“4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 \u201cGo and tell my servant David, \u2018Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, \u201cWhy have you not built me a house of cedar?\u201d \u2019 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, \u2018Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.\u2019 \u201d 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Samuel 7:4-17 (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to describe the theological importance of 2 Samuel 7:4-17, one can sum up the covenant made here in by asserting \u201cGive the glory to God, and God alone.\u201d Here\u2019s why I so insist: I believe three elements of the text point to this truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first element is the fact that in verses 4-16, all of the great workings that the LORD embeds into the covenant are not expected of David (or anyone else, for that matter). God does not say, \u201cDavid will make for himself a great name… David will establish his own kingdom … David will plant them in a place where they will dwell.\u201d and all things of that nature. What the Lord says is \u201cI will make for him a great name… I will establish his kingdom… I will plant them in a place where they will dwell.\u201d Even in places where God seems to \u201ccredit\u201d David–for example in verse 13 \u201cHe shall build a house for MY name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.\u201d–the glory still comes back to God. David isn’t “credited” with these covenant fulfillments because they do not originate with David! All glory belongs to God and God alone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This first naturally leads to the second element in this covenant that proves God is to receive all glory. God made His covenant this way because without Him, none of what was said is possible. Without God, a kingdom is not established in His eyes. And if a kingdom is established on Earth without God\u2019s favor, it is certainly not an enduring kingdom. We see both the abundance of God’s reliability and the absence of our own in verses 14-16… \u201cWhen he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.\u201d16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.\u201d Notice the Lord said \u201cWHEN he commits iniquity.\u201d On our end, failing is not a matter of “if”, but “when”. God made the covenant having already known that neither David nor the rest of Israel would be able to walk perfectly before Him. Nonetheless, God keeps His end of the covenant. He disciplines those He loves for their good and His steadfast love never departs from them. Even when they fail Him, His love does not fail them. You see, what sets the Lord\u2019s covenant apart from any human covenant made on earth is that even in the most sacred of human covenants such as marriage, both parties still compromise their vows in some form or fashion whether it be through the slightest lustful glance or the most scandalous indiscretions. However, in this blessed covenant, our Lord has always kept His promise of complete faithfulness, regardless of our unfaithfulness. Also, the Lord\u2019s tone of faithfulness never waivers. Even after addressing David’s inevitable future failure, He says \u201cAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.\u201d The reality of David\u2019s relationship with God as well as ours is that without God disciplining David and without God disciplining us when we commit iniquity, there is NO opportunity for restoration or redemption from those sins and failures. It is only through that love-driven discipline that our eyes can be opened to the consequence of our sin and compel us to flee from our sin and into God’s gracious embrace.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, we see what happens when man wanders away from the God he loves–rather, when he forgets the God he loves. Notice in the following chapters 8-10, The Lord provides victory after victory for David and his kingdom. However, do you see any indication that David outwardly gives glory to God following any of those victories? After each one, the king instead seems to merely set his sights on the next kingdom to conquer. From this observation, I believe that David eventually let his guard down… concerning his own tendency toward self-absorption. He basked in the glory of his victories and did not return the glory of God unto God. David\u2019s forgetfulness of the Lord\u2019s goodness to him and his personal gluttony for glory allowed him to become vulnerable for a big fall. And David\u2019s big fall just so happens to be recorded in chapter 11 when he saw Bathsheba on the rooftop. The greatest thing about our weaknesses is that God uses them to teach us about why we are to give glory to Him first place in our hearts. It is through the thorns in our sides and the cross that we bear that we can deeply know His strength. Without coming to Him for aid, for strength, for stability, and for life itself, we simply won\u2019t stand. We will fall deep in the pit. And in the pit, we will remain, as long as we are glorifying ourselves. Without God, we are without hope. And without hope, we are without life. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, dear reader, there is invaluable advice for each and every believer in 2 Samuel 7’s Davidic covenant. It shows us the greatness of God and His faithfulness to His people is His word about Himself.\u00a0Despite His people’s\u00a0weakness, He proves\u00a0His faithfulness in love to us sinners as\u00a0we are continually renewed in our strength to repent of our shortfalls and transgressions and give the Glory back to God for His miraculous work of restoration.\u00a0Therefore, brothers and sisters, look at your life. Examine it. Observe God’s gifts to you. Begin with your salvation and move on from there. And give glory to Him for it! For you did not earn your salvation!\u00a0 You did not force God’s hand of salvation! You neither established nor are you maintaining your salvation! The truth is, blessed be God, that HE has brought to, is bringing to you, and will forever bring to you that salvation that leads to HIS glory!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 \u201cGo and tell my servant David, \u2018Thus says<\/p>\n