2 Samuel 7

Verses 1-7, “Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.' Then Nathan said to the king, 'Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.' But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 'Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?” ’ ” ' ”

Sometimes we desire to do a good thing for the right reasons, but it simply is not the will of God. Because He is sovereign, we can take comfort in knowing that we are not going to mess up God's plan if we misstep. In this case, David wanted to build a house for the ark of God, but the Lord intervened. Trust that if you are walking with the Lord, that He will guide your decisions and actions as well, intervening when necessary. Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” This promise is for those who trust God enough to acknowledge Him in all their ways. There is no such promise for those who have no faith and continually take matters into their own hands. These people will reap what they sow. Galatians 6:8, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Verses 8-17, “Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, since the time that I commanded judges to  be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house. “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 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 blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”

David wanted to make a house for God, but the Lord tells him that it will be the other way around...He will make David a house. The Lord chose David, protected him from his enemies, and exalted him among the people of Israel. When your heart desires to give back to God, rather than looking for what God can do for you, it is a good place to be. However, we must realize that any good in us is only by His grace, and He equips us to do good things according to His will. Hebrews 13:20‭-‬21, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” 

Even though God will not use David to build a permanent dwelling for the ark, He will use David's son and establish his kingdom forever. God also promised that He would not take His mercy from David's family, as He had done to Saul. This is a sobering realization that not only can God give mercy to those He chooses, but also take it from those He chooses. Not that we should fear that our slip ups will cause Him to turn His back on us even though we repent. But continual stubbornness and rebellion do put you in danger of His judgement. If you act as though you do not want or need Him, why would you expect His mercy? You show by your disobedience that you are not His child, and therefore will not be His heir and inherit the promise of eternal life.

Verses 18-24, “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God , know Your servant. For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.”

David responded correctly, in humility. Who are any of us that we deserve His mercy and grace? When God blesses us, it should cause us to recognize His greatness, thereby thinking less of ourselves and our own ability in the flesh. Unfortunately, it does just the opposite for some people. They begin to think that they are great...and since it was their work to be in the position they are in, they think they must also work to maintain it. They may also be less willing to share with others, because they do not understand that they received everything they have by grace. Matthew 10:8, “...Freely you have received, freely give.”  You cannot outgive God, and even if you give it all away, it is not beyond His ability to give you more.
 
Verses 25-29, “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

Because God is faithful, David can pray that God fulfills His promise to establish his house forever. II Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”  When we pray for the fulfilment of God's promises, it demonstrates that we have faith in Him and His ability to fulfill them. It is not arrogance to ask; it is simply the boldness we can have in Christ. Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  The Bible is clear that some do not receive because they just do not ask!