In my last post, we saw how David pulled through finding himself at rock bottom. In the chapters that follow, Saul and his sons lose their lives during a battle against the Philistines. David mourns over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, before he himself is made King over Judah. David reigns over Judah for 40 years and 7 years into that time, after a long battle between the houses of David and Saul, he is finally made King over all Israel. This of course is the fulfilment of what was promised when he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16). David reigned over all Israel for a further 33 years.

King David’s first act is to conquer Jerusalem from the Jebusites. This city was a fortress and he renamed it the City of David. During these early days, David’s grew more and more powerful, because we are told that the Lord Almighty as with him (2 Samuel 4:10). This did not go unnoticed by the surrounding nations, and we soon find the King of Tyre sending wood and skilled labour to build David a palace (2 Samuel 5:11). At this point we read the following statement about how David felt that God had now established His Kingdom over the whole nation of Israel.

¹² Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

2 Samuel 5:12

David enjoyed victories against the Philistines, but it is his quest to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem which really dominates the next few chapters. The Ark of the Covenant came to God’s people under Moses and it represented the very presence of God. David’s first attempt ends in tragedy, primarily I think because he fails to transport the Ark according to God’s instructions (Exodus 25:12-15; Numbers 7:6-9). The Levites should have carried the Ark using poles, but here we see David transporting it on a cart. When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out and touched the Ark to steady it. As a result, he lost his life and David was angry about what happened. So, he temporarily abandoned his plans to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. But, when he saw the blessing it brought to the household Obed-Edom, he tried once again and was this time successful.

1. David’s Intention to build a House for God (2 Sam 7:4-11a):

This is the backdrop to the events of chapter 7 which will be the focus of this blog. The opening words of this chapter make clear the presenting issue – namely that David is struggling with the fact that he is living in a palace while the Ark of God remains in a tent. He explains this to Nathan initially encourages him to “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you” (v3). But that evening God speaks to Nathan and gives him a message to relay to David. In this message God questions whether David was really the one to build Him a house. He also points out that never throughout their history has He dwelt in such a place. Neither had He asked for anyone to build Him such a house.

⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. ⁷ Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

2 Samuel 7:5-7

Furthermore, God then reminds him how He had taken him from tending the sheep and made him ruler over Israel. God had been with him wherever he had gone and cut off his enemies before him. God then began to outline what He was going to now do for David in making his name great and providing a place for His people Israel.

⁹ … Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. ¹⁰ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹¹ and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

2 Samuel 7:9b-11

We often have great intentions, but they will not always line up with God’s plans. How often do we plough on with our own lofty ideas without necessarily asking God whether we should go ahead. Elsewhere, the prophet Isaiah says that God’s thoughts and God’s plans are not our thoughts or our plans. That was certainly the case here. David’s intention to build God a house sounded like a fantastic idea, but ultimately God had other ideas.

2. God’s Intention to build a house for David (2 Sam 7:11b-17):

So, David was not the one to build God a house. Moreover, God now outlines how it was in fact He, who was going to build a house for David! We see this clearly in the verses below which form part of the key promises God gives to His people:

¹¹ “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. ¹⁵ But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

2 Samuel 7:11b-16

The house God had in mind for David was not a building, but a line of succession and lineage. God was going to raise up David’s own offspring to succeed him and establish His Kingdom. God also makes clear that it would be David’s son, to whom the task of building Him a house would fall. God promises to be a Father to this son and to never remove His love from him as He had done with Saul. David’s house would be a forever Kingdom, and ultimately there would be one from His lineage who would reign on His throne forever. Jesus Christ was always in focus with the promises of God. These promises are in fact a continuation of the promises God made to Abraham, and subsequent generations, right back in Genesis 12:

¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3

In those promises, God promised to bless Abraham and make him a blessing. God was going to make Abraham into a great nation, but he did not at this point have a son. In fact Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for the promise of a son to be fulfilled. But these promises, and in fact all of God’s promises, always have in mind an ultimate fulfilment through the life of Jesus Christ. It is in Christ, that Paul declares that every promise God has made is “Yes in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). What all this means is that we too have been woven into these fantastic promises of God. We too are children of Abraham. We too are experiencing the blessing God promised to Abraham. We too are on the receiving end of this forever Kingdom that is ours through Jesus Christ.

3. David’s Prayerful Response (2 Sam 7:18-29):

It is therefore no surprise that David responds in prayer and worship. He asks who is he and who is his family that God should choose to work out His purposes through him. So he praises God, saying that there is none like Him and he marvels at the fact that God would choose the nation of Israel to display His wonders and establish them as His people. He then implores God to keep His promises. God had revealed His purposes to David and now he prays into those purposes and asks God to do as He had promised:

²⁵ “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, ²⁶ so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight … ²⁹ Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

2 Samuel 7:25-26, 29

David knows that God is Sovereign and His covenant is trustworthy. He longs to see the things God has promised come true. God is faithful and despite many setbacks, David’s Kingdom does ensure. Furthermore the true Lion of Judah is now sitting on His rightful throne having made a way so that we might also be part of this forever Kingdom. We too await the fulfilment of God’s promises to bring us into the full reality of His forever Kingdom. We too, therefore, must pray into God’s purposes and implore Him to do what He has promised. Believing in God’s promises is a huge part of what it means to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Cover Photo by Iván Díaz on Unsplash