THE COVENANT PRAYER OF DAVID FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS ON HIS DESCENDANTS
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OUTLINE
1. GOD’S GOODNESS
2. GOD’S KNOWLEDGE
3. GOD’S WILL
4. GOD’S GLORY
5. GOD’S CHOSEN
6. GOD’S PROMISE
7. GOD’S BLESSING
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE : 2 SAMUEL 7:18-29
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Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD ?
"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD.
For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
"And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,
so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ’The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ’I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.
O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.
Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
THE MESSAGE
THE COVENANT PRAYER OF DAVID FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS ON HIS DESCENDANTS
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1. GOD’S GOODNESS
David remembered with gratitude the goodness of God in his life. He remembered his days as a shepherd boy and realised how far the Lord had brought him to make him a King. We must not forget all the benefits that we have received from the Lord. We should not think that we have attained everything in our own strength.We must remember our beginnings with humility. We must always realise the favour of the Lord in our life and be grateful to Him.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7:18-19
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD ?
2 SAMUEL 7:8-9
"Now then, tell my servant David, ’This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.
GENESIS 32 :9-10
Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ’Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’
I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.
DEUTERONOMY 8:17-18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
PSALM 103:1-5
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
2. GOD’S KNOWLEDGE
David realised that the Lord knew everything about him. The Lord knew his heart and he did not have to impress God with many words. We cannot deceive God with insincere prayers and praise. Nor can we hide anything from God as He knows everything about us. The Lord knows our heart and He wants us to praise and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 20
"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD.
PSALM 139:1-10
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
MATTHEW 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
" ’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.
MATTHEW 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
JOHN 4:23-24
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
3. GOD’S WILL
David realised that the Lord had blessed him according to His will. He acknowledged the sovereign work of God in his life. We can receive the blessings of God in our life when we ask Him according to His will . The Lord has good plans for our lives and we can trust Him as we submit ourselves to His will. We should not be wasting our lives chasing after things which are not the will of God for our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 21
For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
1 JOHN 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
JOHN 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
ISAIAH 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
PHILIPPIANS 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
JEREMIAH 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
4. GOD’S GLORY
David was careful to give God all the glory . David did not boast of himself or his achievements in the presence of God. He humbled himself before God. We should not be proud or arrogant in the presence of God. The Lord is the only one who is worthy of all praise and glory. When we humble ourselves before the Lord , He will lift us up.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 22
"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
ISAIAH 42:8
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
1 PETER 5:5-6
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 CORINTHIANS 1 :27-29
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
so that no one may boast before him.
5. GOD’S CHOSEN
David realised the mercy and the favour of God on the people of Israel. He knew it that it was purely the grace of God that He had chosen them as His people. It was not something that they deserved. We must be grateful that the Lord has chosen us as His people. It is the only thing that we should be proud of in our lives. We should not be proud of our wealth or strength or wealth. The only praiseworthy thing in our life is the knowledge of God who has chosen as His people. We must fulfill the purpose of God in our life by living a fruitful life.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 23-24
And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
JEREMIAH 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
1 JOHN 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
JOHN 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
PHILIPPIANS 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
6. GOD’S PROMISE
David had confidence when he prayed because he had received the promise of God. He knew that God is faithful to fulfill what he has promised. Our confidence comes from the promises of God . When we have a promise from God , we can be strong in faith and persistent in our prayers until we receive the fulfillment of the promises of God in our life because our God is a faithful God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 25-28
"And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,
so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ’The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ’I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.
O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.
NUMBERS 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
JOSHUA 21:45
Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
7. GOD’S BLESSING
David sought the blessing of God on his family and his descendants. He knew that God is a God of covenant and He would keep His covenant to bless His people to a thousand generations. Therefore by faith David pleaded with God to bless his family and his posterity even though he could not see them with his physical eyes as they were not yet born. We can seek the blessings of God not only for our generation but also for our future generations because we serve a God who keep His covenant for generations to come.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 SAMUEL 7: 29
Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
PSALM 103:17-18
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.
DEUTERONOMY 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
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