2 Samuel 7:1-11

Teach us that you would speak through him and use him in a way that be pleasing to you that you'd be lifted up first in Christ.

And we pray.

The Davidic Promise and the Prayer of David

All right. This will probably be more.

Of a theological.

And introduction. Yeah, well yeah. That. And how we understand it. And how. How others have understood the Davidic promise. So let's read it and then I'll get us all confused. Second Samuel chapter 7.

Now it came about when the king lived in the house. And the Lord had given him rest on every side from all of his enemies. That the king said to Nathan the prophet See now that I dwell in a house of cedar.

But the ark of God dwells within tent curtains. Nathan said to the king go do all that is within your mind.

For the Lord is with you.

But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan saying go and say to my servant David. Thus says the Lord are you the one who should build me a house to dwell in. For I have not dwelled in a house Since the day I brought the sons of Israel from Egypt even to this day.

But I have been moving about in a tent even a tabernacle Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel. Did I ever speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel? Which I commanded? To shepherd my people Israel saying why have you not built me a house of cedar now?

Therefore thus you shall say to my servant David thus says the Lord of hosts I took you from the pasture from following the sheep to be the ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you and I will make you a great.

Name.

Like the names of the great men who are on the earth. I will also appoint a place for my people Israel will plant them That they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore as formerly even from the day Which I commanded the judges to To be over my people Israel.

And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. And when your days are completed and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up Your descendant after you who will come forth from you and I will establish his kingdom and he shall build a house from my name.

And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me and when he commits iniquity I will correct him with the rod of men and The stroke to the sons of men.

But my loving kindness shall not depart from him as I took it away from Saul Whom I removed from before you that is very significant about a statement about Saul. Just let me stop here a second. You see what he says that God removed his mercy his chesed.

That's the word that's used. So what does that say about Saul?

I.

That's another thing that says that Saul was an unconverted man. Yeah, God removed his mercy from him. Where was that. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever and your throne shall establish Forever in accordance with all these words and all this vision.

So Nathan spoke to David then David the king went in and he set before the Lord and he said Who am I? Oh Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far and yet this was Insignificant in your eyes.

Oh Lord God for you have spoken also The house of your servant concerning the distant future and this is the custom of men. Oh Lord God again What more can David say to you for you know your servant? Oh Lord God for the sake of your word and according to your own heart.

You have done all the greatness to let your servant know for this reason you are great Oh Lord God for there is none like you. There is no God beside you according to all that we have heard with our ears and What one nation on the earth is like your people Israel whom God?

Went to redeem for himself as a people and to make a name for himself and to do great things For you and awesome things for your land before your people whom you have redeemed for yourself From Egypt from nations and their gods for you have established for yourself your people Israel As your own people forever and you will Lord have become their God now therefore.

Oh Lord God the word that you have spoken concerning your servant in his house confirm it forever and Do as you have spoken that your name may be magnified forever By saying the Lord of hosts is God of Israel and may the house of your servant David be established before you.

For you Oh Lord of hosts the God of Israel have made a revelation to your servant saying I will build you a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you Now Oh Lord God you are God and your words are truth.

And you have promised these good things to your servant now. Therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant and it may continue Forever before you for you. Oh Lord God have spoken with your blessings.

May the house of your servant be blessed forever. Hey, that's not a God-centered prayer at the end of that I mean actually give us a model and we pray it ain't all about us. Everything that he prayed was about God what God did and I don't get off so we'll get to that some point but then just how Wonderful the prayer of exaltation from David.

All right, so They've found they've got the ark into we fix to say something. Did you say they got the ark into the city of Jerusalem? It's in a tent or a a new form of tabernacle. So this is what David has longed for now how they're to understand.

Why the Bible Doesn’t Fit a Simple Dispensational Timeline

How people come to different conclusions? Their interpretive rules or interpretive systems.

Every one of them some form of line, okay.

You'll know this very quickly.

This would be the Age of Innocence. Okay, great beginning. This is this sensational understanding of how the stuff unfolds. Okay, this would be the Age of Innocence. When would this be in the garden? Okay.

All right. And after that the fall happens then you have that this would be actually we'll use it just to be. And you have what would be the next dispensation, you know. Human conscience. The fall happens.

No other laws given. It is now in their conscience that what they are doing is right or wrong. Okay. Then the next one would be. It would be Noah which winds up being a.

Form of human.

Government.

And how do we come to that conclusion? Because he says That's it. First time we see you take another man's life. Your life will be taken. So in the time of Noah we have we see human government. Come on, then as we move forward what happens after that?

