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
