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2nd
Samuel 6:15-23 “So
David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD
with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. 16
And as the ark of the LORD
came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window,
and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD;
and she despised him in her heart. 17
And they brought in the ark of the LORD;
and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched
for it: and David offered burn offerings
and peace offerings before the LORD.
18 And
as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace
offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD
of hosts. 19 And
he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel,
as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of
flesh, and a flagon of wine.
So all the people departed every one to his house. 20
Then David returned to bless his
household. And Michal the daughter of
Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to
day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants,
as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! 21
And David said unto Michal, It was before
the LORD,
which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler
over the people of the LORD,
over Israel: therefore I will play
before the LORD.
22 And
I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast
spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. 23
Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul
had no child unto the day of her death.” Introduction [Audio
version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED668] “Chapter
6 of 2nd Samuel, we have journeyed through to about verse 15,
David’s desire to bring up the Ark to Jerusalem, his desire to centralize not
only political government but spiritual government as it were. And it’s known that God through the ages has
said he would choose a place, there would be a place where his people would
gather. And David no doubt feels in his
heart, Jerusalem is the place, it’s the center of the land, it’s the heart of
the land. And David heads out to do that
very thing, good intention, wants to bring the Ark up, of course they throw it
on a cart, as they’re coming, Uzzah, one of the sons of Abinadab, where the Ark
was for 70 years in Kirioth-jearim, he puts out his hand, touches it, and he’s
struck dead. The whole procession comes
to an incredible halt, 30,000 chosen men plus musicians and priests and so
forth, people on the walls of Jerusalem waiting and the whole thing stops, and
David and the crew come back cast down, David it says is angry. And as he comes, he hears over the next three
months, 90 days, that the house of Obed-edom is being blessed. And he realizes, the problem is not with God,
God has not changed, that the problem must be with him. And as he pursues, no doubt he looks in the
Scripture, he finds that in God’s Law it says the Ark was to be borne, there
were rings on the corners, there were staves that were to be slid through, and
of the sons of the priests, the house of Merari had carts to move their stuff,
the house of Gershon had carts to move their stuff, but the children of the
Kohathites had no carts, they were to carry the Ark of the Covenant. It’s almost as though he realizes then ‘LORD,
this is to be borne.’ And
as we looked at it, God doesn’t want to be thrown on our cart, he doesn’t want
to adjust to our program, he doesn’t want us driving him or dragging him,
asking his presence in a way that suits our purposes and our plans and our
agenda. There’s lots of wonderful things
that God does for us on the horizontal, but there’s one thing that always
remains vertical, there is one thing that is always to be borne, and that is
that there is a broken Law, and there is a Holy God, and there is the blood of
the Lamb that makes all of that right.
And that is something that is always to remain upon our hearts as we go
through this. That’s one thing that God
will never take away from us, we’re never to come here to be cavalier, get an
attitude ‘I’m doing spiritual stuff, I’m doing this, I’m doing that,
everything’s cool, I can live in sin, I can do whatever I want.’ Somehow we can get so caught up in the
Christian culture that we lose track of center.
And David realizes, and he rejoices, and he goes back, and they slide
the staves through the rings on that Ark, and they begin to carry it. And every six paces they sacrifice lambs, and
the blood begins to flow, and now he’s bringing the Ark up to Jerusalem, the
presence of the LORD
is coming, it’s coming the way it should come, it’s coming with the reverence,
and it’s come with the people on the walls of Jerusalem watching it now
approaching. The
Ark Is In The Middle Of The Nation, The Capital Is In The Middle Of The Nation,
And The Right King Is Over The Nation Verse
15 says, “So David and all the house of
Israel brought up the ark of the LORD
with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.” the
shofar, the ram’s horn is being blown, which sometimes was in regards to Feasts
or gathering people, but this no doubt incredible rejoicing, the presence of
the LORD
comes into the city of Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant, with the sound of
the trumpet. You can read Psalm 132 on
your own in regards to this. And it
says, “And as the ark of the LORD
came into the city of David,” you can imagine
the scene, “Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king
David leaping and dancing before the LORD;
and she despised him in her heart.” (verse 16) she’s
looking down through the window of superiority, the window of criticism. Don’t spend a lot of time there, please. Most of your criticism of others will
probably have some measure of truth to it, but so will your mirror. She’s looking down through the window of
superiority, and she’s despising David.
Well, what’s her problem? Some of
it’s defined right in the sentence, “Saul’s daughter.” Saul had despised David, Saul was a guy
seven-foot tall, but insecure, Saul was a guy that wouldn’t let go and let God,
Saul was a guy that wouldn’t yield to the LORDship
of Jehovah. And no doubt she’s learned
some of that in her environment, no mentoring that was godly. And we’re told earlier in 1st
Samuel chapter 19, I believe verse 23, that David as he fled from the house
where he and Michal lived, that she took one of her images and laid it in a
bed, she was an idolator too. We don’t
know if she ever had a genuine faith in Jehovah. But she’s looking at David coming now,
dancing with all of his might, and she’s despising him. Part of the reason may be is that he has at
least eight or nine other wives, that never creates a happy home environment,
never works. [that could be the bigger
reason] But she’s despising him, he’s
coming with all of the joy of his heart, this has finally worked out, he
finally has understood what was wrong. “And
they brought in the ark of the LORD,
and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched
for it: and David offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.”
