The Bible Says
2 Samuel 7:1-7 Meaning

There is a parallel scripture of 2 Samuel 7:1-7 in 1 Chronicles 17:1-6.

While David is in his house enjoying a season of rest from his enemies, he decides that it would be good to build a permanent house for the ark of the LORD, but God has other plans of His own.

Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains” (vv 1-2).

The expression Now it came about indicates a change in circumstances from how things had been occurring. The sentence continues by describing when and how the circumstances had changed.

The setting and situation changed when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies.

In this passage, the king refers to King David, the son of Jesse. At this point in his life, David is the king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4) and its two tribes and he is king of Israel and its ten tribes (2 Samuel 5:1-5, 1 Chronicles 11:1-3). David is king of the United Kingdom of Israel because all twelve tribes have united under his reign.

The change in circumstance came about when King David lived in his house. The expression his house likely refers to the king’s palace. Until now, David had not been able to spend much time in his house or even the city because he had either been a refugee from King Saul and his jealously and wrath against David, or because he was in the middle of a war campaign against Israel’s enemies-the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17-25), the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1, 17, 2 Samuel 3:18), and the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-7). Instead of living in his house, David was often living in caves, the hills, or a tent.

The expression when the king lived in his house indicates that the king’s palace, which was constructed with cedar from Tyre (2 Samuel 5:11), had been completed. And that the king and his family were now living in it. The king’s house was located in the city of Jerusalem, which David had captured from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-7, 1 Chronicles 11:4-7).

The reason the king was able to live in his house is because the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies. This indicates there was a considerable period of respite from the active threats upon David’s life and the political prosperity of his kingdom. By most measures, David’s life from the time Samuel anointed him king until now was one of constant warfare against one enemy to another.

Now, the LORD had given King David a season of rest against all his enemies. And it was this season of rest that was the change in circumstance.

It was during this season of rest while he was living in his house, that King David suggested an idea to the prophet Nathan to consider.

Nathan was a prophet of the LORD who advised and counseled King David and later Solomon. This is the first mention of Nathan the prophet in scripture. Nathan will also:

• Deliver the Davidic Covenant
  (2 Samuel 7:4-17)

• Rebuke David for his sin with Bathsheba
  (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

• Anoint Solomon as king
  (1 Kings 1:11-40)

• Write about David’s reign
  (1 Chronicles 29:29)

King David said to Nathan: See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.

The first observation the king made was that he now dwells in a luxurious house made of cedar. The king’s second observation was that the ark of God still dwells within a tent made of curtains.

The ark of God was a sacred chest constructed according to God’s command, overlaid with gold, and housing the stone tablets of the covenant, Aaron’s rod, and a jar of manna (Exodus 25:10-22; Hebrews 9:4). The ark symbolized God’s presence and holiness. It was so sacred that touching it improperly resulted in death. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, a man named Uzzah was struck dead by the anger of the LORD when he touched the ark to keep it from falling off the cart (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

By stating these two observations to the prophet, the king was acknowledging that it seemed out of place or inappropriate for him to dwell in a luxurious well-built house made of expensive cedar while the ark of God is housed inside a tent made of curtains.

The expression tent curtains referred to the tabernacle (v 6).

The LORD commanded Moses to build a tabernacle to house the ark of God and the other holy objects. God gave Moses the blueprints and instructions for how the tabernacle was to be constructed (Exodus 25:8-9). The tabernacle was an elaborate tent made of gold, other fine materials, and curtains. This tent could be packed up and relocated as the Israelites wandered through the wilderness for 40 years.

The tabernacle was considered God’s house on earth and was the center of Israel’s worship. After Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land, the tabernacle was stationed at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) but it was relocated several times during the period of the judges and may have fallen out of use. David had the tabernacle set up in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17).

To learn more about the tabernacle, see The Bible Says article “The Temple.”

When David observed to Nathan how he lived in a house made of cedar while the ark of God was in a tent, the king was suggesting to the prophet that a more permanent temple be constructed for the ark of God to dwell in.

Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you” (v 3).

Nathan seems to have understood the king’s suggestion to have a permanent temple built to house the ark of God. And what is more, the prophet gave King David his approval, for he told him to Go and do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you.

What was in King David’s mind was to build a temple to replace the tabernacle, and Nathan told the king to put that idea into action. The prophet Nathan assured the king that the LORD was with him as a way to say that God approved of David’s idea and that David would have God’s blessing if he were to act on what was in his mind.

But it seems that these were only Nathan’s personal thoughts and sentiments, because in the same night, God spoke to Nathan, revealing a different plan:

But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?” (vv 4-5).

