II
S A M U E L
CHAP. VII.
Still
the ark is David's care as well as his joy. In this chapter we have, I. His
consultation with Nathan about building a house for it; he signifies his
purpose to do it (ver. 1, 2) and Nathan approves his purpose, ver. 3. II. His
communion with God about it. 1. A gracious message God sent him about it,
accepting his purpose, countermanding the performance, and promising him an
entail of blessings upon his family, ver. 4-17. 2. A very humble prayer which
David offered up to God in return to that gracious message, thankfully
accepting God's promises to him, and earnestly praying for the performance of
them, ver. 18-29. And, in both these, there is an eye to the Messiah and his
kingdom.
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David's
Care of the
Ark.
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B. C. 1042.
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1
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD
had given him rest round about from all his enemies; 2 That the
king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but
the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. 3 And Nathan said to the
king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD
is with thee.
Here is, I. David at rest. He sat in his house (v. 1), quiet and
undisturbed, having no occasion to take the field: The Lord had given him
rest round about, from all those that were enemies to his settlement in
the throne, and he set himself to enjoy that rest. Though he was a man of war,
he was for peace (Ps. cxx. 7) and did not delight in war. He had not
been long at rest, nor was it long before he was again engaged in war; but at
present he enjoyed a calm, and he was in his element when he was sitting in
his house, meditating in the law of God.
II. David's thought of building a temple for the honour of God. He had built a
palace for himself and a city for his servants; and now he thinks of building
a habitation for the ark. 1. Thus he would make a grateful return for the
honours God put upon him. Note, When God, in his providence, has remarkably
done much for us, it should put us upon contriving what we may do for him and
his glory. What shall I render unto the Lord? 2. Thus he would improve
the present calm, and make a good use of the rest God had given him. Now that
he was not called out to serve God and Israel in the high places of the field,
he would employ his thoughts, and time, and estate, in serving him another
way, and not indulge himself in ease, much less in luxury. When God, in his
providence, gives us rest, and finds us little to do of worldly business, we
must do so much the more for God and our souls. How different were the
thoughts of David when he sat in his palace from Nebuchadnezzar's when he walked
in his! Dan. iv. 29, 30. That proud man thought of nothing but the might
of his own power, and the honour of his own majesty; this humble soul is full
of contrivance how to glorify God, and give honour to him. And how God
resisteth the proud, and giveth grace and glory to the humble, the event
showed. David considered (v. 2) the stateliness of his own habitation (I
dwell in a house of cedar) and compared with that the meanness of the
habitation of the ark (the ark dwells within curtains), and thought
this incongruous, that he should dwell in a palace and the ark in a tent.
David had been uneasy till he found out a place for the ark (Ps. cxxxii.
4, 5), and now he is uneasy till he finds out a better place. Gracious
grateful souls, (1.) Never think they can do enough for God, but, when they
have done much, are still projecting to do more and devising liberal things.
(2.) They cannot enjoy their own accommodations while they see the
church
of
God
in distress and under a cloud. David can take
little pleasure in a house of cedar for himself, unless the ark have one.
Those who stretched themselves upon beds of ivory, and were not
grieved for the affliction of Joseph, though they had David's music, had
not David's spirit (Amos vi. 4, 6) nor those who dwelt in their ceiled houses
while God's house lay waste.
III. His communicating this thought to Nathan the prophet. He told him, as a
friend and confidant, whom he used to advise with. Could not David have gone
about it himself? Was it not a good work? Was not he himself a prophet? Yes,
but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. David told him,
that by him he might know the mind of God. It was certainly a good work, but
it was uncertain whether it was the will of God that David should have the
doing of it.
