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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel chapter 7. 2 Samuel 7, remember last week 
we looked at the Davidic covenant in 7 verses 1 to 17, we saw God's 
promise to David concerning the seed of his body. Specifically 
in verse 12, God promised David, 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. He shall build a house for my 
name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 
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. But my mercy shall not depart 
from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 
and your house and your kingdom shall be established forever 
before you, your throne shall be established forever." So that 
is the Davidic covenant, the promise by God given to David 
that from his seed one would rise up to usher in an eternal 
kingdom of God. Now, ultimately, we know that 
would be the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there was a succession 
of kings in Judah, and then from that line comes Christ. Well, 
David responds to this promise of God in a most fitting way. As Davis says, Yahweh's declarations 
stirred David's devotions. God's promises ignited David's 
praises and prayers. That's how it should be. So I'll 
read beginning in verse 18, David's response to the Davidic covenant. 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? 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? Now what more can David say to 
you? For you, Lord God, know your 
servant. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 now, O Lord 
God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised 
this goodness to your servant. 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. Amen. Well, as we come to this, 
it's a bit difficult to exegete a prayer, but there are several 
things that we ought to observe. in this particular section. I 
want to break it down into three sections. First, David's confession 
of unworthiness before God in verses 18 to 21. A very good 
place to start when we come before the living God. A confession 
of our own unworthiness. We see this in Nehemiah when 
he prays to the Lord God. We see this in Daniel when he 
prays to the Lord God. We see it elsewhere in the prophets. 
And then secondly, the ascription of greatness to God in verses 
22 to 24. And then thirdly, the petition 
for fulfillment in verses 25 to 29. So probably not touching 
every jot and tittle, but looking at those sections and looking 
at the particulars involved. Hopefully we can see what the 
thrust or the emphasis in David's prayer is. I think Davis is right. Yahweh's declarations stirred 
David's devotions. His promises ignited David's 
praises and prayers. In other words, when we receive 
promise from God, this is a fitting response. praise and worship 
and adoration. It's good for us to discuss in 
Bible study, it's good for us to know these things, it's good 
for us to have this cognition, but it's also good for us to 
be praising and worshiping and glorifying our great God for 
His promises concerning His Son. with reference to our salvation. Now note first the confession 
of unworthiness in verses 18 to 21. David is located before 
the Ark of the Covenant. It says, then King David went 
in and sat before the Lord. probably a reference to the Ark 
of the Covenant of God. Remember in 616, when the Ark 
comes into the city, as the Ark of the Lord came into the city 
of David, Michael, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw 
King David leaping and whirling before the Lord, and she despised 
him in her heart. So they brought the ark of the 
Lord and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle 
that David had erected for it. So most likely this is where 
David now sits before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 
And as I've mentioned concerning the previous section, God refers 
to David as my servant in verse eight. David refers to himself 
as your servant. 10 times in this prayer to God. In the space of these several 
verses, David refers to himself as my servant. Prior to this 
time, the title had been conferred on only two individuals, namely 
Abraham and Moses. The designation suggests a close 
relationship between the Lord and David and says something 
concerning the Lord's confidence in David's loyalty and devotion. The fact is, He refers to him 
as the servant of, or as my servant, and David responds in kind. Now 
note his confession in 18b to 21. Three things here. Note first 
his acknowledgment, 18. He says, Who am I, O Lord God, 
and what is my house that you have brought me this far? And 
that's a good thing for us to consider before the Lord God 
Almighty. Who are we to receive such benefit 
and such blessing? I mean, we are insignificant. 
David says that he himself is not worthy of such blessing. He also indicates that his house 
is not worthy of such blessing. Probably a reference to Jesse 
and to his brothers and to that whole line or tribe or clan. 
And then note, he says, and what is my house that you have brought 
me this far? Now, Dale Ralph Davis makes an 
interesting observation. David was born in Bethlehem, 
according to 1 Samuel 16. Now, Bethlehem was only six miles 
from Jerusalem. That's where he presently sits 
before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. But he says, you 
have brought me this far. He's not talking in terms of, 
you know, mileage. What Davis goes on to say, this 
was only 6 miles from Jerusalem, but for David that distance meant 
21 chapters, over 10 years of danger, escapes, treachery, folly, 
despair and slander. Yet here he was, amazing, Yahweh 
had brought him to this point. So he sits before the Lord God, 
he's just heard this promise that from his seed there's going 
to be this dynastic succession that's going to ultimately result 
in the Messiah, God the Lord Most High, coming into this world 
who will save his people from their sins, usher in this eternal 
kingdom, and rule over it forever and ever and ever and ever. And 
David says, who am I? I'm just an insignificant shepherd. I come from an insignificant 
family. Lord, I am not worthy of such 
blessing and of such goodness from your hand. Notice the application 
of God's blessing to him. Verse 19, And yet this was a 
small thing in your sight, O Lord God. As tremendous and as amazing 
as this was for David, For God, this was not some super powerful 
act. It was a small thing in the sight 
of God. And then he goes on to say, and 
you have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while 
to come. Speaking of the future, because 
that's the emphasis in the Davidic covenant, this whole idea of 
forever, forever, forever, that repeated refrain concerning the 
endurance of this kingdom that would last forever. Now note 
what David goes on to say in verse 19. You have also spoken 
of your servant's house for a great while to come. That deals with 
the time reference concerning the promise of the Davidic Covenant. 
