2 Samuel 7:1-17

2 Samuel 7:1-17

After all the chaos settled down in Israel, David found himself ruling over a very peaceful nation. The battles against the surrounding nations, such as the Philistines, were over. Saul and his legacy were nothing but memories of the past. The Ark of the Covenant was finally back where it belonged in the capital city of Israel. The land was peaceful, and because of David’s faithfulness, God had allowed him to have this time of peace. But even in the midst of peace, David was not satisfied. Now you may be thinking that by not being satisfied, David desired more material things or more power, but that was not the case. David’s dissatisfaction was not about what he lacked or did not have, it came about because he felt like God was not getting all that He deserved. David was a very selfless man, and he was not as concerned about himself as he was about God. He knew that it had been God who had put him in this position. God had driven out all of his enemies, and he had only been God’s instrument. So in the lap of luxury, David was struggling with the fact that he had so much in his palace and God had so little in the tabernacle.


David was distressed that God’s dwelling was so small and that He did not have a permanent place to dwell. He did not want to live in a more extravagant building than the God that he worshipped. He knew in his heart that God deserved more. So when he confronted Nathan the prophet about his desires to build a nicer dwelling for God, Nathan initially gave him the go ahead to do whatever his heart desired. But that night, God spoke to Nathan asking that David not worry about building Him a nice place to dwell.

God’s place was with the Israelites. It did not matter to Him that there was not a permanent place for Him to dwell. He had traveled with Israel for years, and He was more concerned about providing them with their security in the Promised Land. Now we know that God is a spiritual being, and although He came to the earth in human flesh in Jesus for a time, He does not actually physically dwell among us. Jesus is still fully God and fully man, but He will not be on this earth again until His second coming. So He did not actually need a physical building in which to dwell. However, such a building can be a symbol of worship, giving people a specific place to go where they know that they will encounter their Lord. So why would God have forbidden David of building such a place for the people to go? And why would He later ask David’s son, Solomon, to go ahead with construction when He had told David not to build it?

I think He was using this moment as a teaching moment for David. David had always done so well in depending on God. He rarely did anything without consulting God about the matter first. Now that the nation was in a time of peace and stability, God did not want David to forget his dependence on Him. God did not need David to build a house for Him, but David most certainly needed God, even in those times of peace. Although there was nothing wrong with what David asked of God, God did not want him to become complacent and forget where his need for God. So God did not allow David to build a temple for Him at the time, but He did promise David that one day his son would build it. So like David, we must never forget our need for our God. He is our only source of strength, and when troubles come, we can always turn to Him. Yet even in those times of peace, when everything in life seems to be going great, we must never forget to continue to grow in God, praying to Him, and reading His Word.

Matt