2 Samuel chapter 7.
We're going to read right through the chapter.
After the king was settled
in his palace and the Lord
had given him rest from all his enemies
around him, he said to Nathan
the prophet, here I am
living in a palace of cedar
while the ark of God
remains in a tent.
Nathan replied to the king,
whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it
for the Lord is with you.
That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan
saying, go and tell
my servant David, this is what the Lord
says, are you the one
to build me a house to dwell in?
I have not dwelt in a house
from the day I brought the Israelites
up out of Egypt to this day.
I have been moving from place to place
with a tent as my dwelling.
Wherever I have moved with all
the Israelites, did I ever say
to any of their rulers whom I
commanded to shepherd my people,
Israel, why have you not built
me a house of cedar?
Now then, tell my servant
David, this is what the Lord
almighty says.
I took you from the pasture
and from following the flock
to be ruler over my people,
Israel.
I have been with you wherever
you have gone and I have cut off
all your enemies from before you.
Now I will make your name
great, like the names
of the greatest men on earth.
And I will provide a place
for my people, Israel,
and will plant them so that
they can have a home of their own
and no longer be disturbed.
Wicked people shall not
oppress them anymore
as they did at the beginning
and have done
ever since the time I appointed
leaders over my people, Israel.
I will also give you
rest from all your enemies.
The Lord declares to you
that the Lord himself
will establish a house for you
when your days are over
and you rest with your fathers.
I will raise up your offspring
to succeed you
who will come from your own body
and I will establish
his kingdom.
He is the one
who will build a house
for my name
and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom
forever.
I will be his father
and he shall be my son.
When it is wrong,
I will punish him
with the rod of men,
with floggings
inflicted by men.
But my love
will never be taken away
from him
as I took it away
from Saul
whom I removed
from before you.
Your house
and your kingdom
shall endure
forever before me.
Your throne
shall be established
forever.
Nathan reported to David
all the words
of this entire revelation.
Then King David
went in
and sat before the Lord
and he said,
Who am I,
O sovereign Lord,
and what is my family
that you have brought
me this far?
And as if this were
not enough
in your sight,
O sovereign Lord,
you have also spoken
about the future
of the house
of your servant.
Is this your usual way
of dealing with man,
O sovereign Lord?
What more can David
say to you?
For you know your servant,
O sovereign Lord.
For the sake of your word
and according to your will,
you have done this great thing
and made it known
to your servant.
How great you are,
O sovereign Lord,
there is no one like you
and there is no God
but you,
as we have heard
with our own ears.
And who is like
your people Israel,
the one nation
and earth that God
went out to redeem
as a people for himself
and to make a name
for himself
and to perform
great and awesome wonders
by driving out nations
and their gods
from before your people
whom you redeemed
from Egypt.
You have established
your people Israel
as your very own forever
and you, O Lord,
have become their God.
And now, Lord God,
keep forever the promise
you have made
concerning your servant
and his house.
Do as you promised
so that your name
will be great forever.
Then men will say,
The Lord Almighty
is God over Israel
and the house
of your servant David
will be established
before you.
The Lord Almighty,
God of Israel,
you have revealed this
to your servant
saying,
I will build a house
for you.
So your servant
has found courage
to offer you this prayer.
O sovereign Lord,
you are God.
Your words are trustworthy
and you have promised
these good things
to your servant.
Now be pleased
to bless the house
of your servant
that it may continue
forever in your sight
for you, O sovereign Lord,
have spoken
and with your blessing
the house of your servant
will be blessed forever.
Amen.
And may God add
his blessing
to the reading
of his word.
Here we come to David
and a covenant
that focuses on the king
and his kingdom.
We understand a little
of the importance
of a king
within a kingdom.
Angus McFadgen,
a Scottish actor
and director,
is about to release
a new film
telling something
of the story
of the king
Robert the Bruce.
So 13th century
Scottish king.
It's really interesting.
I read an interview
with him.
He said he wanted
the film to premiere
in Edinburgh
because he believes
that when people
watch the film
Robert the Bruce,
it will shape
national thinking
on issues such as
Brexit and feelings
about Scottish independence.
