An Everlasting House: An Exegesis Of 2 Samuel 7

By Maarten kuivenhoven

Second Samuel 7 offers a view of the covenant of grace being expanded and amplified. David purposes to build a house for Yahweh, but in turn Yahweh prohibits David from doing this and instead promises to build David’s house. The promise has ramifications for the succession of Solomon to the throne, but it also has profound implications for the Messiah to come from the Davidic line and to reign forever upon the throne of David, bringing salvation and rest to His people of every age. While the word “covenant” is not mentioned explicitly in the context of this chapter, other Scripture references do bear out the fact that this Davidic covenant was a heightening and amplification of the covenant of grace. This article is simply a brief outline and exposition of this chapter and how it unfolds the covenant of grace to David to enrich the understanding of God’s dealings with David, Israel, and subsequent generations of God’s people.

Outline

An Everlasting House

• David’s Purpose (vv. 1-3)
• David’s rest from enemies (1)
• David’s resolve for a house of the Lord (2)
• David’s ratification by Nathan the prophet (3)
• Yahweh’s Promise (vv. 4-17)
• Yahweh’s pattern (4-7)
• Yahweh’s provision (8-17
• David’s Prayer (vv. 18-29)
• David’s abasement before Yahweh (18-21)
• David’s adoration of Yahweh (22-24)
• David’s appeal to Yahweh (25-29) [1]

Exposition

This chapter opens up God’s heart and His ways with His servant David. While the argument could be made, based on the absence of the word “covenant,” that God is not making a covenant with David, the internal evidence of this chapter and the use of other passages of Scripture make it very clear that this is the establishment of the Davidic covenant. [2] Other passages of Scripture such as Psalm 89 and 2 Samuel 23:5 demonstrate clearly that Yahweh made a covenant with David amplifying the Abrahamic covenant, as the seed is revealed to a greater degree; the seed of Abraham and now of David is to be a king, but no ordinary king, because His throne will last forever. [3]

The chapter introduces David sitting in the kingly palace at Jerusalem, having received rest from all his enemies round about him. Frequently throughout the history of Israel the idea of receiving rest from enemies is highlighted. [4] The books of Joshua and Judges, for example, give prominence to this theme. Upon conquest of the land of Canaan, Joshua brought rest to the Israelites from their enemies. The judges in the book of Judges brought the people to enjoy rest from their enemies, albeit these were strictly defined locales within the Promised Land. Now David has received rest from all his enemies. Through military conquest, he has consolidated the nation of Israel and routed his enemies with the help of Yahweh. His kingdom was being prepared for Solomon, whose reign was characterized by peace. [5] Furthermore, this also strengthens the Christ-centeredness of the passage, because Christ would also receive rest from all His enemies through His finished work on the cross.

While sitting upon his throne in his palace in Jerusalem, David ponders the events that have taken place. The ark of God had been brought to Jerusalem by David and his men to rest in the Tabernacle. David lived in a permanent dwelling, but God’s presence still dwelt in a tent of curtains. David ponders this problem of God dwelling in a temporary structure. Nathan the prophet counsels David to go ahead and build a permanent dwelling for the Lord. Nathan gives David the reassurance he needs by saying, “Yahweh is with thee.”

In his sermons on 2 Samuel 7, John Calvin points the reader to the negative aspect of David’s desire to build a house for Yahweh: “We have here an act of David which was highly praiseworthy, and yet it was utterly condemned by God.” [6] Calvin goes on to say that David was too hasty in not waiting upon the Lord for further commands to build a house for the Lord. [7] The desire of David to build a temple or permanent dwelling can be better understood in light of the practices of the Ancient Near East. Robert P. Gordon gives some valuable insights in this regard:

David who is a fairly typical near eastern king in this regard, wants to crown his external achievements with the erection of a temple to Yahweh who has granted him his victories. In the ancient world, moreover, a god who lacked a proper temple was in danger of being regarded as cultically inferior…. In other countries it had long been considered the responsibility of kings both to build and to maintain the dwellings of the gods. [8]

Within this cultural backdrop, David saw the need to build a permanent dwelling place for the Lord. He makes the clear distinction between his permanent dwelling and the dwelling of the Lord literally in the midst of curtains, a reminder of Israel’s previous nomadic existence. In the end, the conclusion is that while David’s intent is upright and moral, there is no word from Yahweh to proceed with such an important endeavor, since Nathan operates based on “his own feelings and not by divine revelation.” [9]

