thought of as premeditated killing, and certainly no such act was ever completed unless the thought had preceded the action. No one ever robbed a bank until he had “cased” it, planned the robbery and considered the “getaway.” Likewise adultery is not the result of a single thought. There first is a deterioration of thinking. Many sinful chain-thoughts have been coursing through the offender’s mind before the physical sin is committed.
“Yes, as a man thinketh, so does he. If he thinks it long enough he is likely to do it, whether it be theft, moral sin, or suicide. Thus the time to protect against the calamity is when the thought begins to shape itself. Destroy the seed and the plant will never grow. Man alone, of all creatures of earth, can change his thought pattern and become the architect of his destiny.”
(endnote: 1)
● 2 Samuel 11:6–13 David tried to cover his sin. He brought Uriah home from the war to be with his wife so that Uriah and any others would assume the child already conceived was Uriah’s when it was born.
— David’s plan failed because Uriah would not return home (v. 11). He was true to his battlefield companions and felt that he should stay with them.
— David was not at the battle front (vv. 3–27). “Things were getting too easy for David; he had leisure to stay at home while Joab and his men were out fighting Ammonites and Syrians. In his leisure he looked from his rooftop at his neighbor’s wife. Leisure and lust led to adultery and then to murder, which sins had eternal repercussions, as well as tragic earthly results.”
(endnote: 2)
— 2 Samuel 11:14–17 David then committed the greater sin of murder while trying to cover his sin. He arranged for Uriah’s death by having him put at the front of the battle.
● Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Do not take comfort in the fact that your transgressions are not known by others. That is like an ostrich with his head buried in the sand. He sees only darkness and feels comfortably hidden. In reality he is ridiculously conspicuous. Likewise our every act is seen by our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son. They know everything about us. . . . If you have seriously transgressed, you will not find any lasting satisfaction or comfort in what you have done. Excusing transgression with a cover-up may appear to fix the problem, but it does not. The tempter is intent on making public your most embarrassing acts at the most harmful time. Lies weave a pattern that is ever more confining and becomes a trap that Satan will spring to your detriment.”
(endnote: 3)
● 2 Samuel 12:1–14 Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin. Nathan told a parable to illustrate the Lord’s displeasure with David (vv. 1–4). David was outraged at the rich man’s actions against the poor man (vv. 5–6). Then Nathan declared forcefully: “Thou are the man” (vv. 7–9). “Nathan’s allegory was skillfully drawn, and his climatic ‘Attah ha ish!’ (‘Thou art the man’) must have crashed in upon the conscience of David like the harbingers of doom’s day.”
(endnote: 4)
● Psalm 51 David was now repentant. “His repentant feelings were no doubt sincere, but he could not repent enough to restore the life of his friend, Uriah, nor the virtue of his wife. Though he later hoped and prayed that his soul would not be left forever in hell (the spirit prison), yet the eternal destiny of doers of such twin sins does not look good.”
(endnote: 5)
● David acknowledged God and his mercy, as well as his own sins (vv. 1–3).
— He noted that our sins are “ever before us” until we are forgiven (v. 3).
— Note his pleas to be made clean (vv. 2, 7, 10). Anyone who has committed sin will understand this plea.
— Note also his plea for the Holy Spirit not to be taken away (v. 11).
— The results of true repentance are described as a “cleansing”, a “restoration” and a “deliverance” (vv. 9–10).
— The principles of repentance are stated very clearly (vv. 16–17).
The Seriousness of Deliberately Committed Sins
● Ezekiel 18:24 It is possible to negate a lifetime of good deeds with acts of wickedness.
● “This scripture highlights two very important principles: (1) Any one sin, however small, deliberately committed and un-repented, is sufficient to keep us out of the celestial kingdom. And (2) our good deeds do not ‘outweigh’ our sins. We will not be judged by comparing the good that we do with the sins we commit. All sins must be forsaken, repented, and atoned, no matter how much good we have otherwise done in our lives.”
