Last time in 2 Samuel, we saw David attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem in a manner different than what was prescribed in the Scriptures, and as a result, one of the men who was driving the cart, Uzzah, died from grabbing the ark to keep it from falling. This initially displeased David, but he went back to the Word to find out how the ark should be carried. As a result, David was successful in bringing the ark to Jerusalem the second time.
As we pick up in chapter 7, David is at rest from all his enemies, dwelling in his house. This sets him to thinking about the ark of God. He said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” A lot of kings would have set their hearts and minds to furthering their own kingdom, but David had it in his heart to find a way to bring more glory to God. This was another mark of David’s life: his aim was always to please the Lord. Nathan responded to David that he should do all that was in his heart, for the Lord was with him. However, Nathan was presuming the Lord’s will without taking the time to hear from the Lord first.
That night, the word of the Lord would come to Nathan, and He would have a different answer for David than Nathan did. We presumably get different pieces of this conversation from different places. The Lord told David it was a good thing that he had it in his heart to build a temple for Him; however, his son would be the one who would do so (2 chronicles 6:8-9).
The Lord said He did not want David to build Him a house, because David had been a man of war and shed much blood. The son that would build the house would be Solomon, a man of rest (1 Chronicles 22:8-10). The Lord asked David would he build a house for Him to dwell in? For He had not dwelt in a house since He brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, but was with them in a tent and in a tabernacle. He had never asked them at any time why they had not built Him a house of cedar. Next, the Lord will make some amazing promises to David and to the nation of Israel.
He reminded David how He had taken him from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, and had made him ruler over His people. David’s time as a shepherd had, no doubt, been part of his preparation for becoming a king. He had to learn how to feed and water them, protect them from danger, and teach them to listen to his voice. This would have taken a lot of patience and compassion, just like dealing with people. I believe it is safe to say that without this training as a shepherd and his subsequent running from Saul, David would not have been the godly king that he was.
The Lord reminded him that He had been with him wherever he had gone, had cut off all his enemies, and had made for him a great name like the other great men on the earth. He gave him a promise that He would plant them in a place of their own that they would not be moved any longer, and that the sons of wickedness would not oppress them anymore. This promise had a partial fulfilment in the reign of Solomon, but will be fully realized in the millennial reign of Christ.
Next, the Lord said that He would make David a house. God did not accept David’s offer, although he was pleased with his intentions, but instead promised to build David a dynasty, something that would last much longer than a temple. After his death, the Lord would set up the kingdom through Solomon who would build the temple, and his kingdom would be established forever. This was obviously a messianic prophecy going far beyond the reign of Solomon. This will ultimately be fulfilled in the eternal reign of Jesus Christ. When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
God said He would be a father to Solomon, implying a close relationship with him. If he commits iniquity, the Lord would discipline him with the rod and blows of men, but that He would not take His mercy away from him as He did from Saul. This was a promise that the Lord would never do to David or his descendants what He did to Saul. Since this is a Messianic prophecy ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, this promise then applies to us as believers. The Lord will never take His mercy away from us. He ends by reiterating that David’s house and kingdom will be established forever, and to make it doubly sure, stated his throne would be established forever. This is added for emphasis by the Holy Spirit to help ensure we get the point. God’s reign is eternal. David’s descendants would turn away from the Lord, and would be punished for it, even to the point of going into captivity and seeing their temple destroyed. However, The Lord never took His mercy away from David’s descendants, and still will not. Jesus, who knew no sin, will reign on the throne of David forever. The seven-year tribulation will ultimately be the thing that wakes up the Jewish people to their true Messiah. Sadly, there will only be 1/3 of the Jewish people left, but that remnant will all be saved according to the apostle Paul (Rom 11:26-27). So, Nathan told David all these words.
After David heard this, he went into the tabernacle, sat before the Lord, and prayed. He said, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? David was overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness in His promises to him. He understood that he did not deserve any of what the Lord had already done for him, let alone the promises for his future, the future of his family, and that of the entire nation. If we truly take the time to consider what the Lord has already done for us and how we didn’t do anything to deserve it, we will have a similar response by saying, “Who am I, oh Lord God?” He told the Lord that what else could he say, since God knew him. God knew David with all his faults, just like He knows you and me with all our faults. It was because of the Lord’s promises concerning His people and His desires for them that He was doing these things. God doesn’t give us promises because we are somehow good enough for them, but because He is good.
David’s response to these promises was to praise the lord. When we reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of God, it should move us to praise and worship as well. He said that the Lord is great, there is none like Him, and there is none besides Him. There is none like the nation of Israel, the only nation that God redeemed for Himself, to bring glory to His name. He redeemed them out of Egypt, and made them His own people forever. This should lay to rest any arguments from the replacement theology camp. Israel are His people forever. They have not stopped being God’s people just because they are in rebellion and unbelief. If God doesn’t keep His promises to the Jewish people, then He doesn’t have to keep His promises to you and me. I’m glad we serve a God who delights in making and keeping His promises, for we do not deserve them any more than they do.
Having said this, there is no people like the Church (Jew and Gentile) whom the Lord has delivered out of the bondage of sin, and has made us His people forever. What God has done through the Jewish people is truly great, but what He has done for the Church through His death, burial, and resurrection is even greater. Paul gives us a thorough explanation of this in the first three chapters of Ephesians. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, been chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him In love, predestined, adopted, and accepted in the beloved. We have been redeemed, given an inheritance, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. We have been made alive again in Christ and raised up and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We have been saved by grace through faith, and not of our own works. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. We have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ, and been made into a new man. We are at peace with God, and are no longer under the sentence of the Law. We are now part of the nation of Israel and part of the family of God. We are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets as living stones into the temple of the Lord, Jesus Christ being our chief cornerstone. We have boldness and access to God with confidence, and we are being rooted and grounded in love.
David closes his prayer by asking the Lord to do as He has said. It would have been unusual for David to argue with such a promise from the Lord, but sometimes we do argue with the Lord’s word concerning us. Whether we just think it is just too good to be true, we just want to wallow in self-pity, or whatever the motivation may be, it is important to agree with God’s promises for us, and to pray for their fulfilment. This is regardless of whether it seems true or possible. To resist or argue with them will only hurt ourselves in the end. This is not for our own glory, but the Lord’s. God is God, His words are true, and He has given us exceeding great and precious promises in His word. It is up to us to be like David in believing them and praying that the Lord will accomplish them in our lives.
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