Illustration by David S. Green

2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11

King David and his son Solomon both began their leadership of Israel relying on the Lord, and both received great blessings. Tragically, David’s decisions turned him away from the Lord and cost him his exaltation. In the first years of his reign, King Solomon’s humble desire to seek the Lord’s wisdom, guidance, and blessings qualified him to build the house of the Lord. In Solomon’s later years, he disobeyed the Lord’s commandments by marrying many wives outside the covenant. He eventually turned his heart away from God and toward the idols worshipped by his wives.

Additional Resources

Scripture Helps: Old Testament, “2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11”

Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the standard lesson elements that follow.

Encouraging Personal Study

Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:

Even though King David was a successful king and demonstrated great faith in the Lord, he made tragic choices that caused him to lose many spiritual blessings. As you study 2 Samuel 11–12, consider what you learn from his experience that can help you remain faithful to the Lord.
President Russell M. Nelson promised, “Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple” (“The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 121–22). Ponder how the temple can lead you to Jesus Christ as you study 1 Kings 6 and 8.
How can you keep your heart centered on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Examine your own life and priorities as you study 1 Kings 11:1–13.

Questions and Sharing

Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of 2 Samuel 11–12 and 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11.

Skill Training

The learning activity for 1 Kings 11:1–13 could be an opportunity to help students practice “Looking for Cause-and-Effect Relationships in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.

Learning Activity Options

Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class. You could also seek input from your students.

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Invite learners to live what they are learning. As students learn the Savior’s gospel, the Holy Ghost can help them recognize adjustments they need to make in their lives. Inviting them to review goals they set previously can also help students see how they are progressing and make needed corrections. For more on how the Savior did this, see the section “The Savior Invited Others to Live What He Taught,” in Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 27.

2 Samuel 11–12

What can I learn from King David’s tragic fall?

Consider beginning by discussing the following statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency:

Suppose you were to take off from an airport at the equator, intending to circumnavigate the globe, but your course was off by just one degree. By the time you returned to the same longitude, how far off course would you be? A few miles? A hundred miles? The answer might surprise you. An error of only one degree would put you almost 500 miles (800 km) off course, or one hour of flight for a jet. (“A Matter of a Few Degrees,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 59)

What are some seemingly small decisions we might make in our lives that could eventually lead us far off course?

Invite students to think about temptations they might face to stray, even slightly, from God’s commandments. Encourage them as they study today to look for truths that can help them when they are faced with temptation.

Remind students that with the Lord’s help, David defeated Goliath, helped the Israelites defeat their enemies in battle, and united the tribes of Israel as their king. However, David eventually made a series of choices that led him off course spiritually. Invite students to read 2 Samuel 11:1–17, 26–27, looking for specific choices David made.

You could ask questions like the following to help students share their insights:

What were some of the decisions David made that led to greater sins?
What are righteous choices David could have made along the way to correct the direction he was heading?
What truths can we learn from David’s choice to entertain lustful desires? (One truth students could identify is this: Entertaining lustful and inappropriate thoughts can lead to serious sin.)

Consider the needs of your students as you think about how to continue this learning activity. You could use one or more of the following ideas:

Give students time to find resources that can help them better avoid sexual sin. Examples of resources they could study include “Striving to Be Chaste Can Bring Incredible Blessings” in Topics and Questions, “Chastity” (Gospel Study Guide); or the sections titled “What to do in the moment” and “Your body is sacred” in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices (2022). Invite them to share their insights with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.
Watch one of the following videos: “Watch Your Step” (2:35); “Why Do I Feel So Bad About Myself?” (3:45); or “Can I Do This On My Own?” (3:19). Invite students to discuss insights they had.

2:36

3:45

3:19
Study Nathan’s message to David in 2 Samuel 12:1–10, and have students share truths they learn from it. Students could also discuss how it is a blessing that we cannot hide our sins from God.
Ask students to imagine they know someone who has committed sexual sins and no longer feels worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. Invite them to find and share scriptures or statements from Church leaders that could help in this situation. Examples of helpful resources could include Isaiah 1:18; Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43; or the following statement by Elder Dale G. Renlund:

When we sincerely repent, no spiritual scar remains, no matter what we have done, how serious it was, or how many times we repeated it. As often as we repent and seek forgiveness with real intent, we can be forgiven. What a remarkable gift from our Savior, Jesus Christ! The Holy Ghost can assure us that we have been forgiven. As we sense joy and peace, guilt is swept away, and we are no longer tormented by our sin. (“Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” Liahona, May 2022, 76)

To conclude, invite students to consider what they have learned and felt that they want to remember. You could ask them to write down a specific and measurable plan to act on what they have learned.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

1 Kings 6; 8

Why is the house of the Lord such an important part of our worship?

Consider inviting students to share a picture of a temple they love and explain why it is particularly meaningful to them. Or they could mention a temple that has been announced that they are excited about and explain why. Then consider discussing the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson:

Jesus Christ is the reason we build temples. Each is His holy house. Making covenants and receiving essential ordinances in the temple, as well as seeking to draw closer to Him there, will bless your life in ways no other kind of worship can. For this reason, we are doing all within our power to make the blessings of the temple more accessible to our members around the world. (“The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2023, 127–28)

How do you think worshipping in the temple can bless your life in ways that no other kind of worship can?