We might well debate
the influence
that a 700-year-old
Scottish king
might have
on our thinking,
but it's certainly true
that kings
have an important place
to play
in the life
of a nation.
And if it's true
that Robert the Bruce
might influence
our hopes
and expectations
perhaps for independence,
how much more
will King David
and his family
influence
national identity
and the hopes
of Israel
when we think
about the promises
that we just
read about here?
So this is God
continuing
this theme
of establishing
this covenant
with his people.
We've noticed
the progression
if we go back
to the beginning,
perhaps we think
about Abraham.
God established
promise of blessing
and land
and a great name,
blessing to the nations
of the world
through one family.
Then we got
to Moses
and those blessings,
life under the rule
of God
was now extended
to a nation.
Well here,
now we see
that further development
where hopes
are attached
to the king
and the kingdom.
And that's something
we see really clearly
as we continue
reading our Bibles,
the story of Israel
becomes the story
of Israel's king.
The rise and the fall
of the nation
effectively follows
the rise and fall
of kings
and their rise and fall
is always in relation
to obedience
or disobedience
to God.
And as you get
to the point
where their wickedness
becomes so bad
that they're removed
from the land,
so we get to the exile,
then you read
the prophets,
you'll discover
that their hope
for restoration
is very much tied up
with God sending
his king.
And so we're going
to see how
2 Samuel 7
connects us to that.
And then you think
about the time
of Jesus
and what do we discover
as we read the gospels?
We find that there,
again,
are a people
who are waiting
and who are longing
for this promised king
to come.
They are hoping
for a deliverer.
They're hoping
that God will have
mercy on them
and bring them freedom
and so they're looking
for their king.
And one of the sadnesses
of the gospels
is that the people
that were so looking
for God's king
failed to see Jesus
as God's promised
Messiah king.
He is,
as we saw this morning,
rejected by many.
So our aim this evening
is to look at the covenant
with David,
see the specific,
unique sort of elements
of that
and to see how it points us
ultimately to Jesus.
But the first theme
that I want us to think about
is one that we've seen
in all of the covenants
and it's this,
what O.P. Robertson
calls the Emmanuel principle.
One of the names of Jesus
is Emmanuel,
God with us.
And as we look
at God's words to David,
we see clearly
both that God
is with
and has been with
Israel
and also that he
has been
and will be with
David,
the king.
So first of all,
what does he say
about being with Israel?
Look again at verse 6 and 7.
He says there,
I've not dwelt in a house
from the day I brought
the Israelites up
out of Egypt
to this day.
I have been moving
from place to place
with a tent
as my dwelling
wherever I have moved
with all the Israelites.
So here is a God
who is near
to his people
and that's demonstrated
in the fact
that God condescends
to live in a tent.
He says,
I have always
traveled
with my traveling people.
That's made clear
when you look
at how the people
of Israel
were to camp.
God's tent
was right in the middle
and then the 12 tribes
camped all around.
But God was with
his people
as they
wandered.
And that's a great
act of humility
on God's part.
We were camping
this weekend.
If you've ever been
camping,
you'll know
it's not
the most grand
of surroundings.
It's a fun thing
to do.
But you wouldn't say
camping is something
that's fit for a king.
And when we think
about our God
who lives
in the glory
of heaven,
it's a great
act of humility
that he would
choose to identify
with his people
by dwelling
with them
in this tent.
So God
has been with Israel
but God has also,
he makes clear,
been with David
from the beginning.
Look at verse 8
and 9
in particular.
This is what
the Lord Almighty
says,
I took you
from the pasture
and from following
the flock
to be ruler
over my people Israel.
So when he was just
that young shepherd boy
forgotten by his father,
God was with him.
It led him
on that journey
till he eventually
became ruler.
I have been with you
wherever you have gone
and I've cut off
all your enemies
from before you.
So as king,
God has been
with him.
And we see this
in the story
of 2 Samuel.
2 Samuel chapter 2,
by this point
Saul has died.
David is established
as king over Judah.
