Today’s passage: 1 Chronicles 17:1-27
Helpful thoughts:
- David desired to build a house for God. Instead God promises to build a house for David that will last forever.
- The Davidic Covenant saw an immediate fulfilment through David’s reign and in his son, Solomon’s reign.
- The ultimate fulfilment of the covenant will come through the eternal reign of King Jesus!
- In David’s prayer of thanksgiving, he acknowledges that these promises will hold because God was the giver of the promises. This was God’s gracious covenant, not a reward for David’s own righteousness.
- David gives a great summary for the purpose of Israel’s existence in verses 21-22. The right response to these truths follows in verses 23-24.
- God does these things for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:1-3), and we all benefit.
- The greatest blessing and benefit God could give to His people is Himself. To give us anything less, to give us what we might think we want more, would be unloving.
Questions to consider:
- What do we learn about God when we see His desire to have people build Him a temple is of lesser significance than what He has in store? Do the ways people tend to think of honoring God always agree with what God sees as honoring to Him (e.g. Micah 6:8)?
- Knowing that the “house” God built in David’s family includes Christ, what part do we (Christians) have in this promise? How does our part in God’s family in Christ help fulfill verses 23-24?
- How can our confidence in God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises give us strength, endurance, peace and joy in the midst of this life? How can the assurance of these promises embolden us to share the glory of God with the nations (And our neighbors) even when the world around us doesn’t find Christ to be desirable?