IV. Nathan's approbation of it: Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the
Lord is with thee, v. 3. We do not find that David told him that he
purposed to build a temple, only that it was a trouble to him that there was
not one built, from which Nathan easily gathered what was in his heart, and
bade him go on and prosper. Note, We ought to do all we can to encourage and
promote the good purposes and designs of others, and put in a good word, as we
have opportunity, to forward a good work. Nathan spoke this, not in God's
name, but as from himself; not as a prophet, but as a wise and good man; it
was agreeable to the revealed will of God, which requires that all in their
places should lay out themselves for the advancement of religion and the
service of God, though it seems his secret will was otherwise, that David
should not do this. It was Christ's prerogative always to speak the mind of
God, which he perfectly knew. Other prophets spoke it only when the spirit of
prophecy was upon them; but, if in any thing they mistook (as Samuel, 1 Sam.
xvi. 6, and Nathan here) God soon rectified the mistake.
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God's
Covenant with David.
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B. C. 1042.
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4
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD
came unto Nathan, saying, 5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus
saith the LORD, Shalt
thou build me a house for me to dwell in? 6 Whereas I have not
dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel
out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked
in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7 In all the places wherein
I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the
tribes of
Israel, whom I commanded to feed my
people
Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a
house of cedar? 8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant
David, Thus saith the LORD
of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be
ruler over my people, over Israel: 9 And I was with thee
whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy
sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men
that are in the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place
for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of
their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict
them any more, as beforetime, 11 And as since the time that I
commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to
rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 12 And
when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set
up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and
I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be
his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him
with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul,
whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom
shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for
ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this
vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
We have here a full revelation of God's favour to David and the kind
intentions of that favour, the notices and assurances of which God sent him by
Nathan the prophet, whom he entrusted to deliver this long message to him. The
design of it is to take him off from his purpose of building the temple and it
was therefore sent, 1. By the same hand that had given him encouragement to do
it, lest, if it had been sent by any other, Nathan should be despised and
insulted and David should be perplexed, being encouraged by one prophet and
discouraged by another. 2. The same night, that Nathan might not continue long
in an error nor David have his head any further filled with thoughts of that
which he must never bring to pass. God might have said this to David himself
immediately, but he chose to send it by Nathan, to support the honour of his
prophets, and to preserve in David a regard to them. Though he be the head,
they must be the eyes by which he must see the visions of the Almighty, and
the tongue by which he must hear the word of God. He that delivered this long
message to Nathan assisted his memory to retain it, that he might deliver it
fully (he being resolved to deliver it faithfully) as he received it of the
Lord. Now in this message,
I. David's purpose to build God a house is superseded. God took notice of that
purpose, for he knows what is in man; and he was well pleased with it, as
appears 1 Kings viii. 18, Thou didst well that it was in thy heart; yet
he forbade him to go on with his purpose (v. 5): "Shalt thou
build me a house? No, thou shalt not (as it is explained in the
parallel place, 1 Chron. xvii. 4); there is other work appointed for thee to
do, which must be done first." David is a man of war, and he must enlarge
the borders of
Israel
, by carrying on their conquests. David is a sweet
psalmist, 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. The building of a temple was
to be a work of time, and preparation made for it; but it was a thing that had
never been spoken of till now. God tells him, 1. That hitherto he had never
had a house built for him (v. 6), a tabernacle had served hitherto, and
it might serve awhile longer. God regards not outward pomp in his service; his
presence was as surely with his people when the ark was in a tent as when it
was in a temple. David was uneasy that the ark was in curtains (a mean and
movable habitation), but God never complained of it as any uneasiness to him.
He did not dwell, but walk, and yet fainted not, nor was weary. Christ, like
the ark, when here on earth walked in a tent or tabernacle, for he went
about doing good, and dwelt not in any house of his own, till he ascended
on high, to the mansions above, in his Father's house, and there he sat down.
