- God’s plan is always the better choice, whether we believe it or not, writes Matt Friedeman.
Last weekend I was given a preaching assignment, to speak on 2 Samuel 7 – The Davidic Covenant. As the passage begins, David is uncomfortable with the thought that he resides in a palace, but God dwells in a tent. He proposes building a house for the Lord, and the prophet Nathan initially concurs with this idea.
But God has other plans, bigger plans. And that night He gives Nathan a message for David.
David and his family will play a major role in God’s plan. Nonetheless, the path forward will be God’s way, not David’s. David’s proposal was based on simple common sense; God has transcendent knowledge. And God’s plan is always the better choice, whether we believe it or not.
In the ensuing years, both David and his family didn’t always live like they believed God’s way was best. You can read all about it in the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel David is told, basically, that a Temple will be built…just not by him. Timing is everything with God, and this causes some discomfort. But as the Dottie People’s song reminds us, “He’s an on-time God, yes He is…He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time, He’s an on-time God, yes He is!”
Scripture elsewhere confirms that David’s descendants would experience blessing to the degree that they walked in obedience to God. But as 1 Samuel 7 infers regarding Solomon, choosing to disobey and go their own way will position them for the rod of God’s discipline rather than the blessing He desires to bestow. The same is true for us, of course. We have the choice to position ourselves for the blessing of God’s presence and provision as we submit ourselves – our money, our sexuality, our relationships, our churches, our families – to Him. When we choose to live contrary to His Word, we will reap the inevitable consequences.
David is told that his house and his kingdom will be…forever. Extraordinary stuff for a kid who, just a few years prior, was a lowly shepherd. One of my friends was converted while reading Ecclesiastes. The key word in that book is the Hebrew hebel – meaningless, empty, vanity, temporary. The opposite of forever!
Explains this friend, “I had just won my umpteenth swimming meet and initially I felt great. But within a few hours, the euphoria was gone and it all felt vacuous.” Then he read Ecclesiastes, which repeatedly emphasizes the emptiness experienced by a king who had it all – the treasures of kings and provinces, women, land, houses…”all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.” Yet despite his power and possessions, he laments, hebel. My friend’s spirit resonated with the teacher of Ecclesiastes; he, too, felt empty, vacuous. As a result, he repented from a life centered on transient earthly accomplishments to a future filled with God and His everlasting purposes. Hebel is fleeting, temporary. A life of covenant with God endures forever.
While David couldn’t have known it in 2 Samuel, the covenant God established with him points straight to Jesus. Even 3000 years later, the Son of David is saying to us: I bled and died that you might know Me, embrace Me, follow Me, work for Me. The covenant that I offer you today is for YOUR benefit. It is an UNCONDITIONAL promise; it is forever. It is based on my lovingkindness and mercy towards you.
Want to enter in?
