As I was studying the 132nd Section of the Doctrine and Covenants the other day, I was actually studying some material for one topic, and found myself learning a few things about an entirely different topic. I had actually been researching more about the verses referencing Abraham and Isaac (verses 34-36) and continued reading the next several verses to get more of a contextual understanding of the entire section. Verse 39 in this same section was the verse that inspired me to go on somewhat of a "scripture chase" which led me to find the information about the topic I'm discussing today.
It reads:
David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and therefore he had fallen from his exaltation and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord(Doctrine and Covenants 132:39; emphasis added).
In any case, as I read this I found myself trying to acquire more knowledge about David and just exactly what he did and didn't do. During my examinations of the different verses, I came across the one in 2 Samuel 5:7 which reads "Nevertheless, David took the strong hold of Zion; the same is the city of David. (emphasis added).
There are a couple of connections that we have to that verse - through modern and ancient scripture alike. The first and most obvious one is the one we think of when reading the Christmas story - Luke 2:11 which reads "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (emphasis added)
The second is the beginning the of the 10th Article of Faith which reads "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes, that Zion, the newJerusalem will be built upon the American continent..."(emphasis added)
Those that know the geography of the Israeli territory know that the town of Bethlehem is just 10 miles south of the city of Jerusalem - or essentially a suburb of the city. (As additional information about Bethlehem - consider the following: The name "Bethlehem" originates from the Hebrew phrase "בֵּית לֶחֶם " (Beit Lehem) which LITERALLY means "house of bread." I believe it is no small coincidence that the Savior himself was referred to as the "bread of life" - which could be directly traced back to his birthplace.)
What is interesting about all of this of course is the events that have and will surround this specific area of the globe:
1. After Christ was born, he was taken to Nazareth and was raised there, Nazareth being north of Jerusalem and concurrently Bethlehem.
2. The Garden of Gethsemane is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives - which is symbolic because it was at the lowest point of the mountain, or in other words symbolic of the atonement of sin before ascending up the mountain where God resides.
3. The Mount of Olives is located East of Jerusalem and the mountain just to the west of this range? Mount Sion or alternatively Mount Zion. Note the symbolism now when discussing the Garden of Gethsemane and its relation to Mount Sion.
4. The battle of Armageddon is believed to be taking place to the northeast of Jerusalem prior to the coming of Christ. Christ will then return upon the earth - at which point he will first appear on Mount Sion (Zion).
What does this all boil down to? The city of Bethlehem is a very sacred place. It was the place where the Bread of Life would originate and would be the same area where our Lord and Savior was crucified for the sins of the wold and additionally the same place where He will again return to sanctify and cleanse the world for all eternity.
I just thought that was a cool thing to think about, especially given the current holiday season and our celebration of the Birth of Christ during the upcoming Christmas holiday.
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