1 Chronicles 17:1-27

LESSON EIGHT 17-18

DAVID AND THE TEMPLE. ISRAEL GOES TO WAR.
9. DAVID'S PLANS FOR THE TEMPLE (Chapter 17)

INTRODUCTION

David's purpose to build the Temple resulted in Jehovah's revelation of the eternal establishment of David's house. David proceeded to extend his territory from the Great Sea to the Euphrates River.

TEXT

1 Chronicles 17:1. And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah dwelleth under curtains. 2. And Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee. 3. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4. Go and tell David my servant, -Thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in: 5. For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 6. In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, -Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? 7. Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, -Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people Israel: 8. And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and have cut off all thine enemies before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 9. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, 10. and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house. 11. And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12. He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; 14. but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established forever. 15. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? 17. 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 has regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God. 18. What can David say yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. 19. 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. 20. O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides 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 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 redeemest out of Egypt? 22. For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people forever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. 23. 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. 24. 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.-' 25. For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee. 26. And now, O Jehovah, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: 27. 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 forever.

PARAPHRASE

1 Chronicles 17:1. After David had been living in his new palace for some time he said to Nathan the prophet, Look! I-'m living here in a cedar-paneled home while the Ark of the Covenant of God is out there in a tent! 2. And Nathan replied, Carry out your plan in every detail, for it is the will of the Lord. 3. But that same night God said to Nathan, 4. Go and give my servant David this message: -You are not to build my temple! 5. I-'ve gone from tent to tent as my home from the time I brought Israel out of Egypt. 6. In all that time I never suggested to any of the leaders of Israelthe shepherds I appointed to care for my peoplethat they should build me a cedar-lined temple.-' 7. Tell my servant David, -The Lord of heaven says to you, I took you from being a shepherd and made you the king of my people. 8. And I have been with you everywhere you-'ve gone; I have destroyed your enemies, and I will make your name as great as the greatest of the earth. 9. And I will give a permanent home to my people Israel, and will plant them in their land. They will not be disturbed again; the wicked nations won-'t conquer them as they did before, 10. when the judges ruled them. I will subdue all of your enemies. And I now declare that I will cause your descendants to be kings of Israel just as you are. 11. -When your time here on earth is over and you die, I will place one of your sons upon your throne; and I will make his kingdom strong. 12. He is the one who shall build me a temple, and I will establish his royal line of descent forever. 13. I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will never remove my mercy and love from him as I did from Saul. 14. I will place him over my people and over the kingdom of Israel foreverand his descendants will always be kings.-' 15. So Nathan told King David everything the Lord had said.

16. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, Whom am I, O Lord God, and what is my family that you have given me all this? 17. For all the great things you have already done for me are nothing in comparison to what you have promised to do in the future! For now, O Lord God, you are speaking of future generations of my children being kings too! You speak as though I were someone very great. 18. What else can I say? You know that I am but a dog, yet you have decided to honor me! 19. O Lord, you have given me these wonderful promises just because you want to be kind to me, because of your own great heart. 20. O Lord, there is no one like youthere is no other God. In fact, we have never even heard of another god like you! 21. And what other nation in all the earth is like Israel? You have made a unique nation and have redeemed it from Egypt so that the people could be your people. And you made a great name for yourself when you did glorious miracles in driving out the nations from before your people. 22. You have declared that your people Israel belong to you forever, and you have become their God. 23, And now I accept your promise, Lord, that I and my children will always rule this nation. 24. And may this bring eternal honor to your name as everyone realizes that you always do what you say. They will exclaim, -The Lord of heaven is indeed the God of Israel!-' And Israel shall always be ruled by my children and their posterity! 25. Now I have the courage to pray to you, for you have revealed this to me. 26. God himself has promised this good thing to me! 27. May this blessing rest upon my children forever, for when you grant a blessing, Lord, it is an eternal blessing!

