Read 1 Chronicles 17
Questions from the Scripture text: Where was David dwelling (1 Chronicles 17:1)? To whom did he speak? What did he note about his house? What else did he observe? How does Nathan respond to him (1 Chronicles 17:2)? But then Who speaks to Nathan (1 Chronicles 17:3)? What will David not do (1 Chronicles 17:4)? What does He note about Himself (1 Chronicles 17:5)? What hasn’t He done/said (1 Chronicles 17:6)? Who has done what for whom (1 Chronicles 17:7)? And what else has He done for him (1 Chronicles 17:8)? And what will He yet do for whom (1 Chronicles 17:9-10)? Whom will YHWH raise up, when (1 Chronicles 17:11)? What will He establish? What will the offspring build (1 Chronicles 17:12)? How long will His throne be established? Where will YHWH establish Him (1 Chronicles 17:14)? What did Nathan do (1 Chronicles 17:15)? Where did David go (1 Chronicles 17:16)? Asking what? Amazed at what (1 Chronicles 17:17)? At a loss for what words (1 Chronicles 17:18)? What does he acknowledge in 1 Chronicles 17:19? How does he praise God in 1 Chronicles 17:20? At whom else does he marvel (1 Chronicles 17:21)? On what basis? What is the greatest thing YHWH has done for them (1 Chronicles 17:22)? For what does David now ask (1 Chronicles 17:23)? Unto what end (1 Chronicles 17:24)? In response to what does David pray (1 Chronicles 17:25)? What does he see that God has done (1 Chronicles 17:26)? Of what is he certain (1 Chronicles 17:27)?
Who builds what for whom? 1 Chronicles 17 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the great endeavor of all of history is God’s building a house for Christ, which is Christ’s building a house for God.
There is a sense in which the whole of creation and providence is about God building David a house(hold). This is because it has been His intention, from all eternity, that God the Son (cf. Romans 1:4) would become the son of David, according to the flesh (cf. Romans 1:3; Hebrews 1:5–14, Hebrews 2:14; Ephesians 1:3–5). God is the original, and that what He builds into creation and providence is for our understanding and enjoyment of Him and His gospel.
Good, but ignorant intentions. That is what both David and Nathan have at the beginning of this passage. David is grateful. He does not think that his prosperity is his own achievement. It is precisely because he knows that it is the goodness and greatness of God that has given him his throne, his victories, and his great house (1 Chronicles 17:1), that he wishes to do something out of gratitude to God. But he has difficulty grasping the greatness of God. We all do—and will, forever! A house of cedar is not somehow more appropriate to God than tent curtains! This is a lesson that Solomon will have learned from him, by the time he finishes the temple (cf. 1 Kings 8:37). But David isn’t the only one. His suggestion sounds so good to Nathan, that he apparently doesn’t even need to pray about it (1 Chronicles 17:2).
It is always God Who does us good, not the other way around. So David wishes to build God a house (1 Chronicles 17:4), but God has never indicated that this is something that He desires (1 Chronicles 17:4-6). Has David not understood, yet, that it is always God Who is the giver (1 Chronicles 17:7-9)? This is true, not only for David, but for Israel as a whole (1 Chronicles 17:9-10a). So, it is not David who will build God a house (1 Chronicles 17:4), but God Who will build David a house (1 Chronicles 17:10b).
The true house. David’s house of cedar, as big and sturdy and beautiful as it was, would end up on the rubbish heap of history. The true house would be the kingdom of Christ. By referring to a Seed/Offspring in 1 Chronicles 17:11, rather than a Son, God ties the promise of verse 11 to Genesis 3:15, Genesis 22:18, etc.. Amazingly, David’s house and God’s house are going to end up being the same house! David thought he already had a house (1 Chronicles 17:1), but now he learns that he really doesn’t, yet, because his true house is the one that the Lord is going to build for him (1 Chronicles 17:10b). The One Who builds the house in 1 Chronicles 17:12 cannot be Solomon, because Solomon’s throne is not forever (verse 12b, 1 Chronicles 17:14).
So the house that God builds for David (1 Chronicles 17:10b), and the house that David’s Seed builds for God (1 Chronicles 17:12) is the same house! Solomon does enjoy some fulfillment of the promise in 1 Chronicles 17:13. 2 Samuel 7:14 refers to Solomon, specifically (Christ has no iniquity of His own!), but 1 Chronicles 17 leaves that portion out. By the time of 1 Chronicles, Solomon is long gone, so the focus here is almost exclusively and entirely upon Christ. This is just so for us. In all of His work in gathering and perfecting the church, God is fulfilling the promise made in this chapter. What seems mundane at first: the ins and outs of daily discipleship in the family, and weekly discipleship in the assembly, ought to shine to us with great gospel glory, in the light of this chapter.
Overflowing praise, gratitude, and confident prayer. Therefore, we learn from David, in 1 Chronicles 17:16-27, how we should be responding to God’s promise and fulfillment in what He does in our families, congregations, and the broader church. What are we, and our houses, in and of ourselves (1 Chronicles 17:16)? Nothing! But, in this promise and fulfillment, we see the greatness of His love and grace toward us (1 Chronicles 17:19). And, in this promise and fulfillment, we learn how to pray for better things than we would have asked otherwise (1 Chronicles 17:21-23)—let us learn to draw our prayers from His promises! And, in this promise and fulfillment, we learn God’s own pleasure, for the manner in which He would magnify His Name—magnifying Himself as our own covenant God (1 Chronicles 17:24). And, in this promise and fulfillment, we learn to pray with the confidence of those who are asking for what cannot fail.
How, in history, has God been fulfilling the promises of this chapter? How has He been doing so in your life and your family’s life? How has He been doing so in your congregation? How are you responding to this? How are you praying and laboring, in light of what He has promised?
Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You and praise You for the house that You are still building for David. And, we thank You and praise You for the house that Christ is building for You. We confess that we have often been more impressed with our personal, earthly endeavors. And, we have often been more invested in our personal, earthly endeavors. So, we have not been sufficiently interested in the progress of Christ’s kingdom, and we have not been sufficiently invested in the progress of Christ’s kingdom. In fact, we have sometimes thought of things like “cultural influence” as the advancement of that kingdom, rather than Your gathering and perfecting Your saints. Make us to remember that it is You Who are the great giver, not we. And forgive us for all of our earthly-mindedness. Give us to do even our earthly endeavors with a heavenly mindedness that rejoices over Your building of Your house, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP96A “O Sing a New Song” or TPH100B “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
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