But then he goes on to note the scope of the Davidic Covenant. 
Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now, more than likely, this 
is not a question. The New King James, the NIV, 
and the New American Standard all render it as a question. 
Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? But most likely, it's not 
a question. Rather, it is a statement or 
a declaration referring to Torah or instruction that is given 
by God. The New Jerusalem Bible translates 
it this way, Such is human destiny, Lord Yahweh. The New Living Translation 
in the margin has, This is your instruction for all humanity, 
O Sovereign Lord. So probably the meaning is this, 
the time frame is such, that it's eternal in duration. But the scope of the promise 
is not confined to David's house, but the scope of the promise 
is for all humanity. In other words, the Davidic Messiah 
isn't simply David's Messiah. The Davidic Messiah is the Messiah 
to the Gentiles, the Messiah to the nations around Israel. I think this is probably what 
is going on. This is your instruction for 
all humanity, O Sovereign Lord. It was no small thing to the 
Lord. The task concerned David's house 
for a great while to come, and the task concerned the program 
for all humanity. In other words, the promise given 
in the previous verses didn't just focus upon David's house 
or even just upon ethnic Israel, but it had as its focus the entirety 
of humanity consistent with the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 
12. Remember, in Abraham all the 
nations of the earth would be blessed. Well, this is starting 
to take on more focus now. It is through the Davidic seed, 
it is through the Davidic Messiah that this promise given to Abraham 
would be realized. Remember back in Genesis 3, the 
promise of the skull-crushing seed of the woman that would 
deal with the devil. In Genesis chapter 12, this expansion, 
that this blessing would come upon all the nations of the earth. 
Genesis 49, isolates the promise to the tribe of Judah in the 
Shiloh prophecy, and now within the tribe of Judah we have the 
Davidic household. And so probably this is the rendering. It isn't a question, is this 
the manner of men, O Lord God? But rather a declaration, this 
is your instruction for all humanity, O Sovereign Lord. In other words, 
David was conscious of what was going on in redemptive history. 
David was conscious of the reality that we go from the seed prophesied 
in Genesis 3, to the seed that would bring blessing to all families 
of the earth in Genesis 12, to the Shiloh prophecy wherein it 
would be confined to the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49, and now 
to the place where it comes through the household of David himself. Walter Kaiser comments concerning 
this Torah or this instruction. He says, we call this Torah a 
charter of humanity, referring to verse 19, because it is the 
plan and prescription for God's kingdom whereby the whole world 
shall be blessed. Now we know it doesn't mean the 
whole world without exception. It means the whole world without 
distinction, Jew, Gentile, tribe, tongue. people, nation. The scripture 
isn't teaching universalism in the sense that every single human 
being will be saved, but it does teach a biblical or a global 
universalism elect from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. 
So Kaiser goes on to say, it is a grant conferring powers, 
rights, and privileges to David and his seed for the benefit 
of all mankind. David is speaking of a promise 
that is going to go for a while, for a long while, unto eternity, 
and it's going to have as its scope and whole the blessing 
of humanity itself. Van Hoy says, David thus gave 
expression to his awareness that the long-standing promise of 
Genesis 3.15 that was carried forward in the promises to Abraham 
and subsequently narrowed to the tribe of Judah was not to 
be fulfilled was to be fulfilled through one of his own descendants. 
So this is the significance here in verse 19. And now notice how 
this comes to pass. Again, looking at his confession, 
he acknowledges that he's not worthy, he acknowledges the scope 
of this promise and the time element involved, and notice 
that he gives, or highlights, how this came to pass. It was 
through God's grace was solely by grace. It wasn't because David 
was worthy. He's already said that. Who am 
I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me 
this far? This is not a triumphalistic 
man who says, O God, you owe me this because I've been such 
a noble warrior. O God, you owe me this because 
I have successfully deposed Abner and Ish-bosheth. Lord God, you 
owe me this because I've garnered the respect. This is not his 
attitude, brethren. David knows that he got to this 
place or he got this far because of God's grace to him. And notice his rehearsal of God's 
grace all throughout here in verses 18 to 21. He speaks of 
the past provision of grace in verse 18b. And what is in my 
house that you have brought me this far? So again, a period 
or a location of six miles away from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, 
but all those things, danger, escapes, treachery, folly, despair 
and slander, how did he get through that? By God's grace. How did 
David get to this point? By God's grace. He's extolling 
the grace of God. He is exalting in the grace of 
God. When you come before the Lord 
in prayer, what ought we to be doing? Extolling the grace of 
God. We ought to spend time magnifying 
grace, acknowledging our nothingness before Him. acknowledging the 
reality, who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you 
have brought me thus far? Well, in the admission of that, 
there's an acknowledgement of the grace element, because the 
only reason we got this far is because God the Lord has sustained 
us. Notice that David highlights 
the promise of future grace. Notice in verse 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. David 
is no fool. He understands that it was grace 
that got him to this point. It's going to have to be grace 
that is going to get his posterity to the point that they will ultimately 
be. If there is going to be this 
son to God who builds a house for God, there will need to be 
grace to sustain this entire operation. As we mentioned last 
week, if it were up to the kings of Judah, they would have handily 
given away the kingdom time in and time out, but it was grace 
that kept it. It was grace that preserved that. 
