When Roy DeLamotte was chaplain at Paine College in Georgia, he preached the shortest sermon in the college’s history. However, he had a rather long topic: "What does Christ Answer When We Ask, "Lord, What’s in Religion for Me?" The complete content of his sermon was in one word: "Nothing." He later explained that the one-word sermon was meant for people brought up on the ’gimme-gimme’ gospel. When asked how long it took him to prepare the message, he said, "Twenty years."
Unfortunately for you this morning, even though this message may have taken me 20 years to prepare, this will probably not be one of the shortest messages you have ever heard. But it certainly may be one of the most important. In fact, Old Testament scholar Dr. Walter Brueggemann refers to the passage we’ll look at this morning as “the dramatic and theological center of the entire Samuel corpus…one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith.”
I don’t have to tell you that we live in a culture that seems to be increasingly centered on self. We go to Barnes and Noble and one of the largest sections is the “Self-Help” section. We’re told “if it feels good, do it.” In other words, make your decision based on how it impacts you. Perhaps the clearest indication of our obsession with self is that you can go down to the nearest store and purchase a magazine titled “Self.”
British actor Michael Wilding was once asked if actors had any traits which set them apart from other human beings. "Without a doubt," he replied. "You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves."
Then there was this conversation overheard at a party: "My husband and I have managed to be happy together for 20 years. I guess this is because we’re both in love with the same man."
Or how about the lady answered the knock on her door to find a man with a sad expression? "I’m sorry to disturb you," he said, "but I’m collecting money for an unfortunate family in the neighborhood. The husband is out of work, the kids are hungry, the utilities will soon be cut off, and worse, they’re going to be kicked out of their apartment if they don’t pay the rent by this afternoon." "I’ll be happy to help," said the woman with great concern. "But who are you?" "I’m the landlord," he replied.
Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel 7. This morning I’m going to take a slightly different approach to the passage. We’re going to break this chapter down into 5 segments and look at just one principle from each section. That certainly won’t even begin to scratch the surface of the riches that we could mine from this section of Scripture, but I hope that we’ll see that it’s not about me – it’s about God!
Read 2 Samuel 7:1-2:
1. Remember that every success is a gift of God’s grace.
By the time the events recorded in 2 Samuel 7 occur, things are going pretty well for David. With the help of Hiram, king of Tyre, David has completed his own palace, and he is now living in royal splendor. God has given David and the nation of Israel rest from their enemies. Since both 1 and 2 Samuel are not written in strictly chronological order, it appears that the events recorded here probably take place sometime after David’s sin with Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 10 records the results of several major military campaigns and even when David commits adultery in 2 Samuel 11, there is still warfare going on.
On the surface, we don’t see any overt evidence that David has become filled with pride, but there are some clues that David is beginning to be a little full of himself. I like the way Eugene Peterson describes what is going on in David’s life:
I think David is just about to cross a line from being full of God to being full of himself. Outwardly, everything is the same…But David, riding the crest of acclaim, having decisively defeated the opposition, united God’s people, and captured the allegiance of all Israel and Judah, heady with success, is going to do God a favor… David is now housed better than God…David has achieved a better standard of living that God, and…from David’s position of strength he can now do something significant for God.
[Leap Over a Wall, p. 161]
Even in the text, we find some clues that David is in danger of being pulled away from God by his pride. Notice that in verses 1-3, David is referred to by his title – king. But, as we’ll see in just a moment, when God speaks about David, he calls him “my servant.” Perhaps David is a little too conscious of his position as king.
Sometimes, there is a tendency on our part to think that growth, maturity and success somehow insulate us from sin. In reality, these things just provide us with new areas of temptation. One could make a pretty good case that David was in much more danger of sinning in the safety and comfort of the palace than he had been in amidst the dangers of the wilderness, running for his life.
If we want to make sure that our successes don’t become a trap, then we need to remember that we never produce those successes on our own. Each one is a gift of God’s grace in our life. I really like Paul’s words on this subject:
What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?
1 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)
• It’s not about me because every success is a gift of God’s grace.
Read 2 Samuel 7:3-4:
2. Refuse to presume that I know God’s heart.
As David’s pastor, Nathan fell into a trap that many pastors all too often fall into. So much of the time pastors are approached by people who want something from God and need the pastor’s assistance in getting it. And, in a sense, that is at least part of what we do. So when someone moves from getting to giving, our natural response, like Nathan’s, is such a sense of relief and gratitude that we just assume this must be from God. Without taking time to seek God’s will, we just presume this must be God’s heart.