(verse 17) now
this is not, 1st Chronicles tells us, this is not the Tabernacle
that Moses made. David made a tent. Some
feel the Tabernacle that Moses built was at Gibeon, some felt that it had been
torn apart by this time, but he had set up a tabernacle there, they put it in
the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it. “and David offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings before the LORD.” “And as soon as David had made an end of
offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name
of the LORD
of hosts.” (verses 17c-18) Now
the burnt offering is that of consecration, nothing is left of the animal, the
whole thing is consumed [in fire]. In
the Old Testament offering a burnt offering was a picture of coming and
reconsecrating our lives, LORD
I give everything to you, nothing is left.
The peace offerings or fellowship offerings, part of that offering was
taken by the priests [to eat], part was offered to the LORD
[i.e. consumed in fire], and part was given to the
worshipper so they could feast on that.
And of course, it was a picture of fellowship. In one sense this is true of all of us, it’s
when we offer burnt offerings and peace offerings, that we can bless the people. You’re not gonna bless your wife and kids in
the house, you’re not going to bless the people around you unless you’re
offering burnt offerings as it were, if you haven’t offered your life,
consecrated it, you’re always going to take a piece of it back and chew on
somebody else when they’re giving you a hard time. If you haven’t offered fellowship offerings,
you know, it just, the other day personally sitting before the Lord and just
struggling with some things, going over this and that in my heart, you know, he
drops one of those bombs on me, “one thing thou lackest,” what he said to the
rich young ruler, I said ‘Lord, I’m not rich and I’m not young,’ he said
“but there’s one thing you lack, come follow me, forget all of that, come and
follow me,” that fellowship. And if I
don’t have that, I’m not worth anything to you or to my home. Just interesting the way it lays it out here,
“as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace
offerings, he blessed the people” I think there’s a truth to that in all of
our lives. “And he dealt among all of
the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the
women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh,
and a flagon of wine. So all the
people departed every one to his house.” (verses 18-19) most pieces of
flesh are good pieces of flesh as far as I’m concerned. This is quite a sacrifice, there was a lot of
blood flowing, if he had 30,000 with him again, besides the people from all
over Israel, besides the priests, if everybody got some bread, flesh and some
wine, that’s quite a barbeque, I’ll tell you.
Must have been quite a day in Jerusalem.
And at the end of a long day now, look.
“Then David returned to bless his household.” You know, David’s heart has to be so
full. He had failed in one sense so
miserably the first time he attempted to bring up the Ark, he went away, he
brooded, his heart was broken, he had no selfish intention, he wanted to do
great things, a good thing. And he did
the right thing, but he did it the wrong way.
And David is learning, and now after this day, the dancing, the
worshipping, he’s dressed in a white linen ephod, just like the rest of the
priests, he’s not taking the place of a king, he’s taking the place of a
worshipper, he’s like everybody else, he’s there in the crowd, rejoicing,
worshipping, the smoke is rising, the sacrifices are being offered. For the first time in Israel’s history, the
Ark is right in the middle of the nation, the capital is in the middle of the
nation, the proper king is in the middle of the nation, it’s a day unlike any
day the nation had seen. And
Michal, The Daughter Of Saul And
David now comes back to his own house, and he’s coming, and he wants to bless
his house. You know, you come back from
a men’s retreat, guys, you know what I’m talking about. You go there, you get convicted, the Lord
flays you, cleans you up, sews you back up again, sends you home, and you come
home and you want to bless your household.
When you get there the hotwater heater leaked all over the floor, the
roof is leaking, it’s like the Three Stooges, there’s water coming in the light
fixture, you can just expect it, you know. Here’s David, all of this is stirred, and he
wants to come and he wants to bless his household. “And
Michal” we should have known that,
these are the last words we’re going to hear from her, “the daughter of Saul came out to meet
David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered
himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth
himself!” (verse 20) and he’s just so excited, and then she just says
all of this. ‘Didn’t you look sweet today, kingy!’ and you know, this attitude. And
I’m sure it’s crushing for him, this is so different than what he longed for,
the perfect end for the perfect day would have been to come home, have his
wives raise their hands, to worship the LORD, to do homage, to acknowledge what had taken place. And he comes home, and he runs into her. Now the sad thing is, Solomon hadn’t written
yet “A
soft answer turns away wrath.” It may have taken a thousand wives to get that down,
I’m not sure. But sadly, for us, actions
so often produces reaction, stinging words beget stinging answers, a mean
approach draws a mean response so often, so David now says to Michal now “And David said unto Michal, It was before
the LORD,
which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler
over the people of the LORD,
over Israel: therefore I will play
before the LORD.”
(verse 21) Now
this word “before” is a different “before” in the sentence, “who chose me
before,” the Hebrew is “he chose me over, more,” ‘Ya baby,
God loves me more than your old man,’ she’s yelling at him ‘Oh
you looked like a king, didn’t ya,’ and David says to her ‘It was
before the LORD,
in God’s presence, who chose me over your father, and before all his house, to
appoint me ruler over his people, the people of the LORD
of Israel, therefore I will play before the LORD.’ “And
I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast
spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.” (verse 22) ‘Oh ya, you can’t take it? Some of these, there are other girls that are
going to understand why I am dancing before the LORD,’
he gets into this contest with her. And I really think it was crushing for him,
listen, husbands, wives, it is your support of one another spiritually, is on a
scale that really in some ways, you know, wives can’t sometimes really
understand how it affects their husbands or vice versa. It’s huge.
And sometimes, sadly, if there is a marriage where one partner is an
unbeliever, then you may, if you’re riding a broken horse, you may have to go
it alone sometimes, and it isn’t easy.
