Inspired by 2 Samuel 7:1-17
So, since last week’s reading it looks like we’ve skipped a
lot of material but really, in the grand scheme of things, we’ve only skipped a
few major events. Last week we read about the conception of the prophet Samuel
and he did indeed grow up to become one of the greatest prophets of the Bible.
He anointed their first king, Saul, which went horribly wrong! I mean, Saul was
a real piece of work! In Saul’s defense, it’s pretty clear that Saul was
suffering from some mental health challenges. When it was clear that Saul was
not going to lead God’s people the way they had hoped, Samuel anoints a new
king while Saul was still on the throne mind you! This book is like a season of
Game of Thrones! To add insult to injury, this new king was just a boy. Well,
just a boy who can slay giants but that’s besides the point. Saul eventually commits
suicide and that boy then grew up to become the ruler we now know as King
David. Was David an upgrade from Saul? Absolutely not! He turns out to be just
as bad but thankfully we don’t even have to get into any of that because today’s
passage is from the beginning of David’s reign, before the plethora of bad life
choices ensued.
Here, in these first few chapters of 2 Samuel, we get to
enjoy the young and naïve King David, a king with all the hopes and dreams
ahead of him that he could possibly imagine. And with that in mind, in walks
the prophet Nathan, stage left, into this scene with a message from God like no
other. This is the prophecy of all prophecies and we get the privilege to watch
this scene play out from the audience. So, David begins a conversation with the
prophet Nathan by telling him that he’d like to build a house for God. For a
little background on this idea, you see, their worship life had centered around
the Tabernacle, which was a portable, large but portable, worship space for
God, which included the Ark of the Covenant, remember that big gold chest from Raiders
of the Lost Ark. That chest and that portable worship space were thought of to
be the closest you could get to God on Earth. So, wherever the Tabernacle went,
God went and vice versa—or at least, that’s what they believed.
So, David thinks that it’s high time that God got a temple
of God’s very own. A central and permanent place for God to dwell and watch
over God’s people. After everything God had been through with them, David
figured God deserved this. Which, if you think about it, is kinda arrogant in
and of itself on David’s part but let’s move on. Nathan tells David to do
whatever he wants to, probably thinking that everything else that David has
done has been blessed by God and prospered so why not, build God a house. However,
that night, Nathan gets a visit from the almighty, and God says no. And if you
read between the lines here, it’s almost as if God is doing everything possible
to not be offended by this idea! Again, David is young and naïve and a bit
egotistical, and so, maybe God keeps that in mind and chooses not to flip out
too badly. What God does do is remind David of a couple things. One, God has
never needed a permanent residence before. And two, God has never once asked
for one.
Then God launches into a monologue of all the things that
God has done and will do: “I took you from the pasture; I have been with you
every step of the way; I have eliminated all your enemies; I will make your
name great; I will provide a place for my people; I will plant them; I will
protect them; I will give them rest; I will make a dynasty of you; I will raise
up your children; I will establish their kingdom; I will be their father; I
will discipline them; I will establish this throne forever.” The key word in
all that is forever but we’ll get to that in a minute. Before that however,
did you notice where the focus was in this monologue of God’s? That right, it
was on God. I lost count of how many times God used the pronoun I! This reading
began with David saying what he was going to do and God’s response was, “That’s
cute. But let me briefly remind you of what I have done and what I plan to do.”
David thought he was the builder of this story, and God was there to tell him
that, no, God is the builder, always has been, and always will be. And you’d do
well to remember that, little David.
My family and I are hooked on a few HGTV shows. One of our
favorites is Home Town. It follows a couple who is trying to revitalize their
small Mississippi town one house at a time. They are truly masterful house
restorers. The husband is known for his carpentry work and he always ends up in
some abandoned barn or shed, and when I say abandoned I mean abandoned for like
a hundred years! We’d pass by them and just see trash and a demolition site but
not this guy, he sees treasure each and every time he goes to one of those
abandoned barns, leaves with a truck load of old wood, takes it to his shop,
and makes some of the most beautiful wood pieces you’ve ever seen! It’s truly
astonishing what he is able to see, when most of us would just see trash, or at
most, something that was once beautiful but is no more.
God is in the process of building something bigger,
something grander, than our tiny little minds could ever comprehend. Now don’t
get me wrong, I’m not saying that we should just sit on our hands and let God
do all the building! No, we have a part in this too, we have a responsibility to
put on our own tool belts and be ready for whatever God needs us to do, co-workers
with God, side by side! But if this chapter tells us anything, it's that God
has never stopped building for our future, no matter how hard it may be for us
to recognize. Because you see, when God says forever, God means forever! Don’t
mind the dust and ashes that you may be sitting in! God is still building! You
see, they didn’t know this, but they had faith that God could somehow fulfill
God’s promise of forever. And oh boy did God ever! Because one of David’s
children, many generations after, would become royalty like the world had never
seen, and would use that royal influence to form this world into something a
little more like it was intended to be. And that work, still isn’t finished
yet, that same work continues—because God never stops building. Never. Thanks
be to God. Amen.
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