The church, like the ark, in this world is ambulatory, dwells in a tent,
because its present state is both pastoral and military; its continuing city
is to come. David, in his psalms, often calls the tabernacle a temple (as Ps.
v. 7; xxvii. 4; xxix. 9; lxv. 4; cxxxviii. 2), because it answered the
intention of a temple, though it was made but of curtains. Wise and good men
value not the show, while they have the substance. David perhaps had more true
devotion, and sweeter communion with God, in a house of curtains, than any of
his successors in the house of cedar. 2. That he had never given any orders or
directions, or the least intimation, to any of the sceptres of
Israel
, that is, to any of the judges, 1 Chron. xvii. 6
(for rulers are called sceptres, Ezek. xix. 14, the great Ruler is
called so, Num. xxiv. 17), concerning the building of the temple, v. 7.
That worship only is acceptable which is instituted; why should David
therefore design what God never ordained? Let him wait for a warrant, and then
let him do it. Better a tent of God's appointing than a temple of his own
inventing.
II. David is reminded of the great things God had done for him, to let him
know that he was a favourite of heaven, though he had not the favour to be
employed in this service, as also that God was not indebted to him for his
good intentions, but, whatever he did for God's honour, God was beforehand
with him, v. 8, 9. 1. He had raised him from a very mean and low
condition: He took him from the sheep-cote. It is good for those who
have come to great preferment to be often reminded of their small beginnings,
that they may always be humble and thankful. 2. He had given him success and
victory over his enemies (v. 9): "I was with thee whithersoever
thou wentest, to protect thee when pursued, to prosper thee when pursuing.
I have cut off all thy enemies, that stood in the way of thy
advancement and settlement." 3. He had crowned him not only with power
and dominion in
Israel
, but with honour and reputation among the nations
about: I have made thee a great name. He had become famous for his
courage, conduct, and great achievements, and was more talked of than any of
the great men of his day. A great name is what those who have it have great
reason to be thankful for and may improve to good purposes, but what those who
have it not have no reason to be ambitious of: a good name is more desirable.
A man may pass through the world very obscurely and yet very comfortably.
III. A happy establishment is promised to God's
Israel
, v. 10, 11. This comes in in a parenthesis,
before the promises made to David himself, to let him understand that what God
designed to do for him was for Israel's sake, that they might be happy under
his administration, and to give him the satisfaction of foreseeing peace upon
Israel, when it was promised him that he should see his children's
children, Ps. cxxviii. 6. A good king cannot think himself happy unless
his kingdom be so. The promises that follow relate to his family and
posterity; these therefore, which speak of the settlement of
Israel
, intend the happiness of his own reign. Two things
are promised:-- 1. A quiet place: I will appoint a place for my people
Israel
. It was
appointed long ago, yet they were disappointed, but now that appointment
should be made good.
Canaan
should be clearly their own without any ejection or
molestation. 2. A quiet enjoyment of that place: The children of wickedness
(meaning especially the Philistines, who had been so long a plague to them) shall
not afflict them any more; but, as in the time that I caused judges to be over
my people Israel, I will cause thee to rest from all thy enemies (so v.
11 may be read), that is, "I will continue and complete that rest; the
land shall rest from war, as it did under the judges."
IV. Blessings are entailed upon the family and posterity of David. David had
purposed to build God a house, and, in requital, God promises to build him
a house, v. 11. Whatever we do for God, or sincerely design to do
though
Providence
prevents our doing it, we shall in no wise lose
our reward. He had promised to make him a name (v. 9); here he
promises to make him a house, which should bear up that name. It would be a
great satisfaction to David, while he lived, to have the inviolable assurance
of a divine promise that his family should flourish when he was dead. Next to
the happiness of our souls, and the
church
of
God
, we should desire the happiness of our seed, that
those who come of us may be praising God on earth when we are praising him in
heaven.
1. Some of these promises relate to Solomon, his immediate successor, and to
the royal line of
Judah
. (1.) That God would advance him to the throne.
