God Makes a Promise to David
v1 King David was living in his palace now. The Lord had given him peace from his enemies. v2 One day, David said to Nathan, the prophet, "I am living in a palace. And my palace has the best wood, from trees called cedars. But the ark of God is still in a tent."
v3 Nathan replied to the king, "You should do whatever you have decided to do. The Lord is with you."
v4 That night the Lord spoke to Nathan. The Lord said, v5 "Go to David and say, 'The Lord has sent this message to you.'” He says, “You must not build a house for me. You are not the right man. v6 I rescued the Israelites from the country called Egypt. I never had a house from that time until now. I moved from one place to another. A tent has always been my home. v7 So I moved with the Israelites. And I told the rulers of the Israelites to be like a shepherd to the people. I never told them to build me a house or temple from the wood of cedar trees.”
v8 Nathan, you must give this message to my servant David. “The Lord is the leader of armies of angels. And this is what the Lord says: You were just a young shepherd who looked after the sheep. But I chose you to lead my people Israel. v9 I have been with you everywhere that you have gone. I defeated all your enemies. Now I will make you as famous as any of the great people in the world. v10 I have provided a place for my people Israel to live. They will live in this country and they will be safe. They will have permanent homes here. Wicked people will not continue to cause trouble for my people. They had trouble in the past v11 even when I chose judges (leaders) for my people Israel. Now I will keep you safe from all your enemies. I, the Lord, am speaking to you. I will make a house for you. (In other words, I will establish your royal family.)
v12 One day you will die. But I will make one of your own sons the king. I will establish his kingdom. v13 It is he who will build a house for me. And I will make sure that his kingdom lasts always. v14 I will be like a father to him. He will be like my son. If he sins, I will punish him. But I will use other people to give him the punishment. v15 I stopped loving Saul. And I removed him before you became king. But I will never stop loving your son. v16 Your family and your kingdom will continue always. Someone from your family will always be king.”’
v17 Nathan told David everything that the Lord said.
Commentary
The events of this chapter may have happened a long time after David became king. But the subject follows on from chapter 6 about the ark of the Lord.
The writer uses the Hebrew word for "house" in this chapter. This word has three different meanings. It refers to a building where people live. It also refers to a person’s family, in the present time and in the future. And it is another word for the temple.
In verse 1, David lived in his house (palace). In verses 2 and 4 he wanted to build a house (temple) for the Lord. But in verses 11 and 16 the Lord said that he would establish David’s house (royal family) to last always. David wanted to give honor to the Lord. Instead, the Lord gave honor, which would last always, to David and his family.
There was peace in Israel. In Deuteronomy 12:10-14, the Lord said that this would happen one day. The Lord made David a successful soldier. David fought many battles and he defeated Israel’s enemies. However, verse 9 says that the Lord really defeated the enemies. The Lord provided the land for the Israelites (verse 10). He had promised this land to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 15:18-19. The Lord kept his promise. There were no wars, so David was not very busy. He wanted to give more honor to the Lord. David knew that he had an impressive palace. He thought that a tent was not good enough for the ark of God. He wanted to build a great temple. Then they would call this temple "the house where God lives." First, David asked Nathan the prophet. The Lord spoke to the prophets and he gave them messages for people. David’s plan seemed good to Nathan but it was not the Lord’s plan.
That night, the Lord gave Nathan a message for David. The Lord had not asked David to build him a temple. God called it a ‘house’. In verse 11, he uses the word ‘house’ again. He was referring to the children that David would have. The Lord wanted David to think about the Lord’s actions. And the Lord did not want David to think about what he, David, would do. Also, it was not the right time. And David was the wrong person. The writer of 1 Chronicles 22:8-10 tells us the reason. David was a soldier. He had fought many battles and he had killed many people. However, his son Solomon would be a peaceful king. He would not kill people. Therefore, the Lord would let him build the temple. You can read about this in 2 Chronicles chapters 2 to 7.
The Lord reminded David about all that he had done for David. He was the king of Israel only because the Lord had chosen him. David was the Lord’s servant. But the Lord promised that someone from David’s family would always be king. David’s family continued to rule two Israelite tribes for more than 400 years. The Lord’s promise in verse 16 referred to more than just human kings. It referred to Jesus Christ. He came from the family of King David (Luke 3:31). People called Jesus the "son of David" (Matthew 21:9). First Timothy 6:14-15 says that Jesus is "the king of all kings." This shows that the Lord kept his promise to David.
