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We can turn with me in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel 7. As I mentioned this morning, 
looking at a couple of passages today that anticipate the coming 
of the Savior in the Old Testament. We saw Genesis 22 this morning 
and the emphasis on the provision of God. that seed of Abraham 
in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Tonight, 
2 Samuel 7 deals with the Davidic covenant. Now the word covenant 
is absent from this chapter, but in Psalm 132, which we sang, 
and then also Psalm 89, you see that this arrangement in 2 Samuel 
7 was in fact a covenant God made with David. It's concerning 
kingship, we'll see that as we move through the message tonight, 
and specifically the terminus is upon the Lord Jesus Christ 
as that king that is over the house of David, and rules and 
reigns forever, world without end. Amen. So I'll read 2 Samuel 
7, verses 1 to 17. Now it came to pass when the 
king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest 
from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan 
the prophet, see now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the 
ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. Then Nathan said to 
the king, go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is 
with you. But it happened that night that the word of the Lord 
came to Nathan saying, go and tell my servant David, thus says 
the Lord, would you build a house for me to dwell in? For I have 
not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought forth, or 
I'm sorry, I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt even 
to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 
Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have 
I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom 
I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you 
not built me a house of cedar? Now therefore, thus shall you 
say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took 
you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler 
over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever 
you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before 
you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great 
men who are on the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place 
for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell 
in a place of their own, and move no more. Nor shall the sons 
of wickedness oppress them any more as previously, since the 
time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, 
and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord 
tells you that He will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled 
and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seat 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." According to all these words and according to all this 
vision, so Nathan spoke to David. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you again for this Lord's Day Sabbath, 
the rest that we have, and our blessed Savior, we thank you 
for so great a salvation, even the forgiveness of sins and that 
righteousness received from you by faith. And we pray that as 
we consider this scripture now, you would fill our hearts with 
that joy and thanksgiving that we live in the times of Messiah, 
We live in this new covenant era where all the promises of 
God are yea and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask God that 
you would cause us to reflect upon redemptive history, to reflect 
upon your holy word, to see your faithfulness and your promises, 
to see the way that you have indeed blessed your people and 
saved them from their sins. And even now, forgive us and 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness and all transgression and fill 
us and guide us now by the Holy Spirit. And we pray through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord, Amen. Well, at this particular point 
in 2 Samuel chapter 7, David knows a time of peace. He's been 
a warring man, a man of blood, but he has established a degree 
of stability. There will be more difficulty 
for him as a result of some sin. that he commits. But essentially 
what you have is the commencement of David's reign at Hebron in 
chapters 1 to 4, and then the consolidation of David's reign 
over all Israel in chapters 5 to 9. So he has the entirety of 
the kingdom. Then in chapters 10 to 20, you 
have the consequences of David's sin. Remember, he goes into Bathsheba, 
he commits great sin against God, and the sword does not depart 
from his house. And then in chapters 21 to 24, 
in the book of 2 Samuel, you'll have the close of David's reign. 
So David was an amazing man, a man of God, a man after God's 
own heart, and one that does pay great dividends to those 
who study the life of David as we find it here in 1 and 2 Samuel. But ultimately, 2 Samuel 7 is 
about David's greater son. It's about the Lord Jesus that 
will come forth from his line. It's about the Lord Jesus who 
will build a house for God Almighty. And before we actually get into 
this particular passage of Scripture, it's important that we see the 
word house in this section of scripture. It's doing triple 
duty. If you notice in verse two, it refers to David's physical 
dwelling place, his house, sort of the most common way that we 
use that term. And then in verse 11b, it refers 
to a dynasty given by God to David. And then in verse 13a, 
refers to a temple built by God for a manifestation of his dwelling 
and presence with his people. So that word house, is being 
used in interchangeable ways, and I think you'll see the significance 
of that as we move through the exposition. So I want to look 
first at the desire of David in verses 1 to 3, and then secondly 
the covenant with David in verses 4 to 17. But if you look first 
at the desire in verses 1 to 3, you'll notice the occasion, 
verses 1 and 2. Now, it came to pass when the 
king was dwelling in his house. If you go back to chapter 5, 
you'll see that at the consolidation of the kingdom under David, there 
is benefit, there is blessing. He enjoys the fruit of his reward. He was, in fact, a champion in 
terms of battle and a warrior. He led Israel into many battles. 
He vanquished the enemies. He dealt with the Philistines. 
He enlarged the borders of Israel. He did good stuff. Notice in 
2 Samuel 5, 11. Then Hiram king of Tyre sent 
messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons, 
and they built David a house. So going back to 2 Samuel 7 at 
verse 1, now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in 
his house. And it was a palace, it was a glorious building, it 
was a wonderful structure. That's what leads him down this 
path. He's essentially musing about 
this in this fashion. I'm dwelling in a glorious and 
gorgeous palace, but God the Lord, who brought us this victory, 
who brought us this triumph, is dwelling in a tent. And so 
David doesn't want that to be the case. He'd rather build God 
a solid structure, a tabernacle, a temple, some sort of a place 
that was stable for the worship of the living God. We see that. 