You know, sometimes we say ‘Lord, make me like Daniel, make me like
these Bible characters,’ well do you really want that? What was it like for Noah? I’m telling you, that was a lonely job, to
build a boat [it was actually the size of a World War II Liberty ship] in a
world where it had never rained. Nobody
knew what rain was, and to do it for 120 years.
I’m sure it turned into Noah Day, like Memorial Day or Labor Day, the
whole area had parties, he must have cut down all the woods for miles. That’s a lonely job. Abraham, God appears to him in Ur of the Chaldees
and says ‘Go to a land I’m going to tell you about,’ Abraham has
to pack up his family, and they say ‘Where are we going?’ and he has to
say ‘I don’t know, that way.’
Joseph, hated by his brothers, sold into bondage, the slave-market,
changed the course of the world. Moses,
backside of the desert, 40 years, how many times did he lay on his face before
the LORD,
2.5 million people were complaining and grumbling on their journeys, you can go
through them, Ezekiel, Daniel, ripped from his family, probably at 13, 14 years
old, probably watched his mom and dad slaughtered, taken to Babylon, there was
a loneliness to that. John the Baptist,
in the wilderness, alone for years before he steps into his public
calling. Saul, saved, then off to
Arabia, alone for a number of years [in Saudi Arabia, at Jabel Al Lawz, the
real Mount Sinai], solitude [he was with Jesus, learning from him, as Paul
stated], John the apostle at Patmos. You
know, there is a sanctified loneliness sometimes, and sometimes it can happen
in a room full of people, sometimes it can happen where God get’s your heart
alone, and I look at David here, and I think, everything he’s gone
through. You know, this is his greatest
joy, you don’t see him carrying on like this when he has a victory over the
Philistines, we don’t see him carrying on when Saul dies, he mourns Saul. There were so many other things he could have
rejoiced about, this is the high point of his life so far, he’s dancing, he’s
rejoicing, he comes up, and when he comes home she just knocks his legs out
from under him, just knocks his legs out from under him. He’s still going to be the man we love, he’s
still going to stand. The sad commentary
is, on her, the last verse says “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had
no child unto the day of her death.” (verse 23) Critical people are often barren and
unfruitful their whole lives. Easy to be
a critic. Interesting picture. David now settling into his kingdom. 2nd
Samuel 7:1-29 “And
it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and 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 an 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 an 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
an 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 withersoever 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 an house. 12
And 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. 13
He shall build an house for my name, and
I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14
I 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: 15
but my mercy shall not depart away from
him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be
established for ever before thee: thy
throne shall be established for ever. 17
According to all these words, and
according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 18
Then 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? 19
And 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?
20 And what can David say more unto thee?
for thou, Lord GOD,
knowest thy servant. 21 For
thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these
great things, to make thy servant know them. 22
Wherefore 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. 23 And
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 for 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? 24 For
thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto
thee for ever: and thou, LORD,
art become their God. 25 And
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. 26
And 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. 27
For 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. 28
And now, O Lord GOD,
thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this
goodness unto thy servant: 29 therefore
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.” When
God Says “No” A
Prophet Of God Is Only Supposed To Speak What God Tells Him To Speak “David
now settling into his kingdom. Now as we
come to chapter 7, we’re not sure chronologically if chapter 7 follows chapter
8, some scholars feel that, the point that’s made in the chapter is not
necessary for that. But as we come to
chapter 7, verse 1, we’re going to find David, look what it says “And it
came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD
had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto
Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God
dwelleth within curtains.” (verses 1-2),
dwells in a curtain, dwells in a tent.
We have this interesting picture now, David the king sitting in his
palace, he has rest round about from all of his enemies. This is the first time David experiences this
in his life, and it is the first time Israel is experiencing this. David’s kind of sitting in his palace,
twiddling his thumbs, nobody to fight, no enemies, rest, sitting there. And it’s interesting to watch him in this
scene. It says that “the king said
unto Nathan the prophet,” now it’s the first time we hear of Nathan, it
doesn’t tell us where Nathan came from, he just kind of drops onto the page
here. We’re thankful that the king is
hanging out with Nathan, would to God that our elected officials found godly
people to put in their cabinet, people that would tell the truth, that would
speak to them, you know, people that were filled with the Spirit, wonderful and
how healthy it must be for a nation to have a group of godly, moral people
gathered together. It is interesting to
see David here with Nathan.
