BIG IDEA:
OUR HEARTS SHOULD OVERFLOW WITH PRAISE WHEN GOD REVEALS HIS ABUNDANT PROMISED BLESSINGS
INTRODUCTION:
60 Minutes last Sunday night – How many saw it?? Segment on the Ministry of Joel Osteen – prosperity gospel – “God is nice, you are nice, let’s think nice thoughts and act nicely towards others –“ Hitting all the main TV interview shows to promote his new best seller – on Larry King Live again with his wife and co-pastor …
Sing the same worship songs we do; say that the same Bible lies behind the positive principles they espouse … but they treat the Bible like a Chinese Fortune Cookie – open up … put your finger on one of God’s promises and claim it for yourself in whatever application suits your fancy – this is a good chapter for Joel Osteen to exploit
I just keep things simple; my gift is not to explain what the Bible means; people don’t need to be told about what they are doing wrong; they need to be inspired; they need a message of hope; I’m not leading people astray to trust a false God; look at how many people come up and testify to God having changed their lives, their marriages through my preaching and books and influence — $13M advance on his most recent book; I walked into Borders yesterday – there was a whole table full of his new book right at the entrance; tries to ooze sincerity – doesn’t even ask for money on his TV show – takes the soft sell approach – the money rolls in – his family = main benefactors – all involved in the ministry; asked the questions about the exclusivity of the gospel – always waffles – asked What about the Muslims?? Speaks out against fanatacism (probably would lump us in that category) – but says nothing about them going to hell .. when pressed he will admit that hell is a real place …but if you ask him who is going to end up there .. he backs away … even talking about some of the Hollywood crash-and-burn cases like Britney Spears – I believe they are basically good people …. Radically wrong view of human nature;
Anyway this is a chapter that the prosperity gospel preachers must love –
We want to love it from a proper understanding of its truth and its rightful application
What are the blessings of the New Covenant which God has promised to His precious elect? How does our heart respond as we meditate upon those precious promises? Here we will look at King David’s response to the covenant blessings God promised him and his house and his nation at this important juncture in Israel’s history.
(Possible that this chapter chronologically should be placed after chapter 10 – after God had given David rest from his enemies. However, when you read Chap. 8:1 it sounds like the author is presenting things in sequence.)
Gordon: In response to David’s modest proposal to build a permanent “house” for the ark of the covenant, Yahweh announces his startlingly generous intention of building a dynastic “house” for David.
I. (:1-3) KINGDOM VICTORIES SHOULD INCREASE OUR ZEAL TO SEE OUR GOD EXALTED – DAVID’S DESIRE TO BUILD GOD A HOUSE
A. (:1) Kingdom Victories Free Us Up to Increase Our Spiritual Service
“Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies”
Victories not an occasion to rest on our laurels or gloat over our successes;
There were still more military campaigns that God had in mind for David.
B. (:2) Zeal for the Lord Should Inspire Ambitious Plans
“that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.’”
Nothing wrong with David’s desire; he does the right thing in submitting his grand plans to the counsel of God’s prophet
God desires obedience to His revealed will over creative attempts to put forward a bold agenda; we are to be about the business of carrying out His plans
C. (:3) Spiritual Leaders Are Constantly Susceptible to the Satanic Trap of Presumption
“And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’”
Just as God has a will for our lives; so does Satan
Plans that sound good to us on the surface may not be God’s will since His ways are not our ways; discipline of waiting upon the Lord is essential
Nathan thought that this was a no-brainer … didn’t bother to seek the Lord’s counsel; still the Lord was gracious to him
II. (:4-17) THE ABUNDANT BLESSINGS PROMISED TO THE DAVIDIC KINGDOM ARE ULTIMATELY FULFILLED IN THE REIGN OF THE MESSIAH — GOD’S DETERMINATION TO BUILD DAVID A HOUSE
A. (:4-7) God Defines Our Role in His Kingdom
1. (:4-5) Swift Word of Correction – David is Not God’s Choice for Building the Temple
“But it came about in the same night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ‘Go and say to My servant David, Thus says the Lord, Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?’”
