“For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore, You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (2 Samuel 7:22-23).
God had greatly blessed David. God was with David as he had killed Goliath. The Lord had preserved David as he escaped from the King Saul’s pursuit of David’s life in a jealous rage. God also enabled David to ascend to the throne of Israel. Finally, David had been able to return the Ark of the Covenant back to its proper place in the Tabernacle of the Lord (2 Samuel 6:17).
At this point in his life, David now wanted to do something special for God. It came into his heart to build God a permanent house in which the Ark of the Covenant could remain. David tells the prophet Nathan, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains" (2 Samuel 7:2). However, God has Nathan the prophet to tell David not to do this (2 Samuel 7:4-16). Why? Because David had been a man of war and shed much blood during his lifetime, he was not to be the man to build God a house (1 Chronicles 28:3).
However, in the midst of God’s reply to David through Nathan the prophet, God promises that although God would not let David build Him a house, God would build David a house (2 Samuel 7:11). This was not a physical house, but a house in the sense that David’s descendants would continue to reign on the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7:12-15). More importantly, spiritually it would be through David that the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, would come to set up His Kingdom, the church, which would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44; John 18:36; Colossians 1:13). Through Nathan the prophet, God tells David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).
Rather than being disappointed that it was not in God’s plans to have David build the temple, David is overwhelmed at the thought of God blessing him in this way. As the opening verses above indicate, David considered God blessings upon him and proclaimed God’s praises (2 Samuel 7:20-29).
As I reflect on this, I need to take time to “be overwhelmed” as I consider how God has blessed me. Rather than dwelling on what I do not have or the goals in my life I have been unable to accomplish thus far, I need to take time to rejoice in what I do have and consider the opportunities presently before me to serve God and honor him. Instead of bringing myself down by focusing on all the problems and challenges that surround me, I need to look up and spend time in meditation reflecting on just how awesome God is.
God has blessed me with my health, my family, and my friends. He has allowed me to live in a prosperous nation where I am free to serve Him without fear of persecution. More importantly, he has saved me from my sin through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. He has blessed me with a great spiritual family in the church. He has given me love, joy, and peace to fill my life. Today, I will rejoice in the great God I serve!
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:1-3).