Those words, when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers, intimate that David himself should come to his grave in peace;
and then I will set up thy seed. This favour was so much the greater
because it was more than God had done for Moses, or Joshua, or any of the
judges whom he called to feed his people. David's government was the first
that was entailed; for the promise made to Christ of the kingdom was to reach
to his spiritual seed. If children, then heirs. (2.) That he would
settle him in the throne: I will establish his kingdom (v. 12), the
throne of his kingdom, v. 13. His title shall be clear and
uncontested, his interest confirmed, and his administration steady. (3.) That
he would employ him in that good work of building the temple, which David had
only the satisfaction of designing: He shall build a house for my name,
v. 13. The work shall be done, though David shall not have the doing of
it. (4.) That he would take him into the covenant of adoption (v. 14,
15): I will be his father, and he shall be my son. We need no more to
make us and ours happy than to have God to be a Father to us and them; and all
those to whom God is a Father he by his grace makes his sons, by giving them
the disposition of children. If he be a careful, tender, bountiful Father to
us, we must be obedient, tractable, dutiful children to him. The promise here
speaks as unto sons. [1.] That his Father would correct him when there
was occasion; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?
Afflictions are an article of the covenant, and are not only consistent with,
but flow from, God's fatherly love. "If he commit iniquity, as it
proved he did (1 Kings xi. 1), I will chasten him to bring him to
repentance, but it shall be with the rod of men, such a rod as men may
wield--I will not plead against him with the great power of God,"
Job xxiii. 6. Or rather such a rod as men may bear--"I will
consider his frame, and correct him with all possible tenderness and
compassion when there is need, and no more than there is need of; it shall be
with the stripes, the touches (so the word is) of the
children of men; not a stroke, or wound, but a gentle touch." [2.]
That yet he would not disinherit him (v. 15): My mercy (and that
is the inheritance of sons) shall not depart from him. The revolt of
the ten tribes from the house of David was their correction for iniquity, but
the constant adherence of the other two to that family, which was a competent
support of the royal dignity, perpetuated the mercy of God to the seed of
David, according to this promise; though that family was cut short, yet it was
not cut off, as the house of Saul was. Never any other family swayed the
sceptre of
Judah
than that of David. This is that covenant of
royalty celebrated (Ps. lxxxix. 3, &c.) as typical of the covenant of
redemption and grace.
2. Others of them relate to Christ, who is often called David and the Son
of David, that Son of David to whom these promises pointed and in whom
they had their full accomplishment. He was of the seed of David, Acts
xiii. 23. To him God gave the throne of his father David (Luke i. 32),
all power both in heaven and earth, and authority to execute judgment. He was
to build the gospel temple, a house for God's name, Zech. vi. 12, 13. That
promise, I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son, is expressly
applied to Christ by the apostle, Heb. i. 5. But the establishing of his
house, and his throne, and his kingdom, for ever (v. 13, and
again, and a third time v. 16. for ever), can be applied to no
other than Christ and his kingdom. David's house and kingdom have long since
come to an end; it is only the Messiah's kingdom that is everlasting, and of
the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The
supposition of committing iniquity cannot indeed be applied to the Messiah
himself, but it is applicable (and very comfortable) to his spiritual seed.
True believers have their infirmities, for which they may expect to be
corrected, but they shall not be cast off. Every transgression in the covenant
will not throw us out of covenant. Now, (1.) This message Nathan faithfully
delivered to David (v. 17); though, in forbidding him to build the
temple, he contradicted his own words, yet he was not backward to do it when
he was better informed concerning the mind of God. (2.) These promises God
faithfully performed to David and his seed in due time. Though David came
short of making good his purpose to build God a house, yet God did not come
short of making good his promise to build him a house. Such is the tenour of
the covenant we are under; though there are many failures in our performances,
there are none in God's.
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David's
Prayer for God's Blessing.
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B. C. 1042.
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18
Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD,
and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me
hitherto? 19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great
while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou,
Lord GOD,
knowest thy servant. 21 For thy word's sake, and according to
thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant
know them. 22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD
God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God
beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like
Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a
name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy
people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and
their gods? 24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people
Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and
concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast
said. 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy
servant David be established before thee. 27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I
will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray
this prayer unto thee. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast
promised this goodness unto thy servant: 29 Therefore now let it
please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever
before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD,
hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be
blessed for ever.