Then we get to chapter 5
and then he's established
king over the whole
nation of Israel.
In chapter 5
we also see him
conquering Jerusalem,
making that
the central place
for both rule
and worship.
We see him
conquering the Philistines
with God's help.
Then in chapter 6,
an important moment,
God's ark,
God's throne as it were,
is brought to Jerusalem.
So David the king
rules and the ark
is also brought
to Jerusalem
until we get
to the start
of chapter 7
and we see
that the Lord
has established
peace and rest
in the kingdom.
So all of these
moments,
God is saying,
I have been
with you
and he will
continue to be
with David.
Verse 9,
I will make
your name great
like the names
of the greatest
men of the earth.
Remember that promise
to Abraham?
Here it is now
being extended
to David.
And I will provide
a place for my people
and will plant them
so they have a home
of their own.
There's the promise
made to Abraham
and to Moses,
to Israel,
that he would
give them
the promised land
being reestablished
here.
So all of these
ways God is showing
that he is with
his people,
he is with
his king
for his own purpose.
God's purpose
is that his kingdom
will come.
God's purpose
is that
through
David's family,
through the nation
of Israel,
light will come
to the world.
And so here is
this great covenant
promise being made
to David,
it's still a relatively
new king,
and being made
to the nation
once again
to say,
I am with you.
And of course
we see how that
connects to Jesus,
the one who is called
Emmanuel,
the God who is
with us.
And it's important
for us as God's people
to see how this promise
connects to us today.
Remember Jesus said,
I am with you
always
to the very end
of the age.
God is always
with his people.
He's with us
in his son Jesus.
He's with us
by his spirit
who comes to take up
residence in the hearts
of those who trust
in Jesus.
God is with us
in his word,
the Bible.
Whenever we read
the Bible,
we are encountering
the living God.
He is with us
in the sacraments.
When we share
the Lord's Supper,
Jesus is the host
of his supper,
saying to us,
I am here
with you
in order to give you
strength
for your journey
of faith.
Now to say
that God is
with us
is an unbreakable
promise,
but it does not
equal,
God is with us
equals life
will always
go well
for us.
And we understand
that from the story
of David.
David was promised
that he would be
God's chosen king,
the king after
God's own heart,
but yet he experienced
opposition.
Saul wanted him killed.
He had to spend
a lot of time
running for his life.
He experienced
opposition,
rejection from
among his own
countrymen
at different times.
We read the Psalms,
we discover
his story,
we discover
his laments,
we discover
his struggles,
but we also
discover he is a
man who knows
and has built
his life on
this reality.
God is a rock,
God is a refuge,
God is with me
and working his
purposes out.
And just as it
was with David,
so it is for us
as a church now,
God is with us.
Jesus is described
in the Bible
as the bridegroom
of his church.
And Jesus,
the bridegroom,
has made promises
to his church.
In a couple of weeks,
Cailin is a bridegroom,
will stand here
and make promises
to Sarah,
promising to be with
and for her,
for better,
for worse,
for richer,
for poorer,
in sickness and in health.
God does that
in Jesus
for us,
his church.
And nothing will ever
separate us
from that love,
not even death
itself.
And the Lord's Supper
reminds us
of God's commitment
to us,
to be with us
and to be for us.
And so one of the reasons
we gather around
the Lord's table
is that we might
find strength
to be encouraged
to remember
the Lord
who is with us.
So that theme,
the Emmanuel principle,
comes through
in this covenant
as it has done
with all the others.
But there's
unique features here.
A second theme
that comes out strongly
is that of
house building.
So at the beginning
of the chapter,
we were told
here is a nation
at peace.
God has been kind
to Israel,
been kind to David,
given rest
from their enemies.
David lives
in a very grand palace
and he has a wish,
he has a desire,
he wants to build
God
a temple.
So he reports
to Nathan
that plan.
But then the Lord
speaks to Nathan
in verse 5.
This is what the Lord
says,
Are you, David,
the one to build me
a house
to dwell in?
The initiative
doesn't come
from David.
