READ: 2 SAMUEL 7 (Text: v18)
There’s something about our culture — we find it very hard to SIT STILL for any length of time. We’ve lost the art of solitude. No time for contemplation.
I’m sure King David was a busy man — he had a whole kingdom to run — and yet it’s quite obvious that he still made time to regularly sit in God’s presence. I know that must be true because of the scores of Psalms which he wrote. Psalms of worship and prayer. Psalms which are rich and weighty and which have the touch of eternal reality upon them. They’re quite obviously the product of wonder and musing.
Here in 2 Samuel 7, we read how David receives the most amazing revelation of God’s Word of promise to him by Nathan the prophet — how God is going to build David a house (David had wanted to build a temple — a house for God. God said, “No, David, I’m going to build YOU a house”.) God would establish David’s throne forever.
When David receives this word from the prophet, his immediate reaction is to go, as I imagine he had done so many times before, and SIT BEFORE THE LORD. We read it in VERSE 18. [READ.]
Sometimes he had sat before the Lord . . .
* UNDER THE STARS - while shepherding sheep.
* IN ROCKS AND CAVES - while fleeing for his life.
Now he is the great King of Israel, and he kneels (most probably), in the courts of the Tabernacle. But, as always, it’s the same presence of God.
It doesn’t really matter where we do it, does it?! We can kneel at the altar here in precious times in God’s house, we can sit before the Lord in our home, or some other place, in good times, or in troubled times. We will find God never changes. He’s waiting for us to just SIT BEFORE HIM.
David wrote in Psalm 139:
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into Heaven You are there; if I make my bed in Hell, behold, You are there. If I take the winds of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
So, it doesn’t matter WHERE we sit before the Lord, BUT — I want to show you tonight that it DOES matter HOW we sit before the Lord. David sat before the Lord in a very productive way.
1. DAVID SAT BEFORE THE LORD WITH A HUMBLE HEART
David was not a perfect man — he made his share of mistakes. He knew what it was to really blow it. But one thing about David — HE ALWAYS KNEW HIS PLACE.
Whereas Saul became proud because of his position as king — David never suffered from the same false illusions of grandeur. He never forgot that it was the Lord who had raised him up in HIS purposes. And he kept a humble heart.
Listen to the very first words David utters as he sits before the Lord [(v18) - READ AGAIN.]
Many men, hearing of God’s promises of greatness for them, may become proud and loud. But not David. “WHO AM I”, he says!
ILLUSTRATION: There is story from the Welsh Revival of 1858-1860 of the preacher David Morgan. He was holding meetings at a place called Devil’s Bridge. The account is written by one of the deacons of that church of how they had experienced a particularly powerful sevice with a tremendous sense of God’s presence and moving. After the meeting he was walking with David Morgan through the darkened streets of Devil’s Bridge, and so near was the revivalist to his God that the deacon dared not break the silence for quite some time. Eventually he spoke up and said: Didn’t we have a wonderful meeting tonight Mr.Morgan." To which the preacher replied, "Oh yes. God would do great things for us us - if only he could trust us no to take the glory for ourselves!" And then the village rang with the sounds of David Morgan crying out ...“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory”.
David sat before the Lord with a HUMBLE heart. If WE desire revival we must come and sit before the Lord in the same way. PRIDE will kill any revival — who knows how many times revival has been stifled before it even got started because of pride.
2. DAVID SAT BEFORE THE LORD WITH A WORSHIPFUL HEART
This goes hand in hand with humility.
You see, for David it was GOD AND HIS GLORY that mattered. God was not a means to an end for David. God IS the glorious end of everything.
How many times do we unwittingly reduce God to be merely our means to an end? This has been man’s tendency right through history.
God is the One we turn to in trouble.
His sovereignty becomes the convenient excuse for every shortcoming.
I think it is quite possible that we are living in the midst of the worst generation for this. The blight upon the 20th Century western church is our “God-on-a-string” theology.
He’s there to meet our needs.
To make us “feel good”.
To provide us with a spiritual “high”.
NOT to make too great a demand. NOT to require too much.
Look at David — he’s just received God’s gracious word of promise. God is going to lavish His blessing on David. He’s going to make David’s name glorious. WHERE IS DAVID? He’s sitting humbly in God’s presence GIVING ALL THE GLORY BACK. Giving the glory to One who is the only rightful recipient of it.
Listen to his words: [READ vv22, 26, 28.]
David sat before the Lord with a WORSHIPFUL heart.
Where are the worshippers tonight? Where are those who will GIVE ALL THE GLORY BACK? Those who will pour themselves out in adoration of God?
3. DAVID SAT BEFORE THE LORD WITH A SUBMISSIVE HEART
Listen to his words: [READ vv25, 29].
Whatever GOD wills to do, David submits to it.
Would you notice that there is here the moment of laying down his own plans. David had a great VISION of building a glorious temple for the Lord. What a vision! What a noble endeavour. What a great enterprise to undertake.
David had said: [READ v2].
And look at Nathan’s response: [READ: v3].
The heart of the prophet, the man of God, leaps for joy at what David has planned. He is thrilled that the nation has a king whose heart is so devoted to the Lord. “GO, DAVID, SURELY GOD IS WITH YOU.”
Who could argue with such a plan?
BUT it wasn’t God’s purpose — it wasn’t God’s time.
The desire is good. But that in itself is not enough. God desires OBEDIENCE — not just great ideas. And so He visits the prophet in the night hours. Perhaps the prophet could hardly sleep for excitement over David’s plan, but God speaks to Nathan: “Tell David to stop. He won’t build me a house — I’ll build him one instead. A lineage on the throne forever”.
When David hears the Word of the Lord — as SOON as he hears it — there is not argument — no attempt to somehow reason with or persuade God (like we so often do). He goes in and sits before the Lord and says, in essence, “NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE”.
Folks, it could be that the one thing stopping you from being completely submissive to God is the laying down of your own agenda — your plan — your vision — your dream — TO FIND GOD’S PURPOSE.
Maybe the great plans you have seen so right — so noble — they MUST be good. But being GOOD plans is NOT the point. They must be GOD’S plans.
APPEAL:
Come and “SIT BEFORE THE LORD” tonight at this altar.
COME WITH A HUMBLE HEART
Come and deal with pride.
Repent of it.
COME WITH A WORSHIPFUL HEART
Come to adore the Lord.
Put Him first.
Put yourself in right perspective.
COME WITH A SUBMISSIVE HEART
Come and lay down your own agenda, your own plan.
Come and wait on Him — let God to show you HIS better purpose.
AMEN.
