David's Kingdom Strengthened

Continuing a chronological Bible study: 

(2 Samuel 8:1) And after this, it came to pass that David struck the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg Ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

David had had a conversation with the prophet Nathan about building the house of God, but the Lord told him through Nathan not to build, that his descendant would build it, and that He would establish his kingdom forever.  It seems David's rest from his enemies was a short one, and he was soon back to war.  David took Metheg Ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.  Comparing the same incident in 1 Chronicles 18, we learn David actually took Gath and her towns.  Metheg Ammah doesn't appear to be the name of a city but rather means something to the effect of "bridle of the metropolis."  It was probably an epithet of Gath.  The Latin Vulgate, a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, expounded to write that David removed the bondage of the tribute which the Israelites paid to the Philistines.  This map borrowed from BibleStudy.org shows the location of Gath in relation to Jerusalem:

(2) And he struck Moab and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became David's servants and brought gifts.

David then struck Moab.  There seems to be no consensus on the exact meaning of this verse, but it appears that David killed two-thirds of the Moabites and kept one third of them as servants who brought David gifts, probably meaning they were obliged to pay tribute.  Jewish writers have asserted that the reason for the severe treatment of these people was their having massacred David’s parents whom he had, during his exile, committed to the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3).  Although the Bible does not record this, David's parents were never mentioned again after he left them in the king's care.  This map borrowed from The Jordan Valley shows Moab and actually all the areas where David expanded his kingdom:  

(3) David struck also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.

Whether it was when Hadadezer went to recover part of his dominion that had fallen to someone else, or perhaps what is meant is that David was the one who went to recover his border as God had promised Abraham land to the river Euphrates (Genesis 15:18), either way, that is when David struck Hadadezer.

(4) And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariots but reserved of them a hundred chariots.

David took from Hadadezer a thousand chariots, seven hundred horsemen (or rather perhaps seven hundred companies of horsemen as the same account in 1 Chronicles 18 says 7000 horsemen), and 20,000 footmen.  He disjointed all the chariots except for a hundred of them.

(5) And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.

The Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, but David and his army killed 22,000 of them.

(6) Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David put garrisons in that part of Syria where Damascus was, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts, which again I believe means they were subject to Israel and paid tribute.  The Lord preserved and protected David wherever he went.

(7) And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. (8) And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.

David took the gold shields that were on Hadadezer's servants, most likely soldiers, and brought them back to Jerusalem.  He also took a great deal of brass from the cities of Hadadezer.

(9) When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the host of Hadadezer, (10) Then Toi sent Joram his son to King David to salute him and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him, for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver and vessels of gold and vessels of brass,

When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck down Hadadezer's army, he was apparently glad because Hadadezer had had wars with Toi.  He sent his son Joram to greet and offer blessings to King David and to bring him gifts of gold, silver, and brass.

(11) Which also King David did dedicate to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued, (12) Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

David took those gifts of gold, silver, and brass, and dedicated them to the Lord, along with all the spoil he had taken from all the nations he had subdued, from Syria, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, and Hadadezer of Zobah.

(13) And David got a name when he returned from striking of the Syrians in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand.

David had made a name for himself when he returned from striking the Syrians in the valley of salt.  Verse 5 said that David had killed 22,000 Syrians of Damascus.  However, according to the map above, the Valley of Salt is in the southwestern corner in the lands of Amalek and Edom.  The Syrians may have been confederates of the Edomites, and David struck 18,000 more of them in the Valley of Salt.

(14) And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David also put garrisons throughout Edom, and the people of Edom also became subjects of Israel.  Once again, we are told that the Lord protected and preserved David wherever he went.

(1 Chronicles 18:1) Now after this, it came to pass that David struck the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.

The account of David's battles to expand his kingdom are also told in 1 Chronicles 18.  David took Gath and her towns from the Philistines.

(2) And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became David's servants and brought gifts. (3) And David struck Hadarezer king of Zobah to Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates.

David struck the Moabites and made them tributaries.  He also struck the king of Zobah called Hadarezer here instead of Hadadezer.

