An Eternal Promise

(2 Samuel 7)

David was one of the greatest leaders in the history of the nation Israel. Even before he became king, he displayed the heart of a humble leader who fought valiantly on behalf of God’s people, and he lived with the highest integrity. He refused to “lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed” and showed honor to king Saul, even when Saul was trying to kill David. We see that in many ways throughout his lifetime, David was a man who sought the LORD in prayer for guidance and help and depended on God as his strength when times were hard.

(Note: see my previous Bible story post for more context on the life of David)

The transition of kingship from Saul to David was not a smooth one, even after Saul’s death. There were 7 years of war between David’s men and the house of Saul before David was at long last made king over all of Israel. Although David did rule over the tribe of Judah for those seven years, it wasn’t until Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was assassinated, that all the tribes of Israel finally came together and made a covenant with David and anointed him as their king to shepherd the people and be their leader.

David’s first move as king is to conquer the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and establish it as both the political and the religious capital of Israel. He brings the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem with sacrifices, dancing, singing and shouts of joy. And with the help of resources and workers from Hiram king of Tyre, he builds a palace for himself in Jerusalem and renames it the City of David.

When David has settled in his palace and God has given him rest from all his enemies, he begins to think about building a temple for the ark of the LORD. David says to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Knowing that God’s hand rested on David, Nathan encourages him to move forward with whatever he has in mind to do.

But that night, the LORD speaks to Nathan and tells him that David is not the one who will build a temple for His presence to dwell in. God tells Nathan to remind David that He has never before lived in a house built by human hands, and that He has never asked a leader of Israel to build a house for Him to dwell in. Ever since He rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, His manifest presence among them has dwelt in a tent. God essentially tells David, “No thank you, I actually don’t need a temple.”

But then the LORD Almighty goes on to give Nathan a very special promise for David. He says that He will make David’s name great and give His people a home and a land of their own where they will have rest from their enemies. And He promises that He will bless David with a son who WILL be the one to build a temple for the Name of the Most High, and that He will never take His love away from David’s descendants, but will establish his house and his throne as an everlasting kingdom that will endure forever.

When Nathan relays the words of God’s message to David, he responds with thanksgiving and praise. David humbly prays, “Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” He exalts God for making such a wonderful promise to a mere human, and goes on to praise Him for who He is, saying, “How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you....You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you LORD, have become their God.” Then he continues by praying and asking God to keep this special promise to bless the house and line of David, for sake of the glory of the LORD Almighty.

And we know from the rest of the Biblical storyline, that God does in fact keep His promise to David, in many more ways than David himself could have possibly imagined. Not only does his son Solomon build a magnificent temple for the LORD, and not only does a descendant of David remain on the throne in Jerusalem for generations to come, but ultimately this promise was fulfilled by the coming of the person of Jesus Christ in the flesh. And it will reach its final fulfillment when Christ returns again. Jesus is the King from the lineage of king David who will reign over the eternal kingdom of God’s holy people forever and ever.

David’s desire to build a temple for the LORD was a good desire. He wanted to honor the God who had blessed him, and to make a special place for His people to worship Him. As followers of Jesus, it’s a good thing for us to desire to do things to honor and serve our king. We should be eager and willing to glorify our awesome God, to build His kingdom, and to worship Him in thought, word and deed. We should be ready to obey Him no matter the cost, and to joyfully sacrifice for His name’s sake. I think we all want to be a part of bringing His Kingdom to earth, and showing His love to the nations. That is, after all, what we’ve been called to do! We are to freely give as we’ve freely been given. We are to share the hope and light that we have received. And we each want to play a role and have a place in God’s story and plan. I know I do!

And yet, as much as we desire to do big and important things for God, He really doesn’t need our help! In fact, He could do a much better job without us. This story is a good reminder that our sovereign, all-powerful, supreme, transcendent, self-sufficient God does not need anything built by human hands. We cannot give God anything that He doesn’t already have! But in His goodness and love, He chooses to use us for His kingdom purposes. Like a mother allowing her toddler to help with the baking, or like a father allowing his preteen to help with the power tools, God patiently and graciously invites us to be a part of what He is doing in the world, even though our clumsy ability and inexperience slows down the efficiency of the project, because He wants quality time creating and building with His children and because He values relationship with us.

But I also think that there are times when God asks us to set aside our projects, our good kingdom work, and everything we want to do for Him, and to just reflect on what He has done for us. The LORD basically told David, “I don’t need anything from you. But here’s what I am going to do for you!” Which, when you think about it, is exactly the good news of the Gospel for us. When we were powerless, lost and dead in our sins, God did for us what we could never do for ourselves. The cross shows us our utter helplessness and dire need, and it shows us the amazing love of our Savior who gave everything, even his own life, to be in relationship with us. I don’t often like to think about where I would be without Jesus, but it is truly a sobering and humbling thought. And when I think about everything I have been given in Christ instead, and the abundant and eternal blessings He has showered upon me, it almost seems too good to be true...but it isn’t!

We have been given a promise and a hope, every bit as wonderful as what God promised to David...and more! We have been rescued out of darkness and brought into the marvelous light of the glory of Christ. We have been forgiven for all our our sin, and washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. We have been released from bondage, and given freedom. We have been adopted as dearly beloved children by an adoring Father. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. We have been given an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade. We have been resurrected from the dead, and given new life! Because of Jesus, who was the fulfillment of God’s promise to David, we have been invited into the eternal kingdom of the One who reigns eternal as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And just as David responded to God’s promise with thanksgiving and praise, our hearts should overflow with joy and thanks when we reflect on the amazing love and grace we have been given in Christ. So this advent season, as we contemplate the gift of God’s hope given to us in the person of Emmanuel, I pray that you will remember all of the eternal promises that are yours because of Jesus. Let us come to Him with thankful hearts, knowing that even though we bring nothing to the table, He has freely given us the gift of Himself. May we receive that gift with gladness and praise, and may the eternal King who has given us eternal life be glorified!