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David wanted to build a house for God, and when he expressed this desire to the prophet Nathan, the immediate response was affirmative. Who would say no to a desire like that?

But that night, God told Nathan that David’s son, not David, would build the temple. He further affirmed that, as David had offered to build a house for Him, God would build David’s “house” (family) forever. David responded with words of praise and gratitude (2 Samuel 7).

After David’s death, his son Solomon, who succeeded him on the throne, determined to fulfill his father’s desire. He wrote to the king of Tyre:

Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.
But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.

1 Kings 5:3-5

The king of Tyre sent precious cedar and fir for the construction project (1 Kings 5:6-12). Solomon put his people to work, building the temple using the most valuable materials he could obtain (1 Kings 6; 7). When the building was completed, Solomon had the priests bring the ark of the covenant into the new building, which he dedicated to God. He prefaced his dedicatory prayer with a tribute to his father:

It was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.
And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

1 Kings 8:17-20

After Solomon offered the dedicatory prayer, he and his people offered sacrifices, “and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people” (1 Kings 8:66).

Early in the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family arrive in the promised land. After Lehi’s death, the contention between his sons escalated, so that Nephi led those that would follow him into the wilderness to establish their own city away from his brothers (2 Nephi 5:1-8). An important feature of their new city was a house of the Lord:

I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

2 Nephi 5:16

Unlike Solomon, Nephi wasn’t able to obtain precious materials from neighboring kings. Nevertheless, he and his people followed the pattern of Solomon’s temple and made it as fine as they could under their circumstances. Nephi recognized, like David and Solomon, that temple worship is about the desire of the worshipper to offer praise and gratitude to God.

This week as we study 2 Samuel 11-24 and 1 Kings 1-11, let’s pay particular attention to the devotion and desire of David and of Solomon. As imperfect as both of them were, let’s learn from their desire to create a holy place to honor God and to show their love for Him.