Although Nathan initially tells David to build the house to Yahweh, that very same night the Lord appeared to Nathan and gave him different words to speak to David, words that prohibit David from building a permanent dwelling place for the Lord. The Lord begins with a question to David in verse 5, “Are you to build me a house to dwell in?” It is as if God is saying to David, “Who gave you permission to build Me a house?” God raises His objection. David is going outside the scope of God’s Word and promises. It is primarily through the word of the Lord that David receives the promises, but he has not received a word from the Lord to proceed with building the Temple. God’s word would come, but the content of that word would be to establish an everlasting house for David. God will turn the tables on David. David wanted to build a permanent structure for God to dwell in, but God would build an eternal house or dynasty for David, ending in Christ the Davidic King.

In the following verses, God gives David several reasons for His previous pattern of existence within the Israelite camp and nation. Bill Arnold notes that “Yahweh’s objection to David’s plan has historical reasons.” [10] The first such reason is that the Lord has never dwelt in a permanent residence. The Tabernacle was God’s appointed place of presence from Egypt to the very day that God was speaking with David. Yahweh is free to dwell where He pleases; He Himself commissioned the building of the Tabernacle to Moses and He will remain there. Arnold states that “Yahweh has not requested such a house. Temples were for deities who were tied down. Israel’s God cannot be manipulated or contained in a temple.” [11]

The second historical precedent in verse 7 that Yahweh uses to prevent David from building a temple is that God never commissioned any of the leaders of Israel to build Him a house of cedar. In the long history of Israel up to this point, there was never a word from the Lord to that effect. The tent of meeting that Israel used to this point symbolizes “Yahweh’s sovereign freedom.… Verses 6-7 stress the motif of the unlimited divine freedom, and this is depicted by the very obvious contrast between the movable tent-dwelling or shrine and the sumptuous localized temple.” [12]

Although Yahweh had never commissioned anyone to build Him a permanent dwelling place, He uses this opportunity to reveal His alternate plans for David. Yahweh shows His power in David’s life (vv. 8-9a). The Lord has exalted David from shepherd to king; wherever David went and whatever he did, the Lord was with him. Midway through verse 9, the author switches to the future tense and shows how that the Lord is promising to David things which must yet be fulfilled. [13] First of all, David is promised a great name like the name of the great men of all the earth. It is only through Yahweh’s strength and presence in David’s life that his name will be made great. When God makes the names of men great, He is making His own name great, though men are base and greedy and seek to take the honor to themselves. Here Yahweh reminds David where he has come from and who it is that has brought him thus far. David will be counted among the elite men of the earth, and the Bible certainly fulfills this promise, as David is mentioned nearly sixty times in the New Testament alone.

Israel is also promised a place of rest where Yahweh will plant them and establish them. Gordon draws the parallel here with Hebrews 4:9: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” [14] This is particularly important considering that future Israelites would read this in exile while awaiting a new exodus back to Canaan, the Promised Land. This rest can then be taken in the near-future sense as well as the eschatological sense, referring to the rest that awaits the people of God which will be ushered in by the Messiah who would sit upon the throne of David forever. Under the reign of David’s son, Solomon, Israel would enjoy unprecedented rest, and their enemies would no longer humble them. Under the reign of the Messiah, the people of God enjoy undisturbed rest; they will no longer tremble, and the sons of unrighteousness will not humble them. Satan, the enemy, will be forever silenced and they will not be humbled again as in the beginning. In reflecting on the phrase, “as in the beginning,” thoughts were sparked going back to Genesis where Adam and Eve were humbled by Satan, though it likely refers to the Israelites entering the Promised Land in the beginning of the conquest. It is only under the Son of David, the Prince of Peace, that the people of God enjoy true peace.

In verse 11, the Lord promises David rest from his enemies and He promises to build a house for David. David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but “God must first of all build a man’s house, before the man can build God’s house.” [15] A period of rest was required to build the house of God and God needed to first build the house of David. The right to build God’s house was reserved for David’s son, not David, as is shown in verses 12-13.

