2 Samuel 7: God’s Covenant with David
1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar? 8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on 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; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
“David at rest. He sat in his house (2 Samuel 7:1), quiet and undisturbed, having no occasion to take the field: The Lord had given him rest round about, from all those that were enemies to his settlement in the throne, and he set himself to enjoy that rest. Though he was a man of war, he was for peace (Psalms 120:7) and did not delight in war.” (Matthew Henry)
“’The concept of rest or peace from enemies is a Deuteronomistic idea (cf. Deuteronomy 12:10; Deuteronomy 25:19; Joshua 22:4; Joshua 23:1; 1 Kings 5:18 [4]; 1 Kings 8:56; see also G. von Radd, ’Rest for the People of God,’ The Problem of Hexateuch, 94-102). In this context ’rest’ is security from enemies and peace from wars.’ [Anderson, p, 116.]
The Israelites had anticipated entering into rest in the Promised Land since their wilderness wanderings (Deuteronomy 12:9). Joshua had given them a measure of rest (Joshua 21:44; Joshua 22:4; Joshua 23:1). Now with David’s victories they enjoyed a larger measure of rest than they had anytime previously in their history (2 Samuel 7:1; cf. 2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Kings 5:4; 1 Chronicles 22:9; 1 Chronicles 22:18; 1 Chronicles 23:25; 2 Chronicles 14:7; 2 Chronicles 15:15; 2 Chronicles 20:30).
‘David completed what Joshua had begun: the taking possession of Canaan. It is this completion of Joshua’s work which is reflected in 2 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 7:11. Now David plans to build a temple as the sequel of the LORD’s having granted him rest from his enemies.’ [Note: Wolfgang Roth, ‘The Deuteronomic Rest Theology: A Redaction-Critical Study," Biblical Research 21 (1976):8].” (Dr. Thomas B Constable)
David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” “Nathan the prophet is here first mentioned, but playing an important part afterward (e. g. 2 Samuel 12:1; 1Ki 1:10; 1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29).” (Albert Barnes) “In pious meditation the heart of the king had but one great thought, one great ambition.” (Arno Gaebelein)—establish the ark in Jerusalem forever.
“Do all that was in his heart.— “Thou hast His blessing in all that thou doest, and this pious design of thine will most certainly meet with His approbation. In this case he gave his judgment as a pious and prudent man, not as a prophet; for the prophets were not always under a Divine afflatus.” (Adam Clarke) Man is subject to error, even the prophets. “But God will not suffer his dear children to lie long in error: but if in anything they be otherwise minded, he will reveal even this unto them (Php 3:15).” (John Trapp)
That night Nathan received an important message. "The sword could not yet be exchanged for the trowel, but in the meantime the will was accepted in lieu of the act.” (F. B. Meyer) ”The Lord told Nathan that David thought of building Him a house, but that the Lord would build David a house. Then He promises him a son. ‘He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.’ Solomon is first in view, but he is only a type of Him, who said while on earth ‘a greater than Solomon is here.’ In Christ alone this great covenant-promise is to be fulfilled. Chastening for his offspring is announced, but a disannulment of the covenant is impossible, for God’s gifts and calling are without repentance. ‘But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee, thy throne shall be established forever.’ More than that, this great covenant was confirmed by the oath of Jehovah. ‘Once I have sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me’ (Psalms 89:35-36 ). And when He was about to come, the Son of David according to the flesh, but also David’s Lord, He who spoke these words to Nathan, it was divinely announced ‘the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David. And He shall reign forever and of His kingdom there shall be no end’ (Luke 1:32-33 ). That throne and that kingdom He has not yet received. He fills the Father’s throne in the highest heaven, but all heaven and earth wait for the appointed time when He will come again to claim His crown-rights and receive the world-wide kingdom, which David in inspired songs of praise so often beheld (Psalms 72).” (Arno Gaebelein)
“’I will set up thy seed after thee.’— This is one of the most remarkable prophecies, comprising a constellation of promises, in the Old Testament. Many a saint has wished to build a church, chapel, or school for religious purposes; and the Lord has accepted the will and the preparations for the full act. Here we find, that God’s first care is over the church. ‘He (Solomon) shall build a house for my name.’ Covenants, we may observe, are all sure in the hands of Christ, but they have conditions in regard of man. ‘The throne of David, the Messiah, shall be established for ever.’ Yet the dying king said to Solomon, ‘If thou forsake the God of thy father, and rebel, he will cast thee off for ever.’ 1 Chronicles 28:10. So Ezekiel said, that David, the Messiah, should be shepherd over his people for ever. Hosea also foretold that God would ‘raise again the tabernacle of David which had fallen down,’ for he foresaw the departure of the sceptre from that house. Zachariah and Elizabeth rejoiced to see the horn of salvation raised up in Christ. Luke 1:0.” (Jospeh Sutcliffe)
“‘I will be his father, and he shall be my son.’ (14)—In Hebrews 1:5 this is applied to Christ, who was God’s Son in a sense that Solomon never was.” (Dummelow's Commentary)
“Much there was still in him (David) that was weak, faltering, and even sinful; nor was He, whose was the inheritance of such promises, even to build an earthly temple. Many were his (David’s) failings and sins, and those of his successors; and heavy rods and sore stripes were to fall upon them. But that promise never failed.” (A. Edersheim) Likewise, much in us is weak, But all of our stripes- chastisement for sins- were laid on Jesus at the cross.
