Friday 2/10/23

Embrace Your Bible

📺️ 2 Samuel 7 🔊

¹And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

 ²That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

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

 ⁴And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,

 ⁵Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

 ⁶Whereas 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.

 ⁷In 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 an house of cedar?

 ⁸Now 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:

 ⁹And 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.

 ¹⁰Moreover 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,

 ¹¹And 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 an house.

 ¹²And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

 ¹³He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

 ¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

 ¹⁵But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

 ¹⁶And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

 ¹⁷According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

 ¹⁸Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

 ¹⁹And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?

 ²⁰And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.

 ²¹For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.

 ²²Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

 ²³And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?

 ²⁴For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.

 ²⁵And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.

 ²⁶And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

 ²⁷For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

 ²⁸And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

 ²⁹Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Nathan, Zabud, & Gad 

Date Penned: (930 BC)

Overview: A Record of David's Reign (c 1-24)

Theme: David's Successes (c 1-10)

Message: God Promises Eternal Blessings to David (v 1-29)

2 Samuel 7 Commentary

(7:1) A Covenant with David - This chapter records the covenant God made with David, promising to carry on David's line forever. This promise would be fully realized in the birth of Jesus Christ. Although the word covenant is not specifically stated in the Bible text here, it is used elsewhere to describe this occasion (23:5; Psalm 89:3-4, 28, 34-37)

(7:2) Nathan the Prophet - This is the first time Nathan the prophet is mentioned. We know nothing of his background. God made certain that at least one prophet was living during the reign of each of the kings of Israel. The prophet's main tasks were to urge the people to follow God and to communicate God's laws and plans to the king. Most of the kings rejected the prophets God sent. But at least God had given them the opportunity to listen and obey. David often inquired of the Lord first and really listened to him. In earlier years, judges and priests had had the role of prophets. Samuel served as judge, priest, and prophet, bridging the gap between the period of the judges and that of the monarchy.

(7:5) God's Instruction to David on the Temple - In this message from Nathan, God was saying that he didn't want David to build a "house" for him. Why didn't God want David to build the temple? God told David that his job was to unify and lead Israel and to destroy its enemies. This huge task would require David to shed a great deal of blood. In 1 Chronicles 28:3, we learn that God did not want his temple built by a warrior. So David made the plans and collected the materials so that his son Solomon could begin work on the temple as soon as he became king (a Kings 5-7). David accepted his part in God's plan and did not try to go beyond it. Sometimes God says no to our plans. When he does, we should take part in the other opportunities he gives us.

(7:8-16) David Requested a Good Thing - David's request to build the temple was good, but God said no to it. This does not mean that God rejected David. In fact, God was planning to do something even greater in David's life than allowing him the prestige of building the temple. Although God turned down David's request, he promised to continue the "house" (or dynasty) of David forever. David's earthly dynasty ended four centuries later, but Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of David, was the ultimate fulfillment of this promise (Acts 2:22-36). Christ will reign for eternity- now in his spiritual kingdom and in heaven, and later, on earth, in the new Jerusalem (Luke 1:30-33; Revelation 21). Have you prayed with good intentions, only to have God say no? This is God's way of directing you to a greater purpose in your life. Accepting God's no may require as great a faith as carrying out his yes.

(7:18) David is Humbled at God's Favor - This section records David's prayer expressing his humble acceptance of God's promise to extend his dynasty forever. As he sat in the tent where the ark was being kept, David realized that these blessings were given to him and his descendants in order that Israel might benefit from them. They would help fulfill God's greater purpose and promise that through the people of Israel the whole world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

(7:28) David Bases His Life on God's Word - David knew that God's words were true, and he based his life on them. People search in many places for truth on which to base their lives, yet as David knew, God's Word is the only trustworthy foundation upon which to build a life.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Today we continue in the book of 2nd Samuel with Chapter 7. In our text, God promises an eternal blessing to David and his prayer of acceptance. What catches my eye is the mention of Nathan, a prophet of God. A prophet communicated God's message to the people and the Kings. Today we have the completed Bible, which contains God's complete revelation to man. We have Preachers and Pastors who expound upon God's message for us, along with the Holy Spirit that guides us to all truth in our Bible. In making an application, we see the importance of reading and studying the Bible. Plus, assembling ourselves in Church to have the Scriptures divided accurately and to connect with the Spirit of God that indwells the believer to guide us in our daily walk with the Lord. How about you? Do you see the importance of Reading and Studying the Bible, plus the importance of Church attendance? Let us learn from our text today and God's way of communicating His Words by embracing our Bible.