2 Samuel 7:1-3 What Can I Do For God?

 ”Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around: This leads us to believe that the events of 2 Samuel 7 happened after the wars of conquest described in 2 Samuel 8. This section is placed before the war accounts in the text to show its greater importance.

b. I dwell in a house of cedar: Cedar wood was especially valued. This meant that David lived in an expensive, beautiful home. When he remembered that the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains, the contrast bothered him. David was troubled by the thought that he lived in a nicer house than the ark of the covenant.

i. A house of cedar: “It was a remarkable contrast to the shelter of Adullam’s cave.” (Meyer)

ii. Without saying the specific words, David told Nathan that he wanted to build a temple to replace the tabernacle. When Israel was in the wilderness more than 400 years before this, God commanded Moses to build a tent of meeting according to a specific pattern (Exodus 25:8-9). God never asked for a permanent building to replace the tent, but now David wanted to do this for God.

iii. The tent of meeting – also known as the tabernacle – was perfectly suited to Israel in the wilderness because they constantly moved. Now that Israel was securely in the land and the ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17), David thought it would be better and more appropriate to build a temple to replace the tabernacle.

c. Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you: Nathan said this to David because it seemed good and reasonable. What could be wrong with David building a temple?

i. All that is in your heart shows that David’s heart was filled with this question: “What can I do for God?” He was so filled with gratitude and concern for God’s glory that he wanted to do something special for God. (Guzik)

“What can I do for God?”

Have you ever read the book, A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren?

It poses some serious questions to a Christian on what you can do for His kingdom. Works aren’t a requirement for salvation, but one day we will stand before God and give an account of our life. 

The Bible gives clear instructions for widows, orphans and the poor. We have several widows that live around us and with the last ice storm that took out the electric grid one of the widows asked for help which we gladly gave.

What better way is there to reflect Jesus Christ that is in us?

Blessings