Temples Made With Hands

As Stephen recounted the history of Israel to the Jews at Jerusalem, he told how David “found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him an house.” Stephen then commented, “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Acts 7:46-60) As Latter-day Saints this statement from Stephen is of particular interest, of course, because we do build temples for the Most High. The student manual states, “Sometimes Acts 7:48 is used by critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to find fault with the practice of building temples. But Stephen did not imply that Israel had been wrong to build the tabernacle or the temple; after all, God had commanded the Jerusalem temple to be built. Stephen meant that God was not confined to the physical structure of the temple, as some people believed in ancient times.” It then cites this statement from Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “The great Creator, by whom all things are, dwelleth not in temples made by the hands of his creatures; but he is worshiped by them in his temples, which holy houses he visits occasionally, and in which sacred spots his Spirit may always be found by the faithful.” We don’t build temples so that God will come and dwell permanently on earth; rather, we have temples so that the Lord has a place to come to visit and bless His people. Indeed, when the Savior was on the earth, He called their temple “My Father’s house”—confirming that God is to have a house on earth, built by earthly hands, even if His permanent dwelling is in heaven (John 2:16).

The scripture that Stephen was quoting here is from Isaiah: “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord.” The Lord of course created all things, and so when we build a temple unto Him, we are not really giving Him anything—but we are making a sacrifice to have a place so He can bestow upon us His great blessings. I love how this verse concludes, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:1-2). That is the kind of man and woman that temples help us to become: we are to go with a contrite spirit and humble heart, submitting to His word that He will teach us there. Isaiah expounded on the purpose of the Lord’s house in another passage: “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:5). We go to His house in hopes that He will give us “an everlasting name,” and there He indeed blesses us with names and knowledge and covenants that prepare us to ascend unto Him one day.     

Throughout the Chronicles of Narnia, the statement is repeated several times that “Aslan is not a tame lion.” Aslan of course is a symbol of Christ, and the point in the books was that the lion could not be controlled. He would come and go on his own terms. A tame animal lives in your house and more or less is in your control; a wild animal, on the other hand, cannot be confined but comes and goes as it pleases. In the same manner, we do not dictate to the Savior how He will act or where He will go; rather, we humbly submit to Him in hopes that He will help and bless and guide us according to His great wisdom. And when we build Him houses on earth, it is not to suggest that He will be confined to them like a tame animal; rather, we build them and go there worshipping Him in hopes that He will, according to His own will and pleasure, come and visit us there.