We have here the solemn address David made to God, in answer to the gracious
message God had sent him. We are not told what he said to Nathan; no doubt he
received him very kindly and respectfully as God's messenger. But his answer
to God he took himself, and did not send by Nathan. When ministers deliver
God's message to us, it is not to them, but to God, that our hearts must
reply; he understands the language of the heart, and to him we may come
boldly. David had no sooner received the message than, while the impressions
of it were fresh, he retired to return an answer. Observe,
I. The place he retired to: He went in before the Lord, that is, into
the tabernacle where the ark was, which was the token of God's presence;
before that he presented himself. God's will now is that men pray
everywhere; but, wherever we pray, we must set ourselves as before the Lord
and set him before us.
II. The posture he put himself into: He sat before the Lord. 1. It
denotes the posture of his body. Kneeling or standing is certainly the most
proper gesture to be used in prayer; but the Jews, from this instance, say,
"It was allowed to the kings of the house of David to sit in the temple,
and to no other." But this will by no means justify the ordinary use of
that gesture in prayer, whatever may be allowed in a case of necessity. David
went in, and took his place before the Lord, so it may be read; but, when
he prayed, he stood up as the manner was. Or he went in and continued
before the Lord, staid some time silently meditating, before he began his
prayer, and then remained longer than usual in the tabernacle. Or, 2. It may
denote the frame of his spirit at this time. He went in, and composed himself
before the Lord; thus we should do in all our approaches to God. O God, my
heart is fixed, my heart is fixed.
III. The prayer itself, which is full of the breathings of pious and devout
affection towards God.
1. He speaks very humbly of himself and his own merits. So he begins as one
astonished: Who am I, O Lord God! and what is my house? v. 18.
God had reminded him of the meanness of his original (v. 8) and he
subscribed to it; he had low thoughts, (1.) Of his personal merits: Who am
I? He was upon all accounts a very considerable and valuable man. His
endowments both of body and mind were extraordinary. His gifts and graces were
eminent. He was a man of honour, success, and usefulness, the darling of his
country and the dread of its enemies. Yet, when he comes to speak of himself
before God, he says, "Who am I? A man not worth taking notice
of." (2.) Of the merits of his family: What is my house? His house
was of the royal tribe, and descended from the prince of that tribe; he was
allied to the best families of the country, and yet, like Gideon, thinks his
family poor in Judah and himself the least in his father's house, Judg.
vi. 15. David thus humbled himself when Saul's daughter was proposed to him
for a wife (1 Sam. xviii. 18), but now with much more reason. Note, It very
well becomes the greatest and best of men, even in the midst of the highest
advancements, to have low and mean thoughts of themselves; for the greatest of
men are worms, the best are sinners, and those that are highest advanced have
nothing but what they have received: "What am I, that thou hast
brought me hitherto, brought me to the kingdom, and to a settlement in it,
and rest from all my enemies?" It intimates that he could not have
reached this himself by his own management, if God had not brought him to it.
All our attainments must be looked upon as God's vouchsafements.
