In today’s episode, we explore the profound message embedded in 2 Samuel chapter 7. Join us as Vicki Bustos, chaplain of the Ezra Project, reads this significant chapter detailing God’s covenant with David. Through the dialogue between David and God, we learn about the planning of a heritage that will last forever, not just the building of a temple. David’s humility and gratitude are explored, illustrating his devotion and the understanding that God’s plans surpass our own.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today brings us to 2 Samuel chapter 7. And again, this chapter will be read by our guest reader, Vicki Bustos, chaplain of the Ezra Project. She will share with us the 29 verses. of 2 Samuel chapter 7.
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2 Samuel chapter 7. Now when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. Go and tell my servant David. Thus says the Lord, Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel which I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled, and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. But my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. In accordance with all these words and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. Then 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? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God. And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God, because of your promise and according to your own heart you have brought about all this greatness to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you and there is no God besides you according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel, to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.” and your name will be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is God over Israel, and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, I will build you a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, You are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.
SPEAKER 03 :
I love this chapter of Scripture. I love the great prayers in God’s Word. I wrote back in my journal in 1983, David desires to build a house for God to dwell in. First instruction from Nathan, the prophet, do it. Then God intervenes and says David is not to build the house, but that it will be built by his descendants, and David’s kingdom will last forever. David, humble before God, thanks him for all the blessings, commits himself to serve and thanks God for showing him the promise that the temple will someday be built. In 1997, I wrote a similar thing, but I added, I guess God didn’t want a warrior who killed a lot of people to build his temple, rather a man of peace. Regardless, God sometimes says no to our requests that seem reasonable in our eyes. And in 2007, I wrote, David wants to build a house for God, but God says no. God’s ways are higher than our ways. He tells David he will make his name great, plant Israel, raise up David’s descendants to reign forever, and his son will build the house. What beautiful promises. David goes and sits before the Lord and offers his thanks for these incredible promises. Now, O Lord, quoting verse 28, You are God, and your words are truth, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. I love David’s prayer so much that I would like to share it again. So let’s read David’s prayer once again from this chapter. Starting in verse 18. Then 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? David humbles himself before the Lord. Verse 19 says, And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God. Verse 20, And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God. David recognizes that God knows him. He knows his own heart. Verse 22, Therefore you are great, O Lord, for there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people? making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods. It is good for us, as we pray, to lift up the name of the Lord, to lift up God to his throne where he belongs, and also to remember the great things he has done for us. Down to verse 28. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now, therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever. David accepts God’s answer. He accepts what God is going to do. Though David is not going to be able to build the house, he is going to bless David’s house forever. David recognizes this blessing and thanks God for it. It’s probably also true for us, isn’t it? That we pray one thing. We have a desire to do something. We want to do it, but God says no. He has better plans. He has greater plans. He has the bigger picture in mind. Thank you, Lord, for revealing this to David. Thank you for revealing it to us as we pray to you. Father, as David bowed humbly before you, We do the same today. We acknowledge that your ways are higher than our ways. Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And we are pawns in what you want to do to build your kingdom here on earth. Like your servant David, use us as well. In your name we pray. Amen. All of the Ad Bible radio programs are available to you in writing. We transcribed all of Ad Bible into an 11-book series called Day by Day Through the Bible, and we did it in a unique way by authors of the Bible. You can get the complete set or a book at a time at our website, EzraProject.net. For example, there are the writings of Moses, the writings of Solomon, the writings of the minor prophets, and the writings of the major prophets, the writings of the Old Testament historical books, and the writings of Old Testament leaders. Covering the New Testament, we have the writings of Matthew and Luke, the writings of John, the writings of Paul, and the writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. So this 11-book series covers all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. So if the radio program was on 1 Samuel, you would find the written version in day by day through the Bible, the writings of Old Testament historical books. If the radio program is covering Daniel or Jonah, you would find all the minor prophets in the writings of the minor prophets. But say you’re studying the gospel of John in your own personal quiet time. You can find our coverage of John’s gospel in the writings of John, which includes not just his gospel, but other writings like 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and Revelation. Or you are going to be reading one of Paul’s epistles. You could find them all in the writings of Paul. Our Day by Day through the Bible series is a tremendous resource as you read and study any book of the Bible. It will deepen your understanding of God’s Word and enhance your personal quiet time because each book breaks down the passage with comments from my personal Bible reading journals, offers life applications, and prayers related to the passage. If you want more from your time in God’s Word, visit EzraProject.net and try one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. Any of the 11 books are a great place to start or get the full set to use wherever you are in the Bible today or wherever you are heading in your Bible reading. I know you’re going to enjoy it. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.