It says, the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all 
around. And then in verse two, that the king said to Nathan 
the prophet, it's the first introduction to the first time we meet Nathan 
the prophet. He says, see now, I dwell in a house of cedar, 
but the ark of God dwells inside 10 curtains. You can see that, 
right? You can understand that. David's 
been blessed immeasurably by God. Yes, it was the Lord who 
taught his hand how to fight, how to battle, how to engage 
in warfare. It was God who led the armies 
of Israel into those battles and into victory. And so David 
is a godly man. He's a righteous man. He's a 
faithful man. He's not a sinless man. He's not a perfect man, 
as 2 Samuel 11 and 12 will evidence and indicate, but nevertheless, 
he is a man after God's own heart. And I think that's a good reflection. 
We want the best for our God. We want God to enjoy the benefits 
of who God is. David's enjoying the benefits 
of who David is, and now he's musing in this palace that the 
house of God is basically a tent. It's a mobile structure. There's 
no stability there. So he expresses the desire of 
his heart, which is a good desire. We'll see that God says, no, 
not at this time, but he expresses the desire of his heart to this 
man, Nathan the prophet. And in verse three, then Nathan 
said to the king, go do all that is in your heart for the Lord 
is with you. Now, this was advice given by 
Nathan the man. David sought out the word of 
God from Nathan the prophet. In fact, one man makes this observation. The prophet should first have 
waited for God's revelation. Because the answer is going to 
come to David through Nathan. No, you're not going to build 
the house. It's going to be your son, Solomon. After David ultimately 
dies and Solomon secures the kingdom, Solomon enjoys a reign 
of peace. And Solomon is going to be the 
man that ultimately puts together the temple. He is going to have 
it constructed. He is going to dedicate it. The 
Shekinah glory of God is going to come down and rest upon it. 
So Nathan says, go and do what is in your heart. But that wasn't 
the word of the Lord. There is a marked contrast between 
verses 3 and 4, and then in verse 17. Notice in verse 4, but it 
happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan 
saying, go and tell my servant David. And then look at verse 
17, according to all these words and according to all this vision, 
so Nathan spoke to David. So the man Nathan gave advice 
that was not consistent with the revelation that God would 
give him. So again, this fellow says the prophet should first 
have waited for God's revelation. A good intention does not always 
mean that we are allowed to execute it. Just because David wants 
to undertake this, at this point in redemptive history, it's not 
his time. And we'll get further explanation of that specifically 
in Chronicles, that it was because David was in fact a man of war. That does not mean a negative 
reflection upon David's role as conqueror, and as warrior, 
and as a man of bloodshed. It simply means that that was 
his purview. That was his responsibility. 
His task in redemptive history was to vanquish the enemies of 
Yahweh. to provide a stable place for 
Israel, and then on the heels of his reign, his son would come, 
that king of peace, and would bring the temple to fruition. The fellow goes on to say that 
Nathan too desired a temple for the God of Israel was not wrong 
in itself. The mistake made here was that 
he spoke as a man and not as a prophet, while his opinion 
as a prophet had been specifically asked for. So verse two, the 
king said to Nathan the prophet, see now I dwell in a house of 
cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. Then Nathan 
said to the king, go do all that is in your heart for the Lord 
is with you. I think that's an interesting point. Just because 
we want to do something, and even if that thing is a good 
thing, it doesn't necessarily mean we get the endorsement of 
heaven. In fact, as you read some passages in the Old Testament, 
thinking specifically around Judges 20, there's some interesting 
stuff that goes on in redemptive history, and even in the times 
when people want to do the right thing, but it's not at the right 
time. And so David needed the discipline 
of God's revelatory word. It would not be David's task 
to build this house. Good expression of his heart, 
good intention of his heart, good desire that he had. He doesn't 
want to enjoy a palace while God is in a tent. But nevertheless, 
it wasn't time. And that's what Nathan communicates 
to him now by the power of the Holy Spirit. That brings us to 
this covenant with David. Notice in the first place the 
background to the covenant in verses 5b to 9. So verse 5 says, 
Go and tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, Would you 
build a house for me to dwell in? Everything that he goes on 
to answer is to basically say, no. In the parallel passage in 
1 Chronicles chapter 17, it's explicit. No, you're not going 
to build the house for my name. God has his purposes, God has 
his intention, God has his timeframe, and David was not consistent 
with that. So he goes on to say, Would you 
build a house for me to dwell in? Now notice, for I have not 
dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of 
Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about 
in a tent and in a tabernacle. So it refers to the previous 
location of the ark. And he's essentially saying the 
glory of God is been seen, or has been seen, not necessarily 
in his dwelling place, but in the deliverance that he has effected 
on behalf of Israel. When you look, say, at the Exodus 
from Egypt, when God brings them out, by the power of his mighty 
right arm, it shows his presence and nearness to his people. Now, 
certainly the tabernacle is ultimately built, the Shekinah glory of 
God comes to rest upon it, but God's argument here is that this 
has not been my priority. And as we move through the passage, 
the priority of God specifically is the stability of Israel. It's 
the stability of his people. While Israel is wandering in 
the wilderness, while Israel is a sojourning in pilgrim people, 
God is perfectly content, and I speak in the manner of a man, 
He is perfectly content to go alongside of them in a tent. 
He is perfectly content to dwell in the manner in which he has. 
The glory of God is seen in his dwelling near and with his people, 
in delivering them. Davis says, do you see what Yahweh 
is saying about himself? He is the God who travels with 
his people in all their topsy-turvy, here in their journeys and wanderings. 