A man
is not the one
who's going to determine
where and how
God will live.
But then God
uses this idea
of house building
and with a really
nice play on words
establishes
covenant commitment
to David
and his family.
Saying to David,
Well, you want
to build me
a physical house?
You want
to build me
a temple?
I, the Lord God,
am going to build
you, David,
a house.
Not a physical
location,
but a family
dynasty.
Look at verse
11,
second part
of verse 11.
The Lord declares
to you
that the Lord
himself
will establish
a house
for you.
And there,
when we read
house,
we think
royal dynasty.
You know,
think of our queen.
Our queen comes
from the house
of Windsor.
That's been
the royal dynasty
since 1917.
So there's this
rich covenant
promise
that God
is going
to take
the initiative
in order
to establish
David
and his
family
on the
throne
forever.
So verse 12,
when your days
are over
and you rest
with your
fathers,
I will raise
up your
offspring
to succeed
you
and I will
establish
his kingdom.
As Solomon,
Solomon would
sit on the
throne
and God
would establish
David's
kingdom
through
Solomon.
Verse 13,
he is the
one who will
build a house
for my name.
So Solomon
will build
the temple,
will build
God's house
according to
God's timing,
God's plan,
but God
will establish
the throne
of his
kingdom
forever.
So this is
one of those
points in
the Bible
where we see
that God
is speaking
about Solomon
but not just
about Solomon
because as we
know Solomon
is not still
reigning
forever.
This is
speaking about
a son
still to come.
This isn't
talking about
any of Israel's
kings that we
read about
in the Old
Testament.
You think
about verse
16,
your house
and your
kingdom
shall endure
forever
before me,
your throne
shall be
established
forever.
Now David's
dynasty lasted
for 400
years but
eventually
exile came,
that came
to an end.
This isn't
speaking of
an Old
Testament
reality,
only with
the coming
of Jesus
is this
rule
established,
only with
Jesus is
this king
who lasts
and reigns
forever.
Now but
what God
is doing
here,
he is
connecting
these two
house building
projects in
David's
future son.
There is
one who
will build
the temple,
one who
will reign
for God
and Solomon
is the
beginning of
that promise
being kept
but he's
just,
to use the
image of
Hebrews,
he's just
the shadow,
he's not
the reality.
Solomon's
temple,
Solomon's
rule both
came and
fell,
great though
they were
but not
Jesus.
Jesus'
reign is
eternal.
Jesus is
God's true
temple,
Jesus is
the meeting
place with
God.
If we want
to know
God,
if we want
to worship
God,
we need
to do
that through
Jesus,
his son
and Jesus
is also
this true
king who
comes in
the line
of David
the one
whose rule
is eternal.
When we
think about
how to
apply this
for ourselves,
perhaps one
way that we
can think
about this
is to pray
that God
would build
our houses
and our
families,
not that we
would be
great kings
and mighty
in human
terms,
but that we
would become
houses and
families marked
by faith.
I remember
years ago
reading of
Jonathan Edwards,
the Puritan
preacher who
every day
prayed for
six generations
into the
future for
his family,
that they
would be
men and
women of
faith who
would follow
God, who
would love
Jesus.
Great prayer
to pray that
God would
build our
families on
faith and
to work for
that, that if
we are parents,
that we
would be
reading the
Bible with
our children,
that we'd
be praying
with and
for them,
we'd be
teaching them
songs full
of God's
truth, that
as a church
we'd be
praying for
our covenant
children,
praying that
each one of
them would
come to
faith, that
God would
build houses
and families
marked by
true faith
in the
Lord Jesus.
And also
as we
recognize that
God is
building the
kingdom of
Jesus and
it's going
to be
global, we
can pray
that we
would be
part of
that.
As Ian
was praying
in his
prayer, there
are many
ways in
which we
can be
part of
that.
We can
pray for
the
missionaries
that we
know around
the world.
We can
pray for
church
plants around
Scotland.
