One of the temptations for the
intelligent Christian is to give good policy advice to God. We are so
convinced that we know best. David does something like that in our Scripture
today:
(2 Sam 7 NIV) After the king was settled in his palace and
the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, {2} he said to
Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark
of God remains in a tent." {3} Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever
you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you." {4} That
night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: {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?"' {8} "Now
then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you
from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people
Israel. {9} I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all
your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names
of the greatest men of the 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.
"'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 fathers, I will
raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, 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
the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. {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.'" {17} Nathan reported to David all the
words of this entire revelation. {18} Then King David went in and sat before
the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family,
that you have brought me this far? {19} And as if this were not enough in your
sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of
your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?
{20} "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O
Sovereign LORD. {21} For the sake of your word and according to your will, you
have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. {22} "How
great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God
but you, as we have heard with our own ears. {23} And who is like your people
Israel--the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for
himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome
wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you
redeemed from Egypt? {24} You have established your people Israel as your very
own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. {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
men will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your
servant David will be established before you. {27} "O LORD Almighty, God
of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house
for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. {28} O
Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised
these good things to your servant. {29} Now be pleased to bless the house of
your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign
LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be
blessed forever."
Plans
So many of us start with this
assumption: "If my motives are good, and my plans are careful, God will honor
those plans. I don't need to talk to him about it." We think that if our
motives are pure, then God will "play along." It is not so:
- Good idea vs. God's idea.
David looked at his magnificent palace of cedar and thought God would like
one too. But we need to realize that whatever we plan on our own, it is
tainted by the fact that we are sinners. We cannot conceive what God can
do. His plans are always greater than our own, and we need to recognize
that fact.
- Approval by the people of
God. Often, to "verify' our thoughts, we will consult with
another Christian. If David had asked me, I would have said, "Great
idea!" What I should say is, "Have you talked to the Father
about this?" Even the most mature of Christians needs the guidance
of God. It is condescending on our part to presume that God would
approve.
David was actually proposing what
would be a fundamental change in the way Israel would worship - though he might
not have realized that. David's changes, however, were trivial to the changes
God wanted. We see some side notes about worship here:
- We often say that we don't need
a building in which to worship. We say, "I can worship God amidst
the trees just as well as in church." As Teddy Roosevelt replied to
that, "Yes - but you won't." You need the sense of place.
- The greatness of God is not
confined to the spectacular. Sunsets and starts remind us of his
creation, but so should the still, small voice.
Our plans and God's plans
- Our plans tend to be superficial
- "Let's build a temple." God's plans are significant -
the Temple was to symbolize that which was to come.
- Our plans tend towards
security; God's plans make us trust in him.
- Our plans are for the temporary
- things in our own lifetimes. God plans for eternity, and we may be just
a small link in his golden chain.
Considering the difference, it
was mighty gracious of God to stop David before he had spent a lot of money on
this.
God's plan
The magnificence of what God
wanted to do is seen here. In this short passage God reveals two of the most
significant developments in the Old Testament.
- He reveals the Davidic
Covenant - his agreement with the house of David that this line of
kings would always be the rulers over Israel, and from his line would come
the Christ. (That's why those genealogies in the New Testament are so
important.)
- He reveals the plan of the
Temple - which symbolically foreshadows the coming kingdom of God.
Would you want David's small plan
to get in the way of God's magnificent one?
Promises
Just what did God promise David?
- He promised to make his name
great - and this certainly has happened.
- He promised to provide a place
of safety for his people Israel. This has yet to be fulfilled.
- He promised that Solomon would
build the Temple, which he did.
- He promised that his throne
would endure forever. Punishment to the wicked was promised, but never
again would God take his love from the house of David. In the history of
Israel there were many dynasties; Judah had only one.
- Most important was this: he
promised a father/son relationship between God and David's descendant.
This was fulfilled in Christ, the Son of God.
David's reaction
Perhaps it amused God to reveal
all this to David. "David want to build me a house? I'll build
him a house." The general reaction is one of astonishment. David had no
idea what great plans God had for him.
- He "sat down" before
the Lord- a gesture of great respect.
- He didn't complain (which is
most unusual - but David is a man after God's own heart).
- Most of all, he expressed his
gratitude to God in praise and adoration.
Claiming the promises
David gives us a superb example
here. God has promised, and it seems that David is going to hold him to it.
We need to examine this in more detail. Consider these questions:
How do I know that God will
keep these promises? David gives us three very good reasons, all based
upon the character of God, which never changes:
- He will do it for the sake of
his word. God said it; he is truth and it will be done.
- He will do it because it is his
will. He is not like man who changes his mind.
- He will do it for the sake of
his great name, which should not be insulted. So that we may praise the
name, he will deliver his promises.
How do I claim these promises?
David gives us two ways to claim the promises:
- In verse 21, he treats the
promise in the past tense. He talks like it has already happened.
- Elsewhere, he explicitly claims
the promise, "in God's name" and "by his word." He
relies on God's unchanging nature and sworn word.
Why would God want me to do
this? C. H. Spurgeon put it this way:
"Nothing pleases our Lord
better than seeing his promises in circulation." It's as if you can take
that note to the bank.
- First, it is an act of faith,
trusting God to do what he says.
- Next, it is an act of
obedience, for he commands you to do it.
(One reason we read Scripture
diligently: you can't stand on the promises if you don't know what they are.)
Prayers
With such a great blessing, David
goes to prayer.
Relationship with God
We need to see the relationship
between David and God:
- It is a personal relationship.
God is not some force in David's life; he is a person with
characteristics to be learned and loved, not equations to be plotted.
- It is based upon David knowing,
"Who am I?" - in comparison to God.
- It also rests on the fact that
God knows David - completely.
- See how David acknowledges
God's sovereignty - and this is from a man who is king, and ought to know!
- Finally, cherish this: the
revelation of God has brought courage to David. When God speaks, David is
emboldened. When God is silent, he withdraws.
Attitude of Gratitude
This is first and foremost a
prayer of thanksgiving. But thanksgiving must be done in the proper way.
Your mother taught you to write thank-you cards for a reason.
- His gratitude is anchored in
the grace of God. This is not God paying David for services rendered, and
David knows it.
- He thanks him for favors past,
present and future.
- He thanks him for favors not
only for himself, but for all those for whom he has responsibility - his
people.
Is it not the case that our
greatest blessings come not from our own labors, but from the hand of God?
Mine certainly do.
The glory of God
All this is done for the glory of
God. God's glory, eternal, constantly in harmony with his will, is the focus
of this prayer. God is glorified here in
- His word - which is true.
- His will - which is perfect
- His name - which is holy.
So I end with some questions for
you:
- Who's making the plans for your
life - you, or God?
- Are you claiming the promises
God has made to you? Are you relying on him to deliver?
- As he does, do you go to him in
prayer, thankful and giving glory to his name?