It was grace that brought them out of Babylon. It was grace 
that preserved those 55,000 exiles, or returnees rather, in Judah. It was grace that kept them in 
place. It was grace that brought Joseph 
and Mary together. It was grace that brought the 
Lord Jesus Christ in the fullness of the time. And then notice 
that David highlights that it was sovereign grace. Notice in 
verse 20, now what more can David say to you? For you, Lord God, 
know your servant. I wonder if we have that kind 
of intimacy with God. I wonder if we have that kind 
of communion with God. Now, what more can David say 
to you? For you, Lord God, know your 
servant. Can we say that to God and have 
that sort of invitation, as it were, for Him to look inside? for him to examine our hearts. 
Lord, when you look there, you'll know what you find. Lord, when 
you look into my heart, you know what's there. You'll see sin, 
and you'll see remaining corruption, and you see, you know, those 
departures and that waywardness. But you know there's love, there's 
affection, there's adoration. At any rate, he goes on to say, 
for your word's sake, and notice, according to your own heart, 
according to your own heart, which obviously means according 
to your own will. God does not have a heart. This is an anthropomorphism. If you remember from our studies 
in impassibility, God does not have a heart the way man has 
a heart. But this convention, according 
to your heart, teaches us something. It is the will of God that is 
supreme. And David acknowledges that. 
There is this past provision of grace, there is this future 
promise of grace, and it's all according to the sovereign nature 
of God's grace. for your words' sake, and according 
to your own heart, you have done all these great things to make 
your servant know them. So his confession of unworthiness 
begins in the low place of asking the question, Who am I, O Lord 
God? And then supplying the answer 
as to how he got to this point. It's because God had promised. It's because God is faithful. 
It's because God had lavished grace, it's because God would 
promise to lavish grace, and it's because God in His sovereign 
will did this for His own glory, for His own honor, and ultimately 
for the benefit of humanity that this Davidic son would come to 
save. Now notice, secondly, the ascription 
of greatness in verses 22 to 24. Therefore, you are great. 
You see what a contemplation of the sovereignty of God yields? 
This admission, this confession, therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God. What else is there to say after 
we rehearse grace? After we consider who we are 
before God? After we consider our littleness, 
and our nothingness, and our sinfulness, and our waywardness, 
and the fact that you've brought us to this point. You have sustained 
us by grace, you promised to keep us by grace, and this according 
to the will of God, by grace. What is our only confession at 
this point? Therefore, you are great. This 
is one of the problems of Arminianism and Pelagianism. They have ripped 
away one of the primary reasons to pronounce the greatness of 
God. It is amazing grace which causes 
the recipients to say and declare with David, Therefore, you are 
great, O Lord God. Isn't that a beautiful and sublime 
and most excellent statement? Therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God. He acknowledges this. And Gil 
says concerning this statement, in His name, nature, persons, 
and perfections, purposes, promises, and works. The greatness of God 
is seen in who He is. David begins in his praise and 
in his adoration with a consideration of theology proper, who God is 
in and of Himself. Now, David will tease out what 
God does. David will go on to sort of exemplify 
or explain or expound on how God's greatness is to be seen. But his first admission here 
has to do with who God is in his essence or in his essence 
and attribute. I'm sorry, in his name, nature, 
persons, and perfections, purposes, promises, and works. Note the 
priority. God is praised for who He is, 
and then He is praised for His works. I'm not suggesting we 
don't praise God for creation, and we don't praise God for providence, 
and we don't praise God for the fact that He saved us, and we 
don't praise God for the fact that He kept us from going off 
a cliff, or the fact that He healed us of a pretty nasty cold 
or flu. Of course we praise God for His 
works. But do we ever take time to just 
confess that God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, 
and just ponder that, and just worship Him for who He is? That's 
what David's doing here. Therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God. He says, For there is none like 
you, nor is there any god besides you, according to all that we 
have heard with our ears. Gil goes on, "...for there is 
none like Thee, for His essence and attributes, for His greatness 
and goodness, for what He is in Himself, for what He is to 
His people, and has done for them." Again, do not leave here 
tonight and say, Butler said, we can't praise God for the good 
things that He's done. Yes, we most certainly must, 
but we need to consider who God is. You know, when you're a parent 
and you give nice things to your children, your children say, 
thank you very much for giving me that new toy. But it's nice 
when your children say, thank you for being you. Thank you 
for being you. Isn't that encouraging? I imagine 
that for the children of God, that would be a good response 
to the Father once in a while. Kyle and Dalech say, God is great 
when he manifests the greatness of his grace to men and brings 
them to acknowledge it. And in these great deeds, he 
proves the incomparable nature of his deity or that he alone 
is the true God. So David says, therefore you 
are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you, nor is there 
any God beside you, according to all that we have heard with 
our ears. Now he's going to tease it out. 