But we
can also
be speaking
to our
family, to
our neighbors
about Jesus
in the way
that we
live in
our workplace,
in our
universities,
our schools,
that we
would want
to love
like Jesus,
that we'd
welcome
people the
way Jesus
did, to
pray that
God's
kingdom would
come, that
others would
come to
submit to
the good and
loving rule
of King
Jesus.
He's building
his kingdom
and we
have the
privilege as
the people of
God to
play our
part in
that.
God's
kingdom.
The third
theme that
we can
think about
that's
unique in
this covenant
is the
idea of
the long
life of
the king.
Long
live the
king.
when I
was younger,
I used
to enjoy
watching
things like
the Olympics
or major
sporting
events.
It was
always one
of those
interesting
things to
compare and
contrast the
different
national
anthems.
I don't
know if
people have
favorite
anthems.
I quite
like the
rousing,
the French
one is
probably up
there.
There's
an amazing
variety when
you listen
to national
anthems.
I don't
know what
you think
of our
British
anthem.
It's
short and
it's to
the point.
But thinking
about this
theme,
thinking about
covenant,
thinking about
king and
kingdom,
our national
anthem speaks
to some of
that.
So we
sing long
live our
noble queen
or king.
We sing
God save
our queen
or king.
We think
about victory
and glory
and long
reign.
And you
know all
of those
things Israel
would recognize
and pray for
their king
because they
understood in
a much
greater way
than it was
even for
Britain under
the empire
as it went
for the
king of
Israel so
it would go
for the
people of
Israel.
And one
of the
things that's
significant for
Israel,
ultimately
becomes
significant
for us
is that
when David
established
his rule
in Jerusalem
so God
too had
his rule
established
in Jerusalem
with the
coming of
the ark.
There was
this coming
together
of God's
rule
and the
king's
rule.
And there
is this
understanding
here within
the covenant
that David's
son would
also be
God's
son,
ruling
for God
eternally.
See verse
14.
I will
be his
father
and he
shall be
my son.
And so the
great hope
of the
covenant with
David is
the promise
of a king
who is
God's son
who will
reign for
God
forever.
ever.
And that's
something that
goes beyond
any of
even the
great kings
of the
Old Testament.
And when we
think about
the promise
here we can
understand why
Israel placed
so much hope
on a restored
king which
we see at
the time
of Jesus.
In the
story of
Israel's
kings we
recognize
that this
enduring
rule
was never
fulfilled
because there
was never
complete
obedience.
Notice
within this
covenant
too there
is the
importance
of
obedience.
In verse
14
I will
be his
father and
he shall
be my
son.
When he
does wrong
I will
punish him
with the
rod of
men
with
floggings
inflicted
by
men.
So in
every covenant
there is
always this
obligation
for obedience
and the
kings were
no different.
God is
saying kings
could and
would be
disciplined.
They were
not free
to ignore
God and
when you
read the
story of
the kings
of Israel
and Judah
what you
see is
that pattern
of if
the kings
were disobedient
to God
then under
the covenant
the nation
would suffer.
But then
when there
was good
kings the
nation would
prosper under
God because
of his
covenant
commitment.
For Israel
ultimately
David's
dynasty
was
ended.
You get
to the
bad kings
you get
to the
end of
kingship
and you
understand
the people
are left
longing
for a
better king
for a
greater king
one who
would rule
for God.
But even
as
David's
family
would be
disobedient
and would
fail
there is
a promise
that David's
family line
would not
be abandoned.
See verse 15
but my love
will never be
taken away
from him
as I took
it away
from Saul.
So there
is a promise
of enduring
covenant
faithfulness
despite the
faithlessness
of
well we can
begin with
Solomon.
So for
example in
1 Kings
chapter 11
verses 11
to 13
the Lord
is angry
with Solomon
because his
heart is
turned away
from the
Lord and
he's following
other gods
and the
Lord said
to Solomon
since this
is your
attitude
and you
have not
kept my
covenant
which I
commanded
you I
will most
certainly
tear the
kingdom away
from you
and give
it to one
of your
subordinates.