(endnote: 6)
● D&C 1:31–33 God cannot look upon any sin with the least degree of allowance.
The Hierarchy of the Most Serious Sins
● Forgiveness means to escape some or all of the punishment associated with the sin through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven when we fully repent.
● Pardon means when the punishment has been fully served, to be released from suffering.
● Murder is Unforgivable
—Murder cannot be atoned and the murderer must pay the full price of his sin, after which he is pardoned and released from suffering.
● The Sin Against the Holy Ghost is Unpardonable
—There is neither any forgiveness for it nor any end to the suffering. The suffering goes on forever.
● The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost, for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against Him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes opened to the truth of it; and from that time he beings to be an enemy. This is the case with many apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
(endnote: 7)
The Seriousness of Adultery
● Alma 39:5 Alma explained the seriousness of adultery.
● President Spencer W. Kimball said, “The enormity of this sin is underlined by numerous scriptures, and particularly by Alma’s words to his immoral son [Alma 39:5]. . . . The grievousness of the sin enhances the difficulty of repenting. Sometimes offenders reach the point of no return and cannot repent, for the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. Esau sold his birthright for “one morsel of meat.” Many young people sell their birthrights or put them in serious jeopardy for one hour in dark places, one unwarranted thrill, one exciting experience in a car or in a harlot’s bed. One sad experience may not totally destroy, for repentance is in order, but one experience of fornication can break down the bars, blast and scar a life, and start a soul on a lifetime of regret and anguish.”
(endnote: 8)
● Adultery is forgivable, though it is very near to murder (which is not forgivable) in its seriousness.
● Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “The discouraging idea that a mistake (or even a series of them) makes it everlastingly too late, does not come from the Lord. He has said that if we will repent, not only will He forgive us our transgressions, but He will forget them and remember our sins no more. . . . Repentance is like soap; it can wash sin away. Ground-in dirt may take the strong detergent of discipline to get the stains out, but out they will come.”
(endnote: 9)
● Had David confessed and repented of his adultery, he would have been forgiven.
● Because he did not repent, his sins were steadily compounded until he committed a worse sin: murder.
● D&C 10:24–27 This is the process that Satan uses to entrap us—in a snare of our own making.
The Seriousness of Murder
● JST 2 Samuel 12:13 The Joseph Smith Translation says, “The Lord also hath NOT put away thy sin.” Compare this to the inaccurate version of this scripture in the Bible (2 Samuel 12:13). Somewhere along the way, a scribe changed the Lord’s words to make David’s mistake less drastic than it was.
● Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Murderers are forgiven eventually but only in the sense that all sins are forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost; they are not forgiven in the sense that celestial salvation is made available to them (Matt. 12:31–32).
(endnote: 10) After they have paid the full penalty for their crime, they shall go on to a telestial inheritance. (Rev. 22:15).”
(endnote: 11)
● President Spencer W. Kimball said:
“As to crimes for which no adequate restoration is possible, I have suggested . . . that perhaps the reason murder is an unforgivable sin is that, once having taken a life—whether that life be innocent or reprobate—the life-taker cannot restore it. He may give his own life as payment, but this does not wholly undo the injury done by his crime. He might support the widow and children; he might do many other noble things; but a life is gone and the restitution of it in full is impossible. Repentance in the ordinary sense seems futile.
“Murder is so treacherous and so far-reaching! Those who lose their possessions may be able to recover their wealth. Those defamed may still be able to prove themselves above reproach. Even the loss of chastity leaves the soul in mortality with opportunity to recover and repent and to make amends to some degree. But to take a life, whether someone else’s or one’s own, cuts off the victim’s experiences of mortality and thus his opportunity to repent, to keep God’s commandments in this earth life. It interferes with his potential of having ‘glory added upon [his head] for ever and ever.’ (Abraham 3:26).”
(endnote: 12)
● The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “‘A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell: he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell. Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the priesthood; and the priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.”
