When God Says "No” Series

And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee,

which shall proceed out of thy bowels,

and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build an house for my name,

and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13

Things for David were as good as they might ever be:

-He was king over the entire nation

-He had established a new capital, “the city of David”

-He could sit at home in the evening with family and friends

-He had a new close spiritual advisor, the prophet Nathan

-He was living in a time of peace everywhere (7:1)

David began to dream. Dreams are usually:

-Noble

-Great resolves

-Idealistic

-Goal-driven.

David talked to his prophet friend, Nathan. Nathan said yes, God is with you (7:3). But, God told David “no,” he would not build (1 Chronicles 17:3-4). Nathan was wrong at first.

It’s hard to know what God wants. It’s even harder when God says you can’t have what you want.

Even though God said “no:"

-He reminded David how precious he was (7:8-9)

-He did not reject David, just re-direct him

-He left David where he placed him: as a soldier, not temple-builder

For us:

+When God says “no,” it often means He has a better way. We need to support it.

+My best reaction is cooperation and humility