Israel is at peace and God reveals his faithfulness to them with future promises for their nation.
2 Samuel 7
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 house 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 But 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, from tending the flock, and appointed you 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 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.
“‘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.’”
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, 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, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, 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, 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, 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 people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
27 “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 pray this prayer to you. 28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is 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, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
David, and Israel with him, have come to a place of rest, but instead of putting up his feet and forgetting God, David seeks guidance from God, via the priest, for the future. He wants to know what God wants him to do in this time of rest. Despite being the King, David is willing to humble himself before God and to be called his servant.
God’s response is to remind David of his own faithfulness. He reminds David how he was taken from the tending the flocks on the hillside so that God can lead him as King on many journeys and battles. Yet God tells David He has been with him wherever he has taken him (verse 9), and He has never left him. Now that David is at rest, God will still not leave him. Despite the changing circumstances, (living in peace now and not war) God is unchanging toward David. This can help to show us how God’s faithfulness does not change with the passing waves of our human circumstances. Praise God.
The time of peace is not the end of God’s guidance to David; He makes promises to him for the future. God gives promises for David’s offspring, even though He knows David’s offspring will be disobedient (verse 14).
David responds to God’s promises with praise and certainty, proclaiming that his word is true and that His promises will come to pass. Why does he have this level of certainty? Because of the faithfulness that he has seen from God in the past, he knows that God is trustworthy. We recall the Psalms where David describes God’s trustworthiness and faithfulness; for example, in Psalm 86 verse 15 David says ‘But you, O Lord , are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’
Head: Can you see the hand of God’s faithfulness and guidance in this passage? David seeks God and God is trustworthy and answers him with blessings beyond his own imagination.
Heart: Is God prompting you today to stop and seek his guidance on a matter. If you have accepted Jesus into your life then you do not need to go via a priest as David did instead you can talk to God direct.
Hands: By faith David accepted God to be trustworthy. Can you today give to God the matters that you have been holding to yourself can you trust him to do much more than you can ever imagine?
Prayer: Father God I thank and praise you for your faithfulness to David. Help me to know your trustworthiness and your faithfulness in my life. Help me to trust you with all areas of my life, to not hold back some areas for myself. Help me to have the faith to let you do your will in my life. Amen.
A song to listen to: By Faith
Emma Jane McNicol – Living Church Creek Road
This Grow Daily was originally posted as part of the Bible in 10 series in 2017. During the School Holidays we take the opportunity to look back at the best of Grow Dailys over the years.