(endnote: 13)
The Results in David’s Life
The price of David’s sin of murder and adultery was high. He spent the rest of his life regretting it.
● Psalm 38 David sorrowed because of his sins and begged the Lord not to forsake him.
● Psalm 51, particularly v. 11 David plead for divine forgiveness and mercy and gave to God a broken heart and a contrite spirit—”Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
● Psalm 16:10 David sought forgiveness all the rest of his life, and at length he received a promise from God that his soul would not stay in hell forever.
● Psalm 86:12–13 David received the assurance that his soul would eventually be “delivered . . . from the lowest hell.”
● D&C 132:38–39 But this assurance could not restore the blessings he had lost. They were gone forever. David cannot inherit eternal exaltation.
● Acts 2:29–34 David will eventually be released from punishment for his sins, but he had not yet been released at the time of the Savior’s mortal ministry.
● Elder Marion G. Romney said: “David, . . . though highly favored of the Lord (he was, in fact, referred to as a man after God’s own heart), yielded to temptation. His unchastity led to murder, and as a consequence, he lost his families and his exaltation.”
(endnote: 14)
● President Joseph F. Smith said: “For the crime of adultery with Bathsheba, and for ordering Uriah to be put in the front of battle in a time of war, where he was slain by the enemy, the priesthood, and the kingdom were taken from David, the man after God’s own heart, and his soul was thrust into hell . . . But even David, though guilty of adultery and murder of Uriah, obtained the promise that his soul should not be left in hell, which means, as I understand it, that even he shall escape the second death.”
(endnote: 15)
● Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: “David committed a dreadful crime, and all his life afterwards sought for forgiveness. Some of the Psalms portray the anguish of his soul; yet David is still paying for his sin. He did not receive the resurrection at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter declared that his body was still in the tomb, and the Prophet Joseph Smith has said, ‘David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell: he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell.’ Again we ask: Who wishes to spend a term in hell with the devil before being cleansed from sin?”
(endnote: 16)
● 2 Samuel 12:15–23 The child born of David and Bathsheba’s illicit act died soon after birth.
● 2 Samuel 12:24–25 A second son, Solomon, was later born to David and Bathsheba.
TRAGEDY IN THE HOUSE OF DAVID
The Fruits of David’s Sins in His Family
● 2 Samuel 12:10–12 The prophet Nathan told David that sin and death would be part of his own family because of his sin. This proved to be tragically true.
THE RISE OF SOLOMON
Solomon Becomes King
● 1 Chronicles 22:7–10 Solomon was chosen by God to be the new king of Israel.
● 1 Kings 1:1–10 Adonijah attempted to become king of Israel first. He set up a coronation ceremony next to one of the sacred pools in the valley below the City of David.
● 1 Kings 1:28–40 With encouragement from Bathsheba and Nathan, David quickly appointed Solomon king, and held a coronation at another sacred pool nearby. Thus, before Adonijah could have himself crowned king, Solomon was anointed.
● 1 Kings 1:41–53 To save his life, Adonijah submitted to Solomon’s rule.
● 1 Kings 2:1–4; 1 Chronicles 29:20–25 David gave wise counsel to Solomon.
● 1 Kings 2:5–11 David also instructed him about how to deal with Joab, Barzillai and Shimei.
● 1 Kings 2:13–25 Adonijah was slain for implying claim to the throne by seeking to marry one of David’s wives.
● 1 Kings 2:26–46 Solomon administered justice to Abiathar, Joab, and Shimei according to the law of Moses.
Solomon Begins His Reign
● 1 Kings 3:1 Solomon entered into a political marriage with the Pharaoh’s daughter. This was a political marriage to secure peace (JST 1 Kings 3:1).
● 1 Kings 3:2–4; JST 1 Kings 3:2–4 Solomon and his people offered sacrifices to the Lord in high places because there was no temple.
● 1 Kings 3:5–14; JST 1 Kings 3:5–9, 12, 14 The Lord appeared to Solomon for the first time and asked him what blessing he desired.