Do his people live in tents? So does he. Are they a pilgrim 
people on their way to the land of promise? So he is the pilgrim 
God, sharing the rigors of the journey with them. That's the 
emphasis in verse 6. For I have not dwelt in a house 
since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from 
Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and 
in a tabernacle. He's been with the people. They're 
in a topsy-turvy situation. God himself, and I speak again 
in the manner of men, is in a topsy-turvy situation. The primary emphasis, 
in terms of his relation with them at this point, is to show 
his power in delivering them, and in protecting them, and in 
watching over them. So David's desire is right, David's 
desire is good, but that's not according to God's time frame. 
He's teaching his people, he's instructing his people, and he's 
demonstrating things to his people that they need to learn along 
the way concerning him. And then with reference to the 
previous leadership in Israel, notice what he says in verse 
7. Wherever have I moved about with all the children of Israel, 
have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, 
whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, why 
have you not built me a house of cedar? In some sense, God 
is very gently, but firmly, not chiding David, not reproving 
David, not disciplining David, but essentially telling David, 
David, I've got this. This is my time frame. I am the 
one who's in charge here. It's a good desire that's in 
your heart, but it's not for you to achieve at this particular 
point and this particular venture. I didn't tell Moses I need a 
stable place. I didn't tell Aaron I need a 
stable place. I didn't tell Saul I needed a 
stable place. It's nice that you sort of want 
to look after me, but I've got this. It's kind of like when 
your child wants to take care of you, they want to mother you, 
they want to father you, and you've got to gently remind them 
there's a structure and an order here and you're not the parent. 
I don't want to say that crass or unkind or mean or viciously, 
but that's kind of what's going on. David, Good, good desire 
of the heart, but you just need to know that you do what I've 
called you to do and be faithful in the execution of your particular 
duties. I've got the time frame under my control. And then notice 
he refers to the present leader of God's people. So the previous 
location of the ark, this is background, to the present leader 
of God's people in verses 8 and 9, and this is where he says 
and speaks of having blessed David. Says, now therefore, verse 
eight, thus shall you say to my servant David, thus says the 
Lord of hosts. I took you from the sheepfold, 
from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over 
Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and 
have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made 
you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the 
earth. So God graciously chose David to lead the children of 
Israel. God graciously blessed David 
to have that warrior mentality, to have that wartime strategy, 
that savvy with weaponry, that ability to command troops. God 
did that with David. God taught David with reference 
to war. And this is what he's reminding 
him of. This is all happening according to my timeframe and 
my plan. The Lord powerfully dealt with 
David's enemies, and the Lord had kindly conferred upon David 
a great name." Notice that at the end of verse 9, "...and have 
made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are 
on the earth." You'll read in the gospel narratives concerning 
Jesus that He would go about doing good, that He would go 
about healing, that He would go about driving out demons, 
that He would, you know, do those great things and teach. And it 
says that the fame of Jesus spread throughout all the land. Well, 
the same is true of David. The fame of David was spread 
through the land. The Philistines and the warring 
enemies around Israel knew that in David they had a formidable 
foe. David was a man who succeeded. David was a man who was able 
to deal out death blows to the enemies of God. Well, David didn't 
come on this haphazardly. It was God who prospered him. 
It was God who advanced him. That brings us secondly now to 
the promise that is given through covenant in verses 10 and 11. 
The promise to Israel in verse 10 and then a specific promise 
to David in verse 11. Let's see what he promises Israel 
in verse 10. Moreover, I will appoint a place 
for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell 
in a place of their own and move no more. Nor shall the sons of 
wickedness oppress them any more as previously." Again, I don't 
want to go too far in terms of human or creaturely analogy, 
but I think this reflects the mindset of any good father. Any 
good father wants to provide stability for his family, wants 
to provide a good roof over the heads for his family, wants to 
engage in making sure they have the sufficient things that they 
need for life and happiness before he builds his man cave. Now, 
that's a terrible analogy with reference to the temple. But 
a guy doesn't go out on his beginnings and say, you know, I've got to 
have my man cave. You five kids, you can all join 
together in one room. That's typically not how it is. 
A man makes sure his wife is looked after. A man makes sure 
that his children are looked after. A man makes sure there's 
food in the cupboards, there's clothes in the closet. He makes 
sure that his family is taken care of before he benefits. That's the emphasis in verse 
10. I want Israel planted in the 
land. I want them stable and secure 
from all their enemies. David, your function was to vanquish 
their enemies, to drive them out, to secure the kingdom, and 
to install your son. And once your son is there, once 
Solomon is present, once he secured the kingdom, you know how Solomon 
secures the kingdom in 1 Kings 2? By killing all of the opposition, 
by killing all of the enemies. You know, today we oftentimes 
marvel at the political banter and discourse, which is still 
about a thousand times more civil than it's ever been in the rest 
of the history of the world. Dudes used to just cut each other's 
heads off instead of tweeting nasty things at them. So that's 
how Solomon secured the kingdom. And it was in that environment 
that God then says, build me a house. He takes care of his 
family before he himself benefits as a result. And verse 10 lays 
emphasis to that. Moreover, I will appoint a place 
for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell 
in a place of their own, and move no more. Nor shall the sons 
of wickedness oppress them any more as previously." Alter says, 
though the judges succeeded in temporarily driving off Israel's 
sundry oppressors, the period as a whole was one of instability 
and recurrent harassment by enemy peoples. And so now we've got 
a situation with more stability, not the judges, but a monarchy. 
And not just a monarchy, but a monarch after God's own heart. 