Now he's going to flesh it out. Now he's going to move from ad 
intra, who God is in himself, to ad extra, what God has done 
external to himself in terms of his power for his people. And note that David sort of Sample 
study or David's exhibit is Israel, right? This is what he says in 
verses 23 and 24. He focuses on the nation of Israel. David looks at Israel as a confirmation 
of God's greatness and graciousness, right? Note the nature of his 
confession. Therefore you are great, O Lord 
God, for there is none like you, nor is there any God beside you, 
according to all that we have heard with our ears. And so it 
is, as it were, a case study in the greatness of God. Has 
Dagon done these things for the Philistines? Has Asherah done 
these things for the Canaanites? Has Moloch done these things 
for the heathen that work? No. But our great God has done 
these things for Israel. So you see, this serves as a 
means by which David is able to survey the grace, the power, 
the greatness, and the majesty of God by focusing upon Israel. Davis picks up this way. He says, 
David's praise takes a different focus, Israel, in these verses, 
but not a different burden. He describes Israel as a nation 
without peer. But for David, this only reflects 
Israel's peerless God. In other words, when contemplating 
the greatness of God at extra, outside of God Himself, David 
looks to that great display case of God's grace and mercy that 
has been exhibited. I think Paul does a similar thing 
in Ephesians 3. In Ephesians 3, Paul says that 
the church is sort of a display case. And what it displays is 
the manifold grace and wisdom of God. And it displays that 
to the very angels themselves. Notice in Ephesians 3, beginning 
in verse 8, To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, 
this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the 
unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the 
fellowship of the mystery. which from the beginning of the 
ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through 
Jesus Christ." Now note verse 10, "...to the intent that now 
the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church." 
to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. So principalities 
and powers in heavenly places look upon us on the Lord's Day 
and say, wow, God really is gracious. because he's there, and he's 
there, and she's there, and we know what they are in themselves. And apart from God's grace, they 
would never be praising him. You see, it is to the intent 
that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by 
the church. You see, everybody has a role 
in the church. You are a part of that display 
case. Your presence, your very presence 
manifests to these principalities and powers in the heavenly places 
something concerning the manifold wisdom and the grace of God. 
If I was a bowler and I had a bowling trophy on my mantle at home, 
you'd come in and say, wow, not that that's a great bowling trophy, 
but you must be a great bowler. Well, that's the point, right? 
We are in God's display case, not so that persons will say, 
boy, you're an amazing trophy. No. You must have an amazing 
God if He put you in that display case. If He polished you, and 
He cleaned you, and He washed you, and He purified you, and 
He put you in that case, He must be something. You see, that's 
what's going on in Ephesians 3, and I suspect that's what's 
going on here in David's prayer concerning God's greatness. Now notice, the specifics involved. How do we know God is great? 
Well, just look at Israel. Okay, now we're looking at Israel. 
What should we particularly observe? Well, there's three things in 
verses 23b and 24. In the first place, the Lord 
redeemed Israel. I mean, look at that. Beautiful 
text, verse 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. Isn't that beautiful? Talk about 
particular redemption. Talk about limited redemption. God didn't go out and redeem 
the Jebusites. He didn't go out and redeem the 
Canaanites. He didn't go out and redeem the Hittites and the 
Hibbites. He went out and redeemed Israel. And note specifically, 
whom God went to redeem for Himself. Notice in verse 23 at the end, 
your people whom you redeemed for yourself. Notice that redemption 
has two elements involved. There's a liberation or a freedom 
from something, but a possession unto something else. In other 
words, God redeems Israel from Egypt, not so they can go out 
and sin like Egyptians, but He redeems Israel from Egypt so 
that they would be His possession. You see the same sort of emphasis 
in the New Testament as well. 1 Corinthians 6, why are we not 
to engage in sexual immorality as believers? Because you've 
been bought with a price. You've been freed from that old 
slave master's sin, and you have now been purchased by a new master. It's not a redemption unto whatever 
it is you want to do, it's a redemption unto the service of the living 
and true God. And that's the emphasis here. 
