II Samuel 7:11-16 *
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
One of the more interesting and sometimes frustrating aspects of the English language is that a word can take on more than one meaning. For example, I took my dictionary off the shelf earlier this week and opened up to the entry for “house.” Counting all the meanings and sub-meanings, I came up with a total of twelve different ways to define the word.
Ask a child what a house is and you will probably get an answer like this: A house is the place where I live. Ask a homebuilder what a house is and the response will probably include things like wood and nails and bricks and mortar. Ask a historian what a house is and he might show you a detailed genealogical chart or family tree.
When we come across a word that can have more than one meaning, we must look at the context to determine which meaning fits the best. But what if more than one meaning makes sense? What if there is more than one way to understand the statement? Then what should we do?
The text before us today presents us with this kind of problem, but it is really not a problem at all. Through the prophet Nathan, God spoke to King David about the future of his kingdom. And for centuries religious scholars and theologians have debated the meaning of these words. Is the scope of this prophecy the immediate future or the distant future? Does it refer to David’s son Solomon, or is this prophecy Messianic?
The answer is “both.” Looking at both the immediate context of II Samuel and the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole, it is possible to understand these verses (and this sermon theme) two ways. The Lord said to King David…
“I WILL BUILD A HOUSE FOR YOU”
I. A physical kingdom built
through David’s son
II.
A spiritual kingdom established by David’s Lord
“I want to build you a house. There is no cost. There are no obligations. You don’t have to do anything.” How would you feel if someone made you this kind of offer? Suspicious? Grateful? Numb? As unbelievable as it sounds, that is exactly what the Lord was offering to do for King David. But there was a twist. Not only did God promise to build a house for David, he made this amazing promise at the same time David was thinking about building a house for God.
Remember David’s background.
He was the youngest son of Jesse.
He was a shepherd boy. He didn’t
look very regal, but God handpicked him to be
After he had become king, after he had solidified his power, after his royal palace had been built by some of the best stone masons and carpenters in the world, David thought to himself: “Here I am living in luxury while the ark of God sits in a tent.” And so David began making plans to build a temple worthy of the Lord.
The only problem was that he forgot to include God in the
planning process. Before David got very
far, the Lord spoke to him through the prophet Nathan: “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” (11, 12).
Most fathers want to have a son to carry on the family
name. God told David that he would have
a son, but this promise went beyond his own family. God also wanted to assure David that his
royal line would continue to rule over
God promised David that he would have a son. God promised David that his son would be
Maybe God didn’t want David to build the temple because he was a warrior king. Maybe God didn’t want David to build the temple because there was blood on his hands. And who was more qualified than Solomon, among the wisest and richest men of all time, to oversee the construction of the temple? God’s choice made sense, but what about the second half of the verse?
God said: “I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (13). If you know a little about Bible history,
you know that this can’t be a reference to Solomon. Shortly after Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became
king, the kingdom was divided in two.
David’s royal line didn’t rule
It means that David’s house is not just a royal palace. It means that David’s throne is more than a physical kingdom. It means that these words of prophecy reach far beyond the reign of King Solomon. When the Lord told David: “I will build a house for you,” he was pointing ahead to a spiritual kingdom established by David’s Lord.
In case David didn’t understand what God was telling him the first time, the Lord restated his promise to remove any confusion: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (16). Since it is a fact that David’s royal line didn’t last forever (and since God doesn’t lie), we can only assume that this prophecy is talking about something else. The question is: what?
To solve the riddle, we need to look for clues. The first clue is in the psalm for today, Psalm 89: “You (God) said: I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations (8, 9). Nathan and David weren’t making up this prophecy because the Lord shared the same exact information with Ethan the Ezrahite.
As we look through the pages of Scripture, we discover another
clue. God’s promise is repeated again,
this time through the prophet Isaiah: “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” (9:6, 7).
Isaiah lived hundreds of years after David. Isaiah lived hundreds of years after David’s kingdom had been divided. Isaiah lived to see much of what was David’s kingdom totally destroyed. The political climate had changed. The territorial boundaries had changed. The prophecy stayed the same. “He will reign on David’s throne.” “He will reign…over David’s kingdom.” “He will reign…from that time on and forever.”
Isaiah reaffirmed the promise God had made to David, but it was more than mere repetition. The words “for to us a child is born, to us a son is given” allow us to narrow our search for this mystery ruler. Isaiah’s tells us: “Look for a child, and you will find David’s heir. Look for a baby boy, and you will find your eternal king.”
As the search intensifies, the clues point to
“You will be with
child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High. The Lord God will give
him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob
forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke
It took a thousand years, but God kept his promise. When Jesus burst onto the scene he announced
that “one greater than Solomon is now
here” (Matthew
The child of Joseph and Mary, this descendant of David, was like his ancient ancestor in many ways. Both men were great leaders. Both men deserved to be called kings. But there was a fundamental difference. David was an earthly ruler. Jesus is a heavenly king. David’s kingdom was marked by territorial borders. Jesus rules in individual hearts. David died because of his sin. Jesus died to free us from sin.
Normally a king positions himself at a distance from the front lines when his army marches into battle, but not this leader. He left the glory of heaven for us. He went into the heat of battle for us. He lived a perfect life for us. And he won the victory for us. Jesus conquered sin. Jesus destroyed death. Jesus defeated the devil. Jesus gave up his life to remove every obstacle that stands between us and eternal life in heaven.
We can’t comprehend eternity. We can only imagine what “forever” feels like. But when Jesus returns on the Last Day, the waiting and wondering will be over. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” Those words will no longer be an abstract thought when Jesus comes again because we will be citizens of that eternal kingdom. We will be seated around God’s throne. In heaven we will be able to understand and appreciate and enjoy what it means to be with the Lord forever.
The flag of
The star is also an important Christian symbol, especially as the anticipation of Advent gives way to the celebration of Christmas. A star in the sky announced the arrival of the newborn king. A star tops our Christmas tree. And even though it is usually considered a Jewish symbol, the Star of David reminds Christians of prophecies made and prophecies fulfilled.
Jesus has come. Jesus will come again. As we look up into the heavens, as we gaze at the stars in the sky, we pray: Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.