The Eternal Kingdom

2 Samuel 7:1-17

After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ^2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

^3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

^4 That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

^5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ^6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. ^7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

^8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. ^9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. ^10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ^11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^a over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: ^12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. ^15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ^16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me^b; your throne will be established forever.’”

^17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

We are in our final year of the so-called Bush dynasty. As you are well aware, because of term limits on the presidency, no one can serve more than eight years. But that didn’t stop a mini-dynasty forming from father to son, even if it wasn’t in successive terms. All of the predictions of a Clinton dynasty appear to be fading. However, I read this past week that some think Chelsea could continue the dynasty one day and become the first woman U.S. president.

When I think of a dynasty, the first thing that comes to mind is the great Ming dynasty of China. Among other accomplishments, under the rule of the Ming dynasty, the vast majority of the 4,000 mile Great Wall of China was constructed. Most of you may already know this, but I was surprised to learn that the Ming Dynasty only lasted for 276 years. By comparison, the Davidic dynasty began by King David lasted for 410 years. From David all the way down to when the last King Zedekiah was carried off to Babylon, there was an unbroken succession of kings in the line of David. Four hundred and ten years is a long dynasty. No matter your political affiliation, I think we would all agree that 410 years of Bushes or Clintons would be a tragedy! But 410 years is nothing compared to God’s promise to David. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. So which is it? Did the Davidic dynasty last for 410 years or is it still flourishing now and into eternity? The simple answer is yes, both are true. The Davidic dynasty is both rooted in history and will flourish for all eternity. One leading commentator said the following about this chapter. I judge this…promise to David to be the most crucial theological statement in the Old Testament...[i] There is something very important in this chapter, not just for O.T. history buffs, but for every Christians who seeks to understand and follow Christ more fully.

The chapter begins with what we might call a vision statement from David. After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ^2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” David wanted to build a temple for God. In short, he wanted to build a really fancy church building. Does that sound familiar to you—maybe not the fancy part, but the part about wanting to build a church building? It certainly wasn’t a bad thing to want to do. It was light years ahead of what Nebuchadnezzar did when he built a 90 foot statue and ordered the entire kingdom to bow down and worship his image. It seemed like a good decision, especially considering that David was already living in a palace of cedar. You can almost hear David reasoning this out: me-palace, God-tent; palace, tent. “Why, this doesn’t seem right at all. God deserves something better than a tent!”

This was a big decision, so he asked for advice from his friend and prophet Nathan. Nathan’s response? “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” Now how did Nathan know that the Lord was behind David on this massive project? He didn’t know did he? The foundation of this whole section is that both Nathan and David were dead wrong. This is a good reminder to us about how easy it is to justify our decisions as being in the will of God. Let me insert an important warning here. This warning is on par with instructions on what to do if your clothes catch on fire. Do you remember the phrase? If your clothes catch on fire, you are supposed to: Stop, Drop and Roll. Hers is your warning. If anyone ever approaches you and says, “The Lord told me to,” I want you immediately to, Stop, Turn and Run! Christians do some of the most foolish, often sinful things and justify it by saying that the Lord told them to do it. You don’t even have to be a charismaniac to fall into this trap. As Christians, we want to follow God, but we also want to do our own thing, so the easiest way to solve this dilemma is to baptize our decisions in Christian jargon. “God told me to…” Oh, did he? How do know this?

OK, let’s practice. “God told me to…” What do you do? Stop, turn and run! This kind of language is riddled with all kinds of problems. We not only run the chance of doing something against God’s will—all the while being certain that it is God’s will—but we have the added problem of sounding so spiritual when we do it. If I tell you that God told me that the shingles on the church building are supposed to be bright pink, what does that imply? For starters, it probably implies that I am color blind, J but more than that, I am sending the subtle signal that I have a special relationship with God that you may not have. God speaks to me with certainty about things like the color of shingles, while you are constantly struggling with your puny, little spiritual life. God speaks to me!! But some might object and say, “But I would never say such a thing. I would never claim that God told me to do something if I wasn’t sure!” But that’s the whole problem, isn’t it? We think and say such things are we aren’t even aware that we are doing it. I told you the story about our forty two year old friend whom God has allegedly told on two separate occasions who she was supposed to marry. She was the one who was following God’s will by finding coins on the sidewalk. But guess what? God never told the two guys that they were supposed to marry her! Admittedly, this is a severe example, but this is what can happen when we assume that we are following God when we are really following our own desires.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that God does not guide us or that he doesn’t care about the small things in our life. God does care about the small things. He even cares about subjects like the clothes we wear. I ran across the first chapter of a new book titled, God, My Heart and Clothes.[1]

 I highly recommend the article and I have put several copies on the back table for you to pick up. God and does guide us through the small things, but I would strongly suggest you drop the “God told me” language. There is nothing wrong with having a sense of strong guidance from the Lord. You could say, “I really feel strongly that God wants me to…”, which is still quite different from “God told me to…”

Another problem with claiming that God told you to do something is that this is a presumption upon God. Getting back to David now, the problem he had was not that building a temple was a bad thing, but the very thought that this is something that David should have decided is a major presumption upon God. The Lord chose the prophet Nathan to make this clear to David. ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ^6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. ^7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ The dwelling of the presence of God had always been in the Tabernacle, because this is the way God had planned it. When you read through the book of Exodus you see that almost twenty chapters are dedicated to instructions about building the tabernacle—which as you know was a glorified tent.

