2Sa 7:1-17 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 2Sam 7:1-29: 7:1-29 David was not satisfied merely building a tent for the Ark (6:17 ). He wanted to build a house for God. Summary for 2Sam 7:1-2: 7:1-2 If God had only a tent while David had a palace, it might create the impression that David was the real king rather than God. Thus, David intended to build a temple for God. 7:1 from all ... enemies: See Deut 12:9-10 ; 1 Kgs 5:4 ; 8:56 . David’s rest was temporary because shortly he was at war again (see 2 Sam 8:1-18 ).

Summary for 2Sam 7:1-29: 7:1-29 ^a David was not satisfied merely building a tent for the Ark (6:17 ^b). He wanted to build a house for God.
Summary for 2Sam 7:1-2: 7:1-2 ^c If God had only a tent while David had a palace, it might create the impression that David was the real king rather than God. Thus, David intended to build a temple for God. 7:1 ^d from all ... enemies: See Deut 12:9-10 ^e; 1 Kgs 5:4 ^f; 8:56 ^g. David’s rest was temporary because shortly he was at war again (see 2 Sam 8:1-18 ^h).
7:2 ⁱ Nathan is recorded in David’s life on three occasions: (1) here with a promise for David; (2) in 12:1-15 ^j with a parable of judgment against David; (3) in 1 Kgs 1:11-27 ^k with a plan for installing Solomon as David’s successor.

• A cedar palace would have been made of stone with cedar paneling inside.
7:3 ^l Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind: Nathan’s counsel to David was Nathan’s own idea. As it turned out, God disqualified David from building the Temple (see 1 Chr 22:8 ^m). Even true prophets are fallible when speaking on their own initiative rather than from God’s revelation.
7:5 ⁿ Are you the one? God wanted someone to build him a house, but David wasn’t the right person.
7:6 ^o never lived in a house: Prior to the building of the Temple in one fixed location, God’s dwelling was the Tabernacle, a mobile, tentlike structure. The text here uses language of human experience to describe a truth about God (see study notes on Exod 29:18; Deut 8:2). Although God is omnipresent, he chose the Tabernacle and Temple as his “dwelling place” in ancient Israel (see study note on 2 Chr 2:5-6; cp. Acts 17:24 ^p).
7:7 ^q I have never once complained ... never asked: While it was a less impressive structure than the Temple, the Tabernacle honored God because he had ordained its use for that period of Israel’s history.
Summary for 2Sam 7:8-17: 7:8-17 ^r Instead of David’s building God a house, God promised to build David a house, a permanent dynasty of kings from David’s descendants. 7:8 ^s tending sheep: Kings in the ancient Near East were often called shepherds (see 1 Kgs 22:17 ^t; Isa 44:28 ^u; Ezek 34:2 ^v; 37:24 ^w; Nah 3:18 ^x; Zech 10:3 ^y). David, who had been a shepherd, called the Lord his shepherd (Ps 23:1 ^z).
7:9 ^aa I have been with you: Through his guidance and protection, God was actively involved in shaping David’s entire life.

• I will make your name ... famous: God made this promise only to Abraham and David. (see Gen 12:2 ^ab).
Summary for 2Sam 7:10-11: 7:10-11a ^ac never be disturbed: Through David and his heirs, a lasting peace would engulf the land, in contrast with the intermittent and temporary periods of peace during the days of the judges, when one predatory nation after another shattered Israel’s well-being. God’s promise of rest from all your enemies was first mentioned by Joshua (Josh 1:13 ^ad, 15 ^ae; 22:4 ^af), and later realized in the ministry of some of the judges (Judg 3:11 ^ag, 30 ^ah; 5:31 ^ai; 8:28 ^aj).
7:11b ^ak he will make a house for you: God wanted to do infinitely more for David than David could conceive of doing for God. While David was primarily interested in projects such as building a temple, God was interested in bringing blessing to his people through one righteous dynasty of kings.
Summary for 2Sam 7:12-13: 7:12-13 ^al one of your descendants ... will build a house ... for my name: David’s son Solomon would build the Temple; David’s personal involvement in military conflict and bloodshed disqualified him from building God’s Temple (1 Chr 22:8-9 ^am).
7:14 ^an I will be his father, and he will be my son: Kings in David’s line would enjoy a special covenant relationship with God, as the whole nation of Israel did (cp. Exod 6:7 ^ao; Lev 26:12 ^ap). Jesus later became the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy (see Heb 1:5 ^aq). Paul quotes this phrase in 2 Cor 6:18 ^ar and applies it to all believers.

• If he sins, I will correct and discipline him: God would steer David’s offspring, the future kings of Israel, back onto the right track whenever they sinned. Cp. the experience of Jesus, who never sinned, yet endured God’s discipline (see Heb 4:15 ^as; 5:8 ^at; 12:1-11 ^au).
7:16 ^av for all time ... forever: God’s promises do not negate human responsibility and accountability (7:14 ^aw). Wrongdoing requires a just response from God. However, no wayward son of David could move God to withdraw his promise to preserve David’s dynasty. Although the dynasty disappeared for hundreds of years, David’s house and kingdom were renewed in Jesus Christ, the sinless descendant of David who reigns forever.