[Comment: Samuel died, as
recorded in 1st Samuel 25:1, “And Samuel died;” So then, who kept recording the events from 1st
Samuel 25 onward through 2nd Samuel 24? It was shown that Samuel had set up ‘a
school of the prophets’ if you remember how when David fled to Samuel, and
Saul came seeking David when he was with Samuel. I believe the other prophets mentioned in 1st
and 2nd Samuel came out of this school of the prophets Samuel
had set up, that they were trained under Samuel. My personal belief, and we’ll have to find
out at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (cf. Revelation 19:7-10), that it was
Nathan that continued the writings of the history of Israel under David up
through David’s death in 1st Kings 2:1-10. It is obvious the writings from 1st
Samuel 25 onward through 2nd Samuel 24 could not have been carried
out by Samuel. Nathan appeared to be the
chief prophet of God set up by God to be with David. Abiathar the priest turned disloyal to the house
of David after David’s death, so no evidence of the Holy Spirit in Abiathar
being reflected in his actions. We find
Elijah the Prophet had also set up a school of the prophets, which continued
under Elisha the Prophet. So we find that
there is an active, Holy Spirit indwelt ministry which God had set up under the
various kings of Israel, and later after Rehoboam the House of Israel and the
House of Judah.] You see David here with
Nathan, and to see who he chooses to keep company with as we watch him in this
scene. But it says ‘The king said
unto Nathan the prophet, You know, this isn’t right, here I am dwelling in this
palace of cedar, and God’s out there living in a tent, what’s wrong with this
picture?’ Now it’s interesting,
because Jesus tells us that David was a Prophet. You see, he’s not just sitting in his palace
as a king. Another man might be saying, ‘You
know, I could use a decade off, this last 30 years have been tough, man, I’ve
aged 50 years in 30 years, thank goodness, no more enemies,’ just sitting
there. David can’t hang with that, even
for a moment. David’s sitting there in
his palace, and every day he’s hearing music from the priests outside his
window. No doubt he built his palace so
he can look out and see the tabernacle, every day he’s smelling the incense,
every day he’s smelling the sacrifices, as the smoke is rising, and he can’t
think of anything else. Isn’t it
interesting what we think about when we have idle time, when we’re at rest,
what we let in front of our eyes, what we let into our ears. Here’s David, alone, of course he didn’t have
a computer, he didn’t have Comcast, he’s sitting there alone, and all he can
think about, it’s interesting, ‘You know what, this isn’t right.’ That’s not the king in David, that’s the
song-writer, that’s the Prophet, it’s the deeper part of his being. He’s not content, because he wants more for
God, he wants more with his God. He wants
more in his relationship to his God, he wants more, there’s hunger that’s not
satisfied. He’s a king, he’s on his
throne, he’s expanded Israel from 6,000 square miles to over 60,000 square miles,
all of his enemies are defeated, he’s at rest, and not at rest. What a wonderful picture, what a wonderful
picture. And he says to Nathan, ‘You
know what, this is really not cool, here I am living in this mansion made of
cedar, God’s out there living in a tent.’
And Nathan’s a prophet, so he knows what David’s
insinuating. Verse 3 says, “And
Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD
is with thee.” Now
he knows, that God deserves a nicer house than I have, ‘Nathan, I feel in my
heart, we just need to build a temple.’ Now
God will want a temple, he’ll allow Solomon to do that, but David at this point
in time, saying ‘I want to do this, it’s on my heart,’ and Nathan, whose
a prophet, whose supposed to only speak what God tells him to speak. You know the Old Testament says ‘If a
prophet says something that’s not right, take him out and stone him.’ Nathan gets off the hook here,
because God’s going to come to him in a dream and say ‘Nate,’ maybe
he said that, I don’t know, ‘Did I tell you to say that? go back there
and fix this now.’ I mean, but
listen, what could be wrong with this? ‘I
want to build a temple, I want to honour God, I want to give myself to this, I
want to do this,’ and God’s gonna say ‘No.’ And I believe this is the greatest
disappointment in David’s life. Listen,
we’re watching him, watching him, coming to the throne, Saul chasing him,
fighting battles, in Ziklag, all of this stuff, the Philistines,
everything. And now he finally comes to
the place, where after great disappointment, he brings up the Ark, he comes
home, and Michal just slaughters him.
Now he’s sitting there, he says ‘I want to build a temple for
God,’ his ambitions are not selfish, they’re wonderful, they’re good,
and God’s gonna say “No” to him. And God
preserves this chapter, sends it down to us, through the ages. Because what do we do when God says no? When we want to do something good, and we
want to do something we perceive is right, what do we do? Because it’s a really interesting picture
here. Nathan, listen, it’s so right that
Nathan doesn’t even enquire of God, he says ‘Ya, that’s great, go on,
what could be wrong with this, I don’t even need to check in on this one, it’s
so right.’ “And it came to pass that
night, that the word of the LORD
came unto Nathan, saying, Go tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD,
Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” (verses 4-5) Now, we’re not
sure exactly what that was like. Look
over in verse 17, Because Nathan now is going to tell David everything
the LORD
said to him, “According to all these words, and according to all this
vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” So we’re not exactly sure, we hear what God
wants to say, what is borne out of this.
It’s an interesting structure here in verse 4, it says “And it
came to pass that night, that” it almost seems like there is a pause, and
there’s a definite article there, which makes it interesting, “it came to
pass that night, the that” is what it says, and then when it says “the
word of the LORD”
it says “the that, and it was the
word of the LORD
came to Nathan,” So what is “the
that”? I try to look into it, what is
“the that, and it was the word of the LORD
came to Nathan…” That’s a mixed up
description of God speaking to him and giving Nathan these visions. [I’m guessing poor Nathan had a disturbing
night.] How long did it take? We’re not told, we’re not sure. No doubt, it must have went on for awhile,
that the LORD
speaks to Nathan. Chronicles always gives us some details, a
few things here, you don’t have to turn there, got my computer printout
here. It says “It came to pass the
same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell David my
servant, Thus saith the LORD,
Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in.”