In time.

What's the next major event that happens after Noah?

God.

Should expect Abraham. Abraham would be the time of promise. Then look here my crack.

Then what's after the promise Moses if we get past a crack here. What's the next major event. Which next major event. Ross is in the middle somewhere that this would be Grace depending on how you see the end.

Somewhere in here. There would be.

Seven-year tribulation, then you would have the millennial reign.

Have I represented that pretty clear? Okay. Okay, just wanna make sure.

You understand as we see this we don't see David anywhere on here. But am I Me browse will make sure I'm representing it correctly. Did you come from that school a long time ago, right? Okay. Okay, so to make sure I'm representing that well David he falls in this line, but it really doesn't deal with David.

It deals with how God had used his dispensation means economy of how he his economy was used with his people. The problem with all of this is This here didn't start here. It started Back here when the fall happened everything God did from the I could I would even argue that it happened even in the garden, but We know for sure that once David I mean once Adam fell it was God's grace from that point forward, correct?

So it makes it hard to really understand how all the covenants and promises all fit in to this Motif at least for me. Okay, if y 'all enjoy looking at it from that way, that's fine. But understand that this is not explaining them the way the Bible explained it.

That would actually be called dispensational theology. Then you have another.

That had that sets one up. Here is Redemption covenant works.

Covenant of Redemption, Covenant of Works, and Covenant of Grace

Problem with this.

Understanding is these are never mentioned in Scripture either.

So.

Understanding of the covenant. This would be classic covenant theology would say.

Okay.

The covenant of redemption would be what God had determined in eternity past that he was going to save someone. Right or say but people and that would be what they would call the covenant of redemption.

Then they would say the covenant of works Would be what God told Noah in the garden. If you eat of the tree if you don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I'm sorry. Yeah. If if Adam did not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would then be given.

He would earn his way and I want to understand why I say that specifically because covenant theology actually says that day up Adam would have earned his way to the tree of life. Do you understand the problem with that?

That makes God a debtor. Okay, that's why I don't hold to covenant theology. I hold to a form of covenantal theology, but understand none of this really.

Explains.

The read how redemptive history falls out in a line because that's how it is. It's in time in history. So once the covenant of works based on them was that Adam was supposed to obey God he disobeyed. Therefore he fell.

Then everything after that comes from the covenant of grace. Everything is a covenant of grace at that point. So it actually falls into three. Problem is when you get to this, what do you do about the covenant of.

With a circumcision, is that not a actual work? He says if you don't do this What's gonna happen to know your descendants? I'm gonna kill him. That's what it's what he says. So does that sound like a covenant of grace?

No.

It's more of it and then you have where they then you have all these disagreements of really how the Mosaic law fits here. But it's still part of here. Anyway, it becomes very inconsistent.

So.

This my opinion because I think it's the easiest remember what this is. It's not a big thing. Here it is. God said let there be light. And in the garden. He gave a prohibition and what was it?

Don't eat in that prohibition. What was given the day that you eat. In dying you will die. Is that not a promise?

Okay.

So we have in the garden a promise a promise of death if they disobeyed.

Okay.

They did and.

The day that he ate did he not spiritually die? He did you remember when Adam was in in the garden? It says that God breathed into his nostrils life and you remember what it says that Adam became a living and breathing Soul, okay.

But the day that he ate that I know most of our English translations say the day that you will die. But the Hebrew construction is the day that you eat in dying you will die. Signifying that you're going to spiritually die and then as you could you spiritually die.

Your physical body will then catch up with that. So that was the promise the promise of you disobey you will die, but then immediately after they disobey. What does God do right after that when he gives the His basically his judgments on the serpent the woman and Adam.

He what he promised a serpent crusher. Promise so once again.

Promise.

Another promise God says I will send. The serpent crusher will bruise his heel, but I will crush his head.

Now.

Is there any covenant. Explicitly said in from the time of Adam till the time I'll even say was there up until.

Noah.

Was there any? Covenant given.

Explicit.

We can say hey, it sounds like he did. It says God's made an agreement with them that hey I'm going to send. But is that a covenant? What consists of a covenant in Scripture. So ma 'am a Sign and it has to be cut.

Cut meaning blood, okay.

Now.

We move forward. God makes a promise to Noah to save him and his family once again. He's gonna promise to save Noah, but once he saves Noah, and they get off the ark. What did they do? They actually they do that for sure.

I didn't go as far they send all in the ark. But they get off they make a sacrifice. Did you know when he says he says I want you to take seven clean birds and all this and as soon as they get Off what do they do?