God went to redeem Israel for Himself. It's a beautiful thing. Notice as well, the Lord preserved 
Israel. 24a. For you have made your people 
Israel, your very own people forever. Isn't that glorious? We are described here. We are 
the Israel of God, and we are His people forever. He's not 
gonna let us go. We are stable, we are secure, 
we are found safely, united to Christ, and therefore, God Most 
High will never cut us off. We have that security. And then 
notice, in terms of a specific, the Lord blessed Israel. The 
end of verse 24, and you, Lord, have become their God. That's 
how we sort of look at Israel as a display case to reflect 
the greatness of God. We see that greatness seen specifically 
in His redeeming work, in the preservation of Israel, and in 
the fact that He is covenanted to be their God and they will 
be His people. Verse 22, make absolute sense. Therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God, for there is none like you, nor is there any God beside you, 
according to all that we have heard with our ears. Truly is 
amazing that God the Lord had dealt thus with David, he dealt 
thus with Israel, and David cannot contain himself. David praises, 
David worship, David adores, David brings glory and honor 
and praise unto God, when it comes to considering these particulars. Brethren, think 2 Samuel 7, 18-29 
on Sunday when you're singing hymns of praise to God. I mean, 
isn't that why we come on Sunday? Isn't that what we're here for? Isn't that the purpose for which 
we were created and have been recreated? Is to pick up the 
Trinity Hymnal and to pick up the Trinity Psalter and to sing 
praise to God? I mean, if grace has taught us 
anything, it's taught us to fear, certainly. Newton was right, 
reflecting Jeremiah the prophet, chapter 32. But it's taught us 
to sing, it's taught us to praise, it's taught us to honor and to 
adore. You know, you go to those churches where people aren't 
singing, one wonders, is there grace in their hearts? You can't 
help but sing when there's grace in your heart, because that's 
the avenue or the vehicle by which we get to respond to God, 
the great things that He's done. As well, not just in our public 
singing, but what about our private praying? What about when it comes 
to our own closets? Has the grace of God taken hold 
of our hearts such that it had with David? Because if it has, 
it will find its way out in our prayers. Would our closets be 
able to testify? Or wherever it is you find yourself 
spending time in private prayer, would that place be able to say, 
yeah, that guy likes grace? That guy appreciates the greatness 
of God. It's one thing I continue to 
hear, when he prays, as if your walls could speak, he celebrates 
sovereign grace and mercy. Brethren, these things are not 
just written here so that we can say, wow, what a great guy 
was David, No, what a great God is our God. He's given us the 
same grace that He gave to David, and we have the same makeup as 
David. We have the same pipes, or windpipes. We have the same mind. I mean, 
David may have been a brighter bulb than some of us, but All 
the same sort of faculties are present. It's not like David 
was a man in a class all by himself. You know, I'm just not like David, 
and I don't have the capacity... Of course you have the capacity 
to praise like David. God has saved you, you have the 
capacity to praise like David. And please don't ever say, you 
know, I just don't have the time. You're not the king of Israel, 
brethren. Who had less time than David? He's a king, killing Philistines, 
and protecting the kingdom, and providing stability and security, 
making sure that food was coming in, and making sure that the 
water supply was looked after, and making sure that the court 
was taken care of. David was busy. You know, it's 
truly amazing that in our generation, in the 21st century, with all 
the accouterments that we have, oh, we're just too busy to pray, 
we're too busy to celebrate God's grace. No, we're not. We're too 
lazy to celebrate God's grace. Consider 2 Samuel 7, 18-29, and 
may it be an impetus to help you in your singing life, in 
your prayer life, and in your response to the preached Word. 
I mean, we really do labor to preach the grace of God in this 
church. If it was a church that was about Joel Osteen-isms, and 
it was a church about, you know, a little buck up and be happy 
and put a positive, you know, attitude in your life, I could 
see a lack of faithful attendance. I could see being late. I could 
see, you know, falling asleep. But brethren, we do labor to 
provide exposition of God's Word here. And I think those who've 
received God's grace value God's Word. And they understand the 
importance and the primacy of it. As you see throughout this 
prayer, David exalts in the Word of God as well. Those who value 
God's grace will value the means of grace, and will attend to 
it, and will benefit from it, and will prosper in the use of 
those things. Now notice, finally, the petition 
for fulfillment. Interesting. God has given these 
rock-solid promises. God has provided grace. God has 
promised grace. God is sovereign in the dispensing 
of His grace. And it's on this foundation that 
David petitions. Why does David petition? Why? When God has promised, why does 
David petition? Brethren, we petition because 
God has promised. You ever heard a person say, 
well, how do I know if I'm praying in accordance with the will of 
God? Pray the promises of God. And you'll always pray in the 
will of God. There is a specific and conspicuous 
order found in this particular section. In verses 25 to 29, 
David moves from praise and thanksgiving to petition and supplication. 
