In chapter 7 of 2 Samuel, David wants to build a house for God but, after the prophet Nathan’s initial excitement, God says “no” to David’s plans. What do we do when God says “no”? Note that God does say “yes” to building David’s house, which is a “yes” David didn’t expect.
(2 Samuel 7)
Sermon Outline
The LORD said to David through Nathan the prophet: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:16)
God’s Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:1-17)
- David’s proposal and Nathan’s initial approval (2 Samuel 7:1-3)
- God’s “no” (2 Samuel 7:4-7)
- God’s “yes”
- God’s presence with David (2 Samuel 7:8-11a)
- The Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:11b-17)
David’s Response (2 Samuel 7:18-29)
- David responds with humility. (2 Samuel 7:18-24)
- David responds with boldness. (2 Samuel 7:25-29)
Takeaways
- We, as Christians, are part of the House of David.
- We should plead God’s promises back to Him like David did.
- The Lord has special work for each one of us to do.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Compare the humility of God shown in His moving around with His people in the wilderness (2 Samuel 7:6) to the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-8.
- We read in 2 Samuel 7:14 That God will punish David’s descendants when they do wrong with “floggings” that come through human beings. What do you think this means?
- In what ways is the temple in Jerusalem a shadow of (or a pointer to) the reality to come in Jesus? See John 2:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 3:16.
- Nathan’s first response to David’s idea of building a temple was to say, “Great idea!” but God corrected him. Can you think of other instances in the OT when God’s servants “got it wrong”? [some examples: 1 Samuel 16:7, Numbers 20:6-12, 1 Kings 19:3-4]
- What promises in God’s word can you plead back to Him like David did? See David’s words in 2 Samuel 7:25-26.
- We know that we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works God planned for us (Ephesians 2:10). God gave David the work of getting His people settled in the promised land, but He did not give David the work of building the temple; that was for Solomon. Read John 21:18-22 and discuss how Jesus’ words to Peter about John convey a similar message.
DIG DEEPER
- Watch the Bible Projects video on the covenants in the Bible. [Note: This includes God’s covenant with Noah.]
- Study and compare 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17, which describe the same events. What differences do you see?
- Listen to Arthur Honegger’s King David, an oratorio