And a monarch taught by God on how to vanquish enemies. And 
enemies that have now been vanquished, that is setting the stage, ultimately, 
for Solomon's reign of peace, so that he can build a temple 
for Yahweh. And then the promise to David, 
notice what he says in verse 11. Since the time that I commanded 
judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused you to rest from 
all your enemies, also the Lord tells you that he will make you 
a house. So it starts off with David musing 
in his palace saying, I wanna build a house for God. Well, 
this is a great time, David, for me to remind you of something. 
It's not the house that you're gonna build for me, but it's 
the house that I'm gonna build for you. And as I said, this 
is the second use of house, and here it refers to a dynasty, 
a succession of kings. It was dynastic in terms of the 
kings that would ascend the throne. They came from the fathers, and 
that's the emphasis in this particular section. And so God the Lord 
is going to secure the kingdom, God the Lord is going to put 
his man upon the throne and God the Lord from that throne is 
going to bring the Lord Jesus Christ to reign and rule over 
all things forever and ever. Davis says, how can God settle 
down when they, Israel, are unsettled? Perhaps we glimpse now why Yahweh 
wants no cedar temple yet. He must make a secure place for 
Israel first. He will not rest till he gives 
rest to his people. He will not rest till he gives 
rest to his people. Now, before we move on, think 
about that for a moment. Our God is giving. Our God is 
gracious. Our God is merciful. I've told 
you before, and you've met them before, the people that say, 
oh, the Old Testament, it's all filled with blood and bloodshed. 
In fact, you're celebrating David's hands that have been trained 
for war. Yeah, there's grace and mercy and kindness and love 
and blessedness. And you see that glimpsed here. 
The Lord doesn't want his house built until Israel is stable, 
until she has all that is in place. And I would encourage 
all of us to make sure that we follow likewise, secure the place 
for wives, children, and then have your man cave. No, don't 
have a man cave, have a garage, have a study. Have a study, that's 
even better. Fill up a room with books, good 
books, and just read. Now let's look thirdly and finally 
at the particulars involved in the covenant. And they focus 
in on kingdom. They focus in on kingdom, because 
that's what's happening here. That's what's going on. The Davidic 
covenant secures, or rather advances the ball of redemptive grace 
from Genesis 3.15 to Abraham, to Moses, and now to David. And it's in the Davidic covenant 
that we see the nature of the king of God's kingdom. And the 
emphasis is threefold here. First, he speaks concerning the 
presence of the kingdom. Secondly, the purpose of the 
kingdom. And thirdly, the perpetuity of the kingdom. But notice the 
presence of the kingdom in verse 12. When your days, David, are 
fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed 
after you. Remember that word from this 
morning? Genesis chapter 22, verse 18 talks about the seed 
of Abraham. There's other places in the book 
of Genesis that talks about the seed of Abraham and Isaac and 
Jacob. It all originates in that promise, 
that foundational covenant promise or promise of the gospel in Genesis 
3.15. The seed of the woman is going to crush the devil. The 
seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the devil. 
So it's this seed that is focal in this kingdom narrative or 
this kingdom promise. Now, again, this provides for 
a succession of kings. After David, there will be Solomon. And after Solomon, there will 
be Rehoboam. And after Rehoboam, there will 
be this succession. They ultimately end up in Babylon 
as a result of covenant breaking. But even in that, There's a hint 
or a glimmer of hope in that last king that's even in the 
Babylonian exile. And it is after a period of time 
that Christ comes from the line of David, from that particular 
seed who fulfills the contours of this covenant promise. So 
he refers to this particular kingdom. 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. This is just like that promise 
that our brother Mark read this morning in Isaiah 9, 7. It's 
the zeal of Yahweh of hosts that will perform this. The fact that 
Christ is stationed at the right hand of God Most High is not 
due to democratic process. It's not due to a vote. It is 
due to the appointment of God Most High for the good of His 
people. It is sovereign in character. 
It is sovereign in terms of origin. It is God who establishes the 
kingdom. It is God who protects the kingdom. It is God who advances 
the kingdom. And as kingdom citizens in the 
here and now, we ought to rejoice in that, brethren. Sure, we have 
our part as the church of Christ to be that helper to our blessed 
bridegroom, to be faithful in terms of preaching and ministering 
and getting the word of God out in the gospel of our salvation 
known to all the nations, but it's Christ who builds his church. 
It's Christ who promises the extension of his kingdom. It 
is Christ who will have dominion from sea to sea. It is Christ 
who is charged with this and tasked with this And in this, 
the church finds great comfort and great benefit and great delight. So he speaks concerning David's 
rest with his fathers. David, you're gonna die, but 
the dynasty is going to continue on after you. I will set up your 
seed after you who will come from your body and I will establish 
his kingdom. So again, this is a promise of 
succession. Turn for an analogy to Deuteronomy 
18. Deuteronomy 18, there's an analogy here that I think is 
helpful. Because when it gets a little bit further in the narrative 
in 2 Samuel chapter 7, he talks about sinning sons of God. Of course that's not Jesus, because 
Jesus doesn't sin. Jesus didn't sin against God 
the Father, but Rehoboam did, Josiah did, Hezekiah did, the 
kings of Judah did. So the promise assures a terminus 
in our Lord Jesus Christ, but it also secures a succession 
of kings upon that throne until Jesus Christ comes. And the same 
thing was true with the prophetic ministry. Look at Deuteronomy 
18.15, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like 
me from your midst. That's Jesus. Peter tells us 
that very clearly in Acts chapter three. We know this from the 
Mount of Transfiguration. Remember when Jesus shines bright 
before his disciples and he reveals, as it were, his glory and his 
majesty. And then that voice from heaven 
comes and it says, this is my beloved son in whom I am well 
pleased. And then that voice says, hear 
him. What's the background? It's Deuteronomy 
18, 15. The Lord your God will raise 
up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. 
