Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Chronicles 17:21

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Plans for a permanent house (16:37-17:27)

On being brought to Jerusalem, the ark had been placed in a tent that David prepared for it (see v. 1). David appointed temple servants to remain with the ark to guide the worship, apparently under the direction of the senior priest, Abiathar. The other chief priest, Zadok, was in charge of the worship at the tabernacle, which was still at Gibeon (37-43).

One reason why David did not shift the tabernacle from Gibeon was that he was planning to build a permanent dwelling place for the ark in Jerusalem. He wanted to build a house for God, but God wanted rather to build a house for David. The house God wanted to build was a dynasty, a line of royal descendants, one of whom would build the temple (17:1-27; see notes on 2 Samuel 7:1-29).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

DAVID'S PRAYER OF RESPONSE

"Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; but thou hast spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God. What can David say yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. O Jehovah, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any god besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears, and what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt? For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people forever; and thou Jehovah becamest their God. And now, O Jehovah, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as thou hast spoken. And let thy name be established and magnified forever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant is established before thee. For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore hast thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee. And now, O Jehovah, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Jehovah, hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever."

These verses are parallel to 2 Samuel 7:18-29; and, "The Chronicler followed his source quite closely, with insignificant variations."Ibid., p. 130

We have written three pages of comments on these verses in our Commentary on 2 Samuel, pp. 85-97.

There is a strong likelihood that David, at first, understood that "house" which the Lord said would be built as a reference to the physical temple later erected by Solomon; but there is every reason to believe that David later realized that the promise included the coming of one much Greater than Solomon, that the true temple of God was in heaven, and that God's Israel was in no manner whatever limited to any race of men.

The Messianic promises of the Psalms, especially in many of them that were written by David, abundantly prove this ultimate understanding on David's part.

The critical notion that this text teaches that Solomon would be the builder of that promised "house" is effectively refuted by 1 Chronicles 17:25, above, in which David made it crystal clear that he understood the builder of that house to be, not Solomon, or any other mortal, but God Himself.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 17

And Nathan the prophet said, [Good,] do all that is in your heart; for God is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord spoke to Nathan the prophet, and said, Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in: for I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but I have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, did I ever speak a word to the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house [of crystal, no] of cedars? [Sorry.] ( 1 Chronicles 17:2-6 )

I would like to say that I think that it is wrong for us to judge. We do not know the true motives of man and we only assume what motivations might be. However, in the same token, I would like to say that I don't think that God has ever required that we build for Him some fancy place to worship Him. I believe that God can be better worshipped in nature than in a building. I only wish the weather permitted for us to worship outside. I think that it would be a much more fitting cathedral to just worship God outside.

In the Old Testament when they, when God instructed them in the building of the altars, God said, "I don't want you to bring any tool on the stone. I don't want you carving fancy stones and all. Just take the plain rock without bringing any tool on it and set it up for the altar." Because God didn't want people's attention to be distracted from Him to some fancy ornamentation that man had built.

Now, I don't really feel that God has changed. I don't think that God is wanting to attract people to fancy architecture or to fancy ornamentation. I think the more natural that we can be in our worship of God, the more we are closer to the real heart and intent of God. As natural as possible. And as I say, if the weather would permit, I would rather worship God outside. I love to go up to the conference center and I like to take the classes outside and just sit there in the pine needles. And you get that smell of the pine needles, and you get the sound of the wind through the trees, and you hear the blue jays, and the squirrel is running up the tree and all. And I love to worship God in that kind of a cathedral. With the blue sky above, and just nothing of man's handiwork. Nothing of which you can glory in the work of man.

Now God said, "Hey look, ever since I've been with you I've been in a tent. Moving from place to place. And in all the time, did I ever say build me a house of cedar? Have I asked for anything like that? No, I didn't. I'm content with the tent."

