1 After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
When Jesus was on Earth the gospel of John described the Word which was from the beginning, which was God, tabernacling among us. When a man of God is indwelt with the Spirit of God it is compared to God living in a tent.
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
What was it the Lord said: “I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”. This is the church age, the age in which God is building His house.
8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.
Do not despise being a shepherd or tending the flock. There is a direct comparison between being a shepherd of sheep and being a ruler of God’s people. I am reminded of the joke “this is so easy a five year old could do it, go and find me a five year old”. People have mocked the American electorate as having the mentality of a sixth grader. If that is true a sixth grade teacher would be ideal training for someone to become ruler of the people.
9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.
Wherever he went? God was with him when he went to Philistia? In our discussion of 1Samuel there were a lot of Bible expositors who said that David’s going to Philistia was backsliding and unbelief. Yet, here God says He was with David. This chapter is filled with the promises of God. I will be with you wherever you go. I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. These are two wonderful promises. Jesus Christ was the greatest man on earth, if our name (our work and our person) could be like Jesus Christ, wow!
10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
Great promise for today. We are being disturbed by all kinds of wicked people who desire to oppress the people of God, just like those in the past in Egypt and in Sodom and Gomorrah. Right now we have no rest from our enemies, but we have this promise that the Lord will give us rest.
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
Jesus had an earthly ministry and a heavenly ministry. He was the forerunner, the pioneer who blazed the trail. In resurrection He has built and established His house, the church.
13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’”
So how about that! I can imagine that we see what God did to Saul and to others that were disobedient or rebellious and you can feel quite unsure about your standing. But, take this promise. True, “your throne will be established forever” refers to Jesus, but Paul told me “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.
17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
David’s Prayer
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
Think how stupid Saul was and people who go to a medium. Saul paid this woman for what? So he could learn that he had sinned and would die that day? The Lord has given us this promise that we are in Christ, Christ is in us, and His kingdom will be established forever.
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
He is using God’s word and God’s will interchangeably. Does God do things according to His will or according to His word? It is both. Not only so but if you can remind God of His word He will do it for the sake of His word because He has promised that not one word will fall. But even more, He has promised to make it known to His servant, we don’t have to fumble around in the dark saying “it is fate”. No, it is God’s will, we can know God’s will because He has spoken what He wills to do and He will act for the sake of His word. He has promised that we can know His will, we can know what He is going to do, and we can pray things into being because He will act for the sake of His word.
22 “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
Not only so, not only is there no God like our God but there is no people like the people of God.
25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
“Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever.” That is how you pray.
27 “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
Now that is a nice development. In 1Samuel God bullies Hannah so that she will dedicate her son to God. God uses Saul to bully David into going to Ziklag and accomplishing his command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. But now in 2Samuel God establishes David’s house so in return David wants to build God a house. God gives David rest from his enemies so David wants to give God rest.
28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
Pray according to God’s covenant and according to His promised blessings.
When Jesus was on Earth the gospel of John described the Word which was from the beginning, which was God, tabernacling among us. When a man of God is indwelt with the Spirit of God it is compared to God living in a tent.
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
What was it the Lord said: “I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”. This is the church age, the age in which God is building His house.
8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.
Do not despise being a shepherd or tending the flock. There is a direct comparison between being a shepherd of sheep and being a ruler of God’s people. I am reminded of the joke “this is so easy a five year old could do it, go and find me a five year old”. People have mocked the American electorate as having the mentality of a sixth grader. If that is true a sixth grade teacher would be ideal training for someone to become ruler of the people.
9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.
Wherever he went? God was with him when he went to Philistia? In our discussion of 1Samuel there were a lot of Bible expositors who said that David’s going to Philistia was backsliding and unbelief. Yet, here God says He was with David. This chapter is filled with the promises of God. I will be with you wherever you go. I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. These are two wonderful promises. Jesus Christ was the greatest man on earth, if our name (our work and our person) could be like Jesus Christ, wow!
10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
Great promise for today. We are being disturbed by all kinds of wicked people who desire to oppress the people of God, just like those in the past in Egypt and in Sodom and Gomorrah. Right now we have no rest from our enemies, but we have this promise that the Lord will give us rest.
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
Jesus had an earthly ministry and a heavenly ministry. He was the forerunner, the pioneer who blazed the trail. In resurrection He has built and established His house, the church.
13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’”
So how about that! I can imagine that we see what God did to Saul and to others that were disobedient or rebellious and you can feel quite unsure about your standing. But, take this promise. True, “your throne will be established forever” refers to Jesus, but Paul told me “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.
17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
David’s Prayer
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
Think how stupid Saul was and people who go to a medium. Saul paid this woman for what? So he could learn that he had sinned and would die that day? The Lord has given us this promise that we are in Christ, Christ is in us, and His kingdom will be established forever.
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
He is using God’s word and God’s will interchangeably. Does God do things according to His will or according to His word? It is both. Not only so but if you can remind God of His word He will do it for the sake of His word because He has promised that not one word will fall. But even more, He has promised to make it known to His servant, we don’t have to fumble around in the dark saying “it is fate”. No, it is God’s will, we can know God’s will because He has spoken what He wills to do and He will act for the sake of His word. He has promised that we can know His will, we can know what He is going to do, and we can pray things into being because He will act for the sake of His word.
22 “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
Not only so, not only is there no God like our God but there is no people like the people of God.
25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
“Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever.” That is how you pray.
27 “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
Now that is a nice development. In 1Samuel God bullies Hannah so that she will dedicate her son to God. God uses Saul to bully David into going to Ziklag and accomplishing his command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. But now in 2Samuel God establishes David’s house so in return David wants to build God a house. God gives David rest from his enemies so David wants to give God rest.
28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
Pray according to God’s covenant and according to His promised blessings.