Him you shall hear according to all you desire of the Lord 
your God in Horeb. So there's a promise of a prophet 
to come, but before that prophet to come actually comes, there 
will be a succession of prophets. There will be an Elijah, there 
will be an Elisha, there will be an Isaiah, there'll be a Jeremiah, 
there'll be an Obadiah, a Jonah, a Micah, a Nahum, you get the 
point. Well, the same was true with reference to the kings. 
So back in 2 Kings 7, as we move through the narrative, and the 
Lord speaks about him committing iniquity, it's not Jesus, the 
terminus, it is rather that succession of kings. So 2 Samuel 7 tells 
us there will be a succession of kings until the coming of 
the king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see all over 
the book of 1 Kings specifically and 2 Kings. God will bring judgment, 
He'll bring chastisement upon the southern tribes of Judah, 
but He'll always carve out or He'll always say, nevertheless, 
I will not completely destroy you for the sake of my servant 
David. That's 2 Samuel 7. That's covenant. It's the power and persistence 
of covenant that makes sure that God does not liquidate the southern 
tribes of Judah. That's the beauty of covenant. When God makes these promises, 
He doesn't renege. He doesn't change His mind. He 
doesn't second guess. He doesn't put into a plan B, 
but rather He does what He promises by way of covenant. Notice, secondly, 
the purpose of the kingdom in 13a. So we've got this house 
again. He shall build a house for my 
name. Here it's not speaking of David's 
house, his physical dwelling place. It's not speaking of a 
dynasty, that succession of kings that will come from David's line, 
but it's rather speaking of the temple. Wasn't this David's intent? Wasn't this David's desire? Wasn't 
this the expression of David's heart? In verse two, I wanna 
build a house for God. So God says, I'm gonna build 
a house. It's not gonna be you, David, 
but the house is going to be built. That's settled and established. So verse 13, he shall build a 
house for my name. This is one subsequent to David. We know historically it was Solomon, 
the son of David. and I will establish the throne 
of his kingdom forever." The fact that Solomon would build 
a house for the name of God once Israel was safe in the land under 
the rule of a godly and faithful king was the time, the right 
time, to provide or produce that temple of God where in Israel 
could now come with their sin, with their remaining corruption, 
with their vileness, and use that sacrificial system appointed 
by God so that they could dwell together with their God in the 
house that was built for His name, in the land that had been 
secured by the efforts of David and these kings that succeeded 
him. So you see, what you have in covenants like this is sort 
of a programmatic view of what's going to happen in the future. 
And as I said, as you move through the rest of 2 Samuel, I mean, 
it focuses on David and the consequences of the sin of his own life. It's 
kind of a sad and bleak picture from chapters 10 to 20. But when 
you get to 1 and 2 Kings, I mean, talk about topsy-turvy. If you've 
not ever read 1 and 2 Kings, may I encourage you, read 1 and 
2 Kings. You'll wonder, how in the world did these people ever 
keep the kingdom? How in the world did these people 
ever secure the property that God had promised to Abraham and 
had actually given to them? Well, how in the world? Because 
of 2 Samuel 7, because of God's covenantal fidelity, because 
of God's power and promise, and because of God's persistence. 
It is that covenant theme that secures the benefits that God 
has conferred upon his people. 1 Kings 8 tells us, so the Lord 
has fulfilled his word. This is at the dedication of 
the temple by Solomon. He says, so the Lord has fulfilled 
his word, which he spoke. And I have filled the position 
of my father, David, and sit on the throne of Israel as the 
Lord promised. And I have built a temple for 
the name of the Lord God of Israel. Now, this may seem like a bunch 
of historical data to you, and I can't make it seem anything 
better or more so than that, but may I encourage you that 
when you get these nuts and bolts, they help you as you navigate 
through the rest of Scripture. So that when you meet with vicious, 
vile, wretched kings, and you wonder in your heart of hearts, 
how did they manage to keep the kingdom? Oh yeah, 2 Samuel. Oh 
yeah, the faithfulness of God. Oh yeah, the tenacity of God. Oh yeah, the security brought 
by God. See, the scripture presents to 
us one hero. I'd say Paul's a hero, David's 
a hero, but scripture really only presents one true hero. 
That's the Lord God most high. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. 
All the other men have their foibles. All of those other men 
have their blemishes. All of those other men have their 
blind spots and their difficulties and their issues and their challenges. 
The book of God is about God Most High, and it highlights 
and celebrates His faithfulness to His people. So the purpose 
of the kingdom was to be a kingdom of priests on earth, worshiping, 
glorifying the true and living God, and mediating the blessing 
of God to the nations around them. Deuteronomy chapter 4. 