(4) And David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. David also houghed all the chariots but reserved of them a hundred chariots. (5) And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David killed of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men. (6) Then David put garrisons in Syria Damascus, and the Syrians became David's servants and brought gifts. Thus the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

The account continues pretty much word for word as the account in 2 Samuel 8.

(7) And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer and brought them to Jerusalem. (8) Likewise from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, with which Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of brass.

David brought the gold shields of the servants of Hadarezer to Jerusalem, along with a lot of brass he got from some of his cities, two different ones named than the ones in the account in 2 Samuel 8.  This account added that King Solomon later used the brass to make articles for the temple.

(9) Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had struck all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, (10) He sent Hadoram his son to King David to enquire of his welfare and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadarezer and defeated him (for Hadarezer had war with Tou) and all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass.

In this account the king of Hamath was called Tou rather than Toi, and his son was called Hadoram rather than Joram, but other than that, the account is pretty much the same.

(11) Them also King David dedicated to the Lord, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

David dedicated all the silver and gold he had gotten from all the nations he had subdued, to the Lord.

(12) Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand. (13) And he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. Thus the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

This account states it was actually Abishai, the son of David's sister Zeruiah, who led the army who killed the 18,000 men in the Valley of Salt.  Then David put garrisons in all of Edom, and the Edomites became tributaries.  Again, the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

The Lord Establishes His King

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 2:1) Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

David had just brought the ark of the covenant of God to Jerusalem, and God had made a covenant with David that his kingdom would reign forever.  That, of course, was really only possible through the reign of Jesus Christ who came from the line of David.  There is no consensus about when this psalm was written, or even who the author was, however, whether by prophecy or by the record of it after the fact, it seems to point to the time when the Lord through Nathan's prophecy (2 Samuel 7:4-16) firmly established the everlasting dominion of Christ.  So why did the pagan nations rage and the people imagine it could be any other way than the way the Lord had put into action?

(2) The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, (3) "Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us."

The kings and the rulers of the world plot together against the Lord and His anointed.  The Hebrew word that was transcribed here as "anointed" is "mashiyach," or "Messiah."  This is prophecy about Jesus Christ!  The word that was translated as "bands," that is "moser," more specifically means "chastisement or restraint."  The rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12) think they can throw off the laws of God and His righteous judgment and be free to commit all manner of abominations.  They do that at their own personal risk.  Why do they even imagine that they can throw the yoke of Christ out of the world when the Lord God of the universe ordained and established it?

(4) He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.

The Lord God in heaven will laugh at their vain puny attempts.  The original word "laag" that was translated as "derision" actually meant more precisely "speak unintelligibly, stammer," which would by implication, have one "in derision or mockery."  The kings and rulers of the world will speak and act foolishly, as God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7).

(5) Then shall He speak to them in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure.

It is impossible for the wicked to oppose God's holy will.  It may be after He has given time for them and observers of their evil schemes to realize how truly impotent they are and that they are really the objects of derision thinking they could cast off His authority, merciful time for some to come to repentance and salvation, but God will surely in His perfect timing, righteously judge the wicked.

(6) "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."

The Lord had set up David as king on the hill of Zion in northern Jerusalem, but this referred more to the kingdom He had established there, of the coming Messiah.

(7) I will declare the decree; the Lord has said to Me, "You are My Son; this day I have begotten You."

In prophetic words that are the words of Christ, Jesus Himself would declare the Lord's will and appointment of Him to the throne of David.  Either in prophetic words telling of the future incident, or because it had that day been established, the Lord proclaimed that Jesus was His Son, begotten that day.

(8) "Ask of Me and I shall give the heathen for Your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession."

These appear to still be the words of the Lord God telling Jesus that if He asked, the Lord would give Him not only the Jewish nation, but the whole world.  I love the image this conjures up.  Jesus came to His own Jewish people, but they did not accept him (John 1:11).  So Jesus, as mediator and intercessor for us before God (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:25), asked that we Gentiles be able to receive His gift of life.  He loved us, too, even though we had the disadvantage of not being born in the right tribe.