2. He speaks very highly and honourably of God's favours to him. (1.) In what
he had done for him: "Thou hast brought me hitherto, to this great
dignity and dominion. Hitherto thou hast helped me." Though we should be
left at uncertainty concerning further mercy, we have great reason to be
thankful for that which has been done for us hitherto, Acts xxvi. 22. (2.) In
what he had yet further promised him. God had done great things for him
already, and yet, as if those had been nothing, he had promised to do much
more, v. 19. Note, What God has laid out upon his people is much, but
what he has laid up for them is infinitely more, Ps. xxxi. 19. The present
graces and comforts of the saints are invaluable gifts; and yet, as if these
were too little for God to bestow upon his children, he has spoken concerning
them for a great while to come, even as far as eternity itself reaches. Of
this we must own, as David here, [1.] That it is far beyond what we could
expect: Is this the manner of men? that is, First, Can man
expect to be so dealt with by his Maker? Is this the law of Adam? Note,
Considering what the character and condition of man are, it is very surprising
and amazing that God should deal with him as he does. Man is a mean creature,
and therefore under a law of distance--unprofitable to God, and therefore
under a law of disesteem and disregard--guilty and obnoxious, and therefore
under a law of death and damnation. But how unlike are God's dealings with man
to this law of Adam! He is brought near to God, purchased at a high rate,
taken into covenant and communion with God; could this ever have been thought
of? Secondly, Do men usually deal thus with one another? No, the way of
our God is far above the manner of men. Though he be high, he has respect to
the lowly; and is this the manner of men? Though he is offended by us, he
beseeches us to be reconciled, waits to be gracious, multiplies his pardons:
and is this the manner of men? Some give another sense of this, reading it
thus: And this is the law of man, the Lord Jehovah, that is, "This
promise of one whose kingdom shall be established for ever must be understood
of one that is a man and yet the Lord Jehovah, this must be the law of such a
one. A Messiah from my loins must be man, but, reigning for ever, must be
God." [2.] That beyond this there is nothing we can desire: "And
what can David say more unto thee? v. 20. What can I ask or wish
for more? Thou, Lord, knowest thy servant, knowest what will make me
happy, and what thou hast promised is enough to do so." The promise of
Christ includes all. If that man, the Lord God, be ours, what can we ask or
think of more? Eph. iii. 20. The promises of the covenant of grace are framed
by him that knows us, and therefore knows how to adapt them to every branch of
our necessity. He knows us better than we know ourselves; and therefore let us
be satisfied with the provision he has made for us. What can we say more for
ourselves in our prayers than he has said for us in his promises?
3. He ascribes all to the free grace of God (v. 21), both the great
things he had done for him and the great things he had made known to him. All
was, (1.) For his word's sake, that is, for the sake of Christ the eternal
Word; it is all owing to his merit. Or, "That thou mayest magnify thy
word of promise above all thy name, in making it the stay and store-house of
thy people." (2.) According to thy own heart, thy gracious counsels and
designs, ex mero motu--of thy own good pleasure. Even so, Father, because
it seemed good in thy eyes. All that God does for his people in his
providences, and secures to them in his promises, is for his pleasure and for
his praise, the pleasure of his will and the praise of his word.
4. He adores the greatness and glory of God (v. 22): Thou art great,
O Lord God! for there is none like thee. God's gracious condescension to
him, and the honour he had put upon him, did not at all abate his awful
veneration for the divine Majesty; for the nearer any are brought to God the
more they see of his glory, and the dearer we are in his eyes the greater he
should be in ours. And this we acknowledge concerning God, that there is no
being like him, nor any God besides him, and that what we have seen with our
eyes of his power and goodness is according to all that we have heard with our
ears, and the one half not told us.
5. He expresses a great esteem for the Israel of God, v. 23, 24. As
there was none among the gods to be compared with Jehovah, so none among the
nations to be compared with Israel, considering,
(1.) The works he had done for them. He went to redeem them, applied himself
to it as a great work, went about it with solemnity. Elohim halecu, dii
iveruni--Gods went, as if there was the same consultation and concurrence
of all the persons in the blessed Trinity about the work of redemption that
there was about the work of creation, when God said, Let us make man. Whom
those that were sent of God went to redeem; so the Chaldee, meaning, I
suppose, Moses and Aaron. The redemption of Israel, as described here, was
typical of our redemption by Christ in that, [1.] They were redeemed from the
nations and their gods; so are we from all iniquity and all conformity to this
present world. Christ came to save his people from their sins. [2.] They were
redeemed to be a peculiar people unto God, purified and appropriated to
himself, that he might make himself a great name and do for them great things.
The honour of God, and the eternal happiness of the saints, are the two things
aimed at in their redemption.