I get the sense that God delivered a message to David which was a more gentle version of his thundering message to Job. After a dozen chapters of complaint directed at God, God finally answered Job saying, “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” Job presumed upon God and God let him know it. My sense is that God said something similar to David but he was much more gentle with David. David had presumed upon God in his decision to build a temple. God did not blast David but he gave him a gentle rebuke. The big idea was simply this: God had always dwelt in a tent because that is what he chose for himself. He did not desire a temple nor had he ever asked for a temple to be built.

God had never given even the slightest hint that he had wanted a temple built for him. This was the custom of the pagan gods. There were major and minor temples strewn throughout the known world. The important gods had the big, ornate temples and the lesser gods had smaller temples built for them. Building a temple was one way to contain a god to a certain place and restrain the power of that God. In short, a temple was like a leash around the god—he, or she, could only go so far. A temple could turn a god into a safer, less threatening god.

I believe that the Lord’s message to David was this: “David, I am not a safe God. Do not think for a moment that you can contain me to a stone and wood structure that you decide to build.” God had never lived in a temple. Prior to the tabernacle, God did not dwell in anything made of human hands. And even though the tabernacle was made by human hands, everything was initiated and done according to God’s strict instructions.

When God gave direction for the construction of the tabernacle, God chose:

· The Time—following the exodus from Egypt

· The Place—the wilderness

· The People—the Jews

· The Materials—gold, bronze, linen, etc.

· The Design—exact length, width, etc.

Moreover, God also chose exactly where the people would live. If God decided it was time to move, all of the Jews would pack their belongings, the tabernacle would be carefully packed and millions of Israelites would set forth following wherever the Lord would lead. Every time they would move and every step they took, God was communicating a powerful message: “I am the leader and you are my people. I will decide where and when we go and it is your job to follow me.” Even in the wilderness, the Lord was turning his people into followers. The Lord was their provider and protector. The Lord was sovereign. The Lord called the shots. The people followed.

Notice the number of “I’ messages in these few short verses.

8.  I took you from the pasture

9.  I have been with you wherever you have gone

9.  I have cut off all your enemies

9.  I will make your name great

10. I will provide a place for my people Israel

11. I appointed leaders over my people Israel

11. I will also give you rest from all your enemies

11. I will establish a house for you

12. I will raise up your offspring to succeed you

12. I will establish his kingdom

13. I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever

14. I will be his father and he will be my son

14. I will punish him with the rod of men

15. I will never take away my love for him

God was reminding David of his sovereign control and divine initiative. God does not assert his sovereign control because he is some kind of control freak or because he gets his kicks by  ordering people around. We fail to understand God’s sovereign authority because the sinful actions of people color our basic understanding of power and control. Politicians abuse their authority on a daily basis. Supervisors and managers at work are too often abusive and dictatorial. Have you ever had a boss like that? People like that really help one to appreciate a good boss. Sometimes husbands are too controlling in the home. Sometimes wives are too manipulative and controlling in their own way. I could multiply examples of abuses of power because there are so many, but we must never allow these abuses of power to affect how we view God’s power and authority. God’s absolute control is not to stroke his ego, but it is ultimately for our good. This is clearly shown in vv. 8-9 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. ^9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.

This is a statement of the sovereign choice of the Lord that is also an act of grace toward David. David did not earn his place on the throne of Israel, but God chose him for that role. God plucked David from his role as a shepherd of sheep and anointed him a shepherd of his people. Do you think David ever argued with this particular sovereign choice of God? But in the midst of God’s sovereign choice you cannot get past the fact that David was a faithful shepherd of the sheep. At least in part, David seemed to be rewarded for his faithfulness in the sheep pen. So does this mean that God will reward our faithfulness as well? If we are faithful, will we also do great things like David? God always rewards his faithful shepherds, and some of those faithful shepherds will do great things—but most will be ordinary. The question I want to leave you with is this: Are you OK with being an ordinary, faithful shepherd? I believe that the Lord calls us to love the ordinary—to love being ordinary. Not that we are to love mediocrity. Being mediocre and being ordinary are NOT the same thing. Being mediocre is laziness, but being ordinary is beautiful. Just look at our church. We have welders, pharmacists, salesman, managers, inspectors, administrators, mothers, teachers, captains, cooks, farmers, factory workers, retirees, artists, graphic artists…We are all basically ordinary, but you can be wildly faithful in your ordinariness.

Rich Maurer

May 25, 2008

[1] http://www.sovereigngraceministries.com/Blog/file.axd?file=Worldliness-CJMahaney-Modesty.pdf