(9) "You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

This has to refer to the people in the beginning of the psalm who plot vainly against the Lord and His will.  In all ways Jesus will defeat them, bringing salvation to the entire world.

(10) Be wise now, therefore, O you kings; be instructed you judges of the earth. (11) Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Indeed, the word was for the kings and rulers of the earth, now knowing what had been put before them, they should be wise and serve the Lord God with fear and trembling, fully realizing that their very lives are in His mighty hands.

(12) Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him.

The psalmist advised that they kiss the Son Jesus, or attach themselves to Him, as the original word "nashaq" also means, or else they would perish away when the Lord's wrath was kindled even just a little.  The lightest stroke of the iron rod of Christ’s justice is enough to dash into pieces an entire rebellious world.  However, those who put their trust in Him are blessed.

(Psalm 110:1) (A Psalm of David) The Lord said to my Lord, "You sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool."

Two different words are used for "Lord."  The first Lord is "Yehovah" meaning "self-existent, eternal," the name of the Father.  The second Lord is "Adon" or "Adonai" meaning "ruler, lord, master."  In a prophetic psalm, David speaks of the Lord God telling his Lord on earth, the Messiah, his Savior, that He would sit at the right hand of God with power and majesty until all evil men, sin, death, and the devil were subdued by Him.

(2) The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion; You rule in the midst of Your enemies.

Jehovah God would send the rod of Christ's strength, His holy scepter, out of Zion.  His kingdom was to extend over the whole earth in the midst of enemies.

(3) Your people willing in the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; You have the dew of Your youth.

Jesus Christ would have willing disciples and followers in the day of His kingdom on earth from the beginning, clothed with the beautiful garments of holiness and salvation.  The members of His Christian Church would be more numerous than the drops of the morning dew. 

(4) The Lord has sworn and will not repent, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Jehovah God had sworn and would never change His mind that the Lord Jesus was His high priest forever.  The Levitical priests before Him taught the people and were their mediators and interceded for them.  They offered sacrifices for the sins of the people to reconcile them to God.  Jesus was the perfect High Priest who accomplished what the priests before him could not, a permanent priesthood with the offering of the perfect sacrifice that secured eternal redemption.  There was no need for a successor to the priesthood.  Jesus was to be the ultimate high priest after the order of Melchizedek, who was both a king and a priest (Genesis 14:18), and a most ancient "priest of the most high God" during the time of Abraham, long before Moses, the law, and the Levitical priesthood. 

(5) The Lord at Your right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.

Adonai the Lord at the right hand of the Father would strike through, utterly destroy, kings and rulers who set themselves against the Lord, as in Psalm 2:2 above.

(6) He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill with dead bodies, He shall wound the heads of many countries.

The Lord would judge among all nations of people; He would overthrow all rebellious powers and wickedness such that if they were represented by bodies in a war, they would fill the land.

(7) He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.

Some say that drinking of a brook means suffering.  Jesus suffered and died and then rose up in victory.  Because the two scriptures before this one spoke of the Lord Jesus as a conqueror, I tend to think of this one as victory.  Such short work did Jesus make of His time on earth, He just drank of the brook on His way, and then He lifted up His head in victory, exalted to great glory at the right hand of the Father.

While chronologically, the Lord had established David as His king in Zion, He had also and more importantly, set up the Messiah's kingdom which would come through David's lineage.  These two psalms definitely prophesy about that.

(Psalm 16:1) (A Michtam of David) Preserve me, O God, for in You do I put my trust.

The meaning of michtam is uncertain, but it is believed to come from a root meaning "to engrave," so it probably meant something to be recorded and not lost, signifying it was of some importance to David.  It is reasonable to assume he may have written this psalm at this time when God made His covenant with him to establish his kingdom forever.  David prayed that the Lord keep and preserve him, for he put his confidence in Him.

(2) You have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; My goodness not to You, (3) To the saints who are in the earth, and the excellent, in whom is all My delight."