David trying to tackle a task that was not appropriate for him from God’s Perspective
Kapteyn: God tells us here that He is the one who provides for us, not us for Him. He will determine our relationship with Him not us. He will not be boxed into the temple or building of our choosing.
Roper: Do you see what God is saying to David? “David, I do not want you to build a house for me I will build a house for You see, that is the kind of Lord we have. He is not a harsh, demanding Lord who expects us to build something out of our lives. He is the Lord who wants to give. The Pharisees came to Jesus once and said, “What must we do to work the works of God? How can we pay God back? How can we work the things that God wants us to work?” Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” The only way to work the works of God is to let God work on your behalf, to receive what he has done, to appropriate what he has, to let him pour himself out to you. He wants you to be a tent that he can fill and flood, and in which he can manifest his glory. “David, I will build you a house. I don’t want you to build me a house. Heaven is my throne, the earth my footstool. I’m the one who builds houses around here.” God was speaking, of course, not literally of a house, but of David’s posterity.
How do we react when God says NO to our plans and dreams and initiatives??
2. (:6) Mobile State Appropriate So Far – Tent vs. Temple
“For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.”
3. (:7) Concentrate on God’s Commands – Contentment with no Temple
“Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”
B. (:8-11) Abundant Blessings Focused on Reign of David
1. (:8-9a) Review of Past Blessings – “You’ve come a long way, baby”
a. (:8) Sovereign Selection of David to Reign From Humble Origins
“Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over My people Israel.’”
b. (:9a) Providential Leading and Protection
“And I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you”
2. (:9b-11) Promise of Future Blessings
a. (:9b) Great Name
“and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.”
b. (:10-11a) Secure Place
“I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.”
c. (:11b) Lasting Dynasty
“The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.”
Transition to next section
God has some big plans – way beyond anything that David had envisioned
Eternal in scope; global in scope
C. (:12-17) Abundant Blessings Focused on Reign of Solomon as Type of Ultimate Fulfillment in Reign of the Messiah
1. (:12) Kingdom Succession — Establishing Reign of Solomon = David’s Son
“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom”
Quite different from King Saul whose royal line did not continue.
2. (:13a) Sacred Temple – Solomon will get the privilege denied to David
“He shall build a house for My name”
Roe: God does want this temple built, but he says it will be a place for my Name [II Samuel 7:13], a place where my name will be magnified, a symbolic place which says, “This is where God will meet with man.” So God says it is a temple for my Name not for Me, for all that I stand for, yes, but not for my person. God wants to get them back to the fundamentals, the tent of the meeting, a place where man can meet God. Back in those days God used object lessons for theological infants. So God had an actual place of meeting, but that was not God’s dwelling place. That was where God met man. God was far bigger than that, and so God calls it a place for his Name. God did want a temple built some day, something firm and established so that the people would know they were now in the place where God wanted them to be. God never wanted to give them the idea that the life they were leading, which was a life of constant disturbance and upheaval, constant conflict, within their own families even, was what he promised in the land of rest. Although Canaan is a picture of rest, it is not a picture of heaven. In Canaan, we are told, we are to have constant battle. We are to take the land by force. God has given it to us, but we are to go out there and take it by force using the strength of God. So Canaan cannot be a picture of heaven. But it is a picture of victory here.
3. (:13b) Permanent Dynasty
“and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”
4. (:14-15) Intimate Relationship as a Protected Son
a) Family Commitment
“I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me”
b) Tough Discipline
“when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men”
Kapteyn: God’s promise is unconditional. He will not go against His word. He does not say that He will establish David’s kingdom forever only if certain conditions are met. He simply says that He will do it.
But this does not mean that God will simply allow David’s sons to do what they want with no consequence s to them. He warns that He will punish those who do wrong or evil, that He will chasten or punish them with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.
c) Steadfast Lovingkindness
“but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.”
5) (:16) Messianic Implications
“And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
6) (:17) Nathan’s Role as Faithful Messenger
“In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”
Blaikie: It was an unspeakable privilege to learn, as he did now, that his dynasty would be alike permanent and secure; that, as a rule, his children would not be exposed to the atrocities of Oriental successions; that they would be under the special care and protection of God; that their faults would be corrected without their being destroyed; and that this state of blessing would continue for ages and ages to come.
