2 Samuel 7:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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 name of the great ones of the earth.

NIV: 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 great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.

NASB: And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.

CSB: I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name for you like that of the greatest on the earth.

NLT: I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!

KJV: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

NKJV: And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.

Through Nathan, the Lord has told David not to build a temple. This is not because God disapproves of David (Psalm 144:1). In fact, this section contains God's great covenant promises to David. The Lord is the One who took a mere shepherd boy and made him king over Israel (2 Samuel 7:8). The Lord now adds that He has been with David all along, everywhere that David went.

God gave him the ability to protect his sheep from bears and lions and to protect the Israelite army from Goliath (1 Samuel 17:34, 37, 45–49).

God gave David the agility to escape Saul's attempts to murder him with a spear (1 Samuel 18:10–11).

God protected David numerous times in battle with both foreign armies and Saul's armies, sometimes through miraculous means (1 Samuel 26:12; 2 Samuel 5:22–25).

God even protected David from spilling blood unnecessarily to avenge himself against a fool (1 Samuel 25).

Besides this, God arranged for the deaths of Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:1–6; 2 Samuel 4:5–6), so he had no political competition.

In all these things, David had a part. He believed God's promises and acted accordingly. In some of God's promises, David will have a role as well. David's faithfulness is key to his reputation, and his obedience will make Solomon king.

But God also wants to give something David cannot control: a unilateral covenant. David's dynasty will be everlasting. The books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles tell the story of David's descendants on the thrones of Israel and Judah. But it won't be until Jesus returns, conquers Satan, and rules from Jerusalem that God will fulfill his covenant with David (Revelation 19:11–21; Luke 1:32).

Second Samuel 7:8–17 records God's counteroffer. David wants to build God a house: a temple for the ark of the covenant to dwell permanently. God doesn't want him to (2 Samuel 7:1–7). Instead, God will build David a "house." Not a palace, but an everlasting dynasty. It will start with Solomon and continue through David's descendants who will rule the southern kingdom of Judah. But it will be fulfilled when Jesus returns and rules from Jerusalem (Luke 1:32). The Davidic Covenant is also recorded in 1 Chronicles 17:7–15.

In 2 Samuel 7, David wants to build a temple for the ark of the covenant. He's convicted that he has a big house, so the ark doesn't belong in a tent (2 Samuel 5:11–12; 6:17). God declines David's request. Rather, God will build David a "house": a dynasty. David's son will be king—and that sone will build the temple. David's throne will be established forever. David responds with a humble prayer of gratitude and praise, asking God to do all He has promised for David and for Israel. God will, through Jesus (Revelation 22:16). First Chronicles 17 records the same events.

In 2 Samuel 7, David learns he can't out-give God. God has made him king and given him a mansion and a family (2 Samuel 5:3, 11–15). He's allowed David to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–15). Now, David wants to build the ark a proper temple. Instead, God says David's son will build the temple, and God will build David a lasting dynasty. Solomon does build the temple (1 Kings 5), and Jesus will fulfill David's dynasty (Luke 1:32).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.