06/29/2022 – Day 122 – 2 Samuel 5 – 9 / Chapter 7 – “God’s promise to David” & “As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister.”
As Matthew Henry points out for verses 4 through 7: “A full revelation of God’s favour to David, the notices and assurances of which God sent him by Nathan the prophet. The design of it is to take him from his purpose of building the temple and it was therefore sent.
What a wonderful thing that David mentioned to Nathan: “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” (7:2) David indeed has a heart for God and God was pleased as Matthew Henry explains for his on page 335 of his commentary:
“I. David’s purpose to build God’s house is superceded. God took notice of that purpose, for he knows what is in a man; and he was well pleased with it, as appears 1 Kings, Chapter 8, verse 18, “Thou didst well that it was in thy heart”; yet he forbade him to on with his purpose (v. 5): “Shalt thou build me a house? No, those shalt not (as it explained in the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 17:4; ” there is other work appointed for thee to do, which must be done first.” David is a sweet pslamist , and he must prepare psalms for the use of the temple when it is built, and settle the courses of the Levites; but his son’s genius will better suit for building the house, and he will have a better treasure to bear the charge of it, and therefore let it be reserved for him to do. As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister.
And I am going to grab an assist for us in explaining the context of two hard passages:
First, God striking down Uzzah for grabbing the ark irreverently (2 Samuel 6-7) :
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/2-samuel-6-7.html
This is so befuddling to us, I encourage you to listen to Alistair Begg’s Sermon on this very same incident. I personally remember this live stream sermon back in the early part of last year.
https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/dreadful-moment/
I will just share with you two quote themes from that sermon:
- “The vastness of God, and the purposes of God, and the grandeur of God, and the wisdom of God are ultimately unfathomable by us.”
- “The vastness of God, and the purposes of God, and the grandeur of God, and the wisdom of God are ultimately unfathomable by us.”
Secondly, David executing two thirds of the Moabites:
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/2-samuel-8-2.html
Soli Deo Gloria!