COMMENTARY

The parallel to the account in chapter 17 is recorded in 2 Samuel 7:1-29.[37] David's house of cedar which Hiram had helped him build caused David to experience some mixed emotions. He and his rather extensive family were very comfortably housed. The provisions made for them were such as would be worthy of a king and his household. All of this, David deeply appreciated. At the same time, his conscience accused him because the ark was in a tent and no permanent house had been built for Jehovah. David was disposed to give Jehovah first place in all considerations. Even to himself it appeared that in this matter of housing, his God had been sadly neglected. He must rule by the divine law. Jerusalem is the established capital. The ark is already in the city. God's house was only a tent. Surely Jehovah would smile upon him if he could be instrumental in building a house far more splendid and of grander proportions than his own in which the glory of the God of Israel would dwell. Moses took Jehovah's pattern and became the chief human agent in the building of the Tabernacle. David, in like manner, desired to serve his God in this later day setting up a permanent place of worship to be used by a people now permanently established.

[37] Beecher, Willis J., The Prophets and the Promise, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1963, pp. 229-232. Spence, H. D. M., The Pulpit Commentary, I Chronicles, pp. 268-269.

David shared his thoughts with Nathan, the prophet and counselor. Nathan, as the spokesman for Jehovah, probably brought God's word to David many times. Three specific occasions are recorded. David sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1) and Jehovah sent Nathan with words of bitter condemnation. When Adonijah was about to seize the throne (1 Kings 1:34), Nathan reminded David that Solomon was to be David's successor. The reference now under consideration (1 Chronicles 17:1) introduces us to this man of God, Nathan. What happened here makes it clear that Nathan was not briefed concerning Jehovah's will as this related to David and the Temple. To Nathan, David's concern for the ark was most gratifying. The prophet did not question the matter. He presumed that Jehovah would grant full approval and that God would be with David in this project. Here again the student learns that a prophet could only know what had been specifically revealed to him.

