The Temple's Power to Protect

President Benson suggested that the ordinances of the temple “provide a protection” for us and help us when faced with “a cascading avalanche of wickedness which threatens to engulf Christian principles” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, 167-78).  I’ve often heard this idea that the temple can be a source of protection for us, and so I searched through the scriptures to see what references to this I could find.  The most straightforward declaration of this idea comes from Isaiah: "And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain" (Isaiah 4:6).  The tabernacle—what is now the temple—symbolically provides a place of refuge, a cover from the storms around us, and a shield against the heat of the day. 

                Joseph Smith’s dedicatory prayer also suggests that the temple can be a great protection for those who bring honor to the Lord’s house.  He prayed, “Thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (D&C 109:22).  Having angels watch over us is certainly a great form of protection, even if we do not realize that they are there.  Joseph also prayed for protection against our enemies and suggested of the Saints who came to the temple “that no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself” (D&C 109:25).  A few verses later he prayed, “Thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies” (D&C 109:28).  So from this I think we see that the Lord will help to fight our battles as we go to the temple and enter into covenants there. 

                A couple references in the Old Testament likewise show the protective power of the temple.  Solomon dedicated the temple at Jerusalem with these words: “If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name.  Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause” (1 Kings 8:44-45).  Similar to Joseph’s prayer, this suggests that God will particularly hear our sincere prayers offered in the temple for safety and protection from our enemies.  The temple is place of refuge for us from our enemies and the dangers around us, and I think a story from Elijah’s life helps to illustrate that.  After the encounter with the priests of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill him and Elijah fled.  When he was ready to simply lie down and die, an angel came to him and told him to “Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”  The angel’s actions got Elijah to go for “forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God” (1 Kings 19:7-8).  That wasn’t a temple in the strict sense of the word, but in Old Testament times the mountain was very often a symbol of temples and God’s presence.  Elijah was protected from Jezebel and her threats on his life as he stayed in the “mount of God.”  As we go the “mount of God” in our day we likewise can receive both physical and spiritual protection from the great dangers that threaten us and our families.