#449 Who Am I?

Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges[a] of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 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 prince[b] over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.[c] Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David's Prayer of Gratitude

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them[d] great and awesome things by driving out before your people,[e] whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” 2 Samuel 7 ESV

Nathan offers David affirmation of his desire to do something for the Lord, and it is in earnest for the Lord has been with him, but also we should desire to glorify God always. He thinks, look at my house, it is beautiful and well crafted, yet the God of Israel inhabits a tent. Nathan gives him wisdom, yet God comes to see Nathan later and he must go back now and tell David that the Lord is not willing that you make him a house. 

God is not upset with this idea, I think rather that He is pleased with David, for He has not asked for a house, not of all the judges, and God has known His own plan from before time. He has moved with His people to every place, and His house is really not a house made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. David wishes to build a house to that Name, the Name that is above all names, HOLY. It is to honor the God that has bestowed honor upon him, and he even says, "who am I?" Why did you bring me this far? The law, the tabernacle, the temple all point to Christ. The Church is the body of Christ and while we do often meet in sanctuaries, the body of Christ lives on past these. If every building becomes no longer a refuge, if it is torn down, if ungodly men take the pulpit, then the church, that is the body of Christ, dwells on the move again. You, who have been born again, are the temple of the Holy Ghost. It is a wonderful thing here, that Nathan gives his advice, but waste no time in correcting it, when he is corrected. I value the words of those who have gone before me, who have experience that I myself do not have, but the words of God are so much higher. To hear well done from men is the cheapest of currency, but to hear well done from God there is no comparison, no words. 

God has here promised David long life, to see his offspring, for his son to take the throne, that his line, that seed we heard of from Eden's story, will reign forever. David's heir from his own body will build the temple, and Solomon's genius will be perfect for this task as David has been a great shepherd to God's people. David will be their defender, not a warmonger, but he who is called to establish peace and bring justice to God's enemies. Oh, and yet it is not a free pass, a writ of assumption, God has left Saul in his pride, removed him in his arrogance, but He will chasten David and his sons. Ask yourself this, don't say you know God loves you just because, ask yourself, does He chasten me? Have I been found bankrupt of spirit, brokenhearted over my sin, starving and thirsting after a righteousness that is not inside of me? When your pastor gets up to speak does it prick at your insides? After Nathan spoke to David, told him what the Lord had said, it led David to prayer. Again, "who am I, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far?" It's not my will, it was not even in my thoughts out in the pasture, and I was the last of my father's sons, the least. You chose out a people to Yourself, You brought them out of Egypt, You brought them all this way, demonstrated your power, your righteousness. I will glorify You above all, for there is none like YOU. Please establish my family, let it be Your family forever, praise be to the God of Israel. Unless You build the house, those that labor, labor in vane.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[d] in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. Matthew 16: 13-20 ESV