Verse 2 is very difficult to parse.  The KJV translators added lots of "helping" words to try to make it more understandable, but I preferred to look at it without those words added by man.  By taking the whole of verses 2 and 3, these don't appear to be the words of David, but the prophetic words of the Lord Jesus.  You, Jesus, have said to the Lord Yehovah, that He is Your Lord and master, "...not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42)  The good that You, Jesus, do, is not to Your Father in heaven.  It was not necessary for Jesus to come to the earth for the benefit of the Father, but to the saints in the world who answered His call, His excellent church.  That was the delight of the Lord, to make saints of His people, and to make heaven crowded with so many of them.

(4) Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names to my lips.

These seem to be back to the words of David himself.  He acknowledged that those who hastened after other gods would have a multitude of sorrows.  He would not take part in their blood sacrifices nor even say their names.

(5) The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; You maintain my lot.

The Lord was David's portion in life, what He had mercifully allotted to him to be his inheritance, and He preserved and defended his lot.

(6) The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

That portion that was given to David was pleasant.  "Places" was added by the KJV translators.  The places God gave His people, their promised land, where David was to rule, was a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).  However, David's heritage was much more than a place.  He was blessed beyond measure with favor and friendship of God and with the eternal kingdom promised him through the coming Messiah.

(7) I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

David determined to bless the Lord who had been his guide and counselor in life.  His inward thoughts and feelings, being inspired and moved by the Holy Spirit, were able to instruct and guide him even in those times when God did not feel as close to him.

(8) I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

David had always strived to put the Lord first in all that he did, and because he knew the Lord was always with him, he could stand firm in his faith and his purpose and not be moved by fear.

(9) Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Because the Lord was with him, guiding him and giving him counsel and blessings, David's heart was glad.  What exactly was David's glory?  He spoke of three parts of himself, his heart, his glory, and his flesh.  His heart was where his feelings were, and his flesh was obviously his body, so I believe his glory would refer to his soul, his spirit, where that Holy Spirit of God inhabited.  David's flesh could rest in hope and assurance that although it was, or would become, in itself a dead lump of clay, it would be resurrected to eternal life.

(10) For You will not leave my soul in hell; neither will You suffer Your holy one to see corruption.

David was confident that the Lord would not allow his soul to remain in hell, in the grave in the bowels of the earth.  He had assurance his soul would be resurrected to eternal life.  However, the Lord's holy one can only refer to Jesus.  David knew that the Lord would never allow His Messiah to be corrupted, and it was through His resurrection that His followers were assured of everlasting life.

(11) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God would show David the path that led to everlasting life and a fulfilling life on earth.  There was joy in the presence of God.  With Christ at His right hand and His saints with their Messiah in heaven, David knew there would be eternal joy and pleasure.  Heaven's joys are without measure!

The Lord's Covenant with David

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 6:20) Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"

As David brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord into Jerusalem, he ditched his royal robes, wore a linen ephod, and danced with all his might before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14).  His first wife Michal had watched him from a window and had much disdain for him (2 Samuel 6:16).  Now that the ark was in its place and the celebration had ended, David returned to his house to bless it.  Michal came out to meet him and spoke in an ironical jeering way, meaning the reverse, how inglorious was the king who had put off his royal robes and danced in the street like some low-life commoner.  Her words oozed with contempt, not only for David, but for the people she felt were beneath her class.

(21) And David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord who chose me before your father and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore will I play before the Lord."

David told Michal he had acted as he had for the Lord, in gratitude and humility for appointing him to be the king of Israel.  He seems to have made it a point to humble her pride by saying that the Lord had chosen him over her father and over his household.  He also made a point of saying he would continue to praise and glorify the Lord with all his might, in any way the Spirit moved him, and would not consider it beneath his dignity. 

(22) "And I will yet be more vile than this and will be base in my own sight, and of the maidservants which you have spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor."

David continued by telling Michal that if she considered his behavior vile that day, he would be even more vile in the future, humbling himself all the more, believing he could never condescend too low to exalt the Lord.  And as for the handmaidens she had spoken of, he would be content with the honor they would give him as he lowered himself to their level, at least that was the way Michal saw it.

