Stop: God Time – Dan Teefey
Sermon text: 2 Samuel 7:1-17
- Family Fun night
- E100 Timeline – Becky and youth
- Read 2 Samuel 7:1-17
- Inspiration for sermons can come from some pretty odd places
- MC Hammer – You Can't Touch This
- Starts - “My, my, my music hits me so hard – makes me say, 'O, my Lord' – Thank you for blessing me – with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet.”
- Goes on to say, “you can't touch this” a hundred times
- My favorite line of the song is when MC Hammer even advertised the weight loss advantages to his awesome music, “this is it, for a winner, dance to this, and you're gonna get thinner.”
- And then at a couple of points after telling us how awesome he is, MC Hammer just says, “Stop, Hammer time.”
- This is where he busts out his best dance moves and shows everyone how awesome he is.
- I don't know why, but this is where my mind went to when reading our text this week.
- Story about David
- David was a righteous King of Israel and a biblical giant
- In our passage it appears that God shows up to tell David, “Stop: God time”
- And then this is the heretical part – I picture God doing an awesome dance – saying look how awesome I am
- The difference is that God really is awesome and MC Hammer isn't so much
- Before you think I am too heretical for talking about MC Hammer, don't forget another one of his hits, Pray – he says, “we got to pray, just to make it today.”
- Story about David
- Starts - “My, my, my music hits me so hard – makes me say, 'O, my Lord' – Thank you for blessing me – with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet.”
- MC Hammer – You Can't Touch This
- I do think there are three ways in our text this morning, though, that God pops into the scene and says “Stop: God time.”
- They are lessons that David need to learn and lessons we do too
- As our text begins, things are going very well for David.
- He is King of Israel
- He is successful, winning battles and the text begins with him hanging out in his plush palace not worrying about any more enemies for a while
- David then has a thought about God . . . after all he is a faithful man with a lot of resources and has a lot he could do for God
- He says to his buddy, Nathan the prophet in verse 2, “here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
- In chapter 5, we learn that David had built himself a palace and had used the best stonemasons and carpenters to build it from cedar.
- One day, David is reclining in his fancy crib and he has a thought that if he (David) has such fancy accommodations, then so should God
- And we imagine David already picturing what God's palace might look like
- Nathan initially likes the idea, “nice idea, go for it . . . God likes you.”
- In verse 3, Nathan says to David, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”
- God says, “Stop: God time.”
- After Nathan had given David his approval of the idea, Nathan heard God telling them to reconsider the idea
- NOT ALL GOOD THINGS, ARE ALWAYS GOOD THINGS TO DO
- That night God tells Nathan to tell David, “Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?”
- The implication is clearly “No” as God goes on to explain that He has been doing quite well in His tent . . .
- Remember that as the Israelites traveled they brought with them the “ark of the covenant”
- In Exodus, God instructed Moses to build an ark, which was basically a fancy golden box that the Israelites carried with them wherever they went
- Inside the box were the Ten Commandments on stone, Aaron’s rod, and manna from the dessert when the Israelites were wondering.
- Each reminders of God’s work throughout their history
- And the ark itself was for the Israelites where God dwelt, God’s very presence amongst them
- whenever the Israelites stopped moving they put the ark inside a sacred and special tent, the tabernacle
- this is the tent that David refers to that must be replaced with a palace or a temple
- Remember that as the Israelites traveled they brought with them the “ark of the covenant”
- We can understand David’s sentiments
- It is not a bad thing that David desires to build a palace for God
- Nathan the prophet affirmed this by immediately being good with the idea
- For God followers though, our question is not just should I do something good or bad, but also is this the time?
- Admittedly it is hard enough for us to choose the right thing over the wrong thing many times, but we also often face an unlimited amount of good choices we could make
- For instance, even at Riverside we offer you a lot of good things to do. Monday nights are men’s Bible study, Wednesday nights are women’s Bible study, small groups meet throughout the week, there are service opportunities, fellowship events, and so on and all these are good things
- It would be unhealthy though to do them all
- So we must discern which good thing we should be doing at different times in our lives
- NOT ALL GOOD THINGS, ARE ALWAYS GOOD THINGS TO DO
- We need to be in conversation with God about where he wants us at any given time
- David is in conversation with Nathan and it is through the two of them that God communicates His will more clearly
- For instance, even at Riverside we offer you a lot of good things to do. Monday nights are men’s Bible study, Wednesday nights are women’s Bible study, small groups meet throughout the week, there are service opportunities, fellowship events, and so on and all these are good things
- It is not a bad thing that David desires to build a palace for God
- David discovered that God did not want him building a temple for Him, but David’s son Solomon
- David listened. He did many of the preparations, but ultimately it was Solomon that built God’s first physical house
- Too often we run head first into good things forgetting to stop and ask whether it is where God wants us to be at this time
- Bible study is good, but going to Bible study 5 nights a week while your marriage is falling apart because you are always gone is not a good idea.
