1 Chronicles 17:1–27
17 Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” 2 17:2And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3 17:3But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 4 17:4“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. 5 17:5For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. 6 17:6In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 7 17:7Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, 8 17:8and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 9 17:9And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, 10 17:10from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. 11 17:11When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 17:12He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 17:13I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 17:14but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’” 15 17:15In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
16 17:16Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 17 17:17And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, 1 O Lord God! 18 17:18And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. 19 17:19For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20 17:20There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 17:21And who is like your people Israel, the one 2 nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 17:22And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God. 23 17:23And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken, 24 17:24and your name will be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 25 17:25For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. 26 17:26And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 27 17:27Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”
Section Outline
- II.B.2. Victory and Temple Preparations (17:1–29:30)
- a. God’s Promises (17:1–27)
Response
The Lord’s words point toward their fulfillment centuries later in Jesus Christ, the “son of David” (Matt. 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; etc.). God “established” who would rule in his kingdom, and he can be trusted to keep his word. Hence at Jesus’ baptism we see divine affirmation of “my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11), who began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). It is above all through Christ’s resurrection and ascension that the NT speaks of him as the royal Son in God’s kingdom; Christ has been vindicated and established in his victorious reign (Acts 2:32–36; 13:33; Rom. 1:1–4; 1 Cor. 15:20–28).
The Chronicler’s way of telling the story to hearers living under Persian rule can encourage Christians today, living in the time between Christ’s resurrection victory and his return. For some then it seemed that God had “renounced the covenant with your servant” (Ps. 89:39), while today some ask, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4). The Chronicler brings to mind the past actions of God, particularly in the exodus and in choosing and enabling David; he affirms God’s promises as “forever,” for the past is clear evidence of his “steadfast love”; and above all he shifts the focus from David to the “kingdom of God.” Even when a Davidic king was not physically present God was still king, exercising his reign. He has not changed his promise—the blessing David experienced can be trusted in the future. We add to his account of God’s actions and words the story of Christ and the giving of the Spirit. Like David, we can come “before the Lord,” for faith that is the “assurance of things hoped for” leads to worshiping the God whose “kingdom . . . cannot be shaken” (Heb. 11:1; 12:28). That faith is sustained as we remember God’s covenantal acts throughout history and hear afresh the promises that stand “forever.”
The actions of David and Nathan model what can happen as we follow God, seeking to please him. David’s plan and Nathan’s initial encouragement are not acts of disobedience or presumption or lack of trust but commendable expressions of desire to honor God in ways recognized in the wider community. Their heart commitment is evident in their responses to God’s different plan, showing no hint of reluctance or disappointment: Nathan tells David exactly what God says, and David humbly describes God’s promise as “honoring” him. Here is an example of God’s guiding those who desire to be led. We might compare Paul’s movements in Acts 16:6–10: he planned to move into areas of significant population on trade routes but was unable, and God called him unexpectedly to move into Europe. Following God does not mean sitting still until we receive a message; we move ahead on the basis of our knowledge of God and past experience of his purposes, but there may be times when God shows us different plans. Here we also see ways in which God uses people in different roles in his ongoing purposes. David would have received much human commendation (and no doubt personal satisfaction) for building a temple, but that was to be Solomon’s role in God’s kingdom. We may compare the different roles of Moses and Joshua in God’s bringing his people out of Egypt into the Promised Land—or of Paul and Apollos in God’s growing of his church (1 Cor. 3:5–9).4 We do well to echo David’s affirmation, simple yet profound in its ramifications: “O Lord, you are God,” and we are “your servant[s]” (1 Chron. 17:26).