1 Chronicles 17:1-27
God's Promise to David
1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”
2 Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”
3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders[a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
7 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: 11 When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”
15 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.
18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 “There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
23 “And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
25 “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
This chapter is very similar to 1 Samuel 7...After David had been living in his new palace for some time he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I’m living here in a cedar-paneled home while the Ark of the Covenant of God is out there in a tent!”...And Nathan replied, “Carry out your plan in every detail, for it is the will of the LORD.”...But that same night God said to Nathan, “Go and give my servant David this message: ‘You are not to build My temple!...I’ve gone from tent to tent as my home from the time I brought Israel out of Egypt...In all that time I never suggested to any of the leaders of Israel—the shepherds I appointed to care for My people—that they should build me a cedar-lined temple.’...“Tell My servant David, ‘The LORD of heaven says to you, I took you from being a shepherd and made you the king of my people...And I have been with you everywhere you’ve gone; I have destroyed your enemies, and I will make your name as great as the greatest of the earth...And I will give a permanent home to My people Israel and will plant them in their land...They will not be disturbed again; the wicked nations won’t conquer them as they did before when the judges ruled them...I will subdue all of your enemies...And I now declare that I will cause your descendants to be kings of Israel just as you are...
“‘When your time here on earth is over and you die, I will place one of your sons upon your throne; and I will make his kingdom strong...He is the one who shall build Me a temple, and I will establish his royal line of descent forever...I will be His father, and he shall be My son; I will never remove My mercy and LOVE from him as I did from Saul...I will place him over my people and over the kingdom of Israel forever—and his descendants will always be kings.’”...So Nathan told King David everything the LORD had said...
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family that You have given me all this?...For all the great things you have already done for me are nothing in comparison to what you have promised to do in the future!...For now, O LORD God, You are speaking of future generations of my children being kings too!... You speak as though I were someone very great...What else can I say?...You know that I am but a dog, yet you have decided to honor me!...O LORD, you have given me these wonderful promises just because You want to be kind to me, because of Your own great heart...O LORD, there is no one like You—there is no other God...In fact, we have never even heard of another god like you!...“And what other nation in all the earth is like Israel?...You have made a unique nation and have redeemed it from Egypt so that the people could be Your people...And you made a Great Name for Yourself when you did glorious miracles in driving out the nations from before Your people...You have declared that Your people Israel belong to you forever, and You have become their God...“And now I accept Your promise, LORD, that I and my children will always rule this nation...And may this bring eternal honor to Your name as everyone realizes that You always do what You say...They will exclaim, ‘The LORD of heaven is indeed the God of Israel!’...And Israel shall always be ruled by my children and their posterity!...Now I have the courage to pray to You, for You have revealed this to me...God Himself has promised this good thing to me!...May this blessing rest upon my children forever, for when you grant a blessing, LORD, it is an eternal blessing!”...