They make an altar and a sacrifice to God. They make a sacrifice to God. Okay, okay, and what's in that? What's in the sky?

Very much.

And God says I will make a covenant with you first time Barrett. The Hebrew words ever used was with Noah first time. So this year now we see how God's revealed himself. Promise promise. He made a promise to Noah to save him and his family, but then when he comes out of the ark.

He makes a covenant and.

To not.

With water that's what the promise was. I mean that was the covenant. He said hey here. It is in the sky. I will not ever destroy the earth by water again, and here's the and that's my covenant with you.

Move forward.

When's the next?

Covenant that's how we all understand it, but something happens right here.

Before the Abrahamic Covenant.

What happens in chapter 12 of Genesis the call of Abraham and what does he say I?

Will I will I will remember I will I will I will. You go you back you jump. We'll take all your family and leave and I'll tell you where you go. And then I'm going to give you the land and he goes. I will I will I will give you this land this land.

That is a promise. Okay, that is a promise. God promised Abraham to give him a land and a people and a nation that happens right here. But then as we move forward in Abraham's life in 15 and 17 what happens?

He actually makes the covenant.

So God promised.

Abraham this but when he gets to 15 and 17 he actually remember he he cuts the animals in half. Cut cut the animal he what does it say? He put Abraham asleep, and who walked through the the the cut animals.

God did what does it say? God made a covenant with Abraham, so it's here. That this promise is then laid on top of the Abrahamic Covenant. It is I'm gonna make you a people. But now it's a covenant no longer promise.

God has made a covenant by cutting it with blood. And what did it signify when he walked through those pieces? What was the reason why in a Caesarean? Treaty per se. What was the reasoning for doing that?

You would have the vassal the one that's supposed to be the obedient one you had the Caesarean which would be the the leader of the Lord and if you cut them two pieces in two as they both walk through there together.

They're saying hey whichever one of us breaks this covenant. This is what I want done to me understand basically butcher me and. That well Abraham goes to sleep. God walks through it so who's responsible for the Abrahamic Covenant.

Only God only God. Who's responsible for the Noahic Covenant? God, it's only God so then part of the Abrahamic Covenant, then you would have and it's. It says it in Scripture because then the Covenant of Circumcision.

Actually becomes a covenant because it's the cutting of the blood and foreskin. But it falls under the Abrahamic Covenant those are all laid on top of one another so you see how God's revealed. This is biblically.

This is how God revealed himself. Promise promise promise now He's made a covenant. Promise covenant promise covenant. Now what happens here. What's the next major event?

Moses. Hmm. Yeah, you would have you would have the Mosaic the Mosaic Covenant now.

In the Mosaic Covenant. Were there. How was that cut. Do you remember when and where?

It was it was.

Before they got the Ten Commandments He they or I should say the tablets. They got the ten words and God said hey. This is what I'm going to do. You go tell the people and they said whatever you wants to do we do it.

It's what does it say that Moses did it said he sprinkled them with blood and made a covenant and God says alright. You come on up here. I'm gonna give you the rest. They've already agreed to the foundational.

I'm gonna come on with you come up here, and I'm gonna give you the rest.

So.

Mosaic law is it unilateral or bilateral. Remember they. For you know God was going to do this. What about this one? It is. It's two people and it is a more so of a true Yeah covenant between one and another where it is a vassal and a cesarean.

If you look at chapter 28 of 27 28 of Deuteronomy you actually see the blessing and the cursing. We're okay God said if you do this I'm gonna do that. Bless all this for you. If you don't do this then what does he say you're gonna do?

He's gonna make he's gonna smash you. Okay, so this covenant was cut with blood. It was a covenant between the Israelite people and God and it is.

Contingent contingent on what. That's it man. That's horrible.

Cuz how obedient are we? We're not okay.

So what's the next major event. Promise here promise?

Not a covenant. But even says it's promised the last day and hey, I'll just let you let you go. I have had an argument with people over This very text because the text does not they call it the Davidic Covenant, but that's not even what David calls it.

Okay, now we can argue from what how it unfolds when we get into chapter 23. Okay, how David understood that and I think Psalm 89 and 132 or 134 we can we can talk about it and we will when we actually get into that part, but This here.

Was the.

What was the Davidic promise? Well, but specifically what what. What is the promise?

His seed would go.

He was gonna build him a house. He was gonna build him a house. David is gonna have a house built and we'll even we'll just say it this way a dynasty. Because if you look at as I don't know if y 'all noticed as we were reading through that David uses the word house in one way, but you see God used it another.

