Day 110 – 2 Samuel 7:18-29
Scripture Review
2 Samuel 7:18-29
"Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?"
(2 Samuel 7:18)
David goes in and sits before the LORD. He has just received one of the greatest promises ever spoken to a man, and he does not run out boasting. His first words are, "Who am I, O Lord GOD?" This is the language of a humbled man.
"And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?"
(2 Samuel 7:19)
David says, "this was yet a small thing in thy sight." God had already brought David from the sheepcote to the throne, and now God says that was a small thing compared to what He still intends to do. The LORD has spoken of David's house "for a great while to come." David is overwhelmed by the reach of the promise.
"And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant."
(2 Samuel 7:20)
David is nearly out of words. "What can David say more unto thee?" The promise has gone beyond his speech. Then he says, "thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant." The LORD knows his past, his weakness, his calling, his desires, his failures, and his heart. That is comforting and humbling at the same time.
"For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them."
(2 Samuel 7:21)
David gives the reason for the blessing, "For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart." He does not say God did this because David was impressive. He says God did it because of God's word and God's heart.
"Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears."
(2 Samuel 7:22)
David's prayer turns to worship. "Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God." That is where every blessing ought to lead. Not merely, "I am blessed," but "Thou art great." "There is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee."
"And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?"
(2 Samuel 7:23)
David now remembers Israel and bring it into the conversation. He lifts his eyes from his own house to God's redeemed people. "What one nation in the earth is like thy people?" Israel is unique not because Israel made herself great, but because God redeemed her.
"For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God."
(2 Samuel 7:24)
David sees Israel as God's confirmed people. "Thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel." The LORD did not merely rescue them from Egypt and leave them undefined. He made them His own. "And thou, LORD, art become their God." They are His people and He is their God. David's kingdom only makes sense inside that larger relationship. David is not king over a random people. He is servant king over the LORD's people.
"And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said."
(2 Samuel 7:25)
David begins asking God to do what God has already promised. "Establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said." That is one of the best examples of praying the promises of God. David takes God's own word and brings it back to God.
"And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee."
(2 Samuel 7:26)
David's first concern is the LORD's name. "let thy name be magnified for ever." He wants his established house to magnify God. "The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel." David wants the world to know who rules Israel.
"For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee."
(2 Samuel 7:27)
David says the reason he can pray this way is because God revealed it. "I will build thee an house." That promise opened the door of prayer. David would not have dared to ask such a thing if God had not spoken it first. God's promises do not make prayer unnecessary, they make prayer bold. David found it in his heart to pray because God put it in his ear to hear.
"And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:"
(2 Samuel 7:28)
David anchors everything in the character and truth of God. "Thou art that God, and thy words be true." That is enough to rest on. God is who He says He is, and His words are true. David calls the promise "this goodness." That sweet phrase! It is goodness from God to His servant.
"Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever."
(2 Samuel 7:29)
David closes, "for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it." Not his goodness. Not his reign. Not his ability to control future generations. God has spoken. "With thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever." David knows that no house is truly blessed unless the LORD blesses it.
Cedar is not enough. Sons are not enough. A throne is not enough. The blessing of God is the thing that makes the house stand. This prayer began with "Who am I?" and ends with "thou...hast spoken it." This is the path of true gratitude. It starts low before God and rises strong on God's word. A heart after God sits before the LORD, marvels at grace, magnifies the only true God, remembers redemption, and then prays the promise back to Him.