And that’s what Nathan did here. When David comes to him, proposing to build a house for God, Nathan just assumes that must be something that God laid upon David’s heart. But we quickly find that isn’t true. No sooner had Nathan advised David to go ahead and proceed with his plans, than God comes upon the scene and makes it very clear to Nathan that neither David nor Nathan knew God’s heart on this matter.
But it’s not just pastors that are prone to this problem. So many times we all make our plans and just proceed with them without ever consulting with God to see if we really know His heart.
So how do I know what God’s heart is. How do I make sure I’m not presuming to know his heart when I don’t have a clue? To fully answer that question, we’d have to take much more time than we have this morning, but let me just give you the short answer.
First let me say that the casual Christian is going to have a hard time discovering the heart of God. As Paul wrote:
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor?
Romans 11:33, 34 (NLT)
There is a sense in which we can never fully understand the heart of God – because he is God and not a human being. But the Bible is also clear that when we seek out God, when we focus our attention in delighting in Him, that God chooses to reveal Himself to us, at least in part. As we saw last week, the desire to delight completely in God may very well be the attribute that most made David a man after God’s own heart.
We are so blessed today because we have something David and Nathan didn’t have – God’s written Word. As we saw last week, God wants us to delight in His Word, meditating on it day and night. And when we do that, God is able to reveal Himself through His Word as His Holy Spirit guides us into the truth of God’s heart.
• It’s not about me because every success is a gift of God’s grace.
• It’s not about me because I can’t know God’s heart unless He chooses to reveal it to me.
Read 2 Samuel 7:5-16:
3. Recognize that God must build my house before I can build His house.
David comes to God, offering to build God a house, but God isn’t interested in what David can do for Him. He’s much more interested in what He wants to do for David. He basically says to David, “David, I don’t need a house. I never asked for one; it was never my idea for you or any one else to build one. David, by now, you ought to know me well enough to know I can’t be put in a box…or a building. But David, I love you so much that I’m going to build a house for you – not just some temporary structure, but an eternal house that will never pass away.”
This passage is what is known by theologians as the “Davidic Covenant.” Covenant is just a fancy word for promise. The Bible is full of covenants, or promises, that God made with his people:
• The Adamic covenant in Genesis 3, where God promised that one day Adam’s offspring would overcome the Evil One
• The Noahic covenant where God promised to never again completely flood the earth
• The Abrahamic covenant where God promised Abraham that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars and that through him all the people of the earth would be blessed.
• The Mosaic covenant where God promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.
God promises David that He will build a house for David and that David’s house and his throne will endure forever. God also promises that one day David’s offspring will succeed David and that he will be the one to build a house for God. That promise is fulfilled when David’s son Solomon builds the temple. Ultimately God’s covenant with David will be fulfilled when Jesus, who the Bible clearly shows to be the offspring of David, returns to this earth and reigns forever.
For about five years of my life, I was a church planter, working to start a church in Oro Valley. Over that time period I came up with all kinds of plans. I developed mission statements and visions statements and came up with detailed strategies to try to reach those goals. Our church tried everything we could think of. We changed locations several times. But it seemed that no matter what we tried, nothing worked. Things would go well for a while and we’d grow, only to lose two or three key families and then go backwards for a while.
From my perspective, those five years were an utter failure. But not from God’s perspective. What I didn’t see at the time, but what is clearly apparent now, is that God was using that time to “build my house.” He knew that before He could use me to help build His house and His kingdom, He had to do a work in my life. God used that time to humble me and to develop some attitudes, skills and gifts in my life that He could use. He used that time to teach me the principle that Eugene Peterson describes in his book, Leap Over a Wall:
But there are times when our grand human plans to do something for God are seen, after a night of prayer, to be a huge human distraction from what God is doing for us.
I guess I’m a slow learner. It took me five years, not just a night of prayer, to learn that lesson.
• It’s not about me because every success is a gift of God’s grace.
• It’s not about me because I can’t know God’s heart unless He chooses to reveal it to me.
• It’s not about me because God wants to build my house before I can ever be part of building His house.
Read 2 Samuel 7:17-18:
4. Retreat into God’s presence.
After Nathan reveals God’s response to David’s plans to David, the account tells us that David went in and sat before the Lord. That translation doesn’t really do justice to what happens here. The Hebrew word translated “sat” also means to “dwell”, or “abide” or “remain.” David didn’t just go into the tent and sit down for a few moments. He retreated into God’s presence and he remained there for quite some time. This was not just some casual, brief encounter with God. It was a prolonged period of time where David could just focus on God.
Unfortunately for many of us, when our plans fail, that’s the last thing we do. I know, because I’ve been there myself so many times. What do we usually do?