Paul preaches type and antitypes. The ark is type of Christ— the Antitype. Similarly, in Hebrews 4:1-11, the keeping the Sabbath and entering the earthly promised land are only types. Paul makes the case for a greater rest offered to the people of God. "Today"- in the Chrisitan era- "if you will hear His voice, do not harden you hearts." (Ps 95:5-6), while Jesus is in heaven as Mediator High Priest. "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day." (Heb 4:8) "'Jesus' is a Greek form of 'Joshua,' who is otherwise never mentioned by name in the New Testament. It is also possible to understand this as actually referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, who before His incarnation may have been revealed as 'the angel of His presence' (Is 63:9). 'In His love and in His pity, He redeemed them,' as He led them into the promised land under Joshua [just as He had led them in the wilderness under Moses- 1 Cor 10:4 ]. In any case, this was not the ultimate 'rest' God had promised His people, as the next verses show. "There remains therefore 'a rest' for the people of God." (Heb 4:9) ... 'Let us therefore [labor] be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.' (Heb 4:11) We do not work to enter into His rest, for that is the very theme of this section, but rather believe with confidence in His Word and His work. This faith will result in good works (Eph 2:10) as evidence of the reality of our faith (Jam 2:18), but it is not the works that save us." (Dr. Henry M. Morris)
2 Samuel 7: David’s Thanksgiving to God
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O LORD God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O LORD God? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, LORD God, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You are great, O LORD God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.
"David … 'sat before the LORD.' The word ‘sat’ is usually explained by commentators as meaning ‘tarried.’ The rabbins give the word its ordinary meaning, and say that it was the privilege of kings to pray in a sitting posture. But we cannot possibly believe that kings at this early stage had established a special etiquette for observance in prayer, and the difficulty is merely imaginary.” (The Pulpit Commentaries)
And he said: “‘Who am I, O Lord Jehovah? and who my house (i.e., my family), that Thou hast brought me hitherto?’ etc. (18) These words recall Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32:10, 'I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,' etc. David acknowledged himself to be unworthy of the great mercy which the Lord had displayed towards him, that he might give the glory to God alone (vid., Psalms 8:5 and Psalms 144:3).
‘And this is still too little in Thine eyes, O Lord Jehovah, and Thou still speakest with regard to the house of Thy servant for a great while to come.’ למרחוק , lit. that which points to a remote period, i.e., that of the eternal establishment of my house and throne.— ‘And this is the law of man, O Lord Jehovah.’ ‘The law of man’ is the law which determines ore regulates the conduct of man. Hence the meaning of these words, which have been very differently interpreted, cannot, with the context immediately preceding it, be any other than the following: This - namely, the love and condescension manifested in Thy treatment of Thy servant - is the law which applies to man, or is conformed to the law which men are to observe towards men, i.e., to the law, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Leviticus 19:18, compare Micah 6:8). With this interpretation, which is confirmed by the parallel text of the Chronicles (in 2 Samuel 7:17), ‘Thou sawest (i.e., visitedst me, or didst deal with me) according to the manner of man,’ that words are expressive of praise of the condescending grace of the Lord. ‘When God the Lord, in His treatment of poor mortals, follows the rule which He has laid down for the conduct of men one towards another, when He shows himself kind and affectionate, this must fill with adoring amazement those who know themselves and God’ (Hengstenberg).” (Keil & Delitzsch)
“For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O LORD God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” (21-22) The word is the promise of the perpetuity of the throne of David, which was magnified before all Israel, and in later times referred to as the ‘sure mercies of David.’” (Whedon)
“And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.” (23-24) “It was an eternal arrangement that would never cease, and would be fulfilled on all those who truly responded to His covenant and obeyed Him. He would never fail those whose trust was in Him. This does not mean that there is what we call ‘a nation’ which He would treat as His people whatever they did and however they responded, and who are now languishing in unbelief in Jerusalem waiting for His special favour. It refers to those whom He had redeemed for Himself, who would genuinely ‘be a people to Himself’. As Paul put it, ‘they are not all Israel who are of Israel’ (Romans 9:6). Thus those who revealed themselves as not His true people would be (and now are) cut off, and rejected from the covenant, resulting in their ceasing even nominally to be His people, while those who responded to Him and came within the covenant in accordance with His provision (Exodus 12:48), becoming circumcised in heart (Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11), would become His true people. This situation was especially highlighted through the coming and death of great David’s greater son, Jesus Christ, so that the true Israel was revealed as those who believed in Him and put their trust in Him (Matthew 19:28; Matthew 21:43; John 15:1-6; Galatians 3:29; Galatians 6:16; Romans 11:16-28; Ephesians 2:18-22; 1 Peter 2:9; James 1:1; Revelation 7:4-8). There is only one post-resurrection Israel and that is composed of all who have believed in the true Vine (John 15:1-6).
