2 Samuel 7
August 2, 2017
2 Samuel 7
2 Samuel 7
Shawn Bumpers / General
2 Samuel
Introduction
Chapters 7-10 form a kind of unit.
And in this unit, we see King David involved in four important activities.
In our chapter for tonight, David desires to build a temple to house the ark of the covenant.
However, God speaks to Nathan the prophet, rejecting David’s plan.
Word play.
v1-3
In chapter 7 we find David in a period of time when he’s not at war … so, what was there to do?
Daniel 4:30 NKJV
The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
Proverbs 25:1 NKJV
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:
Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God is the authority in every area.
The “Davidic Covenant.”
This declaration of God had great meaning for David in his day.
The fact that David wanted to build a house for the Lord isn’t a surprise to us even though the Tabernacle, which God had given instructions for was still in use.
David desired to honor the Lord.
Psalm 132:1–5 NKJV
Lord, remember David And all his afflictions; How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
2 Samuel 7:2 NKJV
that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”
The Davidic Covenant is another one-sided covenant which reaffirmed God’s promise of land (as in the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants).
Look back to that phrase, “and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around.”
This is taken word for word from Deuteronomy 12:10.
Deuteronomy 12:10 NKJV
But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety,
Now, let’s note that this is the first appearance of Nathan in Scripture.
When David had been in hiding from Saul, Gad had been David’s prophet.
Now, David insinuates to Nathan that he desires to build a house for the Lord.
And we know that in the next verses, God will deny David’s desire.
v4-9
That night, the LORD came to Nathan to give a word for David.
Nathan faithfully delivered it.
As king, he was to be a servant to the people of God.
Matthew 20:28 NKJV
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Isaiah 42:1 NKJV
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
This announcement must have disappointed David.
He had his heart set on it and thought it would be a great and pleasing thing to the LORD.
1 Kings 8:18 NKJV
But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
v10-17
God’s covenant with Abraham was the foundation for His purposes and dealings with Israel.
God called Israel to be the conduit through which His Son and His Word would come to the world.
Israel’s land and promised “rest” to His people.
In the NKJV it’s “move no more” and in the NIV it’s “no longer be disturbed.”
רגז Rgz and in this case means “to be agitated or caused to move.”
In verse 11 נוח Nuach “to stay settled.”
The word “rest” is an important.
Genesis 2:1–3 NKJV
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Joshua 1:13 NKJV
“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’
David had periods of rest as we saw at the introduction of this chapter.
But for the most part, David was busy fighting wars.
Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
In the final part of verse 11 the LORD turned to promises concerning David’s throne and family.
It’s normal for a king to be concerned about the future of his kingdom.
Here, it’s David’s dynasty.
Genesis 3:15 NKJV
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Genesis 12:3 NKJV
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 49:10 NKJV
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Shiloh is an untranslated word meaning “The one to whom belongs.”
Micah 5:2 NKJV
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Matthew 2:6 NKJV
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Matthew 12:42 NKJV
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 16:18 NKJV
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
So, in our text … God covenants with David, that he would have a house forever, a kingdom forever, and a throne forever.
Later, in verse 26, David adds that God’s name would be glorified forever.
v18-29
When it says that David went in and sat before the Lord, it likely means that he went into the tent David set up to house the ark.
As Christians, we no longer need an ark or a temple because the Lord is accessible in every place.
So, in our text, like a little child speaking to a loving parent, the king called himself “David,” and he poured out his heart to the Lord.
So, in closing, the thrust of this prayer is that God gave the Word, David believed it, and David asked God to fulfill that Word for His people.
He wanted Israel to continue as a nation and the Lord to be magnified through Israel.
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