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,
Introduction
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
The Desire of David
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.
Nathan's Human Counsel Corrected
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.
The Covenant with David
That brings us to this covenant with David.
Background to the Covenant
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.
The Promise to Israel and David
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.
Particulars of the Covenant Kingdom
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.
Presence of the Kingdom
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.
Purpose of the Kingdom
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.
Perpetuity of the Kingdom
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.
Death Cannot Annul the Promise
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
Sin Cannot Destroy the Promise
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.
Christ Builds the True Temple
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.
Closing Prayer
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.