David’s House

December 15, 2019 Background Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1 – 17; 24:18 – 25; 1 Chronicles 17:1 – 15; 21:18 – 30 Lesson Passage: 1 Chronicles 17:1, 3, 4, 11 – 14 Whenever prophecy is involved, one should be aware of both the immediate fulfillment and the future fulfillment. Put another way, the prophetic word always has implications for the one God sends it to, and often, it has long-range implications that may occur thousands of years after the recipient has died. Such is the case with the prophecy of today’s text. When David had subdued all of his enemies and was now comfortable in his mansion (a cedar house was a mansion—especially when one considers that many in Israel were still nomadic and living in tents), his mind was then turned towards the Lord. That is one of the things that distinguish David from so many others, both during his lifetime and now. When things were going exceptionally well for David, he thought about the Lord. Many people have the opposite thoughts. The Lord comes to mind when trouble shows up. We want God to be our troubleshooter, healer, financier, doctor, lawyer, and any other professional in our times of need and our times of want. I believe David knew that when times were good, it was because God had ordered his steps. When David’s enemies had been subdued, I believe he knew it was the hand of God that had brought him peace. With that in mind, David considered the wealthy lifestyle he was living and contrasted that with the tent where the ark of the covenant was kept. For Israel, the ark of the covenant represented the physical presence of the Lord among His people. David was living in a mansion, but what he knew as the physical presence of the Lord was in a tent. David wanted to rectify this situation and shared his concern with Nathan, the prophet of God. Nathan advised David to do whatever was in his heart to do because the Lord was with him. However, Nathan’s advice did not come from consultation with God. That night God came to Nathan in a vision and gave him some very different advice than what he had given David. Therefore, Nathan had to go back to David and correct his previous advice by telling David what the Lord had said. When a prophet tells you that the Lord is with you, that is a good thing. But, when a prophet tells you what “thus said the Lord”, it is time to sit up and heed every word that is spoken. God does not give flesh the opportunity to glory in His presence. David was a man of war. He was a king that led the armies out to the battle fields. Although God had given them the victory, David and the armies of Israel were involved in much bloodshed. Therefore, God was not going to allow David to build a temple to house the ark of the covenant. God did recognize the sincerity of David’s desire to do so. God was going to allow one of David’s descendants to build a temple for the ark of the covenant. God would treat him as His very own son—including chastising him in case of disobedience. Then the prophetic word came forth intertwined with the rest of Nathan’s speech. God was going to build an everlasting house for David by the hands of David’s descendant. David’s descendant (or son) would also be God’s son. The first son would build a temple that would subsequently be destroyed and replaced by two others that would also be destroyed. The second son would establish an everlasting kingdom as the Son of David. His rule on the throne would never be interrupted by death or any other enemy. It is this house that we are still being called to fill. Robert C. Hudson November 25, 2019