Based on the Love God Greatly Study, From the Beginning to Forever, w4d2
Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-17 and SOAP verse 16; (For Further Reading: 2 Samuel 7:18-29)
The Lord’s Covenant Promise to David
7 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies, 2 the king summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that same night the Lord said to Nathan,
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? 6 I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. 7 Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?”’
8 “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! 10 And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, 11 starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! 12 For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. 15 But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me[b] for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”
17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.
David’s Prayer of Thanks
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
2 Samuel 7:1-17
When we “first” read this passage, we may be surprised, wonder why, or even be appalled that God would refuse David this gesture of love and devotion. However, these words of explanation by Charles Spurgeon and others are helpful – even to those well acquainted with the Scriptures.
- “Though the Lord refused to grant David the realization of his wish, he did it in a most gracious manner. He did not put the idea away from him in anger or disdain, as though David had cherished an unworthy desire; but he honored his servant even in the non-acceptance of his offer.” (Spurgeon)
- God said “No” to David’s offer because David was a man of war, and God wanted a man of peace to build His temple. 1 Chronicles 22:8-10 explains this: But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight…. a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest…. He shall build a house for My name.
- The explanation to David recorded in 1 Chronicles 22:8 came years afterward. We can surmise that for many years, David did not know the exact reason why God didn’t want him to build the temple. “It would have wounded David needlessly to have been told this at the time…. Meanwhile, David possessed his soul in patience, and said to himself, ‘God has a reason; I cannot understand it, but it is well.’” (Meyer). https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-Samuel-7/
The bottom line is that while David’s desire and reasoning were beautiful proof of David’s heart for God, God declares that it will be the other way around; God would build a house for David, one that would ultimately be the throne of Jesus, the Eternal King. As one commentator points out, “This was a greater promise than David’s offer to God because David’s ‘house’ (dynasty) would last longer and be more glorious than the temple David wanted to build.” (David Guzik)
A Branch from David’s Line
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-2
This promise from God to David is known as the “Davidic Covenant”, and it is so much bigger than God building David a ‘house’. It’s more than David’s son building God a house. Friends, this is about the promise of an eternal kingdom, one that would know no end! The ‘house’ God is promising David will include the Messiah, Jesus, God’s own Son. As we have seen thus far in our journey, from Genesis to Exodus to Samuel … and, as seen in the following passages, eventually to the New Testament God was sending a Rescuer. “The Rescuer would be a descendant of Abraham, an Israelite from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and now from David’s family line. God’s rescue mission was still at work, and God was continuing to reveal more and more of who the Savior would be.”1
Jesse had at least eight sons (II Samuel 16:10-11), the youngest of which was David. God chose the line of this young shepherd boy to reign over Israel and ultimately to produce the King of kings: “‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth'” (Jeremiah 23:5; see Isaiah 9:6-7).
Both of Jesus‘ human parents were of the line of David (Matthew 1:1, 6; Luke 3:31), and it was well known during His ministry that Jesus was a “son of David” (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 21:9; etc.). Before His conception, Gabriel tells Mary, “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32). Paul reminds Timothy of what this means to Christians: “Jesus, the seed of David, was raised from the dead. . . . This is a faithful saying: ‘For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him'” (II Timothy 2:8, 11-12).
“Though David was far from perfect (2 Samuel 11-12; Psalm 51), one would come who would be perfect in every way. He would be the King of Kings and lord of Lords, and He will one day rule forever as the eternal King.”2
The More We Know
David learned that God didn’t want him to build the temple, but David didn’t respond by doing nothing. According to 1 Chronicles 29:2-9, David gathered all the materials for building the temple so that Solomon could build a glorious house for God.
i. “If you cannot have what you hoped, do not sit down in despair and allow the energies of your life to run to waste; but arise, and gird yourself to help others to achieve. If you may not build, you may gather materials for him that shall. If you may not go down the mine, you can hold the ropes.” (Meyer)
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-Samuel-7/
Me From the Inside Out 