David's Kingdom is Forever

INTRO

Second Samuel 7 is unique and one of the most important chapters of the Old Testament. At this point, David had stopped running and was settling into his new role as the anointed king of Israel. Chapter 7 focuses on how the Eternal Throne (our phrase for 2 Samuel) will be walked out.

TEACHING

2 Samuel 7:1–3: David had settled into his palace in Jerusalem, and the Lord had put David’s enemies to rest (Exodus 33:14). This rest was promised prophetically and can only be found in the Lord. Sometimes the reason we deal with burnout is because we have yet to find true rest in Him. Now, as king, David's desire was to honor God. He looked at his house of cedar and questioned why it was right for the Lord not to have a permanent dwelling. When David confronted the prophet Nathan about it, Nathan told him to do what was in his heart, for God was with him (Psalm 132:1–5).

The prophet Nathan was not a “yes man.” In fact, in 2 Samuel 12, he was the one who confronted David with his sin. Nathan came in to speak God’s Word into David. However, in here in chapter 7, Nathan spoke too soon and apparently didn’t inquire of the Lord for guidance (v. 3). Dale Ralph Davis states, “Nathan knew what [David] was thinking. It was noble, rational, and right. One didn’t need to think twice about it. Nathan urged David to ‘just do it.’”¹

2 Samuel 7:4–8: Nathan had quickly given David the go-ahead to build God a house, but God had another plan—the Davidic Covenant that pointed to the coming Messiah. Why did God say “no” to David? Constable gives three reasons God denied David’s desire: “First, there was no pressing need to do so since the ark had resided in tents since the Exodus.... Second, God had not commanded His people to build Him a permanent temple.... Third, David was an inappropriate person to build a temple since he had shed much blood.”²In verse 4, God corrected the word Nathan spoke to David. In all the years since the Israelites had left Egypt, God had not asked for a house (vv. 5–7). Wiersbe explains God used the metaphor of a shepherd to show He had called David to be a leader to His people, not a builder of His temple (v. 8).³Yet, “God’s servants must learn to accept the disappointments of life, for as A. T. Pierson used to say, ‘Disappointments are His appointments.’”⁴Constable states it was not that “God was disciplining David or had rejected him that He prohibited David’s good intention. God was simply redirecting His servant. He was to be a ruler, not a temple builder.”⁵Likewise, there are times when God has to redirect us from doing something we think He needs us to do, to what He wants us to do. We must not get ahead of Him doing what we think needs to be done, but instead, we are to rest in Him, accepting that He has a plan that goes back to the Davidic Covenant.

2 Samuel 7:9–13: God said He would make David’s name great (v. 9), reminding David that God was walking out the Abrahamic Covenant through him. One day, one of David’s descendants would build a house for Him, and God would establish the throne of His kingdom forever (Psalm 89:4). We know that this son would be Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba. God redeemed the situation of David and Bathsheba in the lineage of the Messiah (vv. 12–13).

2 Samuel 7:14–17: God said He would be a father to this descendant who would be a son to Him. He would discipline this son with a human rod but His love would never leave the son. David’s house and kingdom would endure forever, and his throne would be established forever (vv. 14–16). Nathan spoke all these things to David (v. 17).

2 Samuel 7:18-29: David sat in God’s presence and asked, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?” (v. 18). The rest of the chapter is David’s prayer of thanksgiving.

In the Davidic Covenant, God promised David a house, a kingdom, and a throne that would last forever. David is the lamp of Israel, and the flame will never go out (2 Samuel 21:17). Nelson’s Commentaryexplains these promises: “(1) the line, or house, of David will always be the royal line; (2) the right to rule will always belong to David’s offspring; (3) the right to a literal, earthly kingdom will never be taken from David’s posterity.”⁶This does not mean there were no pauses in this rule (Hosea 3:4–5).

The rule would always come through the Davidic kingdom (Luke 1:32–33). And, “the ultimate fulfillment of this promise will be realized at the Second Advent when Christ returns to reign over His people” (Revelation 20:1–6).⁷Second Samuel 7 points to Jesus’ birth (Luke 1) and to His return (Revelation 20).

Wiersbe divides David’s prayer of thanksgiving into three sections.⁸First, David gave thanks for God’s favor on his life in the present (vv. 18–21). Second, David gave thanks for what God had done for Israel in the past (vv. 22–24). Third, David gave thanks for what God had revealed about the future and asked God for the fulfillment of these promises (vv. 25–29).

CLOSING

Here are three interesting perspectives on this passage from pastor Jack Wellman:

1. God sees the future (Isaiah 46:9–10).
2. God’s ways are higher than ours (Psalm 33:11; Isaiah 55:8, 9).
3. We plan–God directs (Proverbs 10:9; 19:21; 20:24; Jeremiah 10:23).

In 2 Samuel 8, because David was resting in the Lord, David had victories: against the Philistines (v. 1), the Moabites (v. 2), the Arameans (v. 5), and the Edomites (v. 13). “So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people” (v. 15). David began to walk out his calling because he allowed the Lord to speak in his life.