THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

The Books Of Samuel: God's Shift Of Israel From Apostasy Under The Judges To David's Reign

II. 2 Samuel: The Reign Of David Over Israel

I. Accepting God's Personal Calling For Us

(2 Samuel 7:18-29)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

The Bible at Ephesians 1:11 ESV claims that God "works all things according to the counsel of his will," but sometimes His will directs us in ways we would neither plan nor even want to go:

(1) Take for example the March 31, 2017 NCAA Final Four semifinal game between the UCONN women's basketball team and Mississippi State: UCONN was supposed to win. Roger Cleaveland's Republican-American story, "Have Bulldogs recovered from 'last year's debacle'?" (March 31, 2017, p. 10B) claimed, "The elephant in the room -- or in the American Airlines Center, where the national semifinals will be held tonight -- is how Mississippi State can possibly improve by 60 points since losing to the Huskies, 98-38, in last season's Sweet 16."

Another story by the same author ("Geno chosen Coach of Year," Ibid., p. 7B) told how UCONN coach Geno Auriemma, "after losing the three best players in college basketball to the WNBA draft . . . led an inexperienced team with little height and questionable depth to an undefeated record (36-0) and the program's 10th consecutive appearance to the Final Four," earning him "his ninth AP Coach of the Year honor." With such a team and coach, surely UCONN was set to move on past Mississippi State and play for the national championship!

But alas, God had not ordained it! Mississippi State defeated UCONN in overtime.

(2) We have all faced similar surprises or disappointments regarding God's will for our lives, and maybe God has never opened the door for us to reach the goals we have always wanted to attain. What then?

Need: So, we ask, "If God's revealed will for us differs from what we have always wanted, what should we do?!"

I. When king David initially asked God's prophet Nathan if he should build a temple for the ark of the Lord, Nathan encouraged him to do what was in his heart because God was with him, 2 Samuel 7:1-3.

II. However, later that night God directed Nathan to tell David that his SON, NOT DAVID, who would sit on Israel's throne after him, would build the temple of the Lord, 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-13.

III. God's REASON for not letting David build the temple is explained in 1 Chronicles 22:7-10, but that REASON from MAN'S perspective might seem UNFAIR:

A. David reported in 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 that God told him that since he had shed much blood in war, God did not want him to build the temple, but that his son who would be a man of peace would thus qualify to build it.

B. Yet, from man's viewpoint, this reason might seem unfair, for God Himself had directed David to fight in war:

1. God had sanctioned and directed both of David's big battles with the Philistines, 2 Samuel 5:19, 22-25.

2. In David's second battle with the Philistines, God had even told him that the Lord Himself would go ahead of David to smite the Philistine host, enabling David to defeat the Philistine army, 2 Samuel 5:24b.

3. God also caused David to be victorious in other battles according to 1 Samuel 17:32-52; 18:13-14, 27.

4. Also, 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 records the Lord as saying He would give David's son after him rest from his foes so he would not have to fight, qualifying him to build the temple. This statement shows that had God willed, He could have given David such rest from his foes so he could have qualified to build the temple.

IV. Nevertheless, in response to God's word that his son, NOT DAVID, would build the temple, David ACCEPTED God's will, he rejoiced in His blessings and he yielded to God's will for him, 2 Sam. 7:18-29:

A. Even David's physical response to the prophet Nathan's message from the Lord was that of a humble servant: he went into the Lord's presence, bowed down on his knees and rested his torso back on his heels in the position of prayer, 2 Samuel 7:18a; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, footnote to 2 Samuel 7:18.

B. David then prayed to God the words recorded in 2 Samuel 7:18b-29, expressing thanksgiving and praise to his Sovereign Lord for God's blessings to him with no complaint about God's not letting him build the temple:

1. David expressed humility before the Lord in accepting God's message to him, 2 Samuel 7:18b-22:

a. He marveled that God had blessed him and his lowly family by making him Israel's king, 2 Sam. 7:18b.

b. David added that if this past blessing were not enough, God had added the greater blessing of promising him an everlasting lineage, marveling that God would treat any man with such blessing, 2 Sam. 7:19, 29.

c. Telling of his loss of words to express his appreciation for these blessings, David praised God for His greatness and uniqueness, stating that there was no one like Him, 2 Samuel 7:20-22.

2. David added his praise to the Lord for His great deliverance of the nation Israel from Egypt and for His granting her the Promised Land to establish her forever in that land, becoming Her God, 2 Samuel 7:23-24.

