Thread


2 Samuel 7:1-17
1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.”
3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Bible study is the continuity and cohesiveness of the story. All of the stories are interconnected to create one large story – the Meta narrative. The chapter we read today from 2 Samuel is one of the pivot points in that Meta narrative. Here we see the thread of God’s redemptive action flowing through the lives of His people, bring us a Savior. Back in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are promised that God will send a Redeemer to pay for their sin. A few thousand years later, Abraham is promised that he will be the father of God’s people; the progenitor of a nation. Now, David is promised that one of his off-spring will be the ultimate King; the One through whom salvation comes. And finally, in the Gospels we see the fulfillment of that promise as Jesus is born a baby and dies a horrible death for our sin. Finally, in the Revelation, that Savior returns to take us all home with Him just as He promised. The thread that begins in Genesis flows through our story for today and right into our very lives in 2011.

(On a side note – God is speaking both about David’s immediate descendants and about the coming Savior at the same time. Clearly, Jesus did not commit any iniquity as is indicated in verse 14, but David’s children and grandchildren did.)

As we read the Bible, it is always interesting to look for that golden thread, that unifying factor that is always there. God is not making up this story as He goes along. No, this story has had plan and purpose from the very beginning. There are some in Christendom who would teach that God has had to make a few mid-course corrections in his plan. (Word of Faith movement.) This is not the case. Scriptures are very clear that God’s plan has been in place since the very beginning and He is patiently putting all of the pieces in place so that His will is played out exactly the way He has always wanted it to be and has always known it would be! You are a part of that plan. Before the foundation of time, God knew that you would be inside of His kingdom and He planned accordingly, just for you. While this is sometimes difficult to understand, it is the truth. You are and always were a part of God’s plan!

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