Sermon 2 Samuel 7:8-17 God Makes a Promise

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon 2 Samuel 7:8-17 God Makes a Promise

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

December 16, 2007

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. This Advent Season we have been preparing ourselves to receive the new born Christ by studying the Book of Samuel which tells us what to expect. So far in Samuel we have been following a young man named David. We saw him first as a boy caring for the sheep at his father’s farm in Bethlehem. Then as a young man we saw as he delivered bread to his hungry brothers on the front lines of battle and slew the giant facing Israel. After the death of King Saul we saw David accept the kingship of all of Israel peacefully and in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that God would make of his offspring a great nation. Last Wednesday we watched in horror as this David used his power to seduce another man’s wife and then take his life. But after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan and responded with repentance and confession David was restored to a right relationship with God. Today we will see David’s final test of obedience and the eternal promise God made to his beloved, the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ.

Will you pray with me? Lord God in heaven, bless us this day as we approach your throne and the anointed one sitting at your right hand. Help us to understand your word in worship today and to see you at work in the world as we go about our busy lives this week. We pray this in the strong name of Christ Jesus, amen.

2 Samuel 7:8-17 ⁸ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹ and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. ¹² When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵ But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David had a great idea. He had already brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, but it was sitting in a tent. His own palace had been completed with the help of Hiram King of Tyre with limestone from the quarries of Israel and cedar paneling from the forests of Lebanon. Why not use the stone masons and carpenters who where already in Jerusalem to start another massive project, building a suitable temple for God. God had blessed David so richly by giving him success over Israel’s enemies and allowing David to increase Israel’s prosperity during a time of peace. David owed God so much it was time to give something back.

But God told the prophet Nathan that he did not need a temple and had never asked for one. Other cities had built temples for their gods, but the creator of the universe could not be contained in a temple. God wanted a house, but had another kind of house in mind. God’s idea of a house was not a physical building. Rather God’s house was a dynasty built around David, the anointed one. Because of David’s obedience and God steadfast love God offered David this different kind of house. God offered to establish David’s house, his dynasty, forever.

This is how we know that the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, is coming this Advent. God promised that a descendant of David would come to continue David’s kingdom. So our expectation is that when the Messiah comes he will be descended from David and will be our king. David was promised that his name would come down to us as one of the greatest kings the world has ever known. God promised that David’s kingdom would live in peace and security on the land God has given them. David was promised that he would live a long life and that his son would succeed him to the throne and this new king would be loved by God as much as David was. And God promised that David’s dynasty and David’s throne would last forever. So this is what we are waiting for this Advent season: Christ our King who will establish the eternal Kingdom of God.

We see in this that the way God relates to his people, to us, is through covenants. God promises to do something for us and we promise to obey God. The first covenant in scripture was between God and Noah. God promised that he would never again send a flood to erase creation. This covenant was symbolized by a rainbow which reminds all of creation of God’s great love. The second covenant God made was with Abraham. In it God promised that Abramham’s descendants would be more numerous than all the stars of heaven or all the grains of sand in the sea. And God has promised to bless all of Abraham’s offspring with land from Egypt to the Euphrates. God’s covenant with Abraham was symbolized by circumcism which set aside Abraham’s descendants as God’s own people. The third covenant that God made was with Moses. This covenant was in the form of instructions so that God’s people would live in conformity with God’s will thus blessing them with a good life. This covenant was written in book, placed in an ark, and was symbolized by the blood of the sacrifice. God’s fourth covenant was with David that a successor for his throne and dynasty would never be lacking. This is the covenant we are looking at today that resulted in the expectation of a coming messiah. And a fifth covenant is still coming, the covenant that Jesus Christ will mediate for us and is linked to the previous four, that God will write the law on our hearts and he will be our God and we will be his people. This covenant is symbolized by the sacrament of baptism. All of these covenants are still in force today. God offers to bless us richly and expects our obedience.

For God covenants are unconditional. We can count on God’s faithfulness to do what God has promised to do. God graciously enters into a covenant relationship with us and extends to us an invitation to enter the covenant. But, for us, covenants come with a condition. Our participation in these covenants depends on our obedience. David showed his obedience by not building the temple he wanted to build. We show our obedience by obeying God’s law and living according to God’s instruction.

In our lifetimes we enter into many covenants. There are big one such as when we buy a house and promise to pay the mortgage, or when we marry a spouse and promise love and faithfulness. And there are smaller covenants such as the one you made last month when you pledged to support our ministry here in Eagle Rock. Covenants are important ways for us to order society so that we can work together for our mutual benefit.

But there is a misunderstanding about the covenant that God has with us. Many believe that our covenant with God works this way: we obey God so that God will love us. Nothing could be further from the truth. God loves us because that is who God is. God’s love for us is as a creator loving the creation. God’s love for us is gift to us from God. And this is the greatest gift we can receive this Christmas.

We can see this clearly in the covenant God made with David. As we have seen David was far from perfect. And he was on the verge of building a temple that God did not want. But before David could make a decision to build or not, to obey God or not, God declared his steadfast love for David by making the extraordinary promise of an eternal kingdom. This has led thinkers, such as Martin Luther, to question if there even is a covenant in place between us and God. For Luther, if a covenant does exist it is one sided. The Grace of God is offered to us and nothing is expected in return.

But we do offer something in return. It is certainly true that God loves us first. God always fulfills God’s side of the covenant. But we, experiencing the overwhelming love of God, have a strong desire to obey God’s law. We are obedient not because we are bargaining for God’s love, but because God has already loved us so much we just have to respond with obedience.

For nearly seventy years, Presbyterians have responded to God love each year with the Christmas Joy Offering. Half of this offering is given to the Presbyterian Board of Pensions for the support of retired pastors. Some of it is used to help pastors and other church workers in their retirement years to live modestly and continue their independence. Some is given through presbyteries and synods to help current church workers and retired pastors. And emergency relief is given to church workers and retirees with urgent financial needs. The other half of the Christmas Joy Offering supports our Presbyterian racial-ethnic schools and colleges. The Presbyterian Church supports nine institutions which give many racial-ethnic students a second chance resulting in confident and competent women and men who become leaders in our society and church.

When David heard what God had told the prophet Nathan he was shocked. God have given him more than he ever expected. David marveled at the extravagance of God gift that would bless his kingdom for eternity. His response was to praise God in worship for redeeming his people and magnifying his name. David was thankful for all God had done for him and for the faithful people God had given David to lead. David realized that God had also promised to be the God of his people forever. David told God that by fulfilling the promise God had made God’s name would be magnified forever. And David asked for God’ eternal blessing on his descendants and on God’s people.

God kept his side of the covenant. In just eight days we will gather together here in this sanctuary to celebrate the birth of the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ who was descended from David and now sits on his throne in heaven reigning forever as our king. We are truly blessed.

Lord Jesus, prepare us for your coming this Christmas. Settle our minds, calm our hearts, and help us to hear the voices of angels singing, “Glory to God in the Highest”, amen.