Friday, October 16, 2015

II Samuel 7: Who's Building Who A House?

An inspiration strikes David one day that leads to God establishing an everlasting covenant with him.

After David had been settled comfortably in his palace and securely in his kingdom, the thought occurred to him that the Ark of the Covenant was protected only by a tent while he lived in luxury.  David points this inequity out to Nathan the prophet, implying that the time has come for the king to build God a house of cedar.

At first, Nathan affirms David's vision and encourages him in this matter.  That night, however, the word of the Lord came to Nathan with a different message.  God pointed out that David was proposing something that had never been asked of him, or anyone, by God.  There are many ways to read these lines, but I see it as the Lord showing David that it is God, not mortals, who are in charge of this relationship.  God traces His work in David's life, calling him from the sheep pasture to the throne of Israel (vs. 8).  God is not perturbed or upset with this desire on David's heart; indeed, God rewards this initiative by offering to build David a house (vs. 11)!

So what began as a dream of David to build God a house turns into God's offer of a covenant with David to build HIM a house!  The promise of God to bless David in such a way to ensure that he always has a descendant on the throne of Israel ("your throne shall be established forever" - verse 16) leaves David almost speechless before the Lord.  The concluding verses of this chapter deals with David's starstruck prayer of praise and wonder that the Lord should be gracious to him in this way.

This "Davidic Covenant," as it came to be known, was a special promise made to David by God to bless his house forever, a promise that Christians see realized in the New Testament through the sending of Jesus into this world to establish His eternal spiritual kingdom.

P.S. The prophecy of verses 12-16 can seem a little confusing.  Is the Lord speaking of David's son Solomon here?  Or is it a Messianic prophecy of Christ?  Verses 12 through 14a sound a lot like Jesus, with the talk of a forever kingdom and a relationship with God as Father and Son.  But 14b through 15 seem much more descriptive of a fallible human heir of David, such as Solomon.

Some have suggested that the part about being disciplined for iniquity applies to Christ's followers, the Church, but that seems to strain the text to me.  I believe that it is more likely that this is one of those dual-edged prophecies which has both an application in the experience of the original audience (David in the person of his son Solomon) as well as a long-range dimension that will one day be fulfilled in Christ.

If you desire further reading on this subject, I found this analysis to be helpful:

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/243-was-potential-sin-by-christ-prophesied

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