We've been praying what we should do here. We, of course, probably we could use, let us put it that way, a much larger facility. It would be nice to be able to have just two services on Sunday morning. As long as the Lord gives me strength, I love the three; I don't mind it. But it would be nice if we could have a larger church where we wouldn't have to put people over in the overflow auditoriums to watch on close circuit TV. It would be great if we could all be gathered together in one place to worship the Lord. And we have the money that we could do it. And the Board has been discussing. We've got the property and we've been discussing building. But we, more or less, came to the conclusion that since we feel the coming of the Lord is so near it will be better to take the money and use it in outreaches to get the Gospel out to people than to spend it in a building. And so we can go through the inconvenience of having to put people over there and people... Of course, fortunately the weather is nice and some people are fortunate enough to sit outside. We've talked about getting some speakers like we had for the Easter Sunrise service and put them out there so people could come and start sitting out there in the lawn. And the overflow could just be out there on the lawn, and you just sit out there and worship the Lord. We don't know what to do. We do need larger facilities, and we're praying about them. I even looked at some plastic cathedrals. That is, plastic domed kind of thing. Pretty sharp, actually, and very inexpensive, and they just take steel girders. Sort of a glorified kind of a tent. And my wife doesn't like it but...

But David desired to build a house for God. He said, "Hey look, I'm living in this palace. This house is cedar and God is living in a tent and I want to build a house." And Nathan said, "Oh, that's great, do what's in your heart." And God spoke to Nathan and said, "Go back, tell David not to build Me a house. He can't do it. I've been in a tent all the while. I got used to tents, sort of like it. I've never asked him to build me a house of cedar."

Now knowing that this would be a disappointment to David, the Lord said to him.

And thus say unto my servant David ( 1 Chronicles 17:7 ),

Oh, I like that. Oh, that God would say that, "My servant Chuck." Wouldn't that be neat? To have God talk of you that way? My servant. What a joy and what a privilege.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that you should be the ruler over my people Israel: and I have been with thee whithersoever you have walked, I have cut off all your enemies from before thee, I have made thy name like the name of the great men that are in the earth. Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning, and since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee a house ( 1 Chronicles 17:7-10 ).

You know, every once in a while the Lord speaks to me of what He has done for me. And I just am overwhelmed. And quite often when I start, you know, getting in my flesh a bit and I think, "Oh, it'd be so nice to have this. Or that would be great." The Lord speaks to me and says, "Hey, haven't I done enough for you already? Look what I've done. Aren't you satisfied? If you want, I'll do more, but aren't you satisfied?" Oh Lord, so satisfied, so satisfied.

God just said, "Hey, David, look what I've done for you, man." Now David was wanting to do something for God. God says, "No, I don't you to do anything for me, David. Let me tell you what I've done for you and let me tell you what I'm going to do for you." You know, so often ministers are constantly telling people, "You ought to be doing this for God. You ought to be giving more for God. You ought to be sacrificing more for God. You ought to be praying more for God. You ought to be you know witnessing more for God." And they're always emphasizing what you ought to be doing for God. God says, "Hey, hey, no, no. I want to tell you what I've done for you and what I want to do for you."

It's interesting the New Testament really emphasizes what God has done for man, but we hear so little preaching on that. So much of the preaching is what man ought to be doing for God. And you hear so little of what God has done for you. And yet the whole emphasis of the New Testament is what God has done for you. And so what I do for God is only a responding to what God has done for me. You see, my natural response for what God has done for me is all God is looking for. Hey, He's done so much for me. I just respond to it. That's the truest service. That's the truest praise. That's the truest worship that you can offer to God is just responding to what He has done. Knowing and responding to the work of God is the true motivation behind anything that you ever do for the Lord.

You never should be doing out of an endeavor to obligate God to do for you. "Now let's get out and really work for God so that God will bless and our church will grow. Let's get out and praise the Lord tonight so God will bless us." You see, work so God will bless it. No, that's the opposite emphasis of the New Testament. The emphasis of the New Testament is what God has done for you, respond to it.