Now, because it seems like God’s going
to ask him a question, back here in 2nd Samuel 7, ‘Shalt thou
build me an house?’ And what
he’s going to tell David, ‘You’re a man of blood, you’re a man of war,
and this thing’s not going to be built in that context, if you’ve slaughtered
everybody, now you’re putting up a house for me?’ and he’s going to
tell him, Solomon, Shalom, Peace, it’s going to be built a different way. ‘Because it is a reflection, and a
picture, and it’s something I’m doing that’s much bigger than what you want to
do.’ We’re going to see
something that’s very interesting. So,
this is God speaking to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith
the LORD,
Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” (verse 5) a
question. Chronicles says that he says ‘You are not’ this is in the negative
here, “Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in,” The
LORD
Tells David He’s Dwelt In A Tabernacle, Tent, From The Beginning Of
Israel--What’s A Tabernacle In The Bible? And
then back to 2nd Samuel 7:6, “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.” (verse 6)
isn’t that interesting? Jehovah’s
[Yahweh’s] saying, ‘I have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle, I’ve
lived in a tent and in a tabernacle.’ It’s
going to tell us, in John chapter 1, you
know, ‘In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God,’ and
he goes through that, and then it says ‘The Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, we beheld his glory, his glory is of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth,’ it says in the Greek, ‘The Word
was made flesh and tabernacled among us.’ Peter will pick up on that in his
Epistle and say ‘I’m ready to put off this tabernacle,’ realizing
that this is just a tent that we’re dwelling in. Revelation chapter 21, at the end of the
Scripture, will say this “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God.” (verse 3) the Tabernacle of God. He the LORD
is saying ‘I have walked in this tabernacle unto this day,’ it
was [for Jesus as a man] skin, it was a wonderful picture of the Incarnation in
so many ways. It’s just interesting to
see the LORD,
you hear him saying to Nathan ‘I’ve never asked for a building, I have
walked in a tent, in a tabernacle,’ “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 an house of cedar?” (verse 7) He says ‘Was there ever a time I
said Why hasn’t anybody built me a house of cedar?’ here, going from
obscurity to now, ‘I’ve never asked that.’ “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my
servant David, Thus saith the LORD
of hosts,” (verse 8) Now
imagine Nathan, he’s coming to David, first Nathan kind of gets scolded, and he
comes to David, and he says “Thus saith the LORD
of hosts” to David, “I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the
sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
and I was with thee withersoever 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.” (verses 8b-9) ‘Whether a lion or a bear, or a giant,
I’ve been with you David, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight.’ We esteem David with Abraham and
Moses and the other names. And he’s
going to say to David, ‘Look, I didn’t ask for this, I don’t want this, I
took you from the sheepcote,’ listen, there were a thousand other
shepherd boys that day, out with their flocks before David, we never even heard
of David in the Bible, it’s the first time we hear his name in the Bible is
when we come to king David, [pronounced] Daveed, it’s the first Daveed
we meet in the Bible. It wasn’t even
a common name. David probably wouldn’t
even be a favorite name today if God hadn’t in his choice taken this young boy
who was taking care of flocks. David
would have lived and died in obscurity and we would never have heard of him. There’s only one reason, he says ‘I
took you from following the sheepcote,’ God says ‘my
decision. And I’ve been with you
wherever you’ve gone, I’ve given you victory over all of your enemies, and I’m
going to give you a great name like the great men of the earth.’ (verses
8-9) “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,” (verse 10) “and will plant them,” now literally it says “moreover
I have established” already done as far as God’s concerned, “a
place for my people Israel, and have planted them, that they may dwell in a
place of their own,” God says “I’ve already done it,” and move no
more,” people in the news should read that today, “neither shall
the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,” “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 an house.” (verses 10-11) Nathan’s saying ‘David, you’re not going
to build him a house, you don’t have your handle on the program here, God is
going to build you a house, you’re not gonna build him a house.’ Now of course he’s speaking about the
dynasty, the House of David from which the Messiah will come. Look, what do we do when God says “no”? You know, God may say no to us when we want
to do something that seems so right, and it seems so good, and it just may be
you’re not a temple builder. You might
be great at this, great at that, it may be in your heart, but God may say ‘You
know, I appreciate it, I never asked for it, I didn’t ask you go do it, and
you’re this, but you’re not that.’ It
may not be a form of discipline at all, when God refuses us it may not be in
regards to anything sinful at all. He is
God, and the safest way to travel with him, again, is you let him be the real
driver with the real steering wheel and the real brakes and the real gas pedal,
and you be like a little kid next to him with one of those little plastic
things, little plastic steering wheel, and a horn that doesn’t do anything, and
let him steer, and let him brake and let him accelerate. That’s the safest way to travel. Because
there are times, he’s gonna say no. And
I think it was the greatest disappointment in David’s life. He wanted to build this Temple so bad. And he had the heart of a prophet, and I
think he had the heart of a priest, I think he’d rather have been a priest than
a king. God said no, and God is saying
to him ‘David, check out my track record, I called you from the
sheepcote, I’ve taken you from nowhere, brought you to somewhere, given you
victory, traveled with you, I’m gonna give you a great name, and I’m the one
whose going to come alongside you, and I’m going to build your house, you don’t
understand what this is all about. Trust
me, I know what I’m doing.’ Instead
Of You Building Me A House, David, I’m Going To Build You A House & A
Dynasty That Will Last Forever Listen
to what God is saying to David in verse 12, “And 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.” (verse 12) God’s already seen David’s death, David’s
going to write Psalm 139 and say ‘All of our days are written in a book
before any of them are lived out.’ God
says to David, “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.” (verse 12) Notice,
verse 12, “thou shalt sleep,” verse 13, “He shall build” interesting
contrast. “He shall build an house
for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” (verse
13) Now imagine what it’s like for
David to hear that. You and I hear that
all the time, it’s become kind of our Christian jargon in our Christian
culture. [Comment: this has a literal fulfillment as well, even
though the line of David historically ended within the House of Judah when
Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and killed Zedekiah in 586BC, the Prophet Jeremiah
was allowed by the Babylonians to take Zedekiah’s two daughters, and all three
historically disappeared from the scene.