(23) Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Michal never had any children, partly because David probably had nothing more to do with her intimately since she despised him so, but maybe more so by God's judgment against her and possibly the fact that He would not have the descendants of David mixed with the descendants of Saul.

(2 Samuel 7:1) 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, (2) That the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains."

David was then at peace in his palace made of cedar logs that Hiram king of Tyre had sent him, along with builders to build him a house (2 Samuel 5:11).  He spoke to a prophet Nathan who would become one of David's closest advisors.  It did not seem right to David that he should dwell in his nice cedar house while the ark of God dwelt in a tent with curtains for walls.

(3) And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you."

At this point, Nathan told the king to go ahead and do whatever was in his heart to do, for the Lord was with him.  While the Lord was indeed with David, it turns out that it was not the Lord's will for David to build Him a house.

(1 Chronicles 17:1) Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains." (2) Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you."

1 Chronicles 17 told of the same incident.

(2 Samuel 7:4) And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, (5) "Go and tell My servant David, thus says the Lord, 'Shall you build me a house for Me to dwell in?'"

That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan and told him to go to David and tell him His words that began by asking if it was David's intention to build Him a house.

(6) "'Whereas I have not dwelt in a 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.'"

The word of the Lord continued to instruct Nathan on what he was to say to David, that ever since He had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, to this day, He had never dwelt in a permanent house but had dwelt in a tent or tabernacle as it moved from place to place.

(7) "'In all where I have walked with all the children of Israel, have I spoke a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, "Why do you not build Me a house of cedar?"'"

The Lord's words continued with what Nathan was to tell David.  He asked if in all the years He had walked with the children of Israel, had He ever told any of the rulers of the tribes that He wanted them to build a permanent house for Him?

(8) "Now therefore, so shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel, (9) And I was with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies out of your sight and have made you a great name like to the name of the great who are on the earth."'"

Nathan was to tell David the Lord's words that He had taken him from being a shepherd to be the ruler over His people Israel, and He had been with him all the while during his journey to actually taking the throne, cutting off all his enemies and building his reputation as one of the greatest men in the world.

(10) "'"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 anymore as before; (11) And as since the time that I commanded judges over My people Israel and have caused you to rest from all your enemies."' Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house."

Through the Lord's words Nathan was to tell David, the Lord was appointing the place where His people Israel could rest in their own place and have no need to move anymore.  He had promised them the land of Canaan, but they had not been entirely alone and were much distressed by the former inhabitants of the land.  The clauses are a bit difficult to navigate, but I believe the sense is that although the children of Israel had been in their promised land for a while, now with this kingdom of David, the Lord would establish His people in their land and give them peace from all their enemies.  And to David, He would make a great house, a kingdom.

(12) "'And when your days be fulfilled and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your descendant after you who shall proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom.'"

When the days of David's life were fulfilled, and he was laid to rest with his forefathers, then the Lord would set up his descendant after him, one who "shall proceed" from him, meaning a future descendant, and the Lord would establish that descendant's kingdom.

(13) "'He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.'"

The Lord said that that descendant of David's, whom we know to be Solomon, would be the one to build the Lord's house for the honor and glory of His name, and He would establish the throne of that descendant's kingdom forever, and that is because the Messiah would descend from him, and His reign would be forever.

(14) "'I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men, (15) But My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took from Saul whom I put away before you.'"

The Lord would be as a father to David's descendant, chastising him when necessary by the means of men, but His mercy would always be with him.  He would never take His mercy away from David's descendant as He had removed it from Saul when He removed him from the throne in favor of David.

(16) "'And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you; your throne shall be established forever.'"

The Lord promised David that his house and his kingdom would be established forever.  And that's a promise that could not be made to any earthly king except for the one from whose line would come the Messiah.  How blessed was David to have this special covenant with his Lord!

(17) According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Nathan told David all the words of the Lord that he had seen and heard in a vision, even though it contradicted what he had told David before.  Nathan was a Godly prophet who was faithful to the word of God.