• We figure the plan was good, but the execution was off, so we just put in more effort and time with the same plan.
But we soon find out that what Ben Franklin said was right: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
• We figure the overall plan is good, but it needs a little tweaking, so we go back and modify the plan and try again.
• We figure the plan is wrong, so we start from scratch, make new plans and try again.
When I was a church planter, I tried every one of those approaches several times. And once in a while, I’m convinced strictly due to God’s grace, things would appear to work, at least for a while. But ultimately, any plan of ours is doomed to failure unless it is also God’s plan. So instead of making new plans, I just need to go into God’s presence and stay there for a while.
When David retreated into God’s presence, he discovered that all true worship begins, not in a spectacular building, but in focusing on the greatness and the grace of our God. That’s a lesson that Jesus focused on throughout His ministry:
• In the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus made it clear that it was far better to sit at the feet of Jesus that to try and do something for Him.
• The woman at the well discovered that God didn’t care which mountain she worshipped at – he was far more concerned that she learn to worship in spirit and in truth.
• Even Jesus found that He needed to just spend time in His Father’s presence so that He could be prepared to carry out His ministry.
Again, I’m a pretty slow learner, but it wasn’t until I decided I needed to just put my plans on hold and spend some time abiding in the presence of God, that God was able to reach my heart and then to be able to use me. I was so frustrated with the whole church planting process that I was ready to just get out of ministry altogether and go find another job. But fortunately, God called me to come into His presence and spend some time reflecting upon Him. And it was during that time that God provided the opportunity for me to come here to this church.
I’m still a slow learner, but little by little, I’m figuring out that my time in the presence of God is far more crucial to my ministry than any seminary classes, than any mission statement or strategy I can develop, or than any plans I can come up with.
• It’s not about me because every success is a gift of God’s grace.
• It’s not about me because I can’t know God’s heart unless He chooses to reveal it to me.
• It’s not about me because God wants to build my house before I can ever be part of building His house.
• It’s not about me so I need to spend time at the feet of God, listening to Him
Read 2 Samuel 7:19-29:
5. Respond to God’s revelation.
I love David’s prayer here. David doesn’t focus for one second on the fact that God has just withdrawn the building permit for God’s house. Instead, he spends all his time focusing on what God has just revealed to him. He humbles himself before God and thanks God for the promises he has just made to David. And then, beginning in verse 25, he prays and asks that God will be faithful and will keep his promises.
Everything in that prayer is a direct response to what God has just revealed to David. It is a prayer that focuses completely on God and His purposes and plans for David’s life.
Right now in our Sunday morning Bible study, we’re focusing on the prayers of Paul in order to help us pray more effectively. And one of the attributes of Paul’s prayers is that they reflect upon God and the work God is doing around him. As God reveals Himself to Paul, Paul responds to God’s revelation in his prayers in much the same way David does here.
I’m convinced we’re not very good at that, though. We come into God’s presence; we read His Word and God reveals Himself, His purposes and His plans to us. And then we turn around and pray and completely ignore what we have just learned from God. It’s OK to pray for our needs and the needs of others. In fact, we are instructed to do so. But if that’s’ the extent of our prayer life, then prayer becomes all about me, and not about God.
So when I pray, I need to respond to God. Maybe there is some attribute I can praise Him for. Maybe there is some work He is doing in my life I can thank Him for. Maybe there is some sin in my life that He has revealed to me that I need to confess to Him and repent of. Maybe there is a principle I need to apply in my life and I need to ask God to help me obey Him. When I pray it needs to be about God, not just about me.
• It’s not about me because every success is a gift of God’s grace.
• It’s not about me because I can’t know God’s heart unless He chooses to reveal it to me.
• It’s not about me because God wants to build my house before I can ever be part of building His house.
• It’s not about me so I need to spend time at the feet of God, listening to Him.
• It’s not about me so I need to respond to what God reveals to me.
Rick Warren begins his best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, with these words:
It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.
David knew that was true over 3,000 years ago and, as a result, he became a man after God’s own heart. Let’s follow in his footsteps.
It’s not about me.
Looking Back
1. What successes have I experienced that might tempt me to ignore God in my life? Pause right now and thank God for giving those successes.
2. What parts of my “house” does God want to build? How can I yield my life to God in those areas of my life?
3. What practical steps can I take to make sure I spend time in God’s presence?
4. What has God revealed to me this week that I need to respond to? How do I need to respond to God in that area?
Looking Ahead
Read 2 Samuel 16-18. Think about how David responds to his sufferings – in both beneficial and harmful ways.