● Solomon asked for wisdom, which greatly pleased the Lord.
● The Lord granted his wish but added other blessings also:
— Wisdom
— Riches
— Honor
— Length of days
— All of these were conditioned upon his keeping of the commandments.
● 1 Kings 9:3–9 Solomon began his reign very humbly and was greatly blessed by the Lord.
● The Lord promised Solomon that the royal line of his father, David, would not fail if Solomon and his children remained faithful (vv. 5–7).
The Wisdom of Solomon
● 1 Kings 3:16–28 In a striking demonstration of the wisdom God had granted him, Solomon judged which harlot was the mother of a baby that they both claimed as their own.
● 1 Kings 4:29–34 Solomon was wiser than all other men of that time.
SOLOMON BUILDS A TEMPLE
The Sacred Location of Solomon’s Temple
● 1 Kings 6:1 Solomon built the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah.
● The location was significant: (2 Chronicles 3:2).
— It was built to be over the threshing floor (solid rock surface) of Araunah on Mt. Moriah.
— David built an altar there to the Lord during his days as king (2 Samuel 24:18–25).
— This was the site of the City of Salem, where Melchizedek was king.
— The people of Salem were eventually translated.
— Tradition holds that there was also a temple at this site in the city of Salem.
— This is the same site where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.
— The is the site where Christ was eventually crucified.
● He began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
Construction of Solomon’s Temple
● 1 Kings 5:17–18 Tremendous manpower was required for the temple project:
— There was no practical accommodation for a temple on the summit of Mount Moriah as it existed in its natural state. It had a steep ascent on three sides and a peak to the north. The only flat surface was the threshing floor of Araunah and that was barely large enough to accommodate a good-sized room. Solomon’s task was therefore to build a huge platform on top of this mountain and then erect the temple on top of that.
— All parts of the building were prefabricated and then brought to the temple block where they could be quietly fitted together without disturbing the sanctity of the place.
— Solomon used conscripts from Tyre as well as Israel to build the temple.
— He requisitioned 30,000 men from the various tribes to cut timber—10,000 at a time.
— He requisitioned 70,000 men to “bare burdens”—meaning to haul stones and the fill stones needed to form the temple platform.
— He requisitioned another 80,000 “hewers” quarry, square, face and place the huge stones.
— To supervise, Solomon had 3,300 foremen, engineers and superintendents.
— In addition he had to harness the entire economy of Israel to provide the food and other necessities for the workmen and meet the heavy tax levies required to pay for it.
● 1 Kings 6:2 The architecture of the Temple of Solomon.
— The temple of Solomon was identical with that of the ancient Tabernacle except that it was twice as long, twice as wide and three times as high—90 ft long, 30 ft wide, 45 ft high.
— It was divided into a Holy Place 60 feet long and a Holy of Holies 30 feet long.
— As with the Tabernacle and temples in all ages, the front entrance faced east. This entrance was very ornate and impressive, with a great porch as wide as the temple and extending fifteen feet out into the courtyard. The floor of the porch was overlaid with gold.
— The high roof of the porch rested on two massive brass pillars each 27 ft high and 18 ft in circumference.” At the top of each pillar was an enlarged capital decorated with lily leaves. This was overhung with wreaths of 200 bronze pomegranates. The pillar on the left (north side) was called Boaz while the one on the right (south side) was called Jachin.” It is assumed these pillars were hollow.
— Two great doors formed the entrance to the temple. These doors were made of thick planks of olive wood, elaborately carved, with gold foil carefully molded over the carving. They swung on gold hinges.
— The Holy Place floor was overlaid with gold and the walls of carved cedar were decorated with gold and precious stones. Instead of a single candlestick with seven branches as was used in the Tabernacle, there were ten candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right and five on the left. Along the side of the north wall was the golden table of shew bread. At the far end of the Holy Place was the partition dividing this room from the Holy of Holies. To one side of this partition was the golden altar of incense.