Where did they go? For some
clues, see: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-identity-of-britains-royal-family-part-1
and https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-identity-of-britains-royal-family-part-2] Imagine what it’s like for David to hear, ‘Look,
you’re going to sleep and I’m gonna raise up your son after you, and I’m going
to be faithful to him, and I’m going to establish his throne for ever.’ Imagine what a strange thing that was
for David to hear. What did he say to
Nathan, ‘are you sure?’ “I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for
ever.” Now listen, verses 14 to 16,
very interesting, because this is in regards to David’s son, “I 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: 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 for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
(verses 14-16) he just told David ‘You’re
gonna sleep,’ now he says ‘Your house and your kingdom is going to be
established for ever before thee.’ Well
when we get to Ezekiel we’re going to find out that David’s going to basically
be governor of Jerusalem during the Millennium, he’s going to have a job. [Now I have to correct that statement here,
let’s go to Ezekiel 37:15-25, when you read verses 15-23, it shows that in the
Millennium, after the 2nd coming of the Messiah, that the tribes of
Judah-Levi will be reunited with the other ten tribes of Israel (who have up
till then been historically lost, but not lost to God), and then in verse 24
it says, “And David my servant shall be king over them; and
they all shall have one shepherd: they
shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.” So God, Yahweh prophecied through Ezekiel
that David, who will come up in the 1st resurrection to immortality,
will be king (yet again) over the 12 tribes of Israel. And we know from other prophecies that Jesus
Christ will be King of kings and Lord of lords, i.e. King of the entire world. We know from Luke that each of the 12 apostles
will be appointed as a king over one of the 12 tribes of Israel. So you have Jesus, King of the whole world,
king David, now Immortal, will be king
over all 12-tribes, now united into the nation of Israel, and the 12 apostles,
each assigned as a king over one of the tribes of Israel. Verse 25 continues with this promise
for king David over Israel, “And they” Israel, all 12 tribes, “shall
dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers
have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children,
and their children’s children for ever: and
my servant David shall be their prince for ever.” So king David here is called both a king
and a prince over the entire 12-tribed nation of Israel, regathered into the
Middle East, back into the Promised Land, whilst Jesus Christ himself will be
Headquartered in Jerusalem as King of kings and Lord of lords, over the entire
earth. That’s a proper exposition of
that prophecy found in Ezekiel 37:15-28.]
‘He’s going to be established before thee…thy throne will be
established for ever.’ Very
interesting passage. Listen, we are the
sons and daughters of the Greater David, of David’s Son [i.e. Jesus Christ],
and if God promised David that he would treat his son Solomon this way, how
much more are these things true in our lives?
We’re told in Hebrews that the chastening of the Lord is unpleasant,
it’s not peaceable, but it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. If we’re not chastened, we’re not his
children. But when we compromise, we do
things wrong then he chastens us because he loves us. Here listen to what he’s saying about
Solomon, because these verses apply to us also, you can apply these things to
your lives. He says to David “I 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:”
You’re here this evening? He’s
your father, you’re his son, he’s your father, you’re his daughter. He says “If he commit iniquity, I will
chasten him with the rod of men,” in the physical “and with the stripes
of the children of men:” (verse 14) God will deal with it. “But my mercy shall not depart away from
him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.” (verse 15) Listen to what he’s saying, now look, what is
it like for David, God is stooping down to him and saying ‘David, I love
you, don’t pout about this temple stuff, I never asked for it, I’m not put out,
enjoy your cedar palace, I like tents, I’ve been in a tent for 400 years, I
never complained to anybody. You just
got here, you ain’t stayin’ long, you’re gonna sleep. But David, your son, I’m gonna love your son,
David.’ Man, you can go to sleep
when God tells you that. ‘I’m
going to love your son, David,’ this is Dad stuff, God is stooping down
to David, and having a Dad conversation with him, this is Dad stuff, ‘David,
I’m going to love your son, I’m going to be a father to him, if he messes up
I’m going to give it to him, I’m going to let him have it, but I’m not going to
take away my love from him or my covenant from him, I’m going to keep him, I’m
going to establish his house.’ Just
imagine the heart of David as he hears this from Jehovah-God, the tenderness
that’s involved here to me is overwhelming.
“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before
thee: thy throne shall be established
for ever.” (verse 16) ‘This is a
better house-plan, you have to understand.’
“According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so
did Nathan speak unto David.” (verse 17)
Now according to all the vision, we’re not told if he gave David
impressions from the imagery he must have seen also, we’re getting the words
recorded here. But Isaiah is going to
re-affirm this when in Isaiah 9 it says, “For unto us a
child is born, unto us a Son is given, the government shall be upon his
shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
And of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it,
with judgment and justice from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the LORD
of hosts will perform this.” (verses 6-7) Gabriel knew about it when he came to Mary,
and he said “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Highest: and the Lord GOD
shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33) I wonder what God, it just says here that
Nathan gave him all the words and the visions, we wonder what else he
communicated to David and what else David saw in his heart. David’s
Response To What The LORD
Revealed To Him But
I’m telling you, this is important here, look in verse 18, “Then 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?” and we have his prayer
recorded to the end of the chapter now.
Listen to how important it is.
[Comment: And it indicates, when
it says “and sat before the LORD”
that David actually went into the tent, tabernacle he had set up to house the
Ark of the Covenant, and sat there before it.
Nobody except the high priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement, was
supposed to do that, and anyone who did was in danger of being struck dead, as
Nadab and Abihu had been struck down dead.