He rehearses what God has promised, he rehearses what God has done, 
he rehearses how gracious and great and glorious God is, and 
it's based on that foundation, that's when David begins to ask, 
and David begins to supplicate and present petition. Note three 
things here with reference to the petition for fulfillment. 
In the first place, the reason, 25a and 27. 25a. Now, O Lord God, the word 
which you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his 
house, establish it. You see, brethren, we get it 
all wrong. We think we petition for the promise. No, the petition 
is the foundation for the promise. In other words, we ask of God 
because God has promised. It's not the case that we're 
sovereign. It's not the case that we name 
it and claim it. It's not the case that whatever 
I verbalize at the throne of grace, God's just going to respond 
to me. No, it's up to me to learn what 
God has promised and then to go to Him and ask Him for it. This is an exercise in dependence, 
an exercise in faith, and an exercise in worship and adoration 
and exaltation in the living and true God. You see, our prayer 
doesn't change God. God's promise ought to promote 
in us prayer, petition, and supplication. David's no hyper-Calvinist. The 
promise of God is the foundation for our petitions to God. Again, how do I pray according 
to the will of God? Have you ever had that question? 
Have you met persons who've had that question? You've heard the 
text, ask of me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." 
And we as Reformed and Calvinists, we say, well, yeah, but it's 
got to be according to the will of God. And persons will say, 
well, how do I know if I'm praying according to the will of God? 
Open your Bible. How about that? Open the scriptures 
and pray God's word back to him. There's nothing God delights 
to hear more than his own word prayed back to him. And this 
is what David does. Now, oh Lord God, the word which 
you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house. 
Alec Motier on Psalm 89 says the question which the psalm 
poses is this What is to be done? Which interestingly enough Psalm 
89 is the companion passage to 2nd Samuel 7 Psalm 89 is a covenant 
psalm and the covenant in view is the Davidic covenant. So Motier's 
observation is very appropriate not only for Psalm 89 but for 
what David is doing here in 2nd Samuel 7. He says, the question 
which the psalm poses is this, what is to be done when the promises 
of God are denied by the facts of experience? Think about it, 
David's been given this promise, and up to this point he hasn't 
seen it. Right? He hasn't seen this flesh 
itself out. He hasn't seen Messiah. He hasn't 
even seen Solomon at this point. So listen to Motier. What is 
to be done when the promises of God are denied by the facts 
of experience? It answers. Turn the promises 
into prayers and plead them before God. That is exactly what Psalm 
89 is. In light of the Davidic promise 
concerning the Davidic son that would build a house for God, 
the faithful in Israel at Psalm 89 prayed, Lord God, bring this 
to pass. And that's essentially what David 
is doing here. Now, O Lord God, the word which 
you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, 
bring it to pass. If God calls on us to pray or 
God calls on us or gives us specifics in His Word that evidence and 
indicate to us His will and His mind and His heart, we pray those 
things to God. See, we don't have a text that 
we can go to and say, Lord God, I know that you have promised 
that all faithful believers will get pink Cadillacs and summer 
homes by the lake. And Lord, I just bring... No, 
it doesn't say that. But we have that statement that 
the Lord does not allow His righteous to perish. We have the statement 
that He'll never allow them to suffer famine. And we have the 
statement by our Lord teaching us to pray to God for our daily 
bread. And we come before our Father 
and we say, we know, God, that you have purpose to provide for 
your people. And you've said you'll never 
leave them nor forsake them. And in the context in Hebrews 
13, that's a temporal benefit passage. And so, God, we bring 
that to you. We pray that you'd make it a 
reality and you would supply for us, you know, not pink Cadillacs, 
but our daily bread. That you would supply those things 
that you promised in your word. You see, we take the promises 
of God and we turn them into the petitions and we bring those 
before the Lord Most High. This connection is obvious in 
verse 27, with reference to the Davidic covenant. He says, verse 
27, "...For you, O Lord, of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed 
this to your servants, saying, I will build you a house..." 
Note the connection, "...therefore..." Therefore, your servant has found 
it in his heart to pray this prayer to you. I'd have never 
prayed this prayer to you, God, concerning this lasting dynasty 
that you've promised, if you hadn't promised. But since you 
promised, I'm going to bring it to you, Lord. That's the beautiful 
thing with our God. He gives us these promises, not 
so we'll neglect them or ignore them or pretend they're not in 
the Bible, but we'll bring them to Him and plead them with Him. 