— The partition into the Holy of Holies consisted of two doors. These, like the main doors of the temple, were made of heavy planks of olive wood, beautifully carved and overlaid with gold and hung on gold hinges and protected by a gold chain which hung across them.
— Inside the Holy of Holies there were two magnificent cherubim, each 15 ft tall with 7½ ft wings spread out in each direction—placed so that their inside wings touched each other over the spot reserved for the Ark and their outside wings touched the north and south walls. Both of these huge figures were made of olive wood and were overlaid with gold.
— The walls of the Holy of Holies were elaborately carved and then the entire interior was gold-plated, including the floor.
— In the center of the Holy of Holies was the outcropping of rock which was once the threshing floor of Araunah and on which the fire of the Lord had consumed David’s sacrifice. The Ark of the Covenant would rest there beneath the over-shadowing wings of the Cherubim.
● 1 Kings 7:23–26 Baptismal fonts in latter-day temples are patterned after Solomon’s “sea,” which rested on the backs of twelve oxen.
— In conjunction with this huge reservoir of water or brazen sea there were ten large brass basins on wheels which could be moved around the courtyard and used for washing and cleansing in connection with the multitude of sacrifices. So the brazen sea was used for something else— probably baptisms, which were definitely practiced in ancient Israel.
The Mysterious Upper Floor of Solomon’s Temple
● 2 Chronicles 3:9 makes reference to “upper chambers” in Solomon’s temple. Nowhere else is there a description of this part of the temple, but it must have been a most important and sacred part because it says. “And he [Solomon] overlaid the upper chambers with gold.”
— Josephus said, “There was another building erected over it [that is, over the first floor], equal to it in its measures. . . . He also built around the temple thirty small rooms . . . Above these were other rooms, and others above them . . . so that these reached to a height equal to the lower part of the house: for the upper part had no buildings about it. . . . The king also had a fine contrivance for an ascent to the upper room over the temple, and that was by steps in the thickness of its walls; for it [the upper house] had no large door on the east end, as the lower house had, but the entrances were by the sides, through very small doors.”
(endnote: 17)
— Solomon’s temple which the Bible describes as 45 feet in height, was not one story, but two.
— Annex rooms built on the outside of the temple, only came half-way up the side of the temple.
— The entrance to the Upper House was not through the regular entrance to the temple but through doors on the sides, accessed by stairways built into the thickness of the walls.
● D&C 124:37–39 The purpose of Solomon’s temple included the endowment, which was not performed publicly (like other ordinances in the courtyard and lower house).
● 2 Chronicles 3:14 A veil was built for Solomon’s temple. Where was it used?
— In the lower house, elaborately carved doors separated the Holy Place and Holy of Holies.
— Some authorities speculate it was placed over the opening of the two doors whenever they were left ajar, but there is nothing in the scriptures to indicate this.
— Josephus says the dimensions of the second floor were identical with the first—one room 60 ft long (comparable to the Holy Place on the first floor), and a room 30 ft long (comparable to the Holy of Holies on the first floor).
— If the upper chambers of Solomon’s temple were used for the higher ordinances then its proper place would be between the terrestrial and celestial rooms as in modern temples.
Solomon Dedicates the Completed Temple
● 1 Kings 6:11–13 During the travail of completing the temple, the Lord gave Solomon a revelation of encouragement.
● 1 Kings 6:16, 19 The ark of the covenant, a tangible reminder of God’s revelations and blessings, was placed in the innermost part of the temple, the “most holy place.”
● 1 Kings 8:1–4 After seven years of construction, the temple was ready for dedication.
● 1 Kings 8:5–11 The ark of the covenant was ceremoniously placed in the Holy of Holies.
● 1 Kings 8:22–54 Solomon dedicated the temple unto the Lord. Note that the king is acting as a prophet and priest here.
— 1 Kings 8:23–30 contains a portion of his dedicatory prayer.
