This passage is rich in ideas to consider. First, after escaping many battles and Saul’s plot to kill him, God gives David rest from his enemies. It’s a time to catch his breath, regroup, and be grateful for God’s protection and presence. Next, David expresses dismay that he should live in a luxurious palace while the God who brought him to this place should dwell in a simple tent. And although God accepts David’s plan to build a suitable temple, David is reminded that ours is a God who goes with us no matter where we go – through both the losses and the victories of life – through those times when we have broken covenant with God and when we have lived into God’s vision for our lives as individuals and as a community of faith.
Finally, God promises David a royal lineage that will be parented by God. Notice that God doesn’t say, “If he commits iniquity…” but “When he commits iniquity…” Sin is a foregone conclusion for us all and consequences are the natural outflow of that sin. But hear the promise in vs. 15: “I will not take my steadfast love from him.” God may allow us to experience the effects our sin has on our relationships, our health, our careers, etc., but we are never outside the bounds of God’s love and God’s ability to redeem.
Which of these ideas speak to you today? What might God be saying to you in these verses?
Offer a prayer that is fitting for where you are: a plea for rest from the demands of life, thanksgiving for God’s constant presence both in the church and in the world, or one of confession.