Devotions
Rev Gav
Dynasty
2 Samuel 7:4-17
But that same night the Lord said to Nathan,
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?”’
“Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”
So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.
Reflect
King David wanted to build a ‘house’ (a physical temple) for God, but in a play of words, God promised to build a ‘house’ (a dynasty) for David. God communicated this through the prophet Nathan.
We call a promise made by God, a ‘covenant’, and in today’s Bible Reading we have the ‘Davidic Covenant’ — the promise that David’s name will be great, that his offspring (Solomon) will build the temple, that God will have a ‘father-son’ relationship with his offspring, and that from whom God’s love will never be taken away. David’s throne and kingdom will be established ‘forever’.
Christians also interpret the Davidic Covenant as a prophecy about God’s Anointed One (Messiah) which was fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to as the ‘Son of David’ no less than seventeen times in the gospels! Matthew even opens his gospel with the words, “This is the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David…”
I know this might seem a little trite (given that the Bible passage is perhaps one of the most important in the whole Old Testament) but reading it reminds me of how God speaks through others on our behalf. God did not speak directly to David, even though he was the esteemed King of Israel! He spoke, instead, through Nathan the prophet.
I wonder if God speaks to us through others because we can become so easily blinded by our own needs and wants, having a tendency to justify our own thoughts, words, and actions (whether they are right or wrong). No-one likes being told what to think, say, or do — a red flag in of itself!
There is nothing wrong with sensing God (through the Holy Spirit) prompting us, nudging us, and guiding us, but as we are reminded in 1 John 4.1, “…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” In other words, before we speak or act, let us check that it is really God speaking to us, and we do this through the confirmation of other Godly people. We ask them to pray and seek God on our behalf. Likewise, if someone tells us something is from God, we don’t just accept it blindly, but also test it!
It is for this reason that we are called to be church together, and not try and be Christians on our own. As we read in Proverbs 27.17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Today, give thanks for the fellowship and wisdom of your church family — your Christian friends and siblings — and give thanks that you are not alone in your journey with God.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Pray
Holy God
Thank you that
I am not alone in
my journey with you,
and that you have
provided for me,
people that are
filled with your Spirit
and who offer me
spiritual wisdom.
Help me to always seek
your will and purpose,
and be open to hearing
you speak through others.
This day and forever.
and then