Paul spends the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians telling the people what God had done for them. "Thanks be unto God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: According to his abundant mercy wherewith He hath chosen us before the foundation of the world. And predestined that we should be adopted as sons and has redeemed us by His blood, even forgiven our sins. That we might have this glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus. And then He sealed us with His Holy Spirit of promise" ( Ephesians 2:3-13 ). All of what God has done for them. And he spends three chapters telling them. Then after telling them all that God has done, he said, "Now walk worthy of the call" ( Ephesians 4:1 ). Respond to God. Respond to the work of God.

Peter emphasizes what God has done. "Thanks be unto God." You see it always begins with, "Thank God for what He has done!" Thanks be unto God who "hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is incorruptible, and undefiled, and fades not away; that is reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God" ( 1 Peter 1:3-5 ). Oh, that is what God has done for you! You say, "Well, don't I have some part in there?" Yeah, he gets to that. But notice he puts God's part first. Never man's part first. Never is it man's part first. It's always God's part first, and then man's response to it. So looking at Peter again. "Thanks be unto God who hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, fades not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God." That's all God's part. And then he gives you your part through faith. So easy, just believe it. Just believe it.

Oh how glorious it is what God has done. And God begins to unfold for David. "Look David, I took you from the sheepcote, from following after the sheep. I made you the ruler over my people and I've blessed you. I've given you, I've subdued your enemies before you. I've established you in the land. And if that's not enough, I'll even do more for you, David. And I'm going to do more because, David, I'm going to establish your house through you. My King is going to come. David, you're going to be, from you the Messiah is going to come."

And as God began to tell David what He was going to do for him, it was too much for David. He said, "O Lord, what can I say? What can I say?" Someone has said that when prayer reaches his ultimate, words are impossible. "What can I say, God?" Too much. The realization of what God has done for you. And that's what we need to know. Paul even prayed them for the Ephesians that they might know that God might give them the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. That they might know God. And that they might know what was the hope of their calling and the exceeding richness of God's grace towards them in Christ Jesus and the exceeding power that God has made available to us. Knowing what God has done is so important. And in those days, shepherds who will teach them the knowledge of God.

And that's what the church needs today. They need to hear more of what God has done for them, rather than being pushed into works for God. Paul, what you ought to be doing for God, that's what you hear all over the place. That's the wrong message. What we need to know is what God has done for us. To know God, His glorious power, His beauty, His majesty, His goodness. And then we respond to what God has done for us.

Father, we thank You for what You have done for us. Your goodness. Your blessings. Lord, they're too much. You're too much. And Lord, we love You and we thank You. Oh, how we thank You, Lord, for Your beautiful work that You have wrought. How we praise You, Lord, for that power of Your Spirit that we see at work around us day by day, as You are gathering day by day a mighty host, as the host of God. O Lord, help us, help us to understand more fully how much You really do love us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

David’s response to God’s promises 17:16-27

David manifested attitudes of humility (1 Chronicles 17:16) and trust (1 Chronicles 17:27) in his prayer. Most of what he prayed was thanksgiving for what God had promised (1 Chronicles 17:20-27).

"The erection of the temple was an assertion of the divine control over the political and religious life of the state (1 Chronicles 17:22)." [Note: Thompson, p. 145.]

David’s response was a model for the returned exiles, and it is for us.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

See Gill "1Ch 17:1".

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?   17 And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.   18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.   19 O LORD, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.   20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.   21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?   22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.   23 Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.   24 Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.   25 For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.   26 And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:   27 Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.

      We have here David's solemn address to God, in answer to the gracious message he had now received from him. By faith he receives the promises, embraces them, and is persuaded of them, as the patriarchs, Hebrews 11:13. How humbly does he here abase himself, and acknowledge his own unworthiness! How highly does he advance the name of God and admire his condescending grace and favour! With what devout affections does he magnify the God of Israel and what a value has he for the Israel of God! With what assurance does he build upon the promise, and with what a lively faith does he put it in suit! What an example is this to us of humble, believing, fervent prayer! The Lord enable us all thus to seek him! These things were largely observed, 2 Samuel 7:1-29 We shall therefore here observe only those few expressions in which the prayer, as we find it here, differs from the record of it there, and has something added to it.

