“And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee” (2 Samuel 7:1-3).
Introduction
The obvious outcome of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem was to house it in a more permanent place than a tent. It may have taken some time, as the words “came to pass” may indicate, for David to have his idea of building Israel’s first temple for God. Though his desire would suffer disappointment we can see that David’s heart was in the right place.
Contemplation
David has become extremely wealthy, probably in part to the driving out the enemies of Israel and taking their goods, and maybe, as it was with Solomon, he received gifts from friendly nations wanting to curry favour with him. He was so blessed that he enjoyed peace and quietness in his palace. This tranquillity no doubt gave him time to reflect on how much God had prospered him and to formulate his plan to thank Him in a tangible way. David could easily have congratulated himself and said to himself, “Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19), but the “man after” God’s “own heart” was of better quality than that (1 Samuel 13:14). We observe that he did not indulge his flesh, but instead kept his mind on the One who blessed him.
David was now king of a united Israel, and as such was the most powerful person in the kingdom. He could have simply ordered the building of the temple, as he surely did with his own palace, without considering God’s will in the matter. It is certain that very few would have withstood him but would have commended him for such a worthy desire. A glorious temple dedicated to the God of Israel would make him even more famous and put Jerusalem firmly on the map, so the majority would have voted for its construction.
Concern
While he looked around at what God had given him,
he saw that he had not truly honoured Him for it. “The
elegance and splendour of his own royal mansion, contrasted with the mean and
temporary tabernacle in which the ark of God was placed, distressed the pious
mind of David” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary). David wanted his
praise and thanksgiving set in concrete instead of curtains. He was deeply
bothered about the meagre covering for the Ark of God, and, if some time had
elapsed since bringing it to Jerusalem, for not noticing the problem before. “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until
I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob” (Psalm
132:4-5). David was concerned that the object that represented God’s presence
was kept in a tent made of skins while he was protected from the elements inside
a beautiful house. His overwhelming desire was to see God honoured in the best
building of all. Later, during the reconstruction of the temple, the prophet
Haggai convicted the selfish hearts of the people saying, “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this
house lie waste?” (Haggai 1:4). David wanted to improve the spiritual
condition of his people, for that is why he brought the Ark of God into
Jerusalem, so his desire to build a temple was further evidence of this high
ideal. Though buildings themselves cannot produce spiritual growth, the fact
that godly men and women have sought to honour God in this way does reveal a
heart that is fertile ground for such a blessing. Increased devotion brings
about increased blessing. “He which
soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully
shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6) … “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The days are far gone when Christians
built places of worship for the glory of God instead of doing so for their
denomination’s honour; and we wonder why the Lord is not blessing the church!
Confirmation
David took his concerns to the prophet Nathan. This is proof that he wanted God’s backing for his plans instead of rushing forward his grand desire for a temple. Though this is the first mention of Nathan, it seems that he was already established as David’s advisor on spiritual matters. The relationship between them must have been close but David honoured Nathan as the messenger of God, as we shall see later when he receives his rebuke for his sin (2 Samuel 12). Nathan’s influence included the order of worship in the future temple (2 Chronicles 29:25). He also advised the king regarding Solomon’s place as next king of Israel (1 Kings 1). It also appears that Nathan produced a written account of the lives of David and Solomon. “Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer” (1 Chronicles 29:29) … “Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet” (2 Chronicles 9:29). David was Nathan’s friend because Nathan loved the Lord. “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts” (Psalm 119:63) … “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise” (Proverbs 13:20).
Nathan thought that David’s desire was marvellous, but he had forgotten one important duty, he did not seek God’s will on the matter. “Nathan hastily approves it, before he had consulted God about it, as both he and David ought to have done in a matter of so great moment” (John Wesley). Which goes to show that even the most anointed of God’s people can be misguided and mislead by what seems to be legitimate. No doubt Nathan was impressed by David’s earnest desire and was delighted with the thought of an established place to worship God. Nathan was wrong though, and he would learn of his error regarding his unsound advice to David that very night as he slept.
Conclusion
There was nothing wrong with either David’s desire or Nathan’s advice, but both would eventually come to fruition; the problem was that it was not God’s will for the king, and that is what really mattered. We shall see David’s response to Nathan’s revised advice in a later study, but for now we see how important it is to find out God’s will in all areas of our lives.
© 5/4/2010