The Book of II Samuel
Chapter 7
The Davidic Covenant
David and Nathan Assume to Know the Will of God
7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
David lived in a great house built by the king of Tyre as a gift. “And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house” (2 Samuel 5:11). This house was definitely fit for a king. The wood from the cedar trees was considered the finest materials of the time. Meanwhile, the ark of God was kept in a tent. Worse yet, the ark had been neglected by Israel for many years (see the Online Bible study on II Samuel 6).
David pondered the comparison between his house and the dwelling of God. David’s great idea was to build a permanent dwelling for the LORD, and he shared his idea with Nathan the prophet. Nathan thought it sounded like a great plan, too. Nathan said, “Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee” (verse 3). Nathan supposed that God was with David and would bless David in his actions.
God Makes His Will Known unto Nathan and David
7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
7:5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
7:6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
7:10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
The Lord came to Nathan in the evening of the same day that David shared his thoughts about building the Temple. Verses 7-11 give a brief history of Israel and where David came from. The Lord reminds David (through the prophet Nathan) that He has not dwelled in any house since he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt (nearly 400 years earlier). The Lord’s dwelling moved when the people of Israel moved.
The question must be asked as to why David’s desire to build the Lord a permanent dwelling was wrong. At the first glance it seems that David’s intentions were pure and unselfish. David realized that his house was much more glamorous than that of the Lord, and he believed in his heart that it should be other way around. Let’s consider the different circumstances between the Tabernacle that was built under the leadership of Moses and the Temple that David wanted to build now.
God’s Will Regarding the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:1-9)
25:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
25:3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
25:4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
25:5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
25:6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
25:7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Why did Israel build the tabernacle (the first tent where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and God dwelled)? They built the first tabernacle because God commanded it! The Lord spoke to Moses and gave him the detailed instructions on how to construct the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9). Moses did not get together with Aaron one day and say, “Hey, Aaron. Wouldn’t it be great to build the Lord a magnificent tent?”
From the time that Israel left the bondage of Egypt, they had lived a nomadic lifestyle. They never spent much time in one place (e.g., wondering in the wilderness for 40 years). The Tabernacle fit the times for Israel. When Israel moved on to a new place, they could easily take the Tabernacle with them.
David’s son Solomon would be the one that God choose to build the first Temple. So given the timing of David’s idea, the building of the Temple was not yet in God’s will.
God’s Covenant with David
7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
7:17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
David would not be granted the opportunity to build the Temple of God. However, God made a covenant with him that would be far more precious. David did not get his way, but the eventual outcome would be more than he could have ever wanted or hoped.
A covenant is an agreement or contract, and God never made a promise that He did not keep. God’s first covenant with man was with Noah when he promised that He would never destroy the earth with water again (Genesis 9:13-17). The second covenant that God made with man was with Abraham. The Lord spoke unto Abraham and said, “As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4). The Lord also made covenants with Abraham’s son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob. While speaking to Moses, the Lord said, “Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land” (Leviticus 26:42).
Another covenant that God made with man was with Moses. The Lord promised him that he would see the land promised to the children of Israel. In the song Sweet Hour of Prayer, there is a line that says, “Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home and take my flight.” These words illustrate the fulfillment of Moses viewing the land of promise from the top of Mount Pisgah (Deuteronomy 34:1-5).
The covenant that God makes with David was very important to David then and is very important to the Lord’s churches today. The Lord promised that a house or Temple would be built. That promise is fulfilled in David’s son Solomon. The Lord also promised that David’s throne would endure forever. More importantly, that throne would be occupied by a direct descendant of David, the Son of God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Joseph and Mary were both of David’s lineage.) When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, he shared a view details about the future of her unborn son:
Luke 1:32-33
1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
We are still waiting for the fulfillment of this promise to David. But recall that God always keeps his promise, and we can rest assured that Jesus Christ will one day sit on the throne of David.
David Prays to the Lord
7:18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
7:19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
7:20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.
7:21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.
7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
7:24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.
7:25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.
7:26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
7:27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
7:29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
David’s prayer to the Lord is one that reveals his humbleness, his heart that magnifies the Lord, and his desire for more blessing. David’s plan to build a permanent house for God seems so insignificant to the God’s covenant. David wonders what he has done to deserve such a rich blessing. The answer to that question is the same for all of us who receive the blessings of God: nothing.
Today, we have the opportunity to accept a give far greater than that which was given to David. That gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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