So he's
been judged
for covenant
unfaithfulness
and disobedience
nevertheless
for the
sake of
David your
father I
will not
do it
during your
lifetime I
will tear it
out of the
hand of your
son yet I
will not tear
the whole
kingdom from
him but
will give him
one tribe
for the sake
of David my
servant and
for the sake
of Jerusalem
which I have
chosen.
The kings
are unfaithful
yet God
remains faithful
to his
covenant
promise.
As you look
through the
Old Testament
Israel's kings
even the best
of them fail
but the
promise of
God remains
and that's
why after
the exile
the hopes
of the
prophets
was very
much focused
on this
true king
who would
come this
Messiah king
perhaps the
most obvious
place that
we can think
about that
is in Isaiah
9 words
very familiar
because it's
so important
to the story
of Christmas
chapter 9
verse 6
for to us
a child
is born
to us
a son
is given
and the
government
will be
on his
shoulders
and he
will be
called
wonderful
counselor
mighty
God
everlasting
father
prince
of peace
of the
increase
of his
government
and peace
there will
be no
end
he will
reign
on David's
throne
and over
his kingdom
establishing
and upholding
it with
justice
and righteousness
from that
time on
and forever
Isaiah
and the
prophets
were looking
for no
ordinary
king
they were
looking
for God's
Messiah
king
and he
came
as Jesus
Jesus
is David's
greater son
the Bible
says
Jesus
is God's
promise
kept
in the
sending
of his
son
as the
eternal
king
Jesus
is the
only
king
who has
ever
perfectly
kept
all those
covenant
obligations
to rule
for God
concerned
for the
glory
of God
his
father
and then
Jesus
for his
people
dies
to redeem
and rescue
us
though we
deserve
covenant
curses
Jesus
our
king
he
takes
the
covenant
curse
for us
so that
we might
enjoy
covenant
blessing
and then
he rises
and ascends
to rule
in the
glory of
heaven
where he
now sits
at the
father's
right hand
and he
will return
one day
to establish
God's
perfect
rule and
reign
in the
new
heavens
and the
new
earth
until that
time
we are
called
to trust
and we
are called
to obey
but then
as God's
people
we will
live in
God's
place
under
God's
good rule
knowing
his
blessing
and joy
forever
with
Jesus
as our
true
and our
great
king
now how
does this
connect
to the
Lord's
Supper
in a few
moments
God's
people will
share
the
Lord's
Supper
what are
we doing
and saying
together
at the
Lord's
table
well at
one level
we are
confessing
Jesus
you are
my
king
we are
confessing
our
trust
in
Jesus
we are
remembering
with
gratitude
with
thankfulness
that Jesus
has defeated
our great
enemies of
Satan and
sin and
death for
us at
the
cross
we are
remembering
with
thankfulness
that he's
brought us
into
his
kingdom
that he
has
established
the new
covenant
in his
body
and his
blood
so that
we might
be part
of
God's
kingdom
so the
Lord's
Supper
is for
everyone
who confesses
Jesus as
Lord and
king
but we're
also confessing
Jesus you're
the king
that I
need
as we
come to
the Lord's
table
we don't
come
with
strength
but rather
we acknowledge
that battle
that's going
on in our
hearts
the war
that goes
on where
we know
the good
things that
we want
to do
but we
struggle to
do them
because there
is that
sin that
is present
within us
we confess
our own
weakness
the fact that
we cannot
save ourselves
that by
ourselves
we don't
have the
resources to
keep going
in this
journey of
faith and
so we
come to
our king
to provide
for us
we confess
with humility
that our
faith rests
absolutely
ultimately on
Jesus'
work
Jesus'
cross work
and not
ours
and we
come because
king Jesus
invites us
to this
faith
he invites
us to
his
table
to come
he meets
with us
in order
to give
us strength
to feed
us
by faith
and he
continues
to meet
with us
until
that day
when we
meet with
him
when we
enjoy that
feast
at the
wedding
feast
of the
lamb
in glory
it reminds
us of what
Jesus has
done for
us
it reminds
us of
the promise
that's laid
up for
us
let it
all
fulfill
because
Jesus
comes
as a
king
to
establish
his
kingdom
common
to
come