Yeah, you see it. God says wait a minute. You want to build me a house, but you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna build you a house, but the the way that it's used is two different ways David's talking about.

Just let you know, this would be called progressive covenantalism. How God unfolds and unfolds.

This is a type of progressive.

Covenantalism and this is how God unfolded it up to here and that's as far as we're gonna go. Because I'm running out of the board. David wants to build a house for God.

Not a temple house. We won't see temple till come up till so how does David see a house?

See her. Okay.

See her. That's how we. Okay now. This is how David sees it. How does God.

See a house. Except the Lord build the house. They live remain to build it. But how does he. How does God explain the house from the text?

The Lord built the house that's because it goes on to say good stuff talking about children.

Yeah, I mean so when God says he's gonna build a house. He ain't talking about Cedar. He's talking about a dynasty.

Lineage.

Yeah.

Offspring, that's what God's gonna do. That's the just two different ways of how God I.

Would say correct David's understanding of a house. Was David's understanding of what was David's wanting to build God a house wrong? No, we're gonna get into we will get into that because You know. We as preachers and teachers people make life-changing Decisions based on the words that come out of our mouth.

That's weighty to me. Every time I stand behind the pulpit I know that you're even here, but you here y 'all have the opportunity to say hey Mike. I disagree. Well, if I say something from up there not often do somebody throw up a penalty flag and say hey Mike.

Okay, so when you're preaching and if you're wrong and you have misinterpreted the scripture misrepresented God misrepresented the text people make life-changing choices based on the words that come out of our mouth and.

That's weighty to me. Okay, maybe some people it's not but that weights on me. That's why I think it's study shape good James. Be dope double double judgment double standard. Yeah, not double standard in the sense that you're gonna be Man and that's what.

I'm sorry, that's just waiting to me. He did. But once again, we have even Nathan going. Okay, man, that's cool and did but logically thinking. All right. Is that man that's an honorable thing. Was it an honorable thing for David to want to bring the ark back and do all those?

Things for God, but sure it was great who and here wasn't wanted to do the same thing back now.

Yeah, sure and.

And pretty much God had told him he pretty much had the the rain to run The country and what he thought he was doing was right. So here he goes to. Nathan says man, this is it I'm gonna build a house for God and Now we'll just start walking through the text because we've got about ten minutes.

So we won't get far. Have I confused y 'all enough yet? Almost. Okay, do you understand that God? Revealed himself not under dispensation. He did not reveal himself under three categories of Covenants.

He he revealed himself all through redemptive history based on a promise and a covenant. A promise and a covenant a promise. I mean, it's without fail all through Scripture if you were just to read the Bible through beginning to end.

Would you come up with? Innocence human government. Would you come to those conclusions? No, you would see. Oh man God promised he's he's going to send a serpent crusher and then that serpent crusher one day would be of the line of David and He promised that that person would then sit on the throne and all those promise and covenants build on one another.

The other way you're taking a system and trying basically proof texting. Well, just let the Bible read Unfold and reveal to itself and when we do that, then we have a better understanding of how God's plan of redemption unfolds versus trying to Put it in this cup this covenant or to this covenant of works or a covenant of grace or we're in this Dispensation or that dispensation I'll tell you what it's been all of God's grace from the Garden of Eden even when God created.

Adam.

Was that not an act of God's grace?

Was it not?

Did Adam deserve to be made? No now does God's grace on a fallen creature look vastly different.

Than an unfallen creature.

Certainly.

So that's how God has always been promise and covenant. Promise and covenant. All right. Chapter 7 verse 1. Now it came about that the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest on every Side from all of his enemies.

All right, David had built him a house. Remember who helped him do that? Tyre the king of Tyre. Yeah, and I think he was making a strategic saying hey man, I probably don't want David to come this way.

So, let me see if I can't help this guy out building him a palace. David is living in it. So we don't know how long this has taken place. Obviously long enough for him to build His ornate house and it says that the Lord had given him rest on every side from all of his enemies.

Hey, man, that is an absolute blessing from God David. He was not fighting any more wars he was not having to go out and straighten out the Conflict between the house of Abner and and Saul and himself now David's and rest on every side.

There is something to be said here that David does not like to be idle. Because he's got rest on every side. What does he say man? I got to do something and we're gonna see in just a few more chapters him being idle up on the roof.

Didn't do him any good either. Okay, so here it is. He says he was rest on every side and the king said to Nathan the prophet and understand that Nathan. I mean that David Thought he was inquiring of God by speaking to the man of God.