Verse 12 begins with the temporal marker “when,” indicating that the promise is made to David in the present but will be fulfilled in the future. David will not see the fruition of his plans though he has the promise in hand. He will die before he sees his house built and kingdom established and perpetuated. It is here that the heart of the Davidic covenant is revealed in such key terms as name, land, house, seed, descendants, son-ship, and relationship (vv. 9-14). [16] God is faithful to David in raising up a seed to sit upon his throne. The seed of David is not only Solomon, but all those who would follow on his throne, “but above all he [God] had in mind our Lord Jesus Christ.” [17] Gordon also hooks into Paul’s interpretation of the word “seed” in this verse, saying that it has both the corporate and, more importantly, the individual aspect of the seed, taking it to mean Christ, the Son of David. [18]

The kingdom of this throne will be established forever. This is a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:28) and a kingdom that is forever and ever (Ps. 45:6). The kingdom of David is not merely a physical kingdom but a spiritual one in which Christ, the Anointed One, greater than David, is forever seated. The son who succeeds David will build the Temple, as verse 13 indicates. Yahweh will make David’s name great but his seed will make a house for the Name of Yahweh. Again, this seed, if taken in the singular sense, refers to Christ who is the Temple of God and is building a living temple, not made with hands; but it also refers to Solomon within the context of David’s purpose in verses 1-3.

The relationship between the seed of David and Yahweh will be one of great intimacy. It will be a father-son relationship with the father chastising the son if he goes astray. [19] Yahweh and Solomon share such a close relationship but, even more than that, Christ the Son of David and God the Father enjoy this relationship to a far greater degree. David’s hopes for his throne lay in his son Solomon, but he looks beyond this as 2 Samuel 23:5 demonstrates, “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” His hope in the promised seed was not only for physical procreation, but for salvation. When Yahweh spoke these promises, David believed and understood them in the spiritual and eschatological sense, though perhaps in a limited manner.

The underlying theme of this whole chapter can be found in the word hesed or covenant loyalty, covenant faithfulness, or “mercy,” as the Authorized Version translates it. Throughout this chapter, Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness is on full display towards David and his house. This mercy will not be turned away as it was turned away from Saul and his house. The author of Samuel sets up the comparison between the house of David and the house of Saul. Christ would come from the house of David, and therefore God’s mercy would not be removed from there as it had been from Saul’s. The Davidic dynasty would be preserved through the Lord’s covenant faithfulness; “the Davidic king may be disciplined, but he will not be set aside.” [20] This covenant faithfulness to David and his seed is most apparent in the case of King Abijah or Abijam, whose heart was not with God even though he did some things right. Despite Abijam’s sin and not being right with God, 1 Kings 15:3-5 speaks of God’s covenant faithfulness to him: “And he [Abijam] walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”

Yahweh’s promises are concluded with verse 16, which repeats the theme of the kingdom of David being established forever and his throne being established forever as well. Yahweh wants David to have no doubts about building David’s royal house, a house that would last to eternity. This promise sees its fruition in the long line of kings descending from David, but ultimately sees its fulfillment in Luke 1:32-33, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” And again this promise is fulfilled upon Christ’s session and rule at the right hand of the Father in Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.”

Verse 17 operates as a transitional verse within the narrative as it closes out the promises of Yahweh to David. It sums up what the Lord has spoken to Nathan and what he in turn had spoken to David. It also shows the contrast with Nathan’s earlier involvement with David in verse 3. There Nathan simply told David to go do all that was in his heart because Yahweh was with him, but now Nathan acts as the divine mouthpiece to David. Psalm 89:19 likely refers to this occasion, according to Gordon, and it fits the occasion very well as it traces the establishment of the Davidic covenant parallel with 2 Samuel 7: “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.” [21]

Second Samuel 7:18-29 displays David’s heartfelt response to the covenant that Yahweh made with him, holding before the reader an example of worshipful prayer and praise for the faithfulness and uniqueness of Yahweh. Verse 18 sets the background in which David likely enters the Tabernacle before the Lord to abase himself, to worship and adore God for what He has promised and for who He is. [22] David has been steeped in the promises of the Lord for him and his family, promises which are his salvation (cf. 2 Samuel 23:5) and which establish his eternal throne in the Messiah. He appears before the Lord as a man humbled and abased before the awesomeness of Yahweh. He cries out, “Who am I and what is my house?” This question shows the relationship that David has to Yahweh: “it is a polite self-depreciation before a person of higher rank.” [23] It shows David’s sense of unworthiness at having received these promises, the promise of the Messiah no less proceeding from his loins and sitting upon his throne forever. David “sets that dust of the balance, I, a creature, and I, a sinner, with the great God, ‘the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity.’” [24] David is in the house of the Lord, and he contrasts this with his own present house, a house fraught with sin and internal strife as later chapters reveal. He is overcome at the holiness of the Lord and his own sinfulness, yet these words were life for David.