Israel wasn't just supposed to go into land and benefit from 
all the good things that God had given them. They were supposed 
to radiate like a light, like a city set on a hill. They were 
supposed to function in such a capacity that the heathen nations 
and the pagans around them would look at them and marvel and say, 
what kind of a nation is this that has such good laws, that 
has such a great God? They were to function in such 
a way as to mediate the blessings of God, not only to them and 
their successors, but also to the Gentiles around them. Now, 
of course, they don't do that. The church is supposed to function 
in that particular capacity in this new covenant setting. We're 
not saved simply for ourselves. We're saved to shine His lights 
in a crooked and perverse generation, and we're saved to hold forth 
the word of truth, to bring that message of hope and salvation 
to needy sinners all throughout the earth, to extend, by God's 
grace, that kingdom of Jesus Christ. It's supposed to be that 
kind of dynamism. It's supposed to be that kind 
of energy. It's supposed to be that kind 
of a framework that the church undertakes on behalf of her blessed 
Savior and Lord. Well, it was similar to what 
they had in the Old Covenant, but they were persistent in their 
sin. And then that brings us to the 
perpetuity of the kingdom in 13b to 16. Notice 13b, I will 
establish the throne of his kingdom forever. That's the statement 
of its perpetuity. But then he proves this. He not 
only says it, notice in verse 13b, I will establish the throne 
of his kingdom forever, but he goes on to prove that declaration. See, God doesn't just throw it 
out there and say, well, you know, I hope it works out that 
way. I hope you guys take your tasks seriously. I hope you're 
responsible agents under me and that you do everything right 
with a little bit of luck and a little bit of hope. You know, 
maybe we can make this all work. No, that's not it. That's not 
our covenant God. That's not the sovereign God 
of Holy Scripture. He purposes to do what He has 
purpose to do, and He accomplishes all of His good will toward us. 
Notice the proofs that He gives. First, He says, death itself 
does not annul the promise. Notice in verses 12 and 13, when 
your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers. The death 
of David does not annul the promise that he will build his kingdom 
and it will have no end. I mean, brethren, in this context, 
David would have been your hero. I mean, he's the guy that every 
guy wanted to be, and he was the guy that every woman wanted 
to marry. I mean, David was the man, okay? Now, David falls hard 
in 2 Samuel 11, but we're in 2 Samuel 7. And things are going 
his way. I mean, he has done everything 
that God has commanded. He has consolidated power. He 
has made Jerusalem the capital, not only politically, but religiously. He has, as it were, enjoyed the 
fruits of his very hard and very difficult life. He didn't do 
this just as a benefit. His daddy made sure everything 
always went well for him. Oh no, blood, sweat, and tears 
on the part of David. But at this point in history, 
David was the man. And so for God to say that I'm 
gonna establish my kingdom when you're gone, This indicates that 
it's not David upon whom this promise rests. It's upon David's 
greater son. It is God's promise. So death 
itself does not annul the promise, but notice the presence of sin 
cannot destroy the promise either. This is the one that I think 
gets most Christian readers. We read about these guys, why 
didn't you get rid of the high places? Why didn't you, you know, 
these were basic fundamental things. I mean, horror of horror 
for us as new covenant readers, we look back at some of the stuff 
in the Old Testament, like, well, how did that ever happen? How 
could you, these kings ever think to do that? How would they ever 
not, you know, walk faithfully with God? Hopefully you continue 
that train of thought to, to consider, yeah, how come I don't 
always do exactly what I'm supposed to do? How come I'm not always 
perfect and obedient to the Lord? Sin is sin, whether it's in the 
King of Judah or it's in, you know, the guy living in Chilliwack 
in 2022. So God says that sin does not 
annul or decimate or destroy the promise. And here we've got 
some wonderful language. Notice in verse 14, I will be 
his father, and he shall be my son. So Yahweh's relation to 
the sitting king in Israel is a relation of father and son. 
Now, if you're thinking new covenant, you'll notice that this text 
is invoked by the apostle in Hebrews chapter one to teach 
us that Jesus is the son of the father. But again, there is a 
succession of sons to the father until that terminus, which is 
our Lord Jesus Christ. But in Psalm, or rather Hebrews 
1.5, there's two texts of scripture to evidence that Jesus is in 
fact the son of God most high. Psalm 2.7, the Lord begot him. And then 2 Samuel 7.14, I will 
be his father and he shall be my son. Now notice, There's fatherly 
discipline for those kings in Israel. If he commits iniquity, 
I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of 
the sons of men. In other words, God's not going 
to just turn away from the fact that these men sinned. I mean, 
David himself, this godly king, he ends up with consequences 
as a result. After he goes into Bathsheba, 
after he has Uriah murdered, after he's reproved by the prophet 
Nathan, the prophet Nathan tells him, under God, the sword will 
never depart from your house. And it doesn't take long for 
you to understand what that means. David's life was a mess after 
that. David's life was messed up as a result of that sin against 
God. He was forgiven. We see that 
in 2 Samuel 12. He was forgiven of his sin. There was atonement wrought. 
There was blessing for him. But nevertheless, there are consequences 
for the sins that we commit. And so if a sitting king in Judah 
was to engage in sinful activity, he'd be chastened. He would be 
disciplined. He would receive the blows of 
men. And oftentimes that meant victory over the nation itself 
by the enemies. There were times and incursions 
and battles and various things that threatened the very stability 
of the kingdom. So if he commits iniquity, I will chasten him 
with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 
But then notice this statement, verse 15, but my mercy shall 
not depart from him. And as I said, you can read through 
1 and 2 Kings and see that invoked several times along the way. 
Nevertheless, but this isn't going to happen. I'm not going 
to disenfranchise David. I'm not going to sideline the 
kingdom of God. I'm not going to suspend it. 
He says specifically, my mercy shall not depart from him as 
I took it from Saul. Saul's a sad case, brethren. 
