The LORD will make you a house
July 20, 2003
2 Samuel 7:11
6th Sunday after Pentecost
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
larry@larryjameson.com
back to our church home page
2 Samuel 7:11
The LORD also declares to you that
the LORD will make a house for you.
God is building us up.
And his building plan is far greater than you can imagine.
About three thousand years ago,
David was the king of Israel.
He didn’t get there without a fight.
David was a warrior king.
One day, when things were nice and quiet,
David was inspired with an idea.
He said,
“I dwell in a house of cedar,
but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.”
2 Samuel 7:2
He was right.
Up to that point, the people of Israel didn’t have
a temple building.
They had a tent called the “Tabernacle”
and that’s where they worshiped God.
So David decided to talk about his idea
with the prophet Nathan.
At first, Nathan thought David’s idea was great.
Nathan said,
"Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you."
2 Samuel 7:3
But later that night, when Nathan went to sleep,
God spoke to him in a dream.
The message that God gave to Nathan the prophet
was absolutely amazing.
The prophecy that Nathan spoke
didn’t just change David’s life,
or the just lives of the people of Israel,
Nathan’s message directly affects you and me.
Here is what Nathan was told by God to say:
The LORD also declares to you
that the LORD will make a house for you.
"When your days are complete
and you lie down with your fathers,
I will raise up your descendant after you,
who will come forth from you,
and I will establish his kingdom.
"He shall build a house for My name,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
"I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me;
This amazing prophecy has layers on layers.
Let’s look at some of those layers.
1) Layer ONE. God is the
building planner.
If there is going to be a building that lasts,
it is going to come from God.
That’s why Nathan was told to say,
The LORD also declares to you
that the LORD will make a house for you.
Later on, David wrote this idea down in a song.
Psalm 127:1 says,
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
2) Layer TWO.
The prophecy involves
a Hebrew play on words.
The “house” that David wanted to build was a temple.
And yes, that would be built eventually.
Solomon would be king after David,
and Solomon’s temple was one of the wonders
of the ancient world.
The “house” that God was going to build was dynasty.
An unbroken line of kings would descend from David
to rule over Israel for hundreds of years.
And one king in particular, was coming,
a king who would never die.
Later on the Jews called this promised king
the “Messiah”.
"When your days are complete
and you lie down with your fathers,
I will raise up your descendant after you,
who will come forth from you,
and I will establish his kingdom.
3) Layer THREE.
The Messiah is going to exceed every other king
and every kingdom ever built.
Nathan said,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me;
There is no way that David, or even Nathan
could fully comprehend
the full impact of this amazing prophecy.
Think about what the prophecy meant to David personally.
From David’s point of view
it was one of the sweetest, happiest messages
of his entire life.
It was a confirmation that all of his struggles,
all the battles, heartaches, tragedies, and challenges
he had faced up to that day
were all part of God’s plan to bless his people.
That’s what we need. We need a prophecy like David got!
Is your life difficult?
Are there tragedies, battles, heartaches, and
seemingly impossible challenges?
God has a message for you
that is going to make it all worthwhile.
God has a message for you
that is going to give you strength to carry on,
and insight to understand what your life means.
The LORD also declares to you that
the LORD will make a house for you.
Nathan wasn’t just talking to David.
He was also speaking a word from God
to you and me.
It’s all about Jesus.
This prophecy found in 2 Samuel chapter 7
has everything to do with the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was given 2,000 years before Jesus was born,
but it is all about him.
Jesus is the Messiah of Jewish expectation.
Jesus is the direct descendant of David
who perfectly fulfills all
of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.
Jesus is building a house
that is more than a temple
more than a dynasty
more than an earthly kingdom.
Jesus has chosen to build YOU and ME into a house
that far exceeds all of our expectations or imaginations.
His death on the cross
paid for every sin you ever committed.
Who could have guessed that he would do that?
His resurrection on Easter Sunday
is the guarantee that we will be raised.
Who could have guessed God would promise to do that?
Nobody wants to admit
that God’s plan is better.
Human pride is the reason.
Pride is often a good thing.
God designed us to have pride.
In a way, it is a measure, and an expression of
our self confidence.
We were made in God’s image,
and we are people of amazing abilities.
But when it comes to planning,
nobody can hold a candle to God.
God consistently exceeds our wildest expectations.
That’s why Ephesians 3:20 says that God is
able to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Just two days ago,
I visited with someone who had experienced
something difficult and hurtful in their life,
and they didn’t like it even a little bit.
They asked me this question:
“Why did God let this happen to me?”
I gave them my honest answer,
“I don’t know”.
I told them that they were asking a good question.
“I’d like to know the answer myself,” I said.
Nothing I have read in the Bible
tells me that God ever makes tragedy or evil happen.
That is against his nature.
He loves us and wants the best for us.
God is sovereign. He allows bad things to happen,
and he is so powerful
that he can take bad events
and turn them around to bring good results.
That’s what God did for David.
And that’s what God promises to do for us.
Think about the worst thing that has ever happened
in the history of the world.
It wasn’t a war.
It wasn’t a natural disaster.
It was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
God took that terrible event
and made it into a blessing.
That’s why the cross is our symbol.
CONCLUSION
Nobody out-plans God. Nobody can do what he does.
God is building us up.
And his building plan is far greater than you can imagine.
God has a message for you
that is going to make it all worthwhile.
God has a message for you
that is going to give you strength to carry on,
and insight to understand why.
The LORD also declares to you that
the LORD will make a house for you.
PRAYER
Dear God, when David suggested that a temple be built, you surprised him
with an amazing prophecy. You gave him a blessing that he didn’t expect, and a
treasure he could not have imagined to ask for. Lord, we want to be bold like
David. We want to step out by faith and dare to ask for that kind of blessing.
We believe you want to enrich this church in ways that we haven’t yet dreamed
of.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we thank you in advance for answering our prayer.
Amen.