III. (:18-29) THE HEART OF GOD’S SERVANTS SHOULD OVERFLOW IN HUMILITY, PRAISE, AND A DESIRE TO SEE GOD GLORIFIED
David’s Prayer of Response to God’s Revelation of the Davidic Covenant
A. (:18-21) Responded in Humility
1. (:18) Humility in Light of David’s Family Insignificance
“Then David the king went 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 this far?””
2. (:19) Humility in Light of Man’s Transitoriness vs. God’s Eternality
“And yet this was insignificant in Thine eyes, O Lord God, for Thou hast spoken also of the house of Thy servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God.”
Kapteyn: As much as we thank God for what He has done, the future will even be greater – the hope of heaven – the place of rest from our enemies is indeed a real reason to rejoice. (Rom 8:18)
And what makes this even greater is that God has revealed the future to us. God lets us know what lies ahead. Doesn’t keep it hidden as a Christmas present to be taken out on the day it is to be given. Think of child in car on way to a new experience. He asks “What will it be like when we get there?” Parent says, “You’ll see when we get there. ” God tells us what lies ahead.
Roper: David saw that this was not going to be fulfilled in the immediate future but in the distant future. And he immediately adds, “And this is the law [to translate literally] with reference to the man, the Adam, i.e., the Messiah, Lord Jehovah.” This is translated in the New American Standard Version as: “And this is the custom of man, 0 Lord God”, as if he were addressing himself to God. But the Hebrew simply says, “This is the law with respect to the man, the Lord Jehovah.” Many ancient translators, Luther included, rendered the passage this way, as a direct reference to One who would come to fulfill this prophecy. He would be the man, the second Adam, the last man, Messiah, who would reign forever, who would be the Lord Jehovah. David saw that. Peter says he saw the resurrection of Christ, and therefore David knew that he would endure. Nothing would take his throne away from him. He would never lose his sphere of influence, because One would enter his line who would ensure his eternal continuity. The prophets even state that in the millennial kingdom, when Jesus Christ reigns as Messiah over his people, it is David who reigns, because David, in Christ, still reigns over his people.
3. (:20) Humility in Light of God’s Omniscience
“And again what more can David say to Thee? For Thou knowest Thy servant, O Lord God.”
4. (:21) Humility in Light of the Privilege of God’s Revelation
“For the sake of Thy word, and according to Thine own heart, Thou hast done all this greatness to let Thy servant know.”
ASIDE – Mahaney book on Humility
B. (:22-24) Responded in Praise (cf. the Psalms here for fuller expressions)
1. (:22) Praise God for His Unique Greatness
“For this reason Thou art great, O Lord God; for there is none like Thee, and there is no God besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
2. (:23) Praise God for His Awesome Redemption
“And what one nation on the earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for Thee and awesome things for Thy land, before Thy people whom Thou has redeemed for Thyself from Egypt, from nations and then gods?”
3. (:24) Praise God for His Sovereign Election and Providential Protection
“For Thou hast established for Thyself Thy people Israel as Thine own people forever, and Thou, O Lord, hast become their God.”
C. (:25-27) Responded with a Desire to See God Glorified
1. (:25) God is Glorified as He Faithfully Performs His Word
“Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as Thou hast spoken.”
2. (:26) God is Glorified as His People Walk Worthy of Their High Calling –
The High Calling of the Nation Israel and the High Calling of the House of David
“that Thy name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Thy servant David be established before Thee.”
3. (:27) God is Glorified as His People Take Courage to Rest in His Promises
“For Thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hast made a revelation to Thy servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer to Thee.”
How Bold are we in laying hold of God’s promises?
D. (:28-29) Closing with Confidence in God’s Faithfulness
1. (:28) 3 Reasons for Confidence in God’s Faithfulness
a. The Nature of God Himself
“And now, O Lord God, Thou art God”
b. The Truthfulness of His Word
“and Thy words are truth”
c. The Reliability of God’s Promises
“and Thou hast promised this good thing to Thy servant.”
2. (:29) Nike Invocation – Just Do It! – A Call for God to Perform His Promises
“Now therefore, may it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue forever before Thee. For Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken; and with Thy blessing may the house of Thy servant be blessed forever.”