(2.) The covenant he had made with them, v. 24. It was, [1.] Mutual:
"They to be a people to thee, and thou to be a God to them; all their
interests consecrated to thee, and all thy attributes engaged for them."
[2.] Immutable: "Thou hast confirmed them." He that makes the
covenant makes it sure and will make it good.
6. He concludes with humble petitions to God. (1.) He grounds his petitions
upon the message which God had sent him (v. 27): Thou hast revealed
this to thy servant, that is, "Thou hast of thy own good will given
me the promise that thou wilt build me a house, else I could never have found
in my heart to pray such a prayer as this. I durst not have asked such great
things if I had not been directed and encouraged by thy promise to ask them.
They are indeed too great for me to beg, but not too great for thee to give.
Thy servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer;" so it is in the
original, and the LXX. Many, when they go to pray, have their hearts to seek,
but David's heart was found, that is, it was fixed, gathered in from its
wanderings, and entirely engaged to the duty and employed in it. That prayer
which is found in the tongue only will not please God; it must be found in the
heart; the heart must be lifted up and poured out before God. My son, give
God thy heart. (2.) He builds his faith and hopes to speed upon the
fidelity of God's promise (v. 25): "Thou art that God (thou
art he, even that God, the Lord of hosts, and God of
Israel, or that God whose words are true, that God whom one may
depend upon); and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant,
which I am therefore bold to pray for." (3.) Thence he fetches the matter
of his prayer, and refers to that as the guide of his prayers. [1.] He prays
for the performance of God's promise (v. 25): "Let the word be
made good to me, on which thou hast caused me to hope (Ps. cxix. 49) and
do as thou hast said; I desire no more, and I expect no less; so full is
the promise, and so firm." Thus we must turn God's promises into prayers,
and then they shall be turned into performances; for, with God, saying and
doing are not two things, as they often are with men. God will do as he hath
said. [2.] He prays for the glorifying of God's name (v. 26): Let
thy name be magnified for ever. This ought to be the summary and centre of
all our prayers, the Alpha and the Omega of them. Begin with Hallowed be
thy name, and end with Thine is the glory for ever. "Whether I
be magnified or no, let thy name be magnified." And he reckons
that nothing magnifies God's name more than this, to say, with suitable
affections, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel. This bespeaks the
God of Israel gloriously great, that he is the Lord of hosts;
and this bespeaks the Lord of hosts gloriously good, that he is God
over Israel. In both, let his name be magnified for ever. Let all
the creatures and all the churches give him the glory of these two. David
desired the performance of God's promise for the honour, not of his own name,
but of God's. Thus the Son of David prayed, Father, glorify thy name
(John xii. 28), and (John xvii. 1), Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also
glorify thee. [3.] He prays for his house, for to that the promise has
special reference, First, That it might be happy (v. 29): Let
it please thee to bless the house of thy servant; and again, with thy
blessing. "Let the house of thy servant be truly and eternally
blessed. Those whom thou blessest are blessed indeed." The care of
good men is very much concerning their families; and the best entail on their
families is that of the blessing of God. The repetition of this request is not
a vain repetition, but expressive of the value he had of the divine blessing,
and his earnest desire of it, as all in all to the happiness of his family. Secondly,
That the happiness of it might remain: "Let it be established before
thee (v. 26); let it continue for ever before thee." v.
29. He prayed, 1. That the entail of the crown might not be cut off, but
remain in his family, that none of his might ever forfeit it, but that they
might walk before God, which would be their establishment. 2. That his kingdom
might have its perfection and perpetuity in the kingdom of the Messiah. When
Christ for ever sat down on the right hand of God (Heb. x. 12), and received
all possible assurance that his seed and throne shall be as the days of
heaven, this prayer of David the son of Jesse for his seed was abundantly
answered, that it might continue before God for ever. See Ps. lxxii.
17. The perpetuity of the Messiah's kingdom is the desire and faith of all
good people.
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