The LORD communicated to the prophet Nathan through His word the same night King David told the prophet of his idea to build a house for the ark of God. The LORD gave Nathan a message to Go and say to the king.

God referred to the king as: My servant David.

This is significant because this description places David in the same category as illustrious figures such as Abraham (Genesis 26:24), Moses (Numbers 12:7), and Job (Job 1:8, 2:3). The LORD will also refer to Jesus the Messiah as “My Servant” in the prophecies of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1, 49:6, 52:13, 53:11).

God’s reference to David as My servant also indicates that the LORD is not angry with David for wanting to build a more permanent structure for the ark. God loves David and He approves of him as His servant.

David served the LORD as a servant would do. He was a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). God was the One who established David as king (1 Samuel 16:12-13, 2 Samuel 5:12, Psalm 89:20-21). And David owed his position entirely to God who elevated him from shepherd (1 Samuel 16:11) to national hero (1 Samuel 18:7) to the throne. David sought to do as God would have him act (1 Samuel 23:2, 2 Samuel 2:1, Psalm 25:4-5). David humbly obeyed the LORD’s commands and submitted himself to follow God’s leading (1 Samuel 24:6).

The message the word of the LORD gave to the prophet Nathan to go and say to David began with a prophetic declaration, Thus says the LORD, to indicate to David that the words Nathan was about to say to him were not his own words-but that they were the LORD’s words.

When Nathan delivered this message, he was not acting as a counselor or adviser to the king as he was when he previously said to David to: Go, do all that is in your mind. But rather, Nathan was now speaking as a prophet of the LORD. Therefore, the message he delivered was not advice for the king to consider but a divine message for the LORD’s servant to carefully heed.

There are two parts to the word of the LORD’s message to King David.

The first part of the LORD’s message is contained in this passage, 2 Samuel 7:5-7, which describes God’s response to King David’s desire to build the temple.

The second part of the LORD’s message is found in 2 Samuel 7:8-17, which describes the Davidic covenant.

After this prophetic declaration, the message opened with a rhetorical question for King David. The question the LORD asked David was:

Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?

The LORD asks His servant, David, to consider if he might not be the one who should build God’s temple or house. (In Hebrew, the temple is called the "Beit Hamikdash" which means "the holy house").

God’s question could be understood to mean: “Who are you [David] that you should build a house for Me [God]?”

This rhetorical question indicates that the LORD did not want David to do this. The parallel account of the LORD’s message in 1 Chronicles explicitly states God’s intentions via a command rather than the implications of rhetorical questions.

“Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in.”’”
(1 Chronicles 17:4)

It seems that even though God may have approved of His servant David and his desire to build a house for the LORD, that God did not want David to be the one to build it.

The LORD’s house was not for David to build.

The LORD then seems to qualify His own rhetorical question with historical context:

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle (v 6).

The LORD pointed out that He has never dwelt in any earthly house. Ever since the day God first heard the sons of Israel’s prayers and delivered them from slavery in Egypt He has not dwelt in a permanent house. Since that time the LORD’s presence and glory on earth have been moving about in a tent-the tabernacle.

After Israel escaped Egypt, the LORD commanded the Israelites to construct a tabernacle (a large tent) as “a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among [the people]” (Exodus 25:8). The LORD gave Moses detailed instructions for its pattern, furniture, and construction (Exodus 25:9).

Israel obeyed the LORD’s commands and built Him this tabernacle as His sanctuary among them. And the Book of Exodus concludes with the glory of the LORD coming to fill the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34),

“For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.”
(Exodus 40:38)

Throughout Israel’s journeys in the wilderness, the tabernacle followed the LORD’s glorious presence.

It is interesting that the Bible covers the creation of the world in a couple of chapters, but spends sixteen chapters on the design and construction of the tabernacle and related items. This underscores its importance, and what it can teach us. As the book of Hebrews states, it is a copy of true things in heaven (Hebrews 9:23-24).

The LORD recalled for David how He had dwelt not in a permanent house but a tent since He rescued Israel and that He had never once asked for any prophet, judge, or king of Israel to build Him a permanent house.

The word of the LORD followed up this historical context with another rhetorical question, saying:

Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?” (v 7).

The LORD asked David to consider how throughout all this time and the many places He has gone with all the sons of Israel from Moses until now, how He has never spoken a single word in His commandments to His people about building Him an ornate and permanent house. Never once has God asked His people: “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”

The LORD’s rhetorical questions appear to point toward two things:

1. God is pleased with David for wanting to serve Him with his whole heart by building a house for the ark of God.
   
   This is affirmed by the LORD’s blessing which He pours out on David in the Davidic Covenant to establish his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:8-16).
   
