Let’s go a little further into the Old Testament today to our friend David. We have heard it said that David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet David was not a perfect man. He had a relationship with God but David sinned and he was a man of war. He had gone into battle himself. He sinned with Bathsheba and committed murder. He had her husband killed when Bathsheba was pregnant with David’s child to cover his own iniquity. Yet, when David sinned, he repented and would take steps directed by God to make it as right as he could. David loved God and because of his love for God it bothered David that he lived in a palace and that the Ark of the Covenant lived in a tent. So David decided that he wanted to build a house for God. David had an advisor, a prophet Nathan who he would consult with on such matters. Nathan, the prophet at first said to David, “go ahead, this is a worthy calling, go for it.”
But that night in a dream the Lord spoke to Nathan and he basically said, “I never asked David to build me a house, that’s not his job to do.” The Lord reminded Nathan to remind David where he had brought him from and how he had established his throne for David to rule the people. The Lord tells David I didn’t ask this of you but this is what I will do for you.
“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. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 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, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-16
God was promising David that his very son would not only be the one to build God a house, but that his kingdom would be established through his family. How many of us want to see our children do bigger and better things than we have done. Our desire as we raise our children is that they would grow up to be successful. God made a promise to David that that is what would happen through his son. And it did, Solomon was the successor to David on the throne and Solomon was the one who built the temple.
But God also carried the promise even further. David knew that God had removed his spirit from Saul because of his sins. But God promises David, when your son sins, I will discipline him but I won’t remove my love from him. Again, when our children do wrong growing up they must be disciplined but we don’t remove our love from them. This is the promise that God made to David.
Further, God promised David that there would be a successor from his lineage on the throne forever. And yes, that promise was fulfilled through Jesus! Jesus comes from the direct lineage of David! And we know that his kingdom is established forever. We know that we all benefit from this promise!
Restore 