We'll be in 2 Samuel 7. First, I’ll give a little bit of context and then share my thoughts from verses 18 through 27.

So, here in our text it occurs to David that God doesn't have a permanent dwelling place. He's talking about how they've met in tents and he says, “I dwell in a house of cedar but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains!”

From David’s perspective it seems a little too temporary, and that God maybe needs a permanent dwelling place on the earth.

But, then Nathan gets a message from the Lord and the Lord tells Nathan basically that I've been doing this for a long time. Like, I've been dwelling in tents all this time -- I don't need a permanent dwelling on this earth. But God goes on instead of just telling David, hey, don't do that -- He makes a promise about David's generations and He gives him huge blessings and He says that His mercy would not depart from David as He had taken it from Saul. Your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.

So the Lord goes above and beyond saying, “I don't need that effort from you David.” But then God decides to bless David for thinking of God. As a result, God made a covenant with David.

But then we see David's response to that; and I think it's a really good example of how to be thankful to God and when to be thankful to God.

So we'll start in verses 17 and 18.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and he said, "Who am I, oh Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far?" So he's saying what significance do I hold that you have blessed me with all these things. He's acknowledging that he doesn't deserve it. So David’s response is, “Who am I?” It's not, “I deserve this; I'm going to take these blessings from God in an expecting way.”

It's, “Who am I? And yet this was a small thing in your sight, oh Lord God. And you have also spoken of your servants house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, oh Lord God? Now what more can David say to you? For you, Lord God, know your servant. for your word's sake and according to your own heart. You have done all these great things to make your servant know them.”

So he's saying it's not just good things that you do, the blessings you give to me. That's your character. He's saying that that's a consistent thing. Even when it's not as easy, even when he's not being having the receiving these great blessings and covenants, things like that. He's saying that's who you are. It's not just in the moment I'm thankful. It's you're consistently that person, that God.

Therefore, you are great, oh 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. 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.

So, this is another acknowledgement of the great things that God has done for his nation. It's saying you haven't abandoned your nation -- and that is one of the things that has proved your character to us. So we can trust you because of the history with your nation. And he goes on to say for you have made your people Israel your very own people forever and you Lord have become their God. He became their God because they've accepted Him and His protection of them throughout the years.

They had learned to trust Him in some ways. And of course we see moments where they didn't. And that happens to everyone. We saw where David kind of overlooked God's role in his life a couple times, but he's saying that in general the people have accepted Him because they know God's character. They'll never doubt that even if they don't put the importance on it that they should. And then he says,

"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. For you, oh 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. And now, oh Lord God, you are God and your words are true, and you have promised us goodness to your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of your servant that it may continue before You forever. For You, oh Lord God, have spoken it, and with your blessing, let the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

So David, when he talks about his house, it's not just his physical house, it's his family, his livelihood, and all of his possessions. He's saying that all of those things belong to a servant of God. And so it's kind of a contrast if he has all these possessions (as a king) and yet he sees himself as a servant. That shows how much he's been rewarded for being a faithful servant. He puts in perspective even the power he has in the world. He's still a servant before God. And I like that framing from David. So just overall the passage is wholly out of humility. And when we ask God for things it must be out of humility. Note that David does make a request at the end -- he says let it please you to bless the house of your servant. He asks God to continue these blessings. Why? because it is God’s character to do so. That's a humble petition. That's not, “please, I need this for me. I'm going to protect my pride and my great possessions.”

No, it's completely out of humility. So we have to make sure we're not asking God for things that would preserve our pride; or “Spare me from this because I can't handle the hits to my ego!” No, it can't be that. It has to be rather, “Spare me from this because this is what I need to grow. There has to be a good reason for us to ask for God's favor. And when there is good reason, God will be faithful and just to forgive our sins if that's what we're asking; but he'll be also faithful to fulfill our needs as well.

We have hundreds and hundreds of examples of that in the Word including examples in our own lives as well.

The message here calls readers to see God's faithfulness and then respond with worship. We even see David praising God when it's not going his way. But as long as it's going God's way, we should rejoice in God and His character!

Devotionals

Devotionals