3. Next, David urged the Lord to fulfill His promise of an eternal royal kingdom for him and his posterity to the praise of the Lord in His blessing of both the nation Israel and David, 2 Samuel 7:25-26.

4. David added that he had humbly found the courage to pray such a prayer before the Lord because the Lord had promised to bless him with a great and eternal kingdom after him, 2 Samuel 7:27. Praising the Lord for the fact that the Lord was God, David again asked the Lord to fulfill His promise to provide him an everlasting royal line and kingdom after him, 2 Samuel 7:28-29.

C. Amazingly, David made no comment in his prayer about God's not letting him build the temple, though he later made extensive preparations for its construction (1 Chron. 22:1-19), revealing his heart was in the matter:

1. David later expressed concern that son Solomon was too inexperienced to build a quality temple structure (1 Chron. 22:5a), so he made great preparations for its construction: he amassed skilled workmen and costly materials (16-17 billion dollars worth, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to 1 Chron. 22:14) 1 Chron. 22:1-5b, 14-16.

2. Also, David charged his son Solomon and Israel's princes with him to be courageous so as to proceed with the temple construction, using the preparations David had made for the project, 1 Chron. 22:6-13, 17-19.

Lesson: Though David earnestly wanted to build God's temple, the Lord indicated that He sovereignly willed that David's son and not David build it, so David humbly accepted God's will, submitting to His sovereignty in the matter, praising and thanking Him for His great blessings in life and for the Lord's Davidic Covenant for him.

Application: (1) Since God commands all people to believe in His Son (Acts 17:30-31), may we trust in Christ to be saved, John 3:16. (2) If God Biblically signals that His sovereign will for us differs from our goals, may we heed David's example and humbly accept God's will, praising and thanking Him for His blessings and goodness to us.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

Following the Church family's March 19th celebration of the 35th anniversary of my wife's and my ministries here at Nepaug Church, I was wondering what God wanted me to have as my pastoral ministry focus in the future! Well, last week and in connection with this sermon, the Lord gave His sovereign input on the issue through multiple circumstances, and I share this with you since the focus the Lord gives me for my ministry affects our Church family:

(1) In Fellowship Hall after last Sunday's worship service, a member told me of her frustration at not being able to get to the Scripture truth on a matter amid confusing or dismissive remarks by authors of her Bible study aids.

(2) On Monday morning in our breakfast devotions, my wife and I read Acts 18:24-28 on how Aquila and Priscilla needed to explain to Apollos the way of the Lord "more perfectly" (v. 26 KJV) for the good of his ministry.

(3) Later on Monday, I read online how some inventors have obtained patents for inventions that don't work! They were apparently so motivated to get a patent thinking they would become rich and famous that they didn't take the time to learn that they were violating some law of physics in the invention! I suppose this practice still occurs!!

(4) Still later that day, I glanced at the latest issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine and saw a story that told of pastors in mainland China longing for Bible study aids to be able to teach their churches deeper Bible truths!

(5) On Tuesday morning, my wife and I read Acts 19:1-7 about Paul's having to explain the truth about Christ to men who had been instructed only in the baptism of John. These men claimed they had never heard of the Holy Spirit, an amazing claim since both Matthew 3:11 and Mark 1:8 cite John as telling his listeners about the Holy Spirit. (6) On Wednesday, a Church member told me a notable, long-term pastor of a reputable evangelical Church in the mid-west teaches we believers will be resurrected in male or female bodies, so the member wanted my view on it! I replied that Christ in Mark 12:25 taught that resurrected believers are asexual, neither marrying as men nor being given away in marriage as women. Honestly, I was stunned that the long-term notable pastor had missed this verse!

(7) On Thursday in doing a short preparatory study for next week's Prayer Meeting lesson, I learned that Jeremiah 4:10 is one of the hardest verses in the book of Jeremiah to interpret, one that can reflect badly on God's character if not handled aright. Thus, I realized I must take the entire lesson time up next week in handling that one verse to show how it must be interpreted in the wide context of the whole book that we might know God's truth in it.

(8) All these events brought to mind 2 Timothy 2:15 on our need to expound God's Word accurately for the welfare of God's people who need to know the exact truth, for their thinking and whole way of life depends on it!

The lesson? God wants me in the future at Nepaug Church to stay focused on accurate Bible exposition!

May we trust in Christ for salvation. Then, may accept whatever is God's revealed will for us instead of some agenda we might dream up on our own, and may we focus on that divine will as His humble servants!