Becoming Greater

"So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him" (1 Chronicles 11:9)

Now, I know that I go on and on about King David, but look! here is the key, the reason, the explanation to his success: he didn't begin great.

I mean, from what we have David was a good boy, maybe even exceptional for his age and time, but not great. No, great came later. And greater came later still. To me, this means hope for myself. I'm not great, but through the Lord apparently I can wax greater and greater. I mean, even when David had committed his great sin and was seeking forgiveness, he had the spirit of prophecy and music (see Psalms). That's how great he was. And we can be that great too.

This verse about David is echoed about Christ: "the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom," (Luke 2:40); "saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace" (D&C 93:12).

Mortality is a growing experience, for everyone. If we are not where we want to be, then like David, we have to do it through the Lord. In fact, I don't know if anyone great has done it another way. And, if we are amazing already, God can always make us greater.

Temple View

"And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them"(1 Chronicles 9:27)

My husband was home-schooled, him and all his siblings. This was his mom's desire, who hadn't had the best time as a child in public school. Now, his mother, besides home-schooling her children, had another dream: she wanted to live in a house with a view to the temple. For various reasons, this never happened. But, aware of, and sharing their mother's dream, this family gave their "home-school" the name Templeview.

When I was reading 1 Chronicles about the different Levitical duties concerning the temple, I read about how some where to live by the temple and keep watch over it, and was reminded of Templeview. Some of us are physically able to do this, our backyard views opening up to a gorgeous view of a temple of God.

Others of us have to make our homes temples. And yes, that includes cleaning and organizing and not watching bad movies, but it's more than that. Our temple-homes can include genealogy and work for the dead, can be a place of prayer and holy communication, can even have off-key heavenly choirs.

Let's narrow this further: WE can be walking, talking temples. We can be a house for that third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. We can constantly have that "temple-view".

Now, the scripture above said that this was their "charge". Let's take a look at what Moses originally intended for Israel: "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation"(Exodus 19:6); "would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets" (Numbers 11:29). And that was the idea when Israel was first founded, I would like to think we are able to meet, and succeed, these expectations nowadays.

We are part of Israel. We have temples. Many of us are priests, and prophets, holy men and women. Let us not forget our charge, let us always seek after obtaining that "temple-view"

Genealogy, Again

"So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies" (1 Chronicles 9:1)

So, I've said it a bazillion times, so here goes bazillion-and-one: genealogy is important. Books were devoted to it. Yes, it helped because when the Israelites came back from Babylon it helped to know what tribe you were from, or if you could serve in the temple or not. It helps Jews nowadays who are returning to Israel to know the same thing. Genealogies help gather God's people.

But, let's not make a mistake, an individual is worth more than their ancestors. So, why was Israel "reckoned" by genealogies? Remember, Israel wasn't some city that Abraham started, it was a family. He didn't seek out to set up a church or state, but a family that would grow so big it was its own nation. That was the covenant of Abraham, not that he would help build Zion on earth, but that he would start an eternal family of righteous men and women. Family was the special covenant, genealogy was a record of God keeping His covenant.

Also, let's think for a moment: if family is important, and where we come from is important, then let us go back all the way to our first family, to where we first came from. If we trace our genealogies back to the beginning, we find God. And so we are "reckoned" by our divine ancestry, which yes, implies a divine potential.

If we go all the way back in our genealogies, we find God; if we go all the way forward in our genealogies, we find ourselves.