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II SAMUEL

 

David Requests to Build God A House (1)

II Samuel 7:1-11a

Victor M. Eskew

 

1.     Outline:

 

i.                    NATHAN APPROVES DAVID’S DESIRE TO BUILD TEMPLE (II Sam 7:1-3)

ii.                  GOD ASKS DAVID SEVERAL QUESTIONS (II Sam. 7:4-7)

iii.                GOD APPEALS TO HIS SOVEREIGNTY (II Sam. 7:8-11a)

iv.                GOD AUTHORIZES DAVID’S SON TO BUILD TEMPLE (II Sam. 7:11b-17)

 

2.    Where is David when chapter 7 opens? (II Sam. 7:1)

 

And it came to pass, when the king sat his house…

 

A.    In his house

 

B.      This was the house Hiram of Tyre assisted in building.  It was a house of cedar (II Sam. 5:11).

 

3.    T- F   It was a time of peace in David’s kingdom. (II Sam. 7:1)

 

…and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies.

 

A.    True

 

B.      As to how many years had passed, we are not told.  It had to have been a few years.  He had to overcome his enemies.  Too, his house was built and he was living in it.

 

4.    To whom did the king speak? (II Sam. 7:2)

 

That the king said unto Nathan, the prophet…

 

A.    Nathan, the prophet.

 

B.      This is the first time that we are introduced to Nathan.  He will play a prominent role in David’s kingdom in time to come.

 

5.    How did David contrast his house with the dwelling place of the ark of God? (II Sam. 7:2)

 

…See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

 

A.    A house of cedar versus within curtains

1.        The curtains of the tabernacle were made of linen and animal skins (Exo. 26:1, 14)

 

Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them…And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers skins.

 

B.      Some contrasts:

1.        Strong and sturdy versus fragile and unstable

2.       Beautiful versus not as attractive

3.       Costly versus less costly

4.       Permanent versus temporary

5.       A house for a king versus a house for the King of kings

6.    What was Nathan’s advice to David initially? (II Sam. 7:3)

 

And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.

 

A.    Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.

 

B.      Clarke says that Nathan spoke as a pious and prudent man, but not as prophet.  Keil quotes J.H. Michaelis who says that Nathan sanctioned the king’s resolution “from his own feelings, and not by divine revelation” (e-sword). 

 

7.    What came to Nathan that night? (II Sam. 7:4)

 

And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying.

 

A.    The word of the Lord

 

B.      How did Nathan feel that night when it was revealed to him that the Lord did not approve of David’s desire?

 

8.    What question did God want Nathan to ask David? (II Sam. 7:5)

 

Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?

 

A.    Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?

1.        It was a rhetorical question.  The way the question was posed, the answer was known.  It was a negative answer.  No, David would not build God’s house.

2.       I Chronicles 17:4

 

Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in.

 

B.      LESSONS

1.        Good intentions and sincerity do not equal the will of God.

2.       Feelings about something do not give divine authorization for something to be done.

3.       Just because something appears to be “a good thing” does not mean that it is sanctioned by God.

4.       God should be consulted before man begins any endeavor.

5.       God’s will does not always agree with the will of men.

 

9.    T – F  From the time God brought Israel out of Egypt until this present time, God had not dwelled

in a house. (II Sam. 7:6)

 

Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day.

 

A.    True

 

B.      “It was used from a year after they crossed the Red Sea until King Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, a period of 400 years” (www.learnreligions.com, “Explore the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, Jack Zavada). 

 

10.  What two words did God use to describe where He had been dwelling? (II Sam. 7:6)

 

But have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

 

A.    Tent and tabernacle:  both words indicate a dwelling, a residence

 

B.      Notice the use of the word “walked.”  It seems to indicate the movement of the tabernacle from place to place rather than it resting in a designated location.

 

11.   What question had God never asked of any of the tribes of Israel? (II Sam. 7:7)

 

In all the places wherein I have walked with the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of cedar?

 

A.    Why build ye not me a house of cedar?

 

B.      Moses was from the tribe of Levi.  Joshua as from the tribe of Ephraim.  Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.  David was from the tribe of Judah.  Not one of those tribes, nor any other, was asked by God why they had not built Him a house of Cedar.