Understand that he is talking to the prophet. What did what was the prophets role? To speak instead of God look whatever the prophet says they spoke it of God. So he speaks to Nathan the prophet and says see I dwell in the house of Cedar and the Ark of God dwells within tent curtains.

Okay, was there anything wrong with it dwelling in curtain tents? Certainly not because that's how God had established it at that point. He had not been given any other instructions to do it any other way and Nathan said to the king We'll go do all that's within your mind for the Lord is with you and What should Nathan have done.

He should said hey, dude, check it out. I'll be right back and he should have inquired of the Lord. So who's who's at fault?

For.

Not inquiring of the Lord I Say both. He could but he never asked the prophet when he wouldn't want to get. Yeah, he when he Correct, and we see David do that at times. So they're both at fault. They both are at fault.

David should have inquired of the Lord. Is this what you would have. Should I go talk to the prophet Nathan about building you a.

House.

There was a high priest he could have went and rolled the dice or whatever we remember he could have done that too so but because the motive Seems the right and it does look I want you to understand I would have done Exactly what David have done in both instance.

I would have man. We got to get the Ark back. We got to get this thing back in the city. We got to get the people of God all Joy for worshiping Yahweh again, and then you know what man? It'd be good if we had a place where we could house a saying that was a structure.

But I mean logically thinking but hey, we should not lean on our own understanding. We should not trust in our own understanding and all of our ways acknowledge God and he will direct our paths. And that is what they were Thinking they were doing but they were doing it on their own terms.

They were doing on the terms of which they wanted to do. God did not instruct any of them to do that and God Somewhat in a rebuke to Nathan says that but in that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan Saying go and say to my servant David.

Thus says the Lord are you the one to build me a house to dwell in for I have not dwelt in that house since the day I Brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt even to this day. But I have been moving about and attend even in a tabernacle and that is true.

How did they move around for 40 years?

They picked it up. Put it through poles.

Hey, you know that's under you that nobody ever got struck dead.

When they moved it last time.

Didn't that 40 years you remember we don't hear anybody struck dead. We don't see anybody Picking it up carrying it the wrong way. They did as they were instructed for 40 years of moving the ark. And he says, you know We moved around there and I have not dwelt in a house since then.

I brought you out of the Sun. Since the day I brought you up The sons of Israel from Egypt even to this day, but I've been moving about in that tabernacle. Whatever I have wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel.

Did I ever speak a word to the tribes of Israel? Which I commanded to shepherd my people Israel saying why have you not built me a house of cedar is that. Obviously, it's God speaking. Is that a correct statement?

Did God ever say? Hey make me a stationary place. He never did always moved about. Why did God not want a stationary place? Up until this point that. And for 40 years had they had they entered the promised land.

For 40 years they had not so there was no. For 40 years God wasn't gonna build something to sign out Palento and they were walking in circles, right? Why. Because that was not the promised land the promised land was in over here.

Not down here. It was up here. Well now that they're up here where they're supposed to be the time of the judges is gone. We have a unified monarchy. God still says I have not commanded anybody to make me a stationary place.

One the stationary place At this point in redemptive history was unnecessary. It was unnecessary. Why was it unnecessary. Because God says it wasn't needed and David going hey in my opinion God it would be better if there was a stationary place to house your ark.

In His opinion God says no no. That's it. Yeah, that is the the best way and in the same way he he told Nathan. Hey look. Watch your words. Let me tell you what you should have told David and. You're right.

That's exactly I didn't ask you what your thoughts were and. Well, let's go just a couple more verses and then we'll stop. Verse 8 says now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David thus the Lord of hosts I took you from the pasture from following the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel.

God's recalling to David what he did for him. He's like. And then when you see yet God says I when you get to David's prayer and response. What does he say you you you you yeah God's yeah. So it's he God's preparing him to say it was me that did all this and it is true when he when David was out chasing the sheep's butt okay play with sheep.

God came and Anointed him and at the time that he was anointed. It says the Spirit of God came on him when Samuel anointed him and it never left it never left and How didn't he know that the Spirit of God had had had fallen on him and had empowered him.

It says because he had struck down a lion and a bear in the field preparing him to then go strike down the Goliath and he knew that God was with him and God just recalling him. Hey, it was me that did this for you.

You didn't do this to yourself you wasn't at some training camp trying to learn how to defeat lions and bears and. And giants it was me that did that and David realizes that there's always Has recognized that I've been with you wherever you have gone and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.

What did David say when they win they would win a battle? The Lord has given it to me and then you had that constant reframe and The end of first Samuel and twice already in this part of second Samuel the Lord was with David.