If you ever wanna see the rise of David, you have to first go 
through the muck of Saul, and Saul messed up. Saul was one 
of those bumbling idiots that just did foolish things along 
the way, and things that ultimately jeopardized his position as king 
under God, and jeopardized his son, Jonathan, as successor to 
the throne. Read 1 Samuel 13 and following 
sometime, and see how God deals with Saul. So note the contrast 
between the house of Saul and the house of David. David wasn't 
perfect. David wasn't spotless. David 
wasn't, you know, a lamb without blemish. What's the difference? God's sovereign grace. God's covenantal dealings, God's 
pleasure and God's goodwill. He rejected Saul, but he accepts 
David and secures David, even in spite of some things that 
at times even out-Sauled Saul. Well, David was always faithful 
in terms of no idolatry. Saul didn't have that benefit. 
For whatever David did, I would put it in the category of sin, 
bad sin, horrible sin, but he was never an idolater. His heart 
was never divided. So I've wrestled with that. I'm 
sure you have too. the promise that God is gonna choose a man 
after his own heart, and then you get to the man after God's 
own heart in 2 Samuel chapter 11, and he's going into Bathsheba, 
and in order to cover that up, he's having her husband murdered 
on the battlefront. How is that a man after God's 
own heart? I think it's at the level of loyalty to Yahweh. There 
is a sense where even sinful men, remaining corruption sorts 
of men and women, are nevertheless undivided in terms of their love 
for and their devotion to the true and living God. Now, please 
don't take that and say, well, I'm going to go out and sin, 
you know, with impunity, as long as my heart is loyal before God. 
No, there's obviously some interplay there, an overlap. But with reference 
to David, he was a man after God's own heart, And God promises 
he will never ever disenfranchise the house of David from this 
kingship. So, but my mercy, verse 15, shall 
not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed 
from before you. Davis says, David's line will 
never meet Saul's end. The idea seems to be that any 
individual Davidic king may meet disaster because of his infidelity. 
And some of them do, brethren, some of them do. But that will 
not overthrow the promised endurance of the Davidic dynasty. To steal 
the house analogy, sin can bring disaster on any current resident, 
but cannot demolish the house. It cannot destroy the dynasty. It cannot invalidate the covenant 
promises of God, and in this we greatly rejoice. Not so that 
we may sin, but if we do sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, even Jesus Christ, the righteous. So God, at the announcement 
of this everlasting kingdom, knows and affirms that there 
will be iniquity, knows and affirms that there will be sin and rebellion, 
knows and affirms that there's going to be departure from individual 
kings that sit upon the throne. But the house itself will not 
be destroyed. The house itself will march on. 
The house itself will ultimately be staffed by the Son of David, 
who will reign forever and ever, world without end. Amen. And 
then the final aspect, he says that the passing of time cannot 
exhaust the promise. Notice in verse 16, and your 
house and your kingdom shall be established forever before 
you. Your throne shall be established forever. So whatever may threaten 
it, death can't annul it, sin can't destroy it, time can't 
invalidate it. In other words, God has spoken, 
God will perform, the zeal of Yahweh of hosts shall perform 
this. John Gill says, that is both 
his family and his government should be perpetuated, or he 
should always have one of his family sit upon his throne. The 
accomplishment of which in the beginning of it, he saw with 
his eyes in his son Solomon, and with an eye of faith in his 
greater son, the Messiah, in whom only these words will have 
their complete fulfillment. So in conclusion, the desire 
of David was a good desire. God doesn't chase in and say, 
I can't believe you'd have a desire to put me in a stable place. 
No, that's not the bad thing. It's just not time frame. We always operate and we're always 
dependent upon God and not the other way around. He doesn't 
perform for us. He doesn't do our bidding, but 
rather we are submissive to His will, and we go according to 
the revelation of that will that we find in Holy Scripture. So 
the desire was a good one. The reason that David would not 
ultimately secure this is found in 1 Chronicles. He was a man 
of war, a man of bloodshed. And again, that's not, oh, you're 
a horrible, hideous man. I can never let you sit on that 
throne. You're a horrible, hideous man. I can't let you build a 
house. How would that be? I mean, some people actually 
talk that way. It says, I'm not going to let 
you build a house because you've got blood on your hands. People 
take that negatively. Oh, that's a comment on the fact 
that he's a warrior. It's a comment on the fact that 
he's a battle-hardened soldier. It's a comment on negativity 
because he's a violent man. And yet it's because of the violence 
of that man that the kingdom is secure that God then has the 
house built. Brethren, that is such a faulty 
argument. It's about time. It's about security. It's about what's happening in 
terms of the contours of the kingdom. It's about a particular 
plan and purpose that God most high has. And David's acts of 
violence were vital and instrumental and absolutely crucial for the 
ultimate establishment of this house. for the ultimate building 
of this house, for the fact that Solomon was able to reign and 
rule in a time of peace so that he could build this temple for 
the Lord. And then the desire was not ultimately realized by 
David, but through his sons. The temple built by Solomon, 
1 Kings chapter 8, it's dedicated there, but ultimately the temple 
built by Christ. Turn to Zechariah the prophet, 
Zechariah chapter 6. Zechariah chapter 6. We're just 
about to end. The Messiah gets various names 
in the prophets that just sort of give us multi facets concerning 
his person, his work. And you'll see him referred to 
here in Zechariah 6, but also in the prophet Jeremiah as Branch. 
