Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026

(2 Samuel 11) Elder Dallin H. Oaks relates the story of King David to illustrate the dangers of pornography.

Solomon marries non-Israelite women, and his wives turn his heart to the worship of false gods—The Lord stirs up adversaries against him, including Jeroboam, the son of Nebat—Ahijah promises Jeroboam that he will be the king of the ten tribes—Solomon dies and Rehoboam reigns in his stead.

The Lord again appears to Solomon—The Lord promises great blessings if the Israelites are obedient and great cursings if they forsake Him—Solomon reigns in splendor, levies tribute upon the non-Israelites, and builds a navy of ships.

The ark, containing the two tablets of stone, is placed in the Holy of Holies—The glory of the Lord fills the temple—Solomon offers the dedicatory prayer—He asks for temporal and spiritual blessings upon repentant and prayerful Israel—The people sacrifice and worship for fourteen days.

Solomon builds himself a house—Hiram of Tyre makes the two pillars, the molten sea, the ten bases, the ten lavers, and all the vessels for the temple—The molten sea (baptismal font) rests on the backs of twelve oxen.

Solomon builds the temple—The Lord promises to dwell among the Israelites if they are obedient—The ornaments of the temple are described.

Solomon loves the Lord and keeps His commandments—The Lord appears to Solomon and promises him a wise and an understanding heart—He judges between two harlots and determines who is the mother of a child.

Nathan tells David the parable of the ewe lamb—The Lord gave many wives to David, who is now cursed for taking Bathsheba—David fasts and prays for his son, but the Lord takes him—Solomon is born—David conquers the royal city of the Ammonites.

David lies with Bathsheba, and she conceives—He then arranges for the death in battle of her husband, Uriah.

Saul, David, and Solomon, the first three kings of Israel, all started out with so much promise. Humble, courageous, and wise, they each found favor with the Lord—at least at first. Sadly, each king also gave in to human weaknesses and temptation. They put their own desires before the Lord’s. And as we’ve seen over and over in the scriptures—and in our own lives—that led to tragedy.

But something important happened during the reign of Solomon that provided some hope for stability in the lives of the covenant people. Solomon built a temple. It was to be a more permanent house of the Lord than the tabernacle had been. And it would represent a more permanent presence of the Lord among His people. Solomon knew that the people would continue to face weakness and trials of various kinds. In dedicating the new holy house, Solomon pleaded with the Lord, “If they … return unto thee with all their heart, … then hear thou their prayer” (1 Kings 8:47–48). That’s part of what temple covenants do for us—they create a connection to God. They secure for us the promise that through our repentance and His mercy, He can “dwell among [us]” and never forsake us (1 Kings 6:13).

For an overview of the book of 1 Kings, see “Kings, books of” in the Bible Dictionary.