Bible Commentaries
2 Samuel 7

Verses 1-29

Chapter 7

Now it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all of his enemies; [Now he's established, he's strong, he's powerful.] That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, Look I'm dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is dwelling there in the curtains. Nathan said to the king, Go, and do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you ( 2 Samuel 7:1-3 ).

Now David is expressing his desire to Nathan to build a house for God. "Look Nathan, I'm dwelling in this beautiful palace, the ark of God is still in that tent. I want to make a house for God. Nathan, the prophet is taken with the idea, "Ah, David that's great do all that is in your heart."

But when Nathan went home, that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shall you build a house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought the children out of Egypt, even to this day, but I have walked in a tent, and in the tabernacle. In all of the places wherein I have walked with the children of Israel did I ever ask anyone to build me a house? Now therefore so shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following after the sheep, and I made you the ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee wherever you went, and I've cut off all of your enemies out of your sight, and I've made you a great name, like the name of the great men which are upon the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and I've caused you to rest from all of your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that he will build you a house. And when thy days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy loins, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever ( 2 Samuel 7:3-13 ).

Now in Acts chapter two, verse thirty, Peter is making a commentary on this particular passage of scripture, the word of the Lord to David. Peter tells us there that being a prophet, and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit upon His throne. David understood that God was promising that the Messiah was gonna come through his loins. It was a glorious promise of God.

Disappointment of David, "You can't build a house for Me, but good news David, I'm gonna build you a house, from you the Messiah shall come."

[And the Lord said,] I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: and thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, Nathan related to David faithfully. And when king David went in, and he sat down before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that you have brought me to this place ( 2 Samuel 7:14-18 )?

God reminded him of his past. That "You were just a shepherd, I took you from following after the sheep, and I made you the king, the ruler over My people."

"Who am I oh Lord God, and what is my house? My family was nothing that You should make me the king." He was just looking at the goodness that God had shown to him. "That You should bring me to this place of ruling. Who am I oh Lord God?"

And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but you have spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come ( 2 Samuel 7:19 ).

In other words, "Lord, this is not a small thing, this is tremendous, but that isn't all, You now start to talk to me about my house for a great while to come. You start telling me of the future."

You look at what God has done for you. As David said, "He brought me up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, He established my feet upon the rock, and He established my going" ( Psalms 40:2 ). God redeemed me from my sin. He's made me His son. "Beloved now are we the sons of God. It doesn't yet appear what we're gonna be, but we know that when He appears, we're gonna be like Him, for we are gonna see Him as He is."

In other words, God has already done this for us, but then God gives us fabulous promises of the future. Of the kingdom of God, where we shall dwell with Him in righteousness in joy, and peace, in the everlasting kingdom, and we shall be heirs with Him, joint heirs with Christ. We shall reign with Him. Oh, the glorious things of God that's spoken of your future. It's not a small thing that God has already done; it's fabulous what God has already done for us. When you think of what God took us from and what He has made us now, as children of God, in the fellowship with Him. But then He just doesn't stop there, He goes on and He speaks about your eternal blessedness in His kingdom as you're living with Him forever and ever. "Is this the manner of man O Lord God?" No, it isn't the manner of man. This is divine grace of which we know so very little, and experience as far as man is concerned.

And what can David say more to these things ( 2 Samuel 7:20 )?

"God I'm just speechless, I don't know what, I don't have words to express what I feel about Your grace."

Paul said, "And what shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who shall be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who is justified. Who is he that condemneth, it is Christ who has died, yea rather is risen again, and is even at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you. What can you say about it?"

Number one, God is for you. So many times we think, "God's against me." No God is for you. If God is for you, who can be against you? Well, Satan can be against you, but who is he against God? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who is justified. God's not laying any charges against you. "Oh how blessed is the man to whom God does not impute sin." God isn't laying any charges.

Now Satan is constantly charging you with failure, weakness, and so forth. But God isn't charging you with these things. He's justified you. He considers you as though they never happened. Who is he that condemneth? Jesus isn't condemning you.

He said, "Hey I didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through Me might be saved. He that believeth," note carefully "is not condemned. There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. He that believeth is not condemned. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ who died, yea rather is risen again and is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you."

