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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
II Samuel 7; I Chronicles 17 Listen 
David to God: How 'bout I build you a temple? (II Samuel 7:1-17; I Chronicles 17:1-15)
II Samuel 7 |
I Chronicles 17 |
| 1 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, 2 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.” 3 ¶ Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” 4 ¶ But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 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. 7 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?’ ” ’ 8 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. 9 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. 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 anymore, as previously, 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. 12 ¶ “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. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 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. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 17 ¶ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. |
1 Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains.” 2 ¶ Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” 3 ¶ But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. 5 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 6 Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ 7 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 Israel. 8 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 name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 10 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house. 11 And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 15 ¶ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. |
With the prophet Nathan as the middleman, God makes some promises to David. Among those, God promises David that his throne will be established forever, unlike his predecessor Saul. Here's where David offers to build a temple for God. While the dialogue is not particularly clear in II Samuel 7, we see clearly that God declines the offer in I Chronicles 17. Specifically, we see in I Chronicles 17:4 that God tells Nathan, "Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the LORD: 'You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.'" We see that David's heir to the throne, Solomon, gets the go ahead on the temple in II Samuel 7:13 and I Chronicles 17:12. So...why was David not permitted by God to build the temple himself?
We must look to some other passages of scripture for additional insight regarding this temple-building project. Here's what Solomon said about the issue to a neighboring king (Hiram, King of Tyre) in I Kings 5:3 (see notes), "You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet." In other words, David was too busy. However, it wasn't just the case of a busy schedule according to David's own words in I Chronicles 22:8 (see notes), "but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.'" David had killed too many people. We get further confirmation of this fact in I Chronicles 28:3 (see notes), "But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.'" It is interesting that David engaged in war to defeat the enemies of Israel and God just as he was directed to do, but that made it inappropriate in God's eyes for him to be the one to build the temple. Perhaps that gives us some understanding of why the Levites, who serviced the tabernacle and temple, were designated as draft exempt per God's command.
However, the good news of the eternally-established kingdom of David far surpasses the disappointment of not being allowed to build the temple himself. As a matter of fact, this passage marks the establishment of the Davidic Covenant - certain eternal promises made by God to David.
The Davidic covenant consists of the following promises:
There's another aspect of the Davidic Covenant that is worth considering here. David was far from a flawless man, although God does acknowledge that David was a man "who followed Me with all his heart" in I Kings 14:8 (see notes). However, after this covenant in II Samuel 7 was established, David did commit some grievous sins - adultery and murder around the incident involving Bathsheba and Uriah (II Samuel 11, see notes). So here's the question: Was God's covenant with David still valid during the time that David was committing these awful sins? Answer: OF COURSE IT WAS STILL VALID! God's covenant with David was and is unconditional. So...what's the point here? Well...think about it: The unconditional covenant that God makes with each of us for salvation is not invalidated by our sinful actions as Christians any more than God's covenant with David was invalidated by David's actions. A COVENANT IS A COVENANT! Now, God dealt severely with David for his sins, but he never invalidated the covenant. Likewise, God deals with Believers' sins, but he never invalidates his covenant with us. For a complete understanding of how God chastises disobedient Christians, see the notes on Hebrews 12:5-11.
All in all, it was a really good day for David. By the way, this covenant sits at the base of virtually all our prophecies; it's the foundation for the Book of Revelation.
David prays to God (II Samuel 7:18-29; I Chronicles 17:16-27)
II Samuel 7 |
I Chronicles 17 |
| 18 ¶ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God. 25 ¶ “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, “The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, “I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 ¶ “And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” |
16 ¶ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O LORD God. 18 What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19 O LORD, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20 O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? 22 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God. 23 ¶ “And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said. 24 So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, “The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25 For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You. 26 And now, LORD, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27 Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O LORD, and it shall be blessed forever.” |
So, what do you do when God promises to establish your kingdom forever? David speaks to God in prayer expressing his gratitude for God's goodness to David and his people. Incidentally, Psalm 89 (see notes) is particularly meaningful when read in light of this occasion. It is also worth noting in this prayer of thanksgiving that David does not mourn God's refusal to allow him to be the one to build the temple itself. David is just thankful to God for his special considerations upon David and all of Israel.
Oh...by the way...notice the frequent usage by David in this prayer of "LORD God." That's really the combination of two words which are ordinarily translated "Lord" in English, but are distinctly different in Hebrew. When you see in all caps "LORD," the Hebrew word is "Jehovah" (aka "Yahweh"). It is the unique name for the God of Israel. English Bibles consistently designate this Hebrew rendering by printing "LORD" in all capital letters. When all the letters are not capitalized (Lord or lords) that Hebrew word is "adon(ay);" this word equates to "master" and, in addition to its usage as a reference to God, is also used to note the authority one person has over another i.e. Genesis 18:12 when Sarah refers to Abraham as her "lord." The proper rendering is determined by context. For the sake of this discussion, I should also mention the Hebrew word for "God." It's "elohim;" context determines to whom this Hebrew word refers - the God of Heaven or the false gods. The form of the word is plural in Hebrew, but when speaking of the one true God, the modifiers and associated verbs take on a singular form. When the modifiers and accompanying verbs are plural, it's talking about false gods.
Now that we have that groundwork out of the way, let's take a look at those words in David's prayer here. Every time you see the words "Lord God" in this prayer, he's really using the "adonai Yahweh" combination. However, I guess the editors of the KJV/NKJV thought that sounded a little funny translated into English (Lord LORD), so they substituted the English word "God" in place of "Lord" in this passage. Usually, God is derived from the Hebrew word "Elohim."