what God calls us to. Psalm 78, Psalm 78, verse 9. Help us, O God of our salvation, 
for the glory of your name, and deliver us, and provide atonement 
for our sins for your name's sake. Spurgeon comments, this 
is masterly pleading. No argument has such force as 
this. Believers will find it their 
wisdom to use very frequently this noble plea. It is the great 
gun of the battle, the mightiest weapon in the armory of prayer, 
This whole idea of God's name, right? He has promised that He 
will magnify His name. We bring that promise to Him 
and we plead with Him. These sorts of things. Back in 
Psalm 74. Verse 20, have respect to the 
covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the 
haunts of cruelty. Spurgeon here says, here is the 
master key. Heaven's gate must open to this. The promises, the covenant, the 
name of God, we bring those things to the Lord. Not our comfort, 
not our ease, not our pink Cadillacs and summer homes. Please work 
in such a way that your glory will be had, your name will be 
magnified, your will will be done through my efforts. Supply 
the grace, the food, the shelter, the things that I need in order 
to carry this out for your honor and praise. So chapter 7 makes 
this obvious. For you, O Lord of hosts, God 
of Israel, have revealed this to your servants, saying, I will 
build you a house. Therefore your servant has found it in 
his heart to pray this prayer to you." How could we pray without 
the promises of God? And we'd be like blathering idiots. I mean, the only way we know 
to pray is because God has given us His Word. He's told us things 
in Scripture. And our blessed Lord Jesus has 
given us that model prayer in Matthew chapter 6. And that brings 
us to consider the petitions of David in 25b to 26. Which, if you think about the 
Lord's Prayer, you'll see a lot of parallel. You see a lot of 
overlap, you see a lot of similarity between David and David's greater 
son. Notice in 25b, the establishment 
of God's word. 25b, this is one of the petitions. Establish it forever and do as 
you have said. You have spoken concerning your 
servant and concerning his house. This word, establish it, that 
word, forever and do as you have said. Sounds like the establishment 
of God's will, doesn't it? Doesn't Jesus teach us to pray 
that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven? Notice the 
second petition in 26a, the magnifying of His name. 26a, So let your 
name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God 
over Israel. Well, that's where our beloved 
Lord starts. Hallowed be thy name. I think 
that David and David's greater son had the same prayer in their 
heart when they came to consider the greatness and the glory of 
God. And then notice the third petition, the building of his 
kingdom in 26b. And let the house of your servant 
David be established before you. Isn't this what Jesus taught 
us to pray? And his kingdom come, right? I mean the name, the kingdom, 
the will of God. That's what David prays concerning 
the response to the Davidic covenant. This is what Jesus teaches us 
to pray. We need to acknowledge the greatness 
of God. We acknowledge the graciousness of God. We see it displayed in 
the church of God and we pray thus, that his name be glorified, 
that his kingdom come, that his will be done on earth as it is 
in heaven. And then notice David's confidence 
with reference to this petition or these petitions. He highlights 
the verity or the truthfulness or the veracity of God's Word. 
Verse 28, And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are 
true. Isn't that balm to the soul in 
a world filled with an American political cycle? I mean, it's 
just grieving. I'm at the point where I'm, you 
know, dying. I've had enough. It's just sick. But we can say with reference 
to God, and your words are true. There's no error, there's no 
falsehood, there's no falsity or darkness in this book. It's 
a book of light, it's a book of purity, it's a book of brightness, 
it's a book that is a guide and a lamp and a light unto our path. David trusts in the sure word 
of God. Now brethren, David was not as 
benefited as we are in this regard. I mean, David had a sizable chunk 
of Scripture to be sure, but he didn't have all that we have. 
We ought to out David David at the throne of grace, if I may 
say so. We have so much. We have seen 
Messiah. David walked by faith in the 
coming Messiah. We have seen Messiah. We have 
seen Jesus. We see how it all fleshed out. 
We see the fullness of the time. We see God sent forth His Son. We see the spectacle of Calvary 
and how the Lord accomplished What he purposes here in 2 Samuel 
7, we see that God went about building this kingdom through 
the blood of His only begotten Son. I mean, brethren, we ought 
to out David David when it comes to the throne of grace and magnifying 
His name and celebrating His greatness and His glory. And 
then notice, with reference to the sovereignty of God in verse 
29. Now, therefore, let it please 
you. Isn't that an acknowledgment 
of sovereignty? Isn't that what Jesus says in 
Matthew 11 after that great declaration that God had hidden these things 
from the wise and the prudent and He had revealed them unto 
babes, even so, Father, it was well-pleasing in your sight? 
I mean, that's an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. David 
is not presumptuous. David is not arrogant. David 
is not boastful. David doesn't say, well, he's 
not one of these health, wealth, prosperity guys. You've made 
a promise, and you've got to do it. No, David brings the promises 
to God, and he lays them before God. But he underlines and underscores 
and highlights in bold faces that it's ultimately in the sovereign 
hand of God. So don't get my statement of 
bringing these promises and praying them to God as petitions as a 
formula that you're going to get whatever it is you ask at 
any moment that you ask it. No, God's never going to be your 
genie. He's never going to be reduced to your holy horseshoe 
or your lucky charm where you're going to rub the idol and get 
the blessing. No, He's not going to do that. 
