The Lord gave David rest. So far David has had many long years of battling and being on the run from enemies. Now God gives him rest. There are times in life when we have to fight, but the Lord also gives us times of rest. When He does this we should enjoy it!
David had a palace, but there was no temple for God, the ark remained in a tent. Nathan was the prophet, and he told David to do whatever was on his heart. However, that night the Lord spoke to Nathan. The key points of the word are:
- The Lord had not dwelt in a house since He brought them up out of Egypt. Nor had He commanded them to build one. Building a temple was not a priority for the Lord! Often there can be things that we want to do for God, but the Lord is not actually that desperate for us to do for Him! Perhaps this is another example of David wanting to emulate other nations.
- God then tells David that He took him from the pasture, made him ruler and had been with him throughout the journey. So clearly God did not need a temple in order to be with David and protect and guide him.
- God declares that He will make David's name great and provide a place for the people of Israel. See how God's priorities are different than ours. Note also that He wants to make David's name great. When we honour God He will honour us.
- Finally God says that He will raise someone up after David who will build the temple. Now these verses are a mixture of immediate and long term prophecy. The ultimate fulfilment is Jesus, but obviously the bits on discipline do not apply as Jesus did not sin. Also, Solomon would build a temple.
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