      I. That which is there expressed by way of question (Is this the manner of men, O Lord God?) is here an acknowledgment: "Thou hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree. Thou hast made me a great man, and then treated me accordingly." God, by the covenant-relations into which he admits believers, the titles he gives them, the favours he bestows on them, and the preparations he has made for them, regards them according to the estate of men of high degree, though they are mean and vile. Having himself distinguished them, he treats them as persons of distinction, according to the quality he has been pleased to put upon them. Some give these words here another reading: "Thou hast looked upon me in the form of a man who art in the highest, the Lord God; or, Thou hast made me to see according to the form of a man the majesty of the Lord God." And so it points at the Messiah; for, as Abraham, so David, saw his day and was glad, saw it by faith, saw it in fashion as a man, the Word made flesh, and yet saw his glory as that of the only-begotten of the Father. And this was that which God spoke concerning his house for a great while to come, the foresight of which affected him more than any thing. And let it not be thought strange that David should speak so plainly of the two natures of Christ who in spirit called him Lord, though he knew he was to be his Son (Psalms 110:1), and foresaw him lower than the angels for a little while, but afterwards crowned with glory and honour,Hebrews 2:6; Hebrews 2:7.

      II. After the words What can David say more unto thee, it is here added, for the honour of they servant?1 Chronicles 17:18; 1 Chronicles 17:18. Note, The honour God puts upon his servants, by taking them into covenant and communion with himself, is so great that they need not, they cannot, desire to be more highly honoured. Were they to sit down and wish, they could not speak more for their own honour than the word of God has spoken.

      III. It is very observable that what in Samuel is said to be for thy word's sake is here said to be for thy servant's sake,1 Chronicles 17:19; 1 Chronicles 17:19. Jesus Christ is both the Word of God (Revelation 19:13) and the servant of God (Isaiah 42:1), and it is for his sake, upon the score of his meditation, that the promises are both made and made good to all believers; it is in him that they are yea and amen. For his sake is all kindness done, for his sake it is made known; to him we owe all this greatness and from him we are to expect all these great things; they are the unsearchable riches of Christ, which, if by faith we see in themselves and see in the hand of the Lord Jesus, we cannot but magnify as great things, the only true greatness, and speak honourably of accordingly.

      IV. In Samuel, the Lord of hosts is said to be the God over Israel; here he is said to be the God of Israel, even a God to Israel,1 Chronicles 17:24; 1 Chronicles 17:24. His being the God of Israel bespeaks his having the name of their God and so calling himself; his being a God to Israel bespeaks his answering to the name, his filling up the relation, and doing all that to them which might be expected from him. There were those that were called gods of such and such nations, gods of Assyria and Egypt, gods of Hamad and Arpad; but they were no gods to them, for they stood them in no stead at all, were mere ciphers, nothing but a name. But the God of Israel is a God to Israel; all his attributes and perfections redound to their real benefit and advantage. Happy therefore, thrice happy, is the people whose God is Jehovah; for he will be a God to them, a God all-sufficient.

      V. The closing words in Samuel are, With thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever. That is the language of a holy desire. But the closing words here are the language of a most holy faith: For thou blessest, O Lord! and it shall be blessed for ever,1 Chronicles 17:27; 1 Chronicles 17:27. 1. He was encouraged to beg a blessing because God had intimated to him that he had blessings in store for him and his family: "Thou blessest, O Lord! and therefore unto thee shall all flesh come for a blessing; unto thee do I come for the blessing promised to me." Promises are intended to direct and excite prayer. Has God said, I will bless? Let our hearts answer, Lord, bless me, 2. He was earnest for the blessing because he believed that those whom God blesses are truly and eternally blessed: Thou blessest, and it shall be blessed. Men can but beg the blessing; it is God that commands it. What he designs he effects; what he promises he performs; saying and doing are not two things with him. Nay, it shall be blessed for ever. His blessings shall not be revoked, cannot be opposed, and the benefits conferred by them are such as will survive time and days. David's prayer concludes as God's promise did (1 Chronicles 17:14; 1 Chronicles 17:14) with that which is for ever. God's word looks at things eternal, and so should our desires and hopes.