God still speaks to you and me through the words of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.
Recommendation: The writer suggests that this entire chapter be read in one sitting. The events are sequential and will have a much greater impact on your personal life when read all at once.
“And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shall thou build me an house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of cedar? Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel.” (2 Samuel 7:1-8).
Often, when God spoke to someone in the Old Testament times, He would not do so directly. He would send His message through a prophet.
Today, when He wants to speak to you, He often speaks in a similar fashion. As you read God’s words prayerfully, He speaks to you through the writings of the Old Testament prophets or through the New Testament apostles. His words are eternal, yet always up-to-date, applicable to your situation today.
Let us pray:
“My Father, guide me to read Your words prayerfully, communing with You about what I read, so I too, like David of old, might receive Your personal message to me through the words of another, be it one of Your old Testament prophets, like Isaiah, or one of Your New Testament apostles, like Paul.”
God’s words to David, through Nathan,
became part of the Bible, for us to heed.
“I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. (2 Samuel 7:9-17).
God sent this message to David through the lips of the prophet Nathan. He gave him a synopsis of the future and of his dynasty, but did not go into details.
God had telescoped two great events in this prophecy.
Solomon, son of David, fulfilled this prophecy on the immediate and earthly level in the Old Jerusalem, in Judea.
Jesus, the coming King of Kings, also a direct descendant of David through His mother Mary, is yet to reign forever and ever in the New Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth yet to come.
David listened carefully to God’s words through Nathan and immediately made them his own words in prayer, requesting the very things God had promised him.
Let us pray:
“Dearest speaking Father, like David, I too want to listen carefully to what You are telling me through my daily Scripture reading.
I will heed Your words, hearken to them and use them to pray to You, receiving from You what You desire to give me.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are coming back to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and Your kingdom shall continue into eternity!
What a fact! I shall reign with Christ! Thank You, Father. In Christ Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
David’s words to God, his prayer, also became part of the Bible, showing us how to hearken to God’s words and request their fulfillment in prayer.
“Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant. For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemest to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God.” (2 Samuel 7:18-24).
Let us pray:
“Father, You have showered Your blessings on such an insignificant person as me!
As David did, I too thank You for giving him an eternal dynasty in my Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.
You know what I am like! You are doing all these things just because You promised to and because You want to!
How great You are, Lord God! No religion can do what You can do; You are the only God.
I am Yours forever and You are my God.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
“And now, Lord God, do as You have
promised concerning me and my family.”
“And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for evcr, and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.” (2 Samuel 7:25,26).
Did you notice that David does not ask God to do this someday in the sweet bye and bye? He requests it now! “Now, Lord God, do as You have promised concerning me and my family!”
Let us pray:
“Father, thank You that I can ask You right now to do as You have promised concerning me and my family!
Remember what You caused Paul to tell to the Philippian jailor, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your house (your family) will be saved.”
Thank You, Heavenly Father. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
“You have revealed to me, O Lord…”
“For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house (a dynasty): therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.” (2 Samuel 7:27 TLB).
David’s receiving Nathan’s words as God’s words was a revelation to him.
Thus also, as we read the words of the prophets and the apostles as the words of God to us, they become a revelation to us!
Let us pray:
“Father, thank You that as I receive the words of the prophets and the apostles in the Bible, they become a revelation of God to me!”
How to become bold enough to pray!
“For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.”
(2 Samuel 7:27).
Nathan’s words became God’s words to David, a revelation from God. That is why he became bold enough to pray such a prayer of acceptance.
We too can prayerfully read the words of the prophets and the apostles in the Bible and in so doing, we shall be bold enough to pray, accepting God’s promises!
Let us pray:
“Father, I too accept and receive the words of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles as Your personal words to me!
Through Your speaking to me in that way, You have made me bold enough to pray, accepting Your promises to me!
How amazing! Fancy timid me, becoming bold enough to pray in this way!
Thank You, for emboldening me thus.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
“You have promised me these good
things–so do as You have promised!”
“And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:28,29).
David acknowledges that God is indeed God and that His words are all truth.
He does not waste time trying to make a flowery prayer.
He simply prays, quoting God’s own words almost verbatim.
He is sure that since God had promised these good things to him that he is completely free to request God to do as He has promised!
Accordingly, he prays that God would bless him and his family for ever!
He also prays that his dynasty would continue on and on; simply because God had so promised!
Dear reader, let’s you and I pray as follows:
“Oh my Father, You are indeed God and all Your words are truth.
Thank You for helping me to pray Your words almost verbatim, for You have also promised me all these good things–so do as You have promised!
Bless me and my family forever! May we continue on and on with You; for You, Lord God, have promised it!”
The golden link–things actually happen
when you read the Bible prayerfully.
“And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them” (2 Samuel 8:1a).
Did you notice the golden link? “After this it came to pass…”
After what? After David prayed to God, almost verbatim, all the words that God had spoken to him through Nathan the prophet. That is the golden link.
Things actually happen when you and I dare to pray God’s words, to request God to fulfill what the Holy Spirit has emphasized to us when we read His words prayerfully.
It becomes amazingly easy to defeat the tempter after we read God’s words and pray them as the Holy Spirit enlightens us.
When we read the Bible prayerfully,
you and I become more than conquerors!
“And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines and subdued them” (2 Samuel 8:1a KJV).
Victory! The uncircumcised Philistines symbolize the carnal flesh, the ego, the self-life, the rebellious soul-life, the disorderly desires, the unruly me.
Once we begin to read God’s words prayerfully, we find it possible (at last!) to subdue our old nature!
I invite you to pray now with me as follows:
“Oh thank You, Father, that You have not left me to struggle against my old nature by my own means.
You have led me to read Your words prayerfully. I have found the golden link. I have discovered you have given me the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the Word of God. I am learning how to wield it! Through the above Scripture I perceive that I can ask You to make me an overcomer like David. You, Lord Jesus, are the greatest Overcomer!
In the Name of the Great Overcomer, my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
How to defeat the enemy again and again!
“And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them… And he smote Moab… David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah… and when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men… And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.”
(Excerpted from 2 Samuel 8:1 to 8:13a).
Obviously, the Lord is showing us how to defeat the tempter again and again.
Philistia, Moab, Zobah, Syria, Ammon, Amalek, Edom, all these nations David defeated after he harkened to God’s words through Nathan’s words to him and prayed those same words back to God.
Yes, things still happen when we do as David did. After we read the Scriptures prayerfully, it comes to pass that we defeat the tempter again and again!
Join me in prayer, please, as follows:
“Triumphant Father, thank You that You have appointed my Lord Jesus Christ to be the Captain, the General, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Thank You that You are training me to read Your words prayerfully, to make the content of my prayers full of what You have shown me in Your Word.
Thank You that as my doings fit in with Your sovereign doings, things will happen according to Your Word; they will come to pass.
In Your Victorious Name, Lord Jesus, I can defeat the tempter.”
More than conquerors!
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37b)..
You and I are not limited to one little measly victory now and then.
It is possible to defeat the tempter every time!
David defeated one nation after another. God gave him victory wherever he went.
So no matter what terrible, awful, no good thing that may happen to us, like those Paul listed in Romans 8, we still are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!
Let’s pray:
“Victorious Father, through Your Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, Who loved me, loves me, and will always love me, I am more than conqueror!
Oh, thank You! Overwhelming victory is mine in Christ!
In the Name of the Triumphant Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
From Praying God’s Word – Chapter 21