The Lord promised always to love David’s son (verse 15). This was a special promise. The Lord wanted them to have personal relationship like a father and son (verse 14). "Son" refers to Solomon. But it also refers to the other kings who came from his family. So all kings of Israel were sons of God because they were special to God. God wanted to act through them. And God would always love the king (verse 15). A long time later, Jesus was born from David’s family. He was the Son of God in a special way. This contrasts with King Saul. He did not love the Lord so the Lord removed him. Nobody in Saul’s family ever became king after he died. Sadly, Solomon did not follow the Lord as David did (1 Kings 11:4). But the Lord continued to love Solomon. The Lord kept his promise. Nathan was a good prophet. He listened to the Lord and then he told David everything.
David Prays to the Lord
v18 Then David went in and he sat in front of the Lord. David said, "You are God, and you are my master. I am not important. My family is not important. I do not know why you have done this for me.
v19 But now you have done even more, my master and my God. You have told me, your servant, about the future of my family. You do not usually do this for people, my master and my God. v20 I do not know what to say to you, my master and my God. You know all about me. I am just your servant. v21 You decided to do these things. And you said that you would do them. You have done this wonderful thing. And you have told me, your servant.
v22 You are so great, Lord God. We ourselves have discovered that nobody is like you. There is no other God. v23 There is no other nation like your people Israel. You, God, rescued them. You chose them as your own people. People abroad know about you because of your people. You did great and wonderful things. Your people were slaves in Egypt so you rescued them. You forced nations and their gods out of the way of your people. v24 You have made the people of Israel to be your own people always. And you, Lord, became their God.
v25 Now, our Lord and God, do what you have promised to me, your servant, and to my family. Keep your promise always. v26 Then people will always give you honor. People will say, “The Lord, who is the leader of armies of angels, is God over Israel.” The family of David, your servant, will continue to be kings. v27 You are our Lord. You are the leader of armies of angels. And you are God over Israel. You have shown this to me, your servant. You said that you would make my family great. I am your servant. I have been brave enough to pray this to you. v28 My master and my God, you really are God. Everything that you say is true. You have made this promise to me, your servant. v29 I ask you to bless the family of me, your servant. I pray that my family will always be your servants. You, my master and my God, promised this. You will always bless the family of your servant."
Commentary
Verse 18 means that David sat in front of the ark of the Lord. It was probably in a tent. The ark of the Lord had a curtain around it (Exodus 40:1-2). Nobody could see it because it was holy. The Lord used to speak as if he were above the ark.
David heard what the Lord had promised. But he did not become proud. Instead, he went to pray to the Lord. David was a humble man. He referred often to the greatness of God. And he referred often to himself as the Lord’s servant.
In verses 18-21, David did not know what to say to the Lord. He could hardly believe what the Lord had promised. The Lord knew everything. And he even told David what would happen in the future. This was very unusual. David was very grateful to the Lord. David knew that he did not deserve anything.
In verses 22-24, David praised the Lord for all that the Lord had done for Israel in the past. David knew that Israel was the Lord’s special nation. David knew how wonderful and powerful the Lord was. Even other nations knew about the Lord’s great acts.
In verses 25-29, David became confident. David asked the Lord to keep his promise. And he knew that the Lord would do this. David wanted the Lord to have honor. David was not selfish. He did not want honor for himself or his family. Instead, he wanted everyone to see how great the Lord is. David knew that he was the Lord’s servant. And he wanted his family to serve the Lord always.
David did not build a temple for the Lord. He accepted the Lord’s decision and he obeyed him. However, 1 Chronicles 28:11-19 says that the Lord gave David the plans for the temple. We do not know when this happened. But it shows that the Lord trusted David. David had a lot of knowledge but Solomon did not. Solomon was still young, so David helped him with all the preparations. David provided many materials and skilled men. He also explained to Solomon all the details in the plans of the temple (1 Chronicles chapters 22, 28 and 29). David always wanted to obey and to worship the Lord. And David always wanted to give honor to the Lord. So David tried to make sure that Solomon built the temple in the right way. You can read how Solomon built the temple in 1 Kings chapter 6.
|
|
