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| 1 And it came to pass when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his enemies, |
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| 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of God dwells under curtains. |
The ark of God – A symbol of the divine presence. R2010:5
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| 3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee. |
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| 4 And it came to pass that night that the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying, |
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| 5 Go and say to my servant, to David, Thus saith Jehovah: Wilt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? |
Shalt thou build – No justification for elegant church buildings and furnishments. R2010:5
For me to dwell in – We are not to conclude that, because our plans are reverential and designed for the glory of God, therefore they must have the divine approval. R3258:6 2 Samuel 7:6
In a tabernacle – The Lord prefers that his representation in the world in the present time shall be extremely simple and unostentatious. R3259:2
2 Samuel 7:8 Unto my servant – To David and will e substance is in Christ. R1364:2
From the sheepcote – The low estate we occupied on the animal plane. R3259:4
Ruler over my people – The Lord has advanced the Church step by step until now we are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. R3259:4
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| 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but I went about in a tent and in a tabernacle. |
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| 7 In all my going about with all the children of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye me not a house of cedars? |
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| 8 And now, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I took thee from the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel; |
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| 9 and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are on the earth. |
All thine enemies – David, as the man of war, represents the saints of God in their present militant condition, warring with the world, the flesh and the devil. R3259:2
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| 10 And I will appoint a place for my people, for Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be disturbed no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly, |
And move no more – A prophecy of the Millennial age. R3259:4
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| 11 and since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I have given thee rest from all thine enemies; and Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. |
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| 12 When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. |
Thy days – The reign of David prefigured the preparatory work of this Gospel age. R2010:4
Thy seed after thee – Partially to Solomon, ultimately to Christ. R2010:4, R2372:6
A prophecy of the Lord's first advent. R1673:6
Establish his kingdom – The reign of Solomon represented the glorious reign of Christ. R3259:3,6, R2010:4
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| 13 It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. |
An house – The construction of Solomon's Temple typified the resurrection of the Church. R3259:3
A symbol of future spiritual Israel. R2010:5
I will stablish – The final confirmation of the Abrahamic covenant. R2372:6, R3114:6
His kingdom for ever – The Period from Zedekiah's reign to that of Christ being merely an interregnum, a suspension of David's kingdom. R3259:5; PD47/59
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| 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men; |
I will chasten him – May be properly applied to the spirit-begotten sons of God. "What son is he whom the father chasteneth not." (Heb. 12:7) R3259:6
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| 15 but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before thee. |
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| 16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made firm for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. |
Established for ever – See comment on 2 Sam. 7:13.
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| 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David. |
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| 18 And king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? |
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| 19 And yet this hath been a small thing in thy sight, Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, Lord Jehovah? |
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| 20 And what can David say more to thee? for thou, Lord Jehovah, knowest thy servant. |
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| 21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, to make thy servant know it2. |
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| 22 Wherefore thou art great, Jehovah Elohim; for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. |
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| 23 And who is like thy people, like Israel, the one nation in the earth that God went to redeem to be a people to himself, and to make himself a name, and to do for them great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thyself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? |
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| 24 And thou hast established to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, art become their God. |
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| 25 And now, Jehovah Elohim, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, fulfil it for ever, and do as thou hast said. |
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| 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. |
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| 27 For thou, Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. |
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| 28 And now, Lord Jehovah, thou art that God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant; |
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| 29 and now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou, Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it; and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. |
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