The same incident was recorded in 1 Chronicles 17:

(1 Chronicles 17:3) And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, (4) "Go and tell David My servant, 'Thus says the Lord, "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in, (5) For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but have gone from tent to tent and from tabernacle. (6) Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedars?'"' (7) Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over My people Israel."'"

This account varies little from the account in 2 Samuel 7.  At this point, I was struck by another observation that didn't hit me in the other account.  David in the Old Testament was said to be a type of Christ, his throne a precursor for Christ the King who would sit on David's throne forever.  God called David from a shepherd of sheep to be a shepherd of His people.  Jesus called His disciples from fishermen of fish to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

(8) "'"And I have been with you wherever you have walked and have cut off all your enemies from before you and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are in the earth. (9) Also I will ordain a place for My people Israel and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them anymore, as at the beginning, (10) And since the time that I commanded judges over My people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all your enemies."' Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a house. (11) '"And it shall come to pass, when your days are expired that you must go with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. (12) He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. (13) I will be his father, and he shall be My son, and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took from him who was before you, (14) But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forevermore."'" (15) According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

Again, these are pretty much the same words as in the account in 2 Samuel 7 with little variance.

(2 Samuel 7:18) Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?"

David went into the tabernacle he had prepared for the ark and sat before the Lord.  In humility, he asked the Lord why he, a sinful unworthy creature, and his family, should be given all the blessings and honor the Lord had given him thus far.

(19) "And this was yet a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God, but You have spoken also of Your servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of men, O Lord God?"

Bringing David to the throne thus far was a small thing compared to the future kingdom of his house the Lord promised would be forevermore.  Then David asked a rhetorical question, if similar treatment to such an inferior as David was to God, would ever be done by men, and the obvious answer was no, so he marveled that the Lord would do so for him.

(20) "And what can David say more to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant."

What more could David say?  Words could not express his sense of humble gratitude, but the Lord knew his heart.

(21) "For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things to make Your servant know."

For the sake of the Lord's word that David would be made king and his kingdom established forevermore, and according to His heart, His own pleasure, mercy, and grace, and not according to any merits or deeds of David, the Lord had done all these great things.  And He had let David know the future plans He had for David's kingdom through these words he had just received from Nathan.

(22) "Therefore You are great, O Lord God, for none is like You, neither any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears."

The translation "therefore" just doesn't sit well with me.  What?  Because God did all these wonderful things for David, therefore He is great?  Actually, there were two words that were translated as "therefore," "al" meaning "on account of" and "ken" meaning "rightly, so."  I can see why the translators used "therefore" and "wherefore," but I rather think it was intended to be more like "on account of Your being great, O Lord, it rightly follows You have done all these great things."  Because God's very nature is greatness and goodness, He can be nothing but, and there is no all-good, all-powerful, all-seeing, God, but Him.  David understood that, not only because of what the Lord had done for him, but for everything people had heard about in history, like God's deliverance of His people from Egypt.

(23) "And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, 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 Your land, before Your people whom You redeemed to You from Egypt, the nations and their gods?"

David asked the rhetorical question of what nation in all the earth was like Israel, the people God chose to make His people, whom He went to Egypt to deliver out of bondage, to make His great name known and glorified, as well as His people's, because of all the great and awesome things He did and they did through Him, for His promised land, the land He promised for His people, those miraculous things He did when redeeming His people from Egypt, as well as from the Canaanite nations and their gods.

(24) "For You have confirmed to Yourself Your people Israel a people to You forever, and You, Lord, have become their God."

The Lord had confirmed for Himself His people Israel, not for anything they had done, but just because He chose them.  He chose them to be His people forever and made a covenant with them that they would make Him their God, following only Him and His word and His commandments.

(25) "And now, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said."

David prayed that the Lord do as He promised.  My first reaction was why?  God had already said that He would.  But those covenants with God are two-sided and conditional, and it appears that David realized that.  If he or his posterity after him did not walk with God, they would be driven from the throne.  Therefore, he prayed that these things would indeed be established forever.

