2 Samuel 7:1-8:18
David had a great idea, a noble thought, to build a Temple for the glory of God. Rather than this relatively tiny Tabernacle tent, wouldn’t it be great to construct something beautiful for the LORD? David shared his idea with Nathan who immediately gives him the thumbs up. But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and revealed that it wasn’t His will for David to build the Temple.
Our “ideas” may seem to make sense and may even come from a heart of proper motives, but it’s important to pray about everything and check-in with the LORD. Later David would reveal the reason God didn’t allow him to build the Temple:
1 Chronicles 28:3 (NKJV) “But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’”
Because David was a man of war, God chose to have his son, Solomon build the Temple (Solomon’s name is rooted in peace). David was allowed to gather the materials, and give the vision, but it would be Solomon who would have the privilege of building the “House of the LORD.”
God didn’t allow David to build him a house, but God promised to build David a “house.” David’s descendants would sit on the throne of the kingdom and through His lineage would come one day come the Christ who would rule forever! Wow! What a promise!
I love David’s response, he never takes a sliver of the glory for all the gracious good God had granted him.
2 Samuel 7:18 (NKJV) “Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?’”
Do you ever feel that way? I know I do. God has been so gracious in saving us, in blessing us, and in using our lives. Who am I? Who are we?
David goes on to share that it’s not about who we are…it’s all about who He is. Isn’t that a better “thought?”
2 Samuel 7:22 (NKJV) “Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
And it’s for that reason we read of David’s armies leading Israel to victory over all the surrounding nations in 2 Samuel 8. David was able to accumulate the treasures that would be needed to make the Temple. I’m so blessed that David took these spoils of gold and silver and dedicated them to God (2 Samuel 7:11). He didn’t hoard it, spend it on himself.
The key to his victory is stated twice:
2 Samuel 8:6b (NKJV) “…So the LORD preserved David wherever he went.”
2 Samuel 8:14 (NKJV) “…And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.”
He will do the same for us, the LORD will preserve us as we fight the LORD’s battles (1 Samuel 25:28). Not only that, David is a picture of Christ. When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we were drafted into Jesus’ army. Stick with Him and you’re guaranteed to get the victory – every time!
John 14:15-31
One of the most important truths – intended to comfort the hearts of the Apostles is the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Jesus was “leaving,” but He would not leave them orphans. He would come to them. As we read this section of John, we realize that somehow in a divinely mysterious way, all three members of the Godhead would be with them, and us, as Christians…God would live in us (14:17, 23).
It’s important to notice the prepositions in John 14:17.
John 14:17 (NKJV) “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells WITH you and will be IN you.”
Jesus told His followers that the Holy Spirit was “with” them. But the day would come when the Holy Spirit would dwell “in” them. This happens when a person is saved (born-again) our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).
Jesus told His followers that this was going to happen, that the Holy Spirit would be IN them; something which took place in John 20:22, when He breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
But there’s one more preposition which is critical to understand. We read it in the following passages:
Luke 24:49 (NKJV) “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father UPON you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come UPON you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Three prepositions explaining the different “positions” of the Holy Spirit
With (prior to Salvation as Christians)
In (at the moment of Salvation)
Upon (more than Salvation) when the Spirit comes upon us, baptizing us and filling us with His power over sin, and His power to serve (Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:1-4; 4:8; Ephesians 5:18). Pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon you (Luke 11:13).
The Holy Spirit helps us, He teaches us, and He would be the One to bring to remembrance the things Jesus said, so the Apostles could write the Bible and lead them into “all” truth (John 16:13).
As we read through this section we read repeatedly about this love relationship between us and God (ponder that for a moment). If I love Him, I’ll obey Him (John 14:15, 21) and God, in His love will reveal more and more of Himself to me. That’s what happens when we deepen our love-relationship with God.
Jesus was trying to tell His followers (including us) that He would never leave them alone (as orphans). They had the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to be with them/us, always. This truth should bring peace to our lives, a perfect peace (not just a piece of peace) that’s the peace that Jesus gives us.
John 14:27 (NKJV) “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Isn’t that a beautiful passage? I pray that no matter what you’re going through, you would fix your eyes on Jesus, and sense His perpetual presence with you through the trials, the struggles, and the pain. Don’t be afraid my friend, He’s working out a good, good plan.
Psalm 119:33-48
I’m a firm believer in the power of God through His Word (the Bible). I’ve heard stories, and have actually met people who were healed of mental illness, by simply saturating themselves in the Scriptures. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, and isn’t it interesting that it’s ALL about the Bible? All but 5 of the 176 verses mention the Scriptures in one way or another.
The Psalmist asks God to teach Him the word, and he would keep it “to the end.” (Psalm 119:13). He asked for understanding to observe it with His “whole heart” (Psalm 119:14).
Other verses that stood out to me in this section:
Psalm 119:36 (NKJV) ”Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness.”
This is a great prayer to pray! That God would “incline” our hearts towards His Word. There are many who don’t have a hunger for the Bible, we can pray this passage for them and we can also pray this for ourselves, that God would give us even MORE of a hunger for His Word!
The second part of the prayer is that God would turn our hearts away from covetousness. Covetousness has a way of occupying our minds, our hearts, and our lives, distracting us and filling us with the junk food of the world, usually, to the point that we’re not hungry for God’s soul food (the Bible).
Psalm 119:37 (NKJV) ”Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.”
The above passage should be near every television, every mobile phone, every iPad and computer, it should be stamped on every heart. Be careful little eyes, what you see, what you behold. The enemy can ruin us with lies to our eyes, while God will use His Word to revive our lives.
Psalm 119:45 (NKJV) “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.”
When a person stands on and understands the Scriptures, they will be free. Free from the power and penalty of sin, free from religion, free to obey, free from any man-made mandates that can potentially weigh us down or even bring us into bondage. Jesus said:
John 8:32 (NKJV) “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Proverbs 15:33
The NIV translates it this way, “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.”
In this translation we hear a wise word from wise people, it’s fairly simple – fear the Lord and stay humble.
The phrase, the “Fear of the Lord” is found 14 times in the Proverbs; it’s critical for wisdom! For those of us who have read the Bible over the years, who have been walking with Christ as Christians for an extended period of time, we can attest to the power of this combination, can’t we? To fear God…and to stay humble. Amen!
If you have any questions or comments on today’s reading, or you’d like to share something the Lord showed you, feel free to leave a reply below. I’d love to hear from you as we grow forward in 2021.