Jesus is there tonight before the throne of God interceding in your behalf, because of your weaknesses and your failures, and your stumbling. He's there to intercede for you, not condemning you, He's not saying, "Oh Father, look at that. Fell again; didn't he? Why don't we wipe him out, why don't we just forget him. Let's go to somebody else Father." Not at all.

As you stumble, He says, "Father, just put that one to my account, lay that one on Me. Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." He's there interceding, not condemning, but interceding for you, pleading your cause.

"Hey, if God is for us."

"What can you say to this?"

Just, "Oh Lord You're too much, too much." We become just speechless when we realize the greatness of God's love and grace towards us. What more can David say, the most literate of all people? A guy who is so gifted at expression of himself, his heart, his feelings. I love to read the Psalms because of David's gift of expression. He's able to say the things that I feel that I can't say. He's able to articulate feelings of the soul and spirit, that I've only been able to feel, never articulate.

"As the deer thirsted after the water, so pants my soul after Thee O God. My soul thirsteth for thee as in a dry and barren land." Oh, you go on and oh, that's beautiful. I love it. This guy who was so articulate, man he got to the place where he was just speechless. "God, You're too much. What You've already done, You've made me the king. I was just a little kid following sheep. You've made me the king of Your people. If this wasn't a small thing, Lord You've spoken now of my house for a great while to come. You've promised the Messiah coming. The Messiah's coming, Lord what can I say. What do I say?"

For thy word's sake, and according to your own heart, have you done these great things ( 2 Samuel 7:21 ),

He said, "Hey Lord, I know it's not me, it's not because I'm somebody great or I'm so good, it's for Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart You've done these things. These things proceed from Your righteousness, not from mine. They proceed from Your goodness, not from my righteousness." God's grace is never a reward for your goodness or righteousness. God's grace always proceeds from His heart, and for His own word's sake He does for you. Not because you're worthy, not because you're especially nice, or especially good, now you're going to get this special blessing. Never. It's just because He loves you, and that's His nature, and that's His heart to show His love to you, and just to totally overwhelm you, though you realize how totally undeserving, and how unworthy you are. It is just the hardest thing to do, just accept grace gracefully.

My son came up he called me Wednesday morning, he said, "Dad, I need to talk to you."

So I said, "Okay."

He said, "I'll be up there about two-thirty this afternoon.

I said, "Fine, I'll wait for you."

So he came in, and he sat down, and he said "Dad, I'm really worried."

I said, "What about?" He began to tell me of all of the blessings that had been laid upon him lately. Just God has just opened up, and began to pour out blessings on that kid, so much so that he said, "I just worry. You know God has given me so much, I'm just getting worried." The church bought them a new washer and dryer, and just a lot of neat things. He was just concerned. I said, "It's really hard to accept grace gracefully isn't it?" That was his problem. Just accepting God's goodness.

"Surely this is too much for me. I truly don't deserve this." Just when God begins to pour it on, it gets hard to take. You're thinking, "Oh no it's just too much for me. I don't deserve that." That's one thing though that we have to learn, is just to accept grace gracefully.

God loves you, and He does it for you just because He loves you, not because you deserve it, not because you're worthy. "Lord, it's for Your word's sake, and because of Your heart, I know that You've done these things. It isn't because David is so good, or so deserving God, I know that."

Wherefore Lord thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ["Lord, You're just great, there's no one like You, or any other God beside You."] And what one nation in all of the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and awesome, for thy land, before the people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou Lord, are become their God. And now, O Lord God, the word that you've spoken concerning your servant, concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as you have said. And let your name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto you. And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and you have promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever ( 2 Samuel 7:22-29 ).

"All right God, You've said it, You're gonna do it, have at it. Go ahead Lord, fulfill Your promise. I know that You've said it, and now Lord, I want You to do it, establish the house forever." So David's response to that glorious promise of God. The establishing through him the coming Messiah.

We'll pick up with chapter eight next week in our study. Shall we stand?

May God bless you and give you a very profitable week. May your heart be knit to Him in love. May you be open to God that you might receive those blessings that He is desiring to bestow upon you just because He loves you. For no other reason, but just He thinks you're tops. May you just experience that blessing of God, flowing into your life. May you wait upon the Lord, and seek His guidance in all things, looking to Him for direction, for the leading, for the timing. Thus may you walk in the Spirit, and thus have a very profitable, beautiful week, in Jesus' name. "