Explain that after Solomon became the king of Israel, he sought to fulfill his father David’s desire to build a permanent house for the Lord (see 2 Samuel 7:12–13). This learning activity will focus on Solomon’s efforts to build and dedicate the temple in Jerusalem. Encourage students as they study today to look for truths that can help them increase their testimony of the importance of worshipping in the house of the Lord.

Invite students to study 1 Kings 5:2–5 and 6:11–14, looking for truths these verses teach about the temple. Ask students to share what they found. Examples of truths they could identify include these: The temple is the house of the Lord and If we walk in the Lord’s ways, He will fulfill His promises and dwell with us in His temple.

How do you think remembering these truths can affect your temple worship?

Consider displaying the following images:

depiction of the Temple of Solomon — Solomon’s Temple, by Sam Lawlor

Solomon dedicates the temple at Jerusalem — Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem, c. 1896–1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836–1902) or followers

Explain that after the completion of the temple, Solomon gathered many Israelites to participate in its dedication. When they placed the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, the glory of the Lord appeared as a cloud that filled the temple. Solomon then offered a prayer to dedicate the temple to the Lord (see 1 Kings 8:12–53).

Invite students to study 1 Kings 8:29–40, which contains a portion of Solomon’s dedicatory prayer. Ask them to look for blessings Solomon asked the Lord to bestow upon the people as they worshipped in the temple. To help students share what they learned, consider asking:

What was most meaningful to you from this prayer?

Point out that just like in ancient times, the Lord promises us great blessings for worshipping in the temple. To help students learn more about these blessings, consider inviting them to choose one of the following options, and give them a few minutes to:

Study portions of “The Holy Temple—the House of the Lord” in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson. Find promised blessings for worshipping in the temple that are particularly meaningful to you.
Study the dedicatory prayer for a temple in your area. You can find a dedicatory prayer by selecting a temple from “Temple List” at ChurchofJesusChrist.org/temples.
Study portions of the dedicatory prayer of the first temple in our dispensation—the Kirtland Temple—by reading some of the following verses: Doctrine and Covenants 109:10–19, 22–26, 54–59, 72–80. Look for blessings the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed for that you desire in your life.

After students have had time to study, invite them to share their insights with a partner or small group. Then have a few students share what they learned with the class. You could also discuss questions like the following:

What does the presence of temples on the earth teach you about God’s love and mercy?
What difference has worshipping in the temple made in your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Testify of the truths you have discussed today. Encourage the students to consider what they might do to improve their temple worship. Invite them to record their plans or promptings they have received from the Holy Ghost.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

1 Kings 11:1–13

How can I keep my heart centered on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

You could display the following questions and invite students to ponder and write down their thoughts.

What are some of the activities that take up most of your time and energy right now?
How do you decide what gets the most attention in your life?

Remind students that after the death of David, his son Solomon became king of Israel. At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, he humbly sought the Lord’s help and was greatly blessed by him (see 1 Kings 3:5–14, 28). He was even visited twice by the Lord during his reign (see 1 Kings 9:1–3). However, over time, Solomon’s priorities shifted, and his heart turned from the Lord. Encourage students as they study Solomon’s account to think about what the Lord would have them do to protect themselves from a similar fate.

Invite students to read 1 Kings 11:1–13, looking for details about Solomon’s later life. (Point out that the “strange women” in 1 Kings 11:1 were women who were not of the house of Israel.) Encourage students to mark words or phrases that stand out to them. (This could be a place to practice the skill “Looking for Cause-and-Effect Relationships in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.)

Consider asking questions like the following to help students share what they learned:

What contributed to Solomon’s change of heart?
What truths do you learn from Solomon’s spiritual downfall? (Students could identify a truth like the following: If we turn our hearts from God and fail to keep His commandments, we can lose His promised blessings.)
What can help us recognize when our own hearts might be drifting away from God?

Consider asking the class to make a list on the board of influences or circumstances that could lead a young adult to turn their heart away from God.

Invite students to work with a partner or small group to create and write down a scenario based on one of the items on the list. Students could pass their scenario to another group or keep the one they created and then discuss the following questions:

How could the decisions of the person in the scenario affect their ability to receive God’s blessings in their life?
What counsel could you give, or what scriptures could you share, to help the person in the scenario?

You could invite a few students to share their scenario with the class, along with some of their insights from their discussion.

Invite students to ponder how the truths they have studied could apply to their personal circumstances. You could sing together or listen to the hymn “More Holiness Give Me” (Hymns, 131) to help them reflect on their current spiritual priorities.

You might also share the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar:

Each of us should evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in our lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon us. And surely the Holy Ghost will help us to see ourselves as we really are. (“Put on Thy Strength, O Zion,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 94)

Invite students to record any adjustments they feel impressed to make in their lives to more fully focus their hearts on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”