2 Samuel 7:1-11

2. God's Covenant With David, 2 Samuel 7:1-29.

David's Desire to Build a Temple Thwarted. 2 Samuel 7:1-11

And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee,

4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of cedar?

8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

10 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; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime.
11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a house.

1.

When did David express his desire to build a temple? 2 Samuel 7:1

The first part of David's reign was given over to conquests of surrounding territories. The first seven years of his reign were spent in Hebron as he ruled over the tribe of Judah only. David was obliged to take the city of Jerusalem as his capital. Another of his duties at the beginning of his reign was the centralization of the worship in Jerusalem. He accomplished the major part of this purpose by bringing the Ark up from the house of Abinadab and Obed-edom. He built a temporary structure to house the Ark (2 Samuel 6:17). David was entering into the prosperous period of his reign; and the Phoenicians at the instigation of Hiram, King of Tyre, sent cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They built David a house (2 Samuel 5:11). As David viewed his own personal prosperity, he realized that very little provision had been made for a house of the Lord. This prompted him to propose the building of the temple.

2.

How did the Ark dwell within curtains? 2 Samuel 7:2

The Ark was kept in a tent or a tabernacle (2 Samuel 6:17). This had been the provision made by God for the housing of the Ark when the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. The original structure was described as being a tent with ten curtains (Exodus 26:1). This was the covering of fine-twined linen. Another curtain of goat's hair was laid over the tabernacle (Exodus 26:7). In addition, there was a veil hanging inside the tabernacle to separate the holy place from the most holy place (Exodus 26:31). The court itself was enclosed with a curtain (Exodus 27:5). It would be hard to find any better way to describe the tabernacle than to call it a dwelling of curtains.

3.

Who was the Nathan? 2 Samuel 7:3

Nathan was a prophet and a close friend of David'S. He seems to take the place formerly occupied by Samuel in the affairs of the king. Some have called him a court prophet. It is probable that his name was the shortened form of Nathanael, the name of one of Jesus-' apostles (John 1:48-49; John 21:2). Nathan first came to David when he proposed to build the temple. Later, Nathan was sent to rebuke David for his sin with Bathsheba. It is also known that Nathan wrote the history of David (1 Chronicles 29:29). He was with David even at the time when David was dying (1 Kings 1:11). At first David's proposal appealed to Nathan; he encouraged him to do all that he planned because it was apparent that the Lord was with David.

4.

How did the word of the Lord come to Nathan? 2 Samuel 7:4

God spake in times past in different ways and varied manners as he revealed His will to the fathers by the prophets (Hebrews 1:1). On occasions, men saw visions (Joel 2:28). This expression of the word of the Lord coming to a man was also used with regard to Samuel (1 Samuel 15:10). The expression occurs frequently in Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and unless there is a definite statement in the Scripture, it is impossible to tell whether the word came by an audible voice, a dream, a vision, or some other manner. There was no question about its being the word of the Lord, and Nathan spoke what God had told him to reveal to David.

5.

Why did God oppose David's proposal? 2 Samuel 7:5

The first reason given for not building the temple was that it was contrary to precedent. God said that His dwelling place had not been a house from the time that He brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt until David's time. Through all those ages God had used a tent or a tabernacle as a place for His worship. Joshua had established the tabernacle in Shiloh (Joshua 18:1). The tabernacle had remained there throughout the three hundred years of the judges and it was still there when Samuel was born (1 Samuel 1:3). God reminded David that He had not said anything about building a house.

6.

Who was to feed God's people? 2 Samuel 7:7

From the context it is apparent that God is speaking of different tribes whom he had commanded to lead His people Israel. Throughout the time of the judges, men of different tribes were raised up to be leaders. Othniel, the first judge, was of the tribe of Judah (Judges 3:9). Ehud, the second judge, was from Benjamin (Judges 3:15). Deborah, the only female leader, was from Ephraim (Judges 4:5). Other judges were from Manasseh, Gilead, Naphtali and Dan. To none of these men from the different tribes had God ever given an order to build a permanent residence for the Ark.

7.

What blessings had God showered upon David? 2 Samuel 7:8-9

God reminded David that he had brought him from the sheepcote. This was where Samuel had found him when he went to Bethlehem to anoint a king. God reminded David that he had made him ruler over Israel. First David had been king over only one tribe, but finally he was brought to the place where he ruled over all his people. God reminded David that He had been with him wherever he had gone throughout the wanderings as he fled from Saul. God had been with him and spared his life. God had cut off all his enemies, so that he had peace in his kingdom. Only recently in his career David had been victorious over the Philistines; these were the people who had oppressed most persistently; but in all his campaigns against them, he had been successful. Finally, God had made a great name for David. His reputation had reached to the Phoenician kingdom in the north; and Hiram, their king, had sent messengers to express his good will (2 Samuel 5:11). Remembering these blessings would soften the blow of disappointment which was to be David's as God told him that he could not build the temple.

8.

What blessings did God promise to Israel? 2 Samuel 7:10

God told David that He would appoint a place for his people. He gave them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. He also promised to establish them there. They were to be planted in Palestine. Their roots were to go down deep, and this was to be their perpetual inheritance. God said that these Israelites would dwell in a place of their own and move no more. They had been nomads, driven from pillar to post. Abraham and Isaac had sojourned in tents. Jacob had died in the foreign country of Egypt. The descendants of Jacob had been slaves for four hundred years in a land that was not their own. God had brought them into a place that was their own, and this was to be their land. Although in later history they disobeyed God and were driven out, they have been allowed to return and establish the nation of Israel. In a very real and unusual sense Palestine belongs to the Jews. God said that the children of wickedness would not afflict His people any more as beforetime. How far into the future this reaches, man unheeded by Divine guidance cannot say for sure. The forty years of David's reign plus the forty years of Solomon's grandeur, would fulfill this prophecy. God's people were to enjoy a long stay in the promised land. The children of wickedness did not afflict them any more as they had in their former years.

9.

What blessing did God promise to David? 2 Samuel 7:11

God promised to build a house for David. Since David already had a building in which to live, this reference can only be to the fact that his family is to be established as a royal family. David wanted to build God a house out of stone and wood. He was not to be given this privilege, but God was to build him a house that would live for generations. Saul's house had been deposed. His family was not allowed to continue to rule over Israel. David's house was to be established as the ruling family in Israel.