Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom … And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:11-12, 16)
A summary of the conversation in 2 Samuel 7 could look something like this:
David: Lord God, it’s not right that I’m in this lush palace and you’re still in a tent. I want to build something fitting for you.
God: David, I’ve not asked for a place like yours since we’ve been located in this land. I’ll tell you what, though, I’ll get the house built when you fall asleep with your fathers, and while I’m building that, I’ll also build your kingdom so that it will never end.
David: Oh my Lord. Wowzers. I mean, who am I that you should do that for me? I tell you what, though, thank you, my Lord and my God – do all that you’ve said in your word and I’ll praise you forever more.
That’s a summary; it’s worth reading the whole thing to gain more substance from what both parties say in the conversation.
I’m not drawing universal principles from this specific conversation. I do note, though, that David’s well-meaning sentiment for God is an opportunity for God to remind David who’s writing the story and let him in on some big spoilers that have implications not just for the next generation. Why that fascinates me, is that it reminds me of the fact that God called us, we didn’t call Him. We are on the path He’s laid out for us, we’re not making this thing up as we go along and expect God to giddily clap hands and wonder what we’re going to do next.
This is part of the beauty of following in the way of God. The one who called us is the one who has the plan outlined. God does not chide or reprimand David for the sentiment; He uses it as a great time to let David know that his desire is nowhere near what God has in store. Even as we read now the words God tells David, we can see its fulfilment in what Solomon does when his father falls asleep. Yet the crucial part of the covenant God makes with David is the aspect of the Kingdom that God will build through his lineage that will last forever.
Centuries later, people would be on the lookout for the one who would come from the line of David to claim the throne of David and continue what God had promised him. It was more than a Saviour they were looking for. They longed for a figure who would restore the right rule to its rightful place and establish it forever. They looked for that, having heard a covenant established around the establishment of the temple, the key physical location that was the issue David brought up to spark this blessing.
What God was building was something that was not about a physical structure in the way that people saw it, though. The reach of what God was building wasn’t just about retaining rule for a people group. God’s building of a dynasty was the continuation of what He had said to the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Israel. God’s building continued the desire to be with those with whom He had made a covenant. It was about restoring the relational aspect that marked out His initial relationship with humanity in the first place. His rule was about being with His creation and His creation being in right relationship with Him.
It wasn’t about what man could build for God; it was about what God would build through man.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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