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2 Samuel 7:25–29
“Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. So let Your name be magnified forever” (vv. 25–26a).
David, still overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace to him, finally tries to compose his thoughts into a petition. The words seem disjointed and David’s thought process is difficult to follow, but certain themes emerge as we consider them closely.
At first glance, David seems to be urging God to fulfill His promises for his own good. Verses 25, 26, and 29 all contain statements in which David urges God to do just what He has said He will do. There is certainly nothing wrong with longing for the blessings that will come when God fulfills His promises to us. In fact, the promises of God are given to support our hope. But it would be wrong for believers to long for the fulfillment of God’s promises out of a desire for selfish gain. In this, David is an excellent model for us. He shows by his words in this passage that he is not eager for God to carry out His word simply for his benefit or that of his family. He has other hopes, greater hopes.
The first is that God will be glorified in the fulfillment of these great promises. David says, “So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.'” As God establishes and maintains David’s line on the throne of Israel for centuries upon centuries, culminating with the coronation and enthronement of David’s descendant Jesus Christ, the world will be given a powerful demonstration that the God of Israel is the one true God. These great providences will reveal His power and grace to those in the watching world who have eyes to see, and David wishes for this above all.
Second, David wants to see his descendants continue in faithfulness to God. “Let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever,” he prays. This is a request that God will guard the steps of David’s descendants and never let them wander far from His way, that they might never forfeit the crown, as Saul did. David actually repeats this petition, which is “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,” Matthew Henry writes.
Thus, God establishes His covenant with David, pledging to establish his line as a great dynasty and to achieve the redemption of His people through one of David’s descendants and successors.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
It is God’s intention to pour out blessings on His people that exceed anything we can imagine (1 Cor. 2:9). Look for these blessings in faith and hope, but also with a heavy heart for those who stand to miss out on them. Tell the Good News of redemption through David’s son, Jesus, that unbelievers might be saved and God glorified.
For Further Study
- Matt. 8:12
- Luke 13:28
- 1 Cor. 6:9–10
- Eph. 2:12