 

12.  From where had God taken David? (II Sam. 7:8)

 

Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep…

 

A.    The sheepcote (I Sam. 16:11-12)

 

B.      Definition:  an abode of shepherds, the pasture, the flocks

 

13.  What did he make him? (II Sam. 7:8)

 

…to be ruler over my people, over Israel.

 

A.    To be ruler over Israel

 

B.      “Instead of king the word ruler from nagid, prince or leaderFeed in verse 7 is from lirot which means to tend, to feed, to shepherd, and the participle roeh means shepherd.  The figure is used both to depict one who rules God’s people under his supervision, and to show how far God has elevated David” (Waldron, p. 727). 

 

C.     LESSONS

1.        God can lift people up from very humble circumstances and make them very great in His service.

2.       God often trains us in one area so these skills can be applied to greater areas of service.  (David went from a physical shepherd to a kingly shepherd.  The apostles went from being fishermen to fishers of men).

3.       God was intimately involved in many choices of individuals while He was bringing His plan of redemption to fruition (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, etc.).

 

14.  What three things had God done for David? (II Sam. 7:9)

 

And I was with thee withersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name…

 

A.    He was with David wherever he went

 

B.      He cut off all of David’s enemies

 

C.     He made his name great

 

 

 

15.  T – F  David’s name was as great as other great men in the earth. (II Sam. 7:9)

 

…like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

 

A.    True

 

B.      “This verse did not convey to David just how great his name would become among men, but for David to be named a king among other kings would fulfill the idea that he was no longer an ordinary person.  Nevertheless, in the plan of God, David would indeed occupy a prominent place among men as not only the ancestor of the Messiah (which men such as wicked Ahaz, Manasseh, and Jehoakim would also be) but as the type of the king the Messiah would be, and it was David to whom God promised to establish the Messianic kingdom through his seed” (Waldron, p. 727).

 

C.     Two keys to being exalted by God are:

1.        Humility (I Pet. 5:6)

 

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

 

2.       Righteousness (Ps. 75:10)

 

All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

 

16.  T – F  God was going to appoint a place for His people so they would move no more.  (II Sam. 7:10)

 

Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more…

 

A.    True

 

B.      They had almost all that was needed:

1.        A nation of people

2.       A law

3.       A land

4.       A priesthood

5.       A king

6.       The ark of the covenant

7.       A capital city

 

C.     A temple in the capital city that would house the ark of God was all that was needed to fully establish the nation of Israel.

 

17.  “…neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime” (II Sam. 7:10).

 

A.    Here the Lord has reference to times such the period of the judges and during the reigns of Saul and David.  There are constant battles, wars, and afflictions.

 

18.  T – F  During the time of the judges, God gave rest to His people (II Sam. 7:11).

 

And since the time that I have commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and caused thee to rest from all thine enemies...

 

A.    False. 

 

B.      Notice that this verse is a continuation of the statement made in verse 10.  “…neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people…

1.        The period of the judges was an extremely tumultuous time. 

2.       The children of Israel would rebel against God and an enemy would attack and subdue them.  They would repent.  God would raise up a judge.  Peace would only last as long as the judge ruled.  There was NO lasting peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II SAMUEL

 

David Requests to Build God A House (2)

II Samuel 7:11b-17

Homework

Victor M. Eskew

 

19.  Outline:

 

v.                  II SAMUEL 7:1-3

vi.                II SAMUEL 7:4-7

vii.              II SAMUEL 7:8-11a

viii.            II SAMUEL 7:11b-17

 

20.  T – F  God told David that no house would be built for Him (II Sam. 7:11).

 

21.  Who would be “set up” after David’s death?  (II Sam. 7:12)

 

22.  T – F  God would establish the kingdom of David’s seed.  (II Sam. 7:12)

 

23.  What would David’s seed build” (II Sam. 7:13).

 

24.  “…and I will establish the _________________ of his kingdom forever” (II Sam. 7:13).

 

25.  What relationship would God sustain with David’s seed? (II Sam. 7:14)

 

26.  What would God do to him if he committed iniquity?  (II Sam. 7:14).

 

27.  What would God never take from him? (II Sam. 7:15).

 

28.  What three things did God tell David He would establish forever? (II Sam. 7:16)

 

A.

 

B.

 

C.

 

29.  “According to all these ______________, and according to all this ______________, so did Nathan speak unto David” (II Sam. 7:17).