Calvin says beautifully of verse 19 that God deals with David in “a human fashion…. David wanted to show here that the goodness of God is all the more worthy of esteem because he comes down in such a way as to make himself familiar to us.” [25] The Lord speaks of David’s house in the future, hence David uses the term “afar off.” David’s response indicates the value and meaning he placed upon the Lord’s promise dealing with his house in the future. It was to be literally “the torah (instruction) of man,” which can be interpreted in several different ways. Both Gordon and Anderson argue that it can be taken as having ramifications for future generations and the effect would be worldwide in terms of the Messiah being promised in the Davidic covenant. [26] Another interpretation that Gordon lists is that this phrase can simply be translated as “Is this your usual way of dealing with men?” [27] This interpretation based on the Hebrew text is untenable because the Hebrew contains no interrogative.

In the context of the covenant that Yahweh makes with David, David sees by faith the future outworking of the covenant in terms of the promised Messiah and he literally is saying, “And this is the instruction/law to man.” David looks back and sees that God has worked this way with Abraham and every succeeding generation, promising a spiritual seed. God deals with man according to His “torah,” or as Walter Kaiser calls it, the “charter for humanity.” [28] In translating it this way, Kaiser sees the implications that the word “torah” has within this amplification of the covenant of grace, from Abraham onwards. He states that this charter “is nothing less than God’s plan for the whole human race. All humanity can profit from what he has just been told about his house/dynasty, kingdom, and throne.” [29] This is not a selfish statement on David’s part, but it is rather a statement that is far-reaching in its vision of God’s grace. Kaiser concludes:

David is realizing that he is getting much more than he ever could have imagined or even thought. The ancient promises that he had grown up on and had counted on as foundation of the hope of his own salvation and for the future are now being repeated to him and placed in his offspring — and there will be no termination point in its provisions. David cannot believe what is happening to him. [30]

Furthermore, Kaiser argues rightly that David is viewing this “torah” or “charter” missiologically within the covenant of grace. This promise that David receives is “to be conveyed to everyone, including all the Gentiles and nations of the earth.” [31] The gospel would indeed proceed to the ends of the earth as a result of the Messiah being born and inhabiting the throne of David—and indeed the gospel is still going forth until the consummation according to God’s covenant promises made to David upon this occasion.

David’s abasement before Yahweh is concluded in verses 20-21 before he moves into extolling Yahweh in the closing verses. David gives a glimpse into the heart of God as He deals with sinners who do not deserve His great mercy, yet receive it. David cannot add anything to the magnificent words he just heard from the Lord and he simply says, “You know your servant.” Thomas Goodwin sheds light on this, saying, “He [God] knew him indeed, and knew not only how he served him afore this covenant, but also how he would serve him.” [32] Despite all this the covenant would be fulfilled, mercy would be shown, and God’s purposes would override all of David’s sins. David concludes in verse 21 by showing how it was by God’s Word and in God’s heart to do all this and to declare it to David. David lives a Word-centered life; he recognizes that nothing operates outside of God’s authoritative Word and this Word is a reflection of what is in God’s heart.

The next three verses, 22-24, show how David extols Yahweh, magnifying His greatness and goodness. He highlights the exclusivity of Yahweh, because no one but God could give such promises and fulfill them, too. The Lord is exalted through what He has told David; He is exalted through His Word. The exclusivity of Yahweh is such that it permeates His chosen people. They, too, are incomparable upon the earth (v. 23), not through anything they have done, but through the redemption of Yahweh. In his commentary, Youngblood highlights three things that Yahweh has done for His people: redeemed them, set His Name among them, and performed great and wondrous things for them. [33] Through these things, Yahweh establishes Israel to be His people. Covenant language is prominent and echoes Exodus 6:7 and various other passages of Scripture which highlight Israel’s unique covenant relationship with an absolutely unique and awesome Yahweh.

