2 Samuel 7:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we see David at rest. He was living in his own house, quiet and undisturbed, with no need to go out to war (2 Samuel 7:1). The Lord had given him peace on every side from the enemies who had tried to stop him from settling on the throne. David was a man of war, but he loved peace, and he was not eager for fighting (Psalm 120:7). He had not been at rest long, and he would soon be at war again, but for that moment he enjoyed peace. He was most at home sitting in his house and thinking over the law of God.

Then David began to think about building a temple to honor God. He had already built a palace for himself and homes for his servants, and now he thought about building a place for the ark. This was a thankful response to the honors God had given him. When God has done great things for us, his kindness should lead us to ask what we can do for him and for his glory. “What can I give back to the Lord?” is the right question for a grateful heart.

David also wanted to use this peaceful time well. Since he was not being called out to serve God and Israel on the battlefield, he wanted to use his thoughts, his time, and his wealth in another way. He would not waste himself in comfort, and certainly not in luxury. When God gives us rest and leaves us with less worldly work, we should do more for God and for our own souls. David’s thoughts in his palace were very different from Nebuchadnezzar’s, the king of Babylon, when he walked in his palace (Daniel 4:29-30). Nebuchadnezzar was full of pride and thought only of his own power and glory. David, by contrast, was full of concern for God’s honor. The outcome showed how God opposes the proud and gives grace and glory to the humble.

David noticed the difference between his own home and the ark’s dwelling. He lived in a house of cedar, but the ark stayed in curtains (2 Samuel 7:2). That seemed wrong to him. He had been uneasy until he found a place for the ark before (Psalm 132:4-5), and now he was uneasy again until he could find a better place. Grateful hearts never think they have done enough for God. Even after doing much, they still want to do more and plan generous things. They also cannot fully enjoy their own comforts while they see God’s church in trouble. David could not enjoy his cedar house if the ark had no better home. People who lived in fine houses but did not care about Joseph’s suffering, though they had David’s music, did not have David’s spirit either (Amos 6:4, Amos 6:6).

David then shared this thought with Nathan the prophet, his trusted friend and adviser. Could David have started the work himself? It was a good work, and he was a prophet too. Yes, but wise counsel is still valuable, and safety is found in many advisers. David wanted Nathan to help him understand God’s mind. The plan was surely good, but it was not yet clear whether it was God’s will for David himself to build it.

Nathan approved of the idea and told him, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you” (2 Samuel 7:3). David had not fully explained his plan, only his grief that no temple had yet been built, but Nathan quickly understood what was in his heart and encouraged him. We should do all we can to support good plans in others and speak a good word when we can to help a good work move forward. Nathan was speaking from himself here, not directly as God’s messenger. He was speaking as a wise and godly man, and his advice fit God’s revealed will, which calls all people to do what they can for religion and the service of God. Yet God’s hidden purpose was different, and David would not be the one to do this work. Christ alone always spoke God’s mind perfectly, because he knew it fully. Other prophets spoke God’s message only when the Spirit of prophecy was upon them, and if they made a mistake, as Samuel did (1 Samuel 16:6) and Nathan did here, God soon corrected it.