- Praying is good, but praying about whether you should forgive an enemy when God’s Word is clear is not a good idea.
- Spending time with other Christians is good, but ignoring all your non-Christian friends in the process is not good.
- NOT ALL GOOD THINGS, ARE ALWAYS GOOD THINGS TO DO.
- The next lesson that David learns is related to David’s motives - GOD DOES NOT NEED OUR HELP.
- God wants to use him, but God does not need him
- God says starting in verse 6, “I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day.” Later he says, “Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
- God does not need David to take care of Him
- It sounds like such an obvious point, but we often have inflated views of our roles in God’s work
- We often live as if we know what is best for ourselves and sometimes God
- David had to be reminded that he did not know what God needed and what was best for Him
- As you read this text you get the sense that David was confident and proud of his accomplishments and now wanted to God monument that he could say that He built
- God reminds David who is in control and who has been in control of his success though
- Hint: it’s is not David
- Starting at verse 8, God says, “I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.”
- It sounds like such an obvious point, but we often have inflated views of our roles in God’s work
- God does not need David to take care of Him
- God made David and gave him his success . . . and before he gets too proud of himself and what he can accomplish, he needed a reminder
- No matter how great we may think we are, GOD DOES NOT NEED OUR HELP . . . God wants to use us for His purposes, but He is not lacking anything if we don’t participate . . . He will get done what he wants whether we choose to participate or not
- I don’t think it is insignificant that when the author and Nathan refer to David, they use “king,” but when God speaks, He uses “servant”
- Like me hitting a three pointer in a Sunday afternoon pickup game and then calling Lebron James and trying to give him pointers
- Or me
- All that we accomplish, no matter how good in the eyes of the world . . . is of no significance without God
- WE NEED HIM – David is reminded that he can offer God a palace only because of what God has already done for him
- God is running the show
- Tell story of my seminary professor not willing to give help
- No matter how great we may think we are, GOD DOES NOT NEED OUR HELP . . . God wants to use us for His purposes, but He is not lacking anything if we don’t participate . . . He will get done what he wants whether we choose to participate or not
- The final lesson that David learned and that we need to understand through this passage is that GOD FOLLOWERS DO NOT BUILD LIVES, BUT ACCEPT THE LIVES GOD BUILDS FOR THEM.
- Starting in verse 11 we see a word play with the word, “house”
- David wanted to build a “house” for God made of cedar, but God says that He “himself will establish a house” through David.
- But the house that God is talking about is people.
- Verse 12 says, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from you own body, and I will establish this kingdom.”
- God goes on to say that it is David’s son that will build a physical structure for God
- But ends with saying to David in verse 16, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever.”
- David wanted to build a house for God, but God flips the story and promises to build an eternal house for David
- One commentator said of this text, “What began as an act of personal piety and royal strategy was transformed into a promise of divine and unconditional grace – a human urge for temple building gave way to the promise of a divinely constructed dynasty.”
- Verse 12 says, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from you own body, and I will establish this kingdom.”
- The ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 is Jesus.
- This moment is a turning point in the story of God
- God’s devotion to His people is not dependent upon their obedience . . . it becomes an eternal promise
- “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever.”
- God will still get frustrated and angry, but he is not going anywhere
- He will build an eternal path back to himself through Jesus Christ . . . and David will be his ancestor
- David does not design his life, God has designed it for him
- And David chooses to accept it
- God’s devotion to His people is not dependent upon their obedience . . . it becomes an eternal promise
- Starting in verse 11 we see a word play with the word, “house”
References Consulted:
Barrick, William D. “Why Was David’s Plan to Build the Temple Prohibited by God?”
Cartledge, Tony W. “A House for God and a House for David.” Word & World 23, No. 4 (Fall 2003): 395-
402.
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