So David’s glorying is not just in the fact that his house is secure for ever, but also in the fact that YHWH has chosen for Himself His true people for ever, so that they will be blessed together with David’s house. He is acknowledging by this the responsibility of his house for the blessing of God’s people, a responsibility wonderfully fulfilled by the Greatest Representative of that house, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Peter Pett)
25 “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
“‘And do as thou hast said.’ — David well knew that all the promises made to himself and family were conditional; and therefore he prays that they may be fulfilled. His posterity did not walk with God, and therefore they were driven from the throne. It was taken from them by the neighbouring nations, and it is now in the hands of the Mohammedans; all the promises have failed to David and his natural posterity, and to Christ and his spiritual seed alone are they fulfilled. Had David's posterity been faithful, they would, according to the promises of God, have been sitting on the Israelitish throne at this day.” (Adam Clarke)
This was no unconditional promise to make a particular man inherit the kingdom. “Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.” (27b) That prayer which is found in the tongue only will not please God; it must be found in the heart, which must be lifted up to God, and poured out before him. Thou art that God Who hast declared thyself to be Israel’s God, and in particular my God.” (Joseph Benson)
But God has promised to build David’s house. “Even now all is preparing for Him who alone is the Hope of the world. ‘Thy Kingdom come’ is still the prayer, nor will it ever come till the King’s coronation day arrives. And Nathan delivered faithfully the great covenant message. David’s response is beautiful, yea it measures up to the fullness of grace the gracious Lord had bestowed upon him. He does not seek the fellowship of Nathan to talk over this unspeakably Wonderful promise. He sat before the Lord. All the thoughts in him, planning to work and to build the Lord a house, were forever hushed.” (Arno Gaebelein) So be it. Amen!
28 And now, O LORD God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
“In what sense, I shall be asked, did David expect that his sons’ kingdom would be a Divine and spiritual one? In what sense an earthly and magnificent one? I answer—he looked for no earthly magnificence which was not the manifestation of an inward and spiritual dominion; he feared no earthly magnificence, which was a manifestation of it.” (Maurice)
It is only in King Jesus that the house of David can be enlarged and blessed forever. "A very important question arises in connection with this chapter, to which we have not yet adverted, but which we cannot pass by. In that promise of God respecting the stability of David's throne and the perpetual duration of his dynasty, was there any reference to the Messiah, any reference to the spiritual kingdom of which alone it could be said with truth that it was to last for ever? The answer to this question is very plain, because some of the words addressed by God to David are quoted in the New Testament as having a MESSIANIC REFERENCE. 'To which of the angels said He at any time, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to Me a son?' (Hebrews 1:5; cp. 2 Samuel 2:14)— If we consider, too, how David's dynasty really came to an end as a reigning family some five hundred years after, we see that the language addressed to him was not exhausted by the fortunes of his family. In the Divine mind the prophecy reached forward to the time of Christ, and only in Christ was it fully verified. And it seems plain from some words of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost that David understood this. He knew that ‘God had sworn to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne’ (Acts 2:30). From the very exalted emotions which the promise raised in his breast, and the enthusiasm with which he poured forth his thanksgivings for it, we infer that David saw in it far more than a promise that for generations to come his house would enjoy a royal dignity. He must have concluded that the great hope of Israel was to be fulfilled in connection with his race. God's words implied, that it was in His line the promise to Abraham was to be fulfilled—‘In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ He saw Christ's day afar off and was glad. To us who look back on that day the reasons for gladness and gratitude are far stronger than they were even to him. Then let us prize the glorious fact that the Son of David has come, even the Son of God, who hath given us understanding that we may know Him that is true. And while we prize the truth, let us embrace the privilege; let us become one with Him in whom we too become sons of God, and with whom we may cherish the hope of reigning for ever as kings and priests, when He comes to gather His redeemed that they may sit with Him on the throne of His glory.” ( W. G. Blaikie)
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