This morning, our scripture reading is focused on an incident in the middle of King David’s reign. David was anointed by the Prophet Samuel to lead the people of Israel. Awkwardly, David was anointed to be king while Saul was already king, leading to many years of warfare between the followers of Saul and the followers of David, alongside warfare with neighboring people and countries. Amid that warfare, the Ark of the Covenant was stolen by the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant was the intricate box containing the stones with the 10 Commandments carved into them. At that time, the people of Israel believed God sat on the Ark, so when it was taken away by the Philistines, the people believed God had abandoned them. After David became the king, he retrieved the Ark and brought it to Jerusalem.
Our reading this morning comes just after the return the Ark. David thought things were going to be “smooth sailing here on out,” so he wanted to start making a permanent home for the Ark. Up until this point, the Ark was kept in the Tent of Meeting – a tent – so it was portable and could move when the people moved. David wanted it to have a permanent home in Jerusalem.
So, David called Nathan to come to meet with him and listen to the king’s plans. Nathan was the prophet who advised David after the death of the prophet Samuel. Listen to how the conversation unfolded as we read 2 Samuel, chapter 7, verses one through 17:
The Scripture 2 Samuel 7:1-17
7 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 house 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 But 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, from tending the flock, and appointed you 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 on 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 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 ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, 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 a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
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; your throne will be established forever.’”
17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
HERE ENDS THIS READING OF THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD; THANKS BE TO GOD. AMEN.
The Message God’s Promise to David
LET US Pray: “Lord God, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we may hear your Word with Joy. Amen.”
Sometimes kings and presidents and leaders come up with grand plans. King David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, back to the land of Israel, back to the people of God. He “hit a homerun.” So, his next step, his next grand plan, was to make a permanent home for the Ark – a permanent dwelling place for God – so that God would no longer reside in a tent – and David’s legacy would have come down through history as the king who tamed God and kept God permanently with the people of Israel.
Alas, King David’s plans were not in sync with God’s plans. God told the Prophet Nathan to tell King David his plan wouldn’t work – David couldn’t be the Temple builder – David would not be the king would locked down God and kept God in one place – God would go wherever the people of God went, just as it had been in the past. God doesn’t reside in a building made by people; God is wherever God’s people are.
When God spoke through Nathan, God made a Covenant with David. He promised David that David’s legacy as a king would continue through the centuries – David’s descendants would endure forever. And, one of David’s descendants would be God’s son. God promised to never take God’s love away from the house of David. This promise was the spark that was the beginning of the Jewish people’s belief that a Messiah would come to them.
The legacy of King David lives on through Jesus, a biological descendant of David who adopted us all into the family of David and the family of God. Our salvation is through our faith in Jesus Christ – we are adopted as God’s children and God’s family through our faith in Jesus.
David was misguided....he wanted to build a permanent home for God and have that be his legacy. We know that God doesn’t live in houses – God doesn’t live in Temples – God doesn’t conform to human ideas about where God should or should not be. God is where God’s people are – God is with us.
It is important for us to remember that God is where we are wherever that may be. God is with us when we worship together on Sunday morning. God is with us when we are in our beds at night. God is with us when we are at work and when we are at school. God is with us when we are deployed in the military and when we are convalescing in the hospital. God goes wherever God’s people go, wherever that may be.
We can read David’s story as a call to humility. David was the anointed leader put into place by God....he was a strong military leader, and expert slingshot thrower, a wise diplomat, and a illustrious song writer. He was smart and talented and brave. But, sometimes he got a little too big for his britches – he forgot that his job was to listen to God for guidance and direction before he made decisions. And, God would direct what God wanted, not just comply with what David thought was best.
In our lives, we also need to practice listening to God’s direction for us and for our church. Sometimes, we get so excited about what we want to do and the plans we have for our future we forget to talk to God first. God listens to our prayers, and sometimes God nudges us in unexpected directions. We have to remember to share our ideas and desires with God, and pay attention to how God directs our hearts and minds in response.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, God goes with us. Let’s work on listening more intentionally to how God directs our lives. Amen.
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