The writer approaches this lesson and those which follow the focus on the Jewish temple with concern. The concern is not for his points. Were that the concern, he would not write the lessons. His concern is this: the point will be misunderstood.
Any time serious students are challenged to think in legitimate ways [new to them], there is the danger that (1) they will react rather than think; (2) they will defend past convictions rather than reflect on unconsidered information; or (3) they will make extreme [and scripturally indefensible] applications of their new insights.
Perhaps the most prudent way to begin is with affirmations. (1) The "permanent" temple in Jerusalem was good, spiritually producing many godly blessings in Israel. (2) Obedience is primarily complying with declared instructions from God. (3) In concern for accurately following God's will, first we must focus on God's declared instructions. (4) Humans must not substitute their desires for God's instructions.
After spending a few years running from King Saul, David entered a period of prosperity and peace when (1) he became King of the entire nation [Judah and Israel] and (2) successfully made Jerusalem the political capital of the nation.
This was a complex time in Israel's history. At the beginning of David's reign over the entire nation, (1) civil war just ended and (2) the Philistines were a formidable foe who threatened the nation's existence. David wished to do two primary things: (1) unite [including strengthening] Israel as a nation and (2) establish God's rule in Israel. In David's time prior to being King of the nation, Israelite spiritual devotion to God [under King Saul and immediately previous to Saul's rule] was at best questionable. Among the reasons David prevailed was the fact that God was unquestionably first in David's life. As King, David wanted God to be unquestionably first in the nation.
To achieve his political goal of strengthening the nation and his religious goal of honoring God, David did two things that effected Israel for centuries. First, politically he made Jerusalem the new capital of the nation. This city had never been a part of Israelite territory. It was not one of Israel's cities. It was not one of Judah's cities. It was not King Saul or King Ishboseth's capital. It was not David's capital (Hebron). It was near the border between Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah. No one in the nation had an advantage! No one could say that David favored one division or tribe over another. Jerusalem was a new capital in a new place which was not controlled by Israelite rule previously. Thus to all Israel, the new capital was a neutral site.
Second, David wished to make Jerusalem the nation's religious center. Thus, politically, all Israelites came to Jerusalem concerning national matters. AND when the nation assembled at "the place God caused His name to dwell" (see Deuteronomy 12 with focus on verse 5 and also 16:16) for a national religious gathering, the site would be Jerusalem. The initial choice of Jerusalem to serve these two purposes was David's, not God's.
The trigger that put David's desire in motion religiously was David's palace. David thought it was inappropriate for him to live in a cedar palace while God's ark resided in a tent. If God was King of Israel, the ark's residence should reflect God's position just as David's palace reflected his position.
The primary point of 2 Samuel 7 is this: "David, you are not taking care of Me. I am taking care of you. I am not dependent on you to make Me a house. I am going to make you a house." God did not look to David to establish Him by building Him a temple. Instead, He would make a dynasty of rulers from David's descendants. David would not establish God, but God would establish David.
However, there is also a secondary point. The progression: (1) David felt it was inappropriate for him to live in a palace and God's ark to reside in a tent. (2) Nathan, the prophet, told David to do as he wished because the Lord was with him. (3) God gave Nathan a message to take to David. In the message was this: "I, God, always have established My presence in Israel [from the time Israel left Egypt] in a tent. I never requested any Israelite to build Me a permanent temple. Why do you, David, presume you are the one to build Me a permanent temple?" (2 Samuel 7:5-7).
Before you quickly condemn David for his palace/temple concern, read Haggai 1:3-11. God did not appreciate the people caring for themselves well while neglecting His house [the temple].
There are some obvious lessons we can learn from David's desire to build God a temple. (1) Sometimes our religious concerns are more focused on reactions to our conscience than to God's desires. (2) What may be a priority concern for us may not be a concern to God. (3) God knows our motives and takes the motives of those focused on Him into consideration. (4) God is never dependent on us to care for Him. (5) We, even in what we regard our strongest moments, always are dependent on God [the core issue is not what we do for God but what God does for us].
In the writer's past, he was taught never was God influenced by the desire of humans--even godly humans. Obedience always was a simple matter: do what God says, nothing more or less. Anything other than doing what God instructs is evil.
Yet, here is a godly man [not a perfect man!] who did something God did not request, and God did not condemn David for his desire to honor God.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 9