The final verses of the chapter, verses 25-29, capture David’s appeal to the Lord for his house. Although these promises are sure because they have been spoken by the Lord Himself, David proceeds to ask for a confirmation of them. David appeals to the Lord to set the words which He has spoken to eternity. David really requests three things here of Yahweh: to set His Word to eternity and, based on that Word, to act, to make His Name great until eternity, and to establish David’s house forever. The reason for these three requests is made apparent in verse 27; Yahweh promised to build David a house. [34] Again, the contrast is highlighted between David’s initial purpose of building a house for Yahweh and now Yahweh’s building a house for him. David requests not that his own name be exalted but that God’s Name and Word and Son would be exalted forever.

The final two verses are exaltation and the final request for blessing on the part of David. He recognizes not only the faithfulness of Yahweh, but also the faithfulness and reliability of God’s own Word. Anderson makes the point that the good thing that David speaks of in this verse is synonymous with the word for covenant and that David acknowledges the covenant that the Lord makes with him here. [35] This is a firm, truthful, and faithful covenant. The final request that David has upon this true and faithful word of the Lord is that the Lord would show willingness and bless the house of David so that it will remain before God forever. This request of David is not merely a request for his throne and royal house to be blessed, but, as Calvin says, “It refers to God’s will to bring salvation to the world from the race of David.” [36]

In conclusion, David’s resolve to build a house for Yahweh is answered by the revelation that it is the Lord’s purpose to build an everlasting house and kingdom for David. Through this everlasting kingdom and throne and from the seed of David would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Blind Bartimaeus himself acknowledged the Messiah as such: “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:46ff). While the promises given to David had some immediate impact on his successor to the throne, these promises were ultimately promising to David’s line the King of kings who would sit upon David’s throne, bringing salvation and rest for all His people.

Notes

1. Paul William Tigchelaar Verhoef, “The compositional structure, canonical place, and theological significance of 2 Samuel 7” (Th.M. Thesis, Calvin Theological Seminary, 2004), 37. For a more detailed study of the structure of 2 Samuel 7, see Verhoef. He makes the main structural divisions at vv. 1-3; 4-17; 18-29. Most commentators follow the same structure for the main divisions.
2. Ronald F. Youngblood, 2 Samuel: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. by Frank Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 881.
3. Michael Grisanti, “The Davidic Covenant,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 10.2 (Fall 1999): 234-235.
4. Anderson, 2 Samuel, 116.
5. Ibid.
6. Jean Calvin, Sermons on 2 Samuel: Chapters 1-13 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1992), 295.
7. Ibid., 296.
8. Robert P. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 236-237.
9. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 341.
10. Bill T. Arnold, 1 and 2 Samuel: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text—to Contemporary Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 474.
11. Ibid.
12. Anderson, 2 Samuel, 120.
13. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel, 238.
14. Ibid.
15. Keil & Delitzsch, 1 and 2 Samuel, 344.
16. Grisanti, “The Davidic Covenant,” 246; Grisanti has a useful chart comparing the promises of the Davidic covenant made in 2 Samuel 7 and the promises of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12 and various other references. The two covenants are remarkably parallel in terms of the basic components that typify the covenant. For a more detailed explanation of the basic components see Willem Van Gemeren, The Progress of Redemption (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 104.
17. Calvin, Sermons on 2 Samuel, 326.
18. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel, 239.
19. See Matthew Henry’s comment on the rod of man and the strokes of the sons of man.
20. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel, 240.
21. Ibid., 240.
22. Anderson, 2 Samuel, 126.
23. Ibid.
24. Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas Goodwin (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006), 9:264.
25. Calvin, Sermons on 2 Samuel, 360.
26. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel, 241; Anderson, 2 Samuel, 127.
27. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel, 241.
28. Walter Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 79.
29. Ibid., 81.
30. Ibid., 79-80.
31. Ibid., 80.
32. Goodwin, The Works, 9:268.
33. Youngblood, 1,2 Samuel, 808.
34. Anderson, 2 Samuel, 128.
35. Ibid.
36. Calvin, Sermons on 2 Samuel, 399.