“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” is a famous Vietnamese proverb.
David is considered to be the greatest King of Israel's history who lived around 1060-970 BC. He has led the nation after being chosen as successor to King Saul who failed in his leadership and in his obedience to God. David was only a teenager, about 15 years old while tending his father's sheep as a shepherd boy that he was called and anointed as king by prophet Samuel. He ruled the nation of Israel for forty years (I Kings 2:11) until his death at age 70 in 970 BC. In the Books of Samuel, David gains fame first as a musician and later as a warrior by killing the giant Goliath. David becomes a favorite of the first king of Israel, Saul, and forges a close friendship with Jonathan, a son of Saul. Out of suspicion that David was seeking to usurp the throne, Saul attempted to kill David, forcing David to go into hiding and operate as a fugitive for several years. After Saul and Jonathan were both killed in battle against the Philistines, a 30-year-old David was anointed king over all of Israel and Judah. Later, he conquered the city of Jerusalem, established it as Israel's capital around 1003 BC, and took the Ark of the Covenant into the city to be the centre-point of worship.
According to the Biblical narrative, David commits adultery with Bathsheba, leading him to arrange the death of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. David's son Absalom later schemes to overthrow him and, during the ensuing rebellion, David flees Jerusalem, but returns after Absalom's death to continue his reign over Israel and Judah. He desires to construct a temple to house the Ark but, because he shed much blood, God denies David the opportunity to do so. David rules as king of the Israelites until his death at age 70, prior to which he chooses Solomon, a son born to him and Bathsheba, to be his successor instead of Adonijah, his eldest surviving son. He is honored in prophetic literature as an ideal king and the forefather of the future Messiah, and many psalms are ascribed to him.
David has a desire to build a house for the Lord. But the Lord denies (1 Chronicles 22:8 and 28:3) it and turns this around and tells David that God Himself will build a house for David. God’s promise will extend past the life of David. The Lord will establish the kingdom of David’s offspring. The Lord will be a father to David’s offspring. The promise will not depend on the righteousness of the people but on the righteousness of God. Davidic kings ruled in Jerusalem for more than four centuries, ending with the exiling of Zedekiah in 586 BCE. God would keep the promise to David in the promise of the coming messiah, and Christians concluded that the promise of messiah was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, whose title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word 'messiah'. So 2 Samuel 7 is the real basis for the messianic hope.
In Jesus, we see God's plan of building a house for by which all the world will come to the Father. In Jesus, we see him to be the true Son of God. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. In Jesus, he lives a perfect life and does not sin so that all the promises are shown to be valid and guaranteed through him. Finally, we see in 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 that these promises also trickle down to us as the offspring of Abraham and the offspring of David through our connection to Jesus. We are children of God and God is our Father. We are the temple of the living God and we are being built up into a spiritual house for the Lord. Peter writes, (1 Peter 2: 4-8) "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” [Is 28:16]. 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”[cPs 118.22]8 and,“A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”[d Is 8:14]
David had a close relationship with God in spite of all the people that he had. David became a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14 Samuel Says to Saul, Acts 13:22 as Paul says.). When a woman was asked what was the key to the success of their happy married life for 50 years, she said, "My husband and I have managed to be happy together for 50 years. I guess this is because we’re both in love with the same man." Their marriage was established on the love of Jesus. Being in relationship with God is the key to happiness and success.
David has a sense of humility with gratitude. He comes from the tribe of Judah whom God had told through Jacob would rule forever in Gen 49. And yet that does not make David proud or even give a reason why God chose his family. It is humbling to really to think about what God has done for us. For how far He has brought us. your homes, wealth, your children and all that with which God has blessed you. We can say we worked hard but it is really God’s grace that has provided.
Man is dignified when God's majesty is acknowledged. David doesn’t focus on the fact that God has just withdrawn the building permit for God’s house. Instead, he spends all his time focusing on what God has just revealed to him. He humbles himself before God and thanks God for the promises he has just made to David. And then, beginning in verse 25, he prays and asks that God will be faithful and will keep his promises. David thanks God for bringing him this far by choosing David’s offspring to be the savior of the world. David was not disappointed, in spite of all the preparation and planning he had done for building the temple, he was denied the opportunity. But he took it as God's sovereignty and praised God with thanksgiving.
Gratitude is when realizing that it not all about me. We are dignified when we come to realize that "It is not all about me", but "it is all about God." “Who am I, O Lord God… that you have brought me this far?” When we stop and look at where we are and realize that God has brought us here. God has given this life as a gift not on our choice, but on His choice. He has brought us to this moment. David realizes this as see the greatness of God and the lowliness of human life.
This week we are celebrating the Festival of Thanksgiving. In many places it is celebrated as the harvest festival. We bring our produce and grains and have dinners together and praise God for a good bountiful year He has given us. There are two perceptions we can see. Some would call God and demand that they deserve better, "Look at me God, why am I suffering, and lacking a lot of things that others have? I deserve better and I know that." Others are of the attitude: "Look at me God, why should I deserve all the blessings that you give, I am just a sinner, and not worthy to be called your child. I am thankful for what you have given me."
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
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