A flood of thoughts come to me regarding this.  I find myself accepting a word from God as a done deal, or that is my goal, so I do not have to constantly pray for it.  However, Ezekiel 36:37 says, "Thus says the Lord God, 'I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them...'"  This was after promises He had made for His people.  He had promised, but He still would be inquired of by the people.  This seems to imply that He wants us to continually pray for the thing He has promised.  I can see that this makes us conscious of the fact that it is only through Him that those promises are fulfilled, and it keeps us ever dependent on Him, our only source of life and salvation.  

However, somehow I believe those promises God makes will be fulfilled, regardless of what we do.  We might just not be a part of it.  Even though the people and even David's descendant kings rebelled against God, God still established His kingdom forever through Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  He just did it without His people Israel, but we should be ever thankful that it worked out the way it did.  That was the only way that we Gentiles were able to be grafted into the house of God's people.

(26) "And let Your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel,' and let the house of Your servant David be established before You."

David desired that those things the Lord promised would magnify and glorify God, and that the world would recognize that the one true God of all the universe was over Israel and protected and blessed its people.  Once again, David prayed that the Lord's word that his house would be established before Him would come to fulfillment.

(27) "For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore has Your servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to You."

Because the all-powerful, sovereign, one true God of the universe, and God over Israel, had blessed him so by telling him He would build his house, his heart overflowed with feelings he had to pour out to God.  John Wesley wrote, "That prayer that is found in the tongue only will not please God. It must be found in the heart. That must be lifted up and poured out before God."  I would add what Paul said in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."  Those are the things of the heart, not just vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7).

(28) "And now, O Lord God, You are that God, and Your words be true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant."

David professed that his Lord was that one true Lord of hosts, God of the universe, and God of Israel, and His words were always true.  That is God's very nature; He can be nothing but true.  And He had promised these good things to David.

(29) "Therefore now let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You, for You, O Lord God, have spoken, and with Your blessing, let the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

Finally, David prayed that it be acceptable and pleasing to the Lord to bless his house that it might continue forever.  For it to be pleasing to the Lord, David and his house must continue to follow their Lord, so in a sense, he was praying that they all be acceptable to the Lord so that He would be pleased to bless them.  However, they didn't all hold up their end of the covenant, but the Lord had spoken, and the house of David would be blessed forever with the coming Messiah.  And that certainly pleased the Lord!  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)  "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand."  (Isaiah 53:10)  Because God loved His sinful creation so much, it pleased Him to have Christ die for us to save us!  And what is even more incredible, although it is hard to imagine anything more incredible, is that God Himself came down to the earth in the human form of Jesus to save us!  (John 1:1, John 10:30, Colossians 1:15-17, Isaiah 9:6)  It pleased God to die for us!  "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

(1 Chronicles 17:16) And David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?" 

1 Chronicles 17 also told of David's thankful prayer to the Lord in response to Nathan's vision.

(17) "And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, for You have spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God. (18) What can David speak more to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. (19) O Lord, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. (20) O Lord, there is none like You, neither any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. (21) And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be His own people, to make You a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You have redeemed out of Egypt? (22) For Your people Israel did You make Your own people forever, and You Lord became their God. (23) Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have said. (24) Let it even be established that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, 'The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is a God to Israel.' And let the house of David Your servant be established before You."

These are pretty much the same words with little variance as in 2 Samuel 7:19-26.  Verse 26 had said, "The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel."  1 Chronicles 17:24 seems to repeat itself, "...the God of Israel, is a God to Israel."  I believe the sense is that the Self-identified God of Israel, what God called Himself, truly was what He called Himself, a God to Israel, having taken such good care of them, providing for them, delivering them from danger, and preserving them.

(25) "For You, O my God, have told Your servant that You will build him a house; therefore Your servant has found in his heart to pray before You. (26) And now, Lord, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. (27) Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant that it may be before You forever, for You blessed, O Lord, and blessed forever."

The Lord had blessed David's house and had blessed it forever, to be blessed forever, and David prayed that that would be always pleasing to the Lord to do so.  Of course, that would be eternally pleasing to the Lord through Jesus Christ.