1 Chronicles 17:4-15 record the plans that Jehovah had decreed for fulfillment with regard to David and his descendants. These plans were far-reaching and could have been initiated and executed only by Him who is all-wise and not bounded by time. Jehovah did not delay the announcement of His program involving David once the king had suggested building God's House. The same night Nathan received directly and in detail the particulars of Jehovah's plan. The careful wording of the divine decree impresses the reader both here and in 2 Samuel 7. David is called Jehovah's servant. Even though David was king, he was completely satisfied with his servant relationship to Jehovah. That which David had planned to do was absolutely reversed. Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in. These words surely fell on David's ears as a stunning rebuke. They only served to make it plain that man's thoughts often do not agree with God's thoughts. David could well have reasoned within himself, Jehovah is very difficult to understand. What I wanted to do seemed to me to be so necessary and so proper. God had other plans involving David and his descendants which were far more elaborate than David's most imaginative designs for a Temple. In the detailed veto of David's proposal, Jehovah emphasized the fact that in all of His experiences with Israel He had been satisfied to live in a tent. He had tabernacled with His people. At no time had He ordered a house (a more permanent structure) to be built for Him. The judges of Israel, men like Moses, Joshua, and Samuel had never heard the suggestion, much less the express command to build Jehovah a house of cedar. In effect, God said to David, I appreciate the consideration, but the time is not right and you are not the man. If the word of God had been complete in verse six, David would have graciously accepted the over-ruling decision. By Jehovah's wise design David was prepared to be introduced to God's plan for him and for his house. Once more David is called Jehovah's servant. Nathan was told to be careful to remind David that from the humble life of a shepherd he had been lifted to the throne of Israel. The sheepcote was a resting place for sheep and shepherds. It would refer to a kind of pasture which would provide good natural protection for the flocks. A shepherd had become a king, the leader of the unique people, Israel. Nathan was ordered to remind David how Jehovah had been with him through every experience until this hour. All enemies had been removed. David's own brothers, Saul, the Philistines, Ishbosheth with their combined antagonism had not been able to thwart God's purpose. This was history. It had already happened. Now, the hour had struck when the Lord would reveal His plans for the future. I will make thee a name like the great ones of the earth (1 Chronicles 17:8). David, the warrior, the administrator, the righteous ruler, Jehovah's special representative will take his place among the world's most illustrious kings. Israel, Jehovah's people, will be established in their own land. Enemies will not be able to scatter them and as a people they will be bound together by a genuine righteousness. The great revelatory proclamation involving David is recorded in 1 Chronicles 17:10, Jehovah will build thee a house. The term house has to do with one's descendants. David had no lack of sons, as we have seen. Through a chosen son Jehovah will guarantee the continuation of David's reign. David would accomplish his ministry of kingship and even as he passed from earth's scene, Jehovah promised to set David's son on Israel's throne. The time came when by divine appointment Solomon, David's son, was made king (1 Chronicles 29:1; 1 Chronicles 29:22-23). Every promise made to Solomon was fulfilled. His kingdom was fully established. The far-reaching Messianic implications of this were recognized by Peter (Acts 2:29-33) and Paul (Acts 13:34) and in Gabriel's message to Mary (Luke 1:32-33). David's son, Solomon, received divine orders to build Jehovah's house, the Temple. Solomon would be hedged about with every protection so he could be a great king. If Solomon failed, Jehovah could not be charged with lack of concern. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. Jehovah would do whatever ought to be done to provide grace for a fruitful reign. The one who was before thee (1 Chronicles 17:13) referred to king Saul. Jehovah removed His lovingkindness from Saul; but not before Saul had determined to do as he pleased. Saul hardened his own heart. He chose to be abandoned by God. Saul's house was doomed to extinction. In the promise made to David (1 Chronicles 17:10) Jehovah committed Himself to the maintenance of David's line. A successor to David may forget God and rule wickedly. Such a king will be judged on his own merits, however the Davidic king's son will have his opportunity to bring the people back to Jehovah. Often, for David's sake, Jehovah graciously endured the hateful attitudes of His people. The tremendous promise made to David was that as long as there should be a people of God, a true Israel, there will be a king of David's line ruling over this people. This promise found the beginning of its fulfillment in Solomon and its ultimate completion in Jesus Christ. The concept of an eternal kingdom (Daniel 2:44) is a favorite prophetic theme and is the major concern in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Upon hearing Jehovah's word through Nathan, David immediately began to express his appreciation to God in a prayer of thanksgiving. This prayer is recorded in 1 Chronicles 17:16-27. A careful analysis of the prayer reveals David's comprehension of Jehovah's promise and the depth of the king's appreciation. David sat before Jehovah. Most likely he went to the tent where the ark was housed and there he prayed. The king was sincere in his humility. His humble beginning in Bethlehem and his being the youngest of Jesse's eight sons did not qualify him for the high office he held. Why would the Lord turn to such a person promising to establish his house forever? By Jehovah's help David had been brought thus far. This phrase echoes Samuel's gratitude to God when at Ebenezer he had said hitherto hath Jehovah helped us (1 Samuel 7:12). At this time David had already been richly blessed. David had considered himself to be quite insignificant. Jehovah chose him from among all men to be the kingly representative of the people of God. Repeatedly David spoke of himself as a servant. A servant had become a prince. What had happened in this tremendous transaction had taken place through Jehovah's own free will. There was only one God. The decisions He made expressed His sovereign will. Having considered his own unworthiness, David in his prayer turned to expressions of thanksgiving for the people, Israel. God had brought Israel out of Egypt and He had displaced powerful nations in Palestine to make a place of His people. Jehovah had entered into a covenant relationship with Israel. In this prayer the king pledged that he would use all of his energies to establish and magnify Jehovah's name. David rose from his prayer in wonderment repeating the words, the Lord has said He will build me a house.