But here is David, sitting before the Ark of the Covenant, praying to
Yahweh God in his presence. But David
was no ordinary Israelite, he had the Holy Spirit in him, the future blood of
Jesus Christ was covering David, that can be the only explanation why David was
able to do this and not die.] The first
verse it says David is sitting in his house, now he goes and he sits before the
LORD. When God says no to you, when you’re
disappointed, this is the smartest move that you can make. Go and sit before the Lord, until you get
things in perspective. Because if you
don’t do that, you’re going to be mad at your “Nathans” whoever they are. You’re going to be saying, ‘This is what I
get, all I want to do is what’s good, and I do this, I fight battles, go
through wars, I do this, and I want to do this, you’re telling me Ya, go on and
do it, next minute you’re telling me Don’t do it, you’re supposed to be a
prophet, you can’t even make up your mind, what am I supposed to do?’ If you don’t get before the Lord, you end
up bitter and angry at human beings that are around you, and they’re not
driving the ship. And then you’re mad,
you say ‘This person won’t let me do this, this person won’t let me have
this ministry, this person won’t let me built this, this person won’t let me
drive this, this person won’t let me go here,’
whatever it is, I don’t know.
The best thing is, when you get in the place where you think ‘All I
wanted to do is something good, and this is what I get? All I wanted to do, I was going to pour out
my heart, I have the means to do this, I’m not going to beg, I’m not going to
do a fund-raiser, I’m going to finance this out of my own pocket, I can pull
this off, I can do this.’ And some
Nathan says, ‘You know what, I think you’re out of step,’ and you’re
wrestling with that deal in your heart.
Is God angry when he says that?
No, because to David he both says no and then he affirms David. And the
smartest thing to do when you’re in one of those places, is go and sit
before the Lord, and let him sift all of that for you. Because David’s going to walk away and say ‘LORD,
who am I, who am I, here I was, I wanted to get some marble and some cedar and
build a building here in Jerusalem, and you’re establishing a kingdom that’s
going to last for ever.’ ‘What a
knucklehead I am LORD,
to get so stupid over stones and wood, and there’s so much more to this.’
Listen, “Then went king David in, and sat
before the LORD,”
we’re not told how long he’s there before he opens his mouth, but then he says
this, and it goes to verse 29, and it’s a great way to start, ‘Who am I, you
took me from the sheepcote, I was in another world, I was a Hippie, writing
songs on my guitar, throwing stones at bears and lions, and you just came and
got me,’ “Then 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?” “hitherto”
is “this far,” you ever feel that way, when you put things in perspective you
do, don’t you, because we go to the Lord, we have all these earth-changing
requests…and it’s not long, and if you are genuine and you are in his presence,
‘Woe is me, I’m a man of unclean lips, all of my comeliness is turned to
ashes,’ Daniel said. If you
really are in his presence, it’s a question that comes up right away, ‘Who
am I, Lord, sinful man’ “And
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?
And
what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD,
knowest thy servant. For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart,
hast thou done all these great things,
to make thy servant know them. Wherefore
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. And
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 for 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?” (verses 19-23) ‘LORD,
your plan is so much bigger than me, and all I was worried about was whether I
was getting my way,’ “For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people
Israel to be a people unto thee for ever:” politicians
need to read that, “and thou, LORD,
art become their God.” (verse 24) What
is David seeing, how full his heart is at this point in time. “And 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.” (verse 25) ‘I concede, LORD,
do it according to your plan, not according to mine, LORD,’
it’s a great day, when that day comes when we stand around his throne, I
guarantee you we’ll all be glad he had his way and not ours. When we stand around his throne in glory, and
see, we will all be glad that it worked out his way, I guarantee you. “And 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.”
(verse 26) “For 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.” (verse 27) And now, O Lord GOD,
thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this
goodness unto thy servant:” and I have a note here,
“and servants,” plural, that’s us “therefore 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.” (verses 28-29)
Now when you sit before him, and you
spend time in his presence, it always gives birth to great prayer, when you can
say ‘Lord, you have revealed your heart to me,’ man it pours out. David’s
And Our Positive Response To A “No” Answer Now,
David, you get to the end of the chapter, it sounds like ‘Ok, I’m cool with
this, I’m settled with this,’ he was in one sense. This is not a man that can sit still, ok,
he’s cool with it, but in one sense, he’s not cool with it. 1st Chronicles 29:1-5
says this, and there are other places, but it says “Furthermore David the
king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath
chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD
God. Now I have prepared with all my
might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the
silver for things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron
for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be
set, glistening stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious
stones, and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have
of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of
my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three
thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of
refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: the gold for things of gold, and the silver
for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of
artificers. And who then is willing to
consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?”
David says, ‘Alright, I’m not gonna
build it, I’m gonna pre-fab it, I can’t build it, I’m gonna get it ready so he
can do it. He’s going to do it, I’m
going to make sure he’s got everything he wants,’ and then he says “of my own means,
I’ve given above everything that I gathered from everybody else.” Listen, this is the test of the heart, this
is a heart that God loved, because David said ‘Alright, LORD,
my heart desired to do this, and you’re saying no to me, so I’m going to make
sure that my son can do it.’ When God says no
to our dreams, are we ready to say to our Solomon, ‘I’m going to do
everything to make sure you can do it then.’ Are we willing to do that? Listen, Jesus said this in Matthew, because
he’s going to say to David in another place, ‘What was in your heart was
good, David, to do it, it just wasn’t your job.’ He says if you lust after a woman, as
far as the Kingdom is concerned you’ve already committed adultery, you’re
proving you’re in adultery because you’ve lusted after a woman. Well if you lust after building a temple, are
you then a temple-builder? God looks at
the issue of the heart. And are you
willing to say ‘I long to be a missionary, but my wife and 15 kids are never
going to go for it, so I’m going to do everything I can possibly do to make
sure this missionary is successful at the ministry I can’t fulfill being
there.’ ‘Lord, I’ve been praying for a
husband for years, and now she’s gettin’ one, and you’re saying no to
me? Lord, I’m going to her shower, I’m
going to be at her wedding, I’m going to
let her know I’m praying for her, and going to ask you Lord to give every
blessing to her.’ ‘We’ve gone to the
fertility doctor for years and haven’t been able to conceive and we’re
struggling, it seems that God has said no.
