Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Scripture: 2 Samuel 7.1-16
Now when the king [David] was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the names of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict
them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be
established forever.
Devotion:
As many of you know, Alex and I have been in the process of moving our house and belongings and cats from our home on the border of North and South Carolina to our new home here in Monroeville. Since Thursday of last week, this process has been one problem after another. Between late drivers and weigh stations and toll roads, I have been sleeping on an air mattress for the past few nights, and at 8 months pregnant, this is no easy feat. As I read this passage today, knowing there is yet another delay in the arrival of our belongings (and most importantly, my bed!), I am hearing this passage with more than just a little longing for a sense of “home.”
David feels like he’s finally found security and home in his big old palace, and, being the faithful man he is, wants to make sure that God’s belongings have that same security and home as well. Selfishly, I’m sure that he wants to make sure this God who goes wherever God pleases is safely kept in the temple, so that God can never leave and become the God of his enemies. God’s twofold response to this is really interesting: God tells David that he doesn’t need a home because God goes where God’s people are, no matter where they are, and God also promises to establish a family relationship with David and the Israelites forever. These promises are made manifest first in David’s son, Solomon, as he builds a Temple for God in Jerusalem, and then again in the person of Jesus, who lives a nomadic life, but simultaneously brings the kingdom of God into the hearts and lives of everyone he meets.
In this strange Advent season, especially as I sit on my only chair waiting for a truckload of my belongings to arrive, I believe God still speaks in this strangely mysterious way. I believe that God reminds us that God isn’t confined to the four walls of the church building and will meet God’s people wherever they are. And I believe God is reminding us that God’s promises to never take love away from us remain true today as well. May we rest assured that even in our homes, even in the midst of pandemic, even in the midst of transitions and moves, God’s love never goes away from us, and God’s faithfulness always finds a way to meet us.
Now when the king [David] was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the names of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict
them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be
established forever.
Devotion:
As many of you know, Alex and I have been in the process of moving our house and belongings and cats from our home on the border of North and South Carolina to our new home here in Monroeville. Since Thursday of last week, this process has been one problem after another. Between late drivers and weigh stations and toll roads, I have been sleeping on an air mattress for the past few nights, and at 8 months pregnant, this is no easy feat. As I read this passage today, knowing there is yet another delay in the arrival of our belongings (and most importantly, my bed!), I am hearing this passage with more than just a little longing for a sense of “home.”
David feels like he’s finally found security and home in his big old palace, and, being the faithful man he is, wants to make sure that God’s belongings have that same security and home as well. Selfishly, I’m sure that he wants to make sure this God who goes wherever God pleases is safely kept in the temple, so that God can never leave and become the God of his enemies. God’s twofold response to this is really interesting: God tells David that he doesn’t need a home because God goes where God’s people are, no matter where they are, and God also promises to establish a family relationship with David and the Israelites forever. These promises are made manifest first in David’s son, Solomon, as he builds a Temple for God in Jerusalem, and then again in the person of Jesus, who lives a nomadic life, but simultaneously brings the kingdom of God into the hearts and lives of everyone he meets.
In this strange Advent season, especially as I sit on my only chair waiting for a truckload of my belongings to arrive, I believe God still speaks in this strangely mysterious way. I believe that God reminds us that God isn’t confined to the four walls of the church building and will meet God’s people wherever they are. And I believe God is reminding us that God’s promises to never take love away from us remain true today as well. May we rest assured that even in our homes, even in the midst of pandemic, even in the midst of transitions and moves, God’s love never goes away from us, and God’s faithfulness always finds a way to meet us.