   
2. God does not want David to be the one to build His house.
   
   This is affirmed by 1 Chronicles 17:4.

The first thing the LORD’s questions point toward is God’s delight in David.

The LORD approves of David, calling him: My servant. This indicates how God is not upset with David for his desire to serve the LORD by doing something extravagant to honor Him.

But David’s desire to build the LORD a house is about honoring God, not the king who would build it. David is humble. He asked and sought godly counsel from the prophet Nathan about building the temple, rather than presuming that it was something he should do without consulting wise and godly men.

David’s discussion with Nathan (and his obedience later) demonstrates that he is willing to set aside what is in his mind in submission to God’s will. David will not build a house for the ark if God does not want him to. Above all, David wishes to honor God.

David’s desire to build a permanent home for the ark went above and beyond what the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel to do for Him. God had never condemned and was never upset with anyone in Israel for having not built Him a house of cedar to dwell in. The fact that David wished to build God’s house anyway appears to demonstrate his genuine heart for the LORD. David is not superficial or legalistic in his love and service for God. David is an authentic servant of God.

The second point about the LORD’s rhetorical questions is that even though God is pleased with His servant David’s heart and desire to build a house for the ark, God does not want David to be the person to build this temple. (See 1 Chronicles 17:4.)

While the LORD’s rhetorical questions in 2 Samuel 7:4-7 point to His divine desire for someone other than David to be the one to build His temple, other Biblical evidence make explicitly clear that it was not God’s will for David to build the temple.

David would later tell his son, Solomon, why God did not want him to build the temple:

“My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.’”
(1 Chronicles 22:7b-8)

David also told the assembly at Jerusalem:

“But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’”
(1 Chronicles 28:3)

In both accounts from Chronicles, David states that the main reason for why God did not want him to be the one to “build a house to/for My name” (1 Chronicles 22:8, 28:3) was because David was “a man of war” (1 Chronicles 28:3) who has “shed so much blood” (1 Chronicles 22:8).

From this we may surmise that God was not like the pagan gods. The pagan gods were transactional. The false gods of paganism promised physical outcomes in exchange for devotion. The pagan gods said “serve me and I will give you what you want”-children, a good harvest, prosperity, victory in battle, etc.

God was not like that.

By telling King David to not build His temple because David was a man of bloodshed and war, the LORD may have been saying: “I do not want anyone to mistake that I demand this sort of pagan religious transactional relationship-i.e. ‘build me a house’ and I will win you battles.” Another version of this type of religious transactional relationship is: “I will honor God so that He will keep doing what we want Him to do for us.”

God is not religiously transactional like this. He is not bought, bribed, or mocked (Deuteronomy 10:17, Job 41:11, Romans 11:35-26, Galatians 6:7). God is beholden to no one, but Himself (Psalm 115:3, 2 Timothy 2:13b).

As Samuel told King Saul, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). God desires His people to follow His ways, which is for their good. He is not seeking anything to fill a need. He is seeking the benefit of those whom He created (Deuteronomy 10:13).

God is sovereign. His plans and timings are His own. Even though David had good intentions, God had a greater purpose that went beyond David’s desire to be the one to build the temple. This demonstrates how God’s will, not human ambition, determines the fulfillment of His purposes, even when human intentions are good.

God wanted a king whose reign was marked by one of peace-not bloodshed-to be the one who would build His house. As we will see, God wanted David’s son, Solomon (whose name is associated with “peace”), to be the one to build His house (2 Samuel 7:12-13a, 1 Chronicles 28:6).

In summary, God did not allow David to build the temple because:

1. God had not commanded it.
   (2 Samuel 7:6-7)
   
   
2. God is sovereign-His will, not human ambition, accomplishes His objectives.
   (Psalm 3310-11, Proverbs 19:21, Isaiah 46:10)
   
   
3. God’s plan was for David’s offspring to build it.
   (2 Samuel 7:12-13)
   
   
4. David was a warrior king and a man of war who had shed much blood.
   (1 Chronicles 22:8, 28:3)
   
   
5. God did not wish to be misunderstood as being like the transactional pagan gods.
   (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Samuel 15:22)
   
   
6. The temple was to be built during a time of peace under David’s son, Solomon.
   (1 Chronicles 22:9-10)

The word of the LORD continued to be given to Nathan to deliver to David in the next passage (2 Samuel 7:8-17). And the continuation of this message contains an important prophecy that would greatly affect King David, his family, and the entire world into eternity.