Today’s passage: 2 Samuel 7:18-29
Helpful thoughts:
- The LORD of hosts has never and will never know defeat. Not only is God faithful to fulfill His promises. He is also to withstand and defeat any who would try to attempt to prevent Him from succeeding. God doesn’t lose. When we are with Him, we are on the victory side.
- David’s courage didn’t come from building a great temple. It came from receiving grace from the great God.
- David’s courage didn’t come from seeing himself as a mighty king who God came to fancy, but in being chosen as a servant of the Most High.
- David’s request for blessing was an acknowledgement that God alone was able to see His plan through to completion.
- Verse 22 – “Therefore you are great, O Lord God.”
- Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Questions to consider:
- Why does David rightly call God’s covenant promise “instruction for mankind?” What things do we learn about God through the covenant and God’s fulfilling of the covenant? Which attributes of God are on display (Which attributes did David mention in this passage)?
- How does a question like, “Who am I” give us an even greater love for God and joy in Christ? In what way is “Who am I” very counter cultural? Why does a high view of our self minimize our view of God’s love and steal our joy?
- How do the answers to question 2 relate to our understanding of the gospel?