He's referred to in the servant songs of Yahweh as the servant 
of Yahweh in the prophet Isaiah. He's called a sprout or a root 
in Psalm 132. There's all these names that 
are given to Messiah, again, just to give us various facets 
and various blessed truths about his person and the work that 
he has in store. And in verse 12 of Zechariah 
6, then speak to him saying, thus says the Lord of hosts saying, 
behold the man whose name is the branch, From his place he 
shall branch out and he shall build the temple of the Lord. 
Yes, he shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the 
glory and shall sit and rule on his throne. So he shall be 
a priest on his throne and the council of peace shall be between 
them both. So Solomon built the temple historically. Zechariah 6 prophesies concerning 
the temple building project under David's greater son. This is 
what we find in that new covenant setting. It's not a physical 
structure. It's not that Jesus does have 
some building plan in Jerusalem. I'll tear down Herod's temple. 
I want to build it right. I want to hire my architects. 
I want to hire my guys. I want to get my masons in here. I want to get all the people 
in here to build this in the way it should have been built 
in the first place. He's building a spiritual temple. So we've 
understood in our studies in the book of Ephesians, what's 
that spiritual temple? It's us. It's the church of Jesus 
Christ. 1 Peter 2, we're stones. We're part of that temple wherein 
God dwells with his people. So what you find in Solomon is 
a blessed down payment for what comes in new covenant era. Christ 
builds the temple. Christ is the temple according 
to Revelation 21 and 24. It is the reality that he dwells 
with men and that we dwell with him. So everything that God promises 
in 2 Samuel chapter 7 comes to fruition in the incarnation of 
our Lord. When the Word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, when the Word brought in that redemptive task 
and gave us life and salvation and the presence of God Almighty. Whenever we gather here on the 
Lord's day, we ought to come expectantly. I like to think 
back to the time of the tabernacle. I like to think back to the time 
of the temple. There was a time years ago, the Lawsons would 
know this, the Adventists have a camp out in Hope and they would 
put a replica of the tabernacle out there. It was really cool. 
I mean, if they ever do that again, they carry it around. 
Do they do that again? I don't know. But you could go 
and you could sort of see it, right? I mean, you can read about 
it and there's pictures. Most study Bibles have a little 
sort of picture of what the tabernacle and the temple look like. But 
when you're kind of walking around a replica, a scale model, you 
know, you're kind of seeing the dimensions and you're pondering 
what happened. you're kind of envisioning, you 
know, you come on Sabbath, and you cut your animal, and you 
hand it over to the priest, and he takes it, and he burns it, 
or he separates it, cuts it up, if it's a burnt offering, he 
burns the whole thing. If it's not a burnt offering, 
he cuts up some pieces, you know, puts it, you know, on the side 
for later, for him and his priest buddies, as they're gonna eat 
some of that good food, that meat, but the worst part is their 
theology at the end. I mean, Adventists don't have 
a good, robust theology of atonement, or soteriology, so that's a bit, 
you know, disappointing. But in terms of seeing that, 
it causes you to kind of think about the reality or temple. What was it like to be one of 
the remnant, to be one of the actual faithful people in Israel 
at the time of the temple? I'm sure there was a joy. And 
this is why you have that set of Psalms described as songs 
of ascent. Well, what are they ascending 
to? They're ascending to the Temple Mount. They're ascending 
Mount Moriah. They're going to the place of 
worship. They're going to the place of sacrifice. And they have this 
litany of songs, the songs of Zion, to be able to sing to God 
as they're on their way. I was glad when they said unto 
me, let us go to the house of the Lord. That's the kind of 
mindset that the people of God had at the time of the Temple. 
Should we not have something of that in the church of Jesus 
Christ today? When we come to the Father through 
the Son in the Spirit and God fills us with all the fullness 
of God as we gather together Lord's day morning and evening. 
Brethren, there ought to be an expectation in our hearts on 
Saturday night. There ought to be an anticipation 
in our hearts on Saturday night. There ought to be that joy in 
our hearts when we wake up on Sunday morning. I get to go to 
the house of God. This is a glad occasion. I'm 
gonna meet with Yahweh. How do I rejoice more in that? When I reflect on a 2 Samuel 
7 and the provisions made in terms of a king that will sit 
over his kingdom, world without end, amen. I should rejoice in 
the fulfillment of these blessings. I should rejoice by participating 
in the public worship of God. And in conclusion, Luke 1 ties 
these themes together. So does Acts 2, but I'll just 
read Luke 1. Luke 1 29, but when she saw him, she was troubled 
at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this 
was. Then the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you 
have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive 
in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name 
Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the highest. 
And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, 
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom, 
there will be no end. Praise God Almighty, we live 
in the days of fulfillment that that 2 Samuel 7 promise was good, 
it was brought to realization, and we are blessed in light of 
it. So may God help us as we gather 
for public worship to do so with great joy, with anticipation, 
and with expectation that God is in the midst of his people. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
You for Your Word. We thank You for these covenants 
that advance Your promises to Your people. And we thank You 
that we're in this new covenant setting when all of these things, 
all of these farther steps find their fulfillment in our blessed 
Redeemer King. Give us that anticipation and 
expectation as the weekly cycle revolves around the Lord's Day. 
May we see it as a delight and may we see it as that blessed 
time when we come to meet with our God. We ask now that you 
would go with us, that you would protect us and keep us. Watch 
over all the brothers and sisters in this local church. And we 
pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with 
a brief time of meditation.