And we say, Lord, there’s people having abortions, trust us with a
child, we want to raise a child and love a child, and Lord you haven’t opened
the womb, it seems you’ve shut the door and said no, but the folks across from
us in church, they just keep popping them out.
So we’re going to buy Veggie Tales and children’s Bibles, we’re going to
do everything we can possibly do to make sure those kids are as godly as the
kids we would have raised ourselves. I
can’t build this Temple, and I get frustrated God because I want to do it, and
I have to sit alone with you sometimes to get it in perspective, you’re right
Lord, who am I, who am I? And what you
have planned for me is so much bigger than what I want for myself [what we’re
going to have to do, the jobs, the people we’re going to have to raise up spiritually,
the ministries we’re gonna have in the Millennial Kingdom of God, as kings and
priests (and it does seem to be a dual role, Revelation 5:9-10) is just going
to blow your mind when you get there.] ‘So
I’m going to make sure that the people who are doing it, they get to do it with
all their heart, I’m going to pre-fab it, I’m going to lay it out, I’m going to
give of my life and of my breath, till you lay me down to sleep, Lord, to make
sure that when it does happen, it’s great.
I’m going to lay down my life so that others can live.’ ‘Let this mind be in you that was also in
Christ Jesus, that being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal
with God, but took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of man, and became obedient, he humbled himself, even unto the death
of the cross, let this mind be in you.’
It must be possible, if Paul’s exhorting us, Paul is only writing what
the Holy Spirit tells him to through his pen to the paper. He asks us, Let it be, let this mind be in
you. You think you have rights? He thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, set your rights aside, let this mind be in you. What this one who leaves his place in glory,
his rightful place, and comes and lays down his life, stretches out his hands
on a wooden cross and bleeds his life into the ground so that others can live. ‘I can’t build the Temple, but I’m going
to make sure whoever does it, does it grand.
I can’t be a missionary, I’m going to make sure a missionary that I
support is supported, doesn’t have problems, I’m a missionary at heart, I’m a
mom at heart, I’m a wife at heart, I’m a husband at heart. I’m going to make sure, Lord, if I can’t do
it because you have some better things, somebody else is going to do it great,
I’m going to make sure…’ That’s the
image and likeness that he’s conforming us into. David in the next chapter will go out and conquer seven other nations, he subdues them,
he’s going to make sure that by the time Solomon comes to the throne, every
threat is gone, everything is laid up, everything is in place. I’m sure he didn’t foresee the thousand
wives, but he sowed the seeds of it in his own life, sadly. But look, is God saying no to you about
something. You know here’s David, caught
between Michal, ‘you don’t look like a king, you’re out there dancing around
like an idiot,’ here he is in one of the highest points of his life and she
knocks the legs out from under him, and after that he’s sitting there and says ‘Well
I’m going do something good,’ and then Nathan says ‘Ya, great, go on,’ and
then you think ‘Hey great, the prophet told me it’s cool,’ and he must
have been all stoked up, and Nathan goes back and says, ‘Ahh, wait one
minute, I spoke too soon,’ ‘What do you mean you spoke too soon?’ ‘This is what God says, David.’ But then for God to stoop down and say, ‘David,
you’re going to sleep, your son’s going to build, I’m going to be his dad, I’m
going to love him and take care of him, he’s gonna mess up, I’m not going to
take my love from him. I’ll chasten him,
but he’s going to build a house and your throne’s going to be established for
ever, for you, David.’ “According to
all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto
David.” David then went in and sat
before the LORD. If you are disappointed, if a Michal has
knocked your feet out from under you, if you are being told no, maybe it’s not
God’s timing, maybe it’s not God’s plan, don’t be mad at the Nathan’s that are
around you, go and sit before the Lord, and say ‘Lord, this seems so right,
I don’t want to rob a convenience store, I want build a temple,’ and he
might say, ‘You know, I really appreciate it, what you want to do is good,
but son, you’re not a temple-builder, I’m going to let a temple-builder do
that, and you’re throne is going to be established forever.’ If you’re in a disappointing situation
tonight, your mom didn’t call and tell us you were coming, and that’s why we
taught this chapter, you know, if the shoe fits, this is where we are,
journeying through the Bible, God is speaking to you, he loves you, he’s taken
you from the sheepcotes, from obscurity, he’s made you a child of the King,
he’s brought you into an eternal Kingdom, and you need to go sit and talk with
him, go sit in his presence, and let him sift you through his wisdom and what
he’s doing. Let’s stand, let’s pray…[transcript
of a connective expository sermon on 2nd Samuel 6:15-23 and 2nd
Samuel 7:1-29, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500
Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19116] related
links: This
promise of God for David’s dynasty to be forever has a literal fulfillment as
well, even though the line of David historically ended within the House of
Judah when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and killed Zedekiah in 586BC, the
Prophet Jeremiah was allowed by the Babylonians to take Zedekiah’s two
daughters, and all three historically disappeared from the scene. Where did they go? For some clues, see: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-identity-of-britains-royal-family-part-1
and https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-identity-of-britains-royal-family-part-2 Audio
version:
https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED668 |