● 1 Kings 8:56–61 After concluding his prayer, Solomon blessed and admonished his people.
● 1 Kings 9:1–9 The Lord then appeared to accept the temple and blesses him.
SOLOMON REIGNS IN SPLENDOR
Solomon’s Great Wealth
● Solomon had great wealth—exceeding all other kings in both riches and wives (1 Kings 7:1–12; 1 Kings 4:26–28; 1 Kings 9:26–28).
Solomon Reigned in Security and Peace
● 1 Kings 3:1 He entered into political marriages to forge alliances with heathen nations.
● 1 Kings 4:21, 24–25 He enjoyed great peace during his reign.
● 1 Kings 4:21, 24–25 He built massive fortifications and armies.
● 1 Kings 4:1–28 He also reorganized his own government to solidify control.
● 1 Kings 9:10–14 He paid his huge debts to Hiram of Tyre with 20 cities in Galilee. Hiram called this land “Cabul,” which means “displeasing” or “dirty” (v. 13).
● 1 Kings 9:15–24 He built a navy and fortified his kingdom.
● The surviving people of Canaan (Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, etc) were made slaves, but the Israelites were Solomon’s army (vv. 21–22).
● 1 Kings 10:11–29 Solomon’s wealth and wisdom were vast—and widely known.
● 1 Kings 10:1–10, 23–24 The queen of Sheba was one of the foreign dignitaries that visited Solomon.
SOLOMON’S DOWNFALL
The Lord’s Warnings about Kings Are Fulfilled
● Deuteronomy 17:15–20 Many years before, Moses gave instructions concerning kings.
● 1 Samuel 8:7–18 The prophet Samuel’s prophesied concerning the difficulties that would arise if kings were established in Israel. All of these prophesies were fulfilled:
— Israel’s sons were called to be men of war (1 Kings 9:22).
— Many horses and chariots were gathered for war (1 Kings 10:26).
— The Israelites had to raise crops for Solomon and his army (1 Kings 4:21–28).
— Solomon gave cities and lands to those who did things for him (1 Kings 9:11).
— Food and supplies for officers & servants came from the people (1 Kings 4:22–23, 26–28).
Solomon Displeases the Lord
● 1 Kings 5:13–18 He formed a standing army and used slaves and Israelites for forced labor to establish his own glory. He built splendid cities, mistaking his own greed for national pride. His policies eventually left his whole nation in debt (1 Kings 9:20–23).
● 1 Kings 11:1–8 He married outside the covenant, and his wives turned his heart to idolatry. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines (vv. 3–6).
● 1 Kings 11:9–13 Ahijah prophesied the division of Israel into two kingdoms.
● 1 Kings 11:14–26 Adversaries were stirred up against Solomon.
● 1 Kings 11:26–31 Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, was singled out by God (through the prophet Ahijah) to rule the northern ten tribes.
● 1 Kings 11:41 Reference is made here to the Book of the Acts of Solomon, which we do not have at the present time.
FOOTNOTES
1: The Miracle of Forgiveness, 114.
2: Rasmussen, Introduction to the Old Testament, 2 vols. [1972], 1:185.
3: In Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 103; or Ensign , May 1995, 77.
4: Introduction to the Old Testament, 1:185.
5: Introduction to the Old Testament, 1:185.
6: Randal S. Chase, Old Testament Study Guide, Pt. 2, Deuteronomy to Solomon, (Making Precious Things Plain, Vol. 8), 2nd ed. [2011], 174.
7: Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 358.
8: The Miracle of Forgiveness, 61–65.
9: In Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 72; or Ensign, May 1989, 59.
10: See also Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 356–357.
11: Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 520.
12: The Miracle of Forgiveness, 195–196.
13: Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 339.
14: In Conference Report, Apr. 1979, 60; or Ensign, May 1979, 42.
15: “Come, Follow Me”, 5th ed. [1939], 433.
16: Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 1:74.
17: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 8. chapter 3:2.