It's always under the auspices of God's sovereignty. Now, therefore, 
verse 29, 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. What a glorious prayer! I mean, 
it's short and it's small, but it's just packed with theology 
and with praise and with worship and with honor. Well, in response 
to God's promises, I think that David serves as a good example 
here. In the first place, there needs to be wonder and amazement 
at who God is. Davis makes this observation. Notice the order. We go from 
praise and thanksgiving to supplication. Praise and thanksgiving to supplication. Praise and thanksgiving to supplication. Is that how we pray? We go right 
to supplication. Lord, I need a new pair of shoes." 
Or, God, the tire's about to fall off the van. Now, if you're 
driving down the highway and the tire's about to fall off 
the van, by all means, Lord, keep the tire from falling off 
the van. That's legit. I don't think God's going to 
get you for that. But in your normal, routine, day-in, day-out 
engagement of Christian duty, Do you praise and stand amazed 
before you ask? Or is it, God I want, God give 
me? We don't typically say, God give 
me. You know, the horse leech has two daughters, give, give. 
That's what Solomon teaches us. And most of us are a little bit 
more polished at the throne of grace. We don't just run up there 
and say, give, give, give. You know, gotta have, gotta have, 
give, give, give. We don't do that. But is there a priority 
in our prayer times to have some praise and adoration and amazement 
and wonderment? And then, God, would you please 
send blessing? David says, David's prayer does 
not begin with petition, but with wonder, not with supplication, 
but with surprise. I mean, that's the thrust. Who am I? Oh, Lord God. And what is my house that you 
have brought me this far? It's amazing. I mean, we sing 
amazing grace, but do we believe that it's amazing grace? Perhaps 
we need to reflect upon what we were and what by God's grace 
we've become. As well, there needs to be a 
gratitude and thankfulness I mean, do we run up there and just say, 
give me, give me, give me, or, you know, thank you God that 
you brought me to this point? I mean, isn't this sort of the 
emphasis at the end of verse 18? And what is my house that 
you have brought me this far? David doesn't have to say, thank 
you and I give you gratitude because It's oozing from his 
words. I've been through many dangers, 
I've been through many toils, I've been through many trials, 
I've been through many heartaches and hardships and life-threatening 
situations, and you've brought me this far. Gratitude, thankfulness. Brethren, practice gratitude 
and thankfulness with humans. If you're not grateful and thankful 
to people who do nice things for you, or mediocre things for 
you, you're probably not going to be that way toward God. as 
well, the inscription of praise and adoration to God for who 
He is and what He does, David's pattern. Therefore, verse 22, 
you are great, O Lord God. Let me just stop there for a 
moment and reflect upon that before I start to rehearse the 
fact that Israel is redeemed, Israel is preserved, and Israel 
knows God as their covenant God. I'm just going to stop with the 
divine essence and just ponder the glory and the majesty and 
the excellency of God. and then the order of petition 
to promise. Petition is based on the promises 
of God. And then I think we ought to 
take note of that whole idea of redemption. As David displays 
the greatness of God and the redeeming power that he exercised 
with reference to Israel, never forget that they are redeemed 
by God for God. Again, I'll quote Davis here. 
His section on this prayer is most excellent, by the way. He 
says, redeemed Israel, He liberated them from bondage, Egypt, in 
order that they might belong to a new master. Biblical redemption 
always involves both elements, liberation and possession. Yahweh 
revealed His power in smashing Egypt's chains, but revealed 
His purpose in binding Israel to Himself. We might say that 
Yahweh grants His people freedom, but not independence. They are 
to belong to Him. That's a beautiful statement 
because there are persons, whether you call them antinomians or 
licentious people or whatever, libertines, those who think they've 
been saved and they get to do whatever it is they want. No, 
you are saved to serve and honor and glorify God, redemption comes 
with possession. You have been freed from the 
old master, enslaved to the new master. And his yoke is easy 
and his burden is light, but it is nevertheless a yoke. It 
is nevertheless something that he puts upon our neck to guide 
us and direct us according to his holy will. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your Word, and we thank you for the lessons that we learn here 
in David's response to the Davidic Covenant. I pray that you would 
help us to take these things to heart, help us to take these 
things to our own prayer closets, help us to bring these sorts 
of things into the public worship of God, that as we sing, as we 
pray, as we As we hear the preached word, may we consider these things, 
and may they encourage our hearts, and may we respond with praise 
and adoration, and with wonder and amazement at the thought 
that our God loved us, and our God sent His Son to die for us 
and to rise again, that ultimately He will come again in glory to 
judge the living and the dead, and you have promised to preserve 
and to keep us throughout all eternity, and that you are our 
God. May these things humble us as 
well. We ask thou that you would go with us and watch over us 
and bring us together on the Lord's day, that we may worship 
you in spirit and truth. And we ask through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen.