When God Tells You “No”
By human standard he would seem to be the perfect fit. He was the king chosen by God to take the throne after Saul. He was only a boy when God told Samuel to stop looking at the outward appearance for the king and revealed to him that “the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He had been with David when he fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and had protected him from the constant attacks he faced from Saul. The Lord had seen David through battle after battle and had finally given him the throne. One of the first tasks recorded of David’s reign was bringing home the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6).
So when David suggested that he should build a “house” for the Lord, it is surprising that God put off that request. David was concerned because he was living in peace and had a great house to live in, but God’s house was still a tabernacle—and had been for many years. Yet, David was much more concerned about it than God was. In fact, he points out that he had never asked any of the judges or previous leaders to build him a place (2 Samuel 7:1-7). I’m sure it could have been disheartening when God rejected his request, but when God says “no” he usually has something far better in mind for us. We can only see a small part of the masterpiece God is painting—he can see the whole thing.
In fact, God turns the blessing on David. While David wanted to build God a house, the Lord says instead, “I will cut off your enemies from before you” and “make for you a great name” (2 Samuel 7:9). And while all that seems amazing for the short term, God is not limited by time and space. He promises David that his future offspring would indeed build a house (13). While that is somewhat a reference to Solomon who would eventually build the great temple for the Lord. It seems through the language of the text that God didn’t intend to stop there. Much of the phrasing of the next several verses seem to also be Messianic prophecies of what was to come. A few times he mentions that the kingdom and the throne would be established forever (13, 16, 17). And while the distant King Jesus wouldn’t commit iniquities Himself, the rod and stripes from men would drive away sin from God’s people (14).
One of the amazing things about God’s grace is how His “no” comes with so many blessings. Sometimes it is hard to see and difficult to understand why He would answer with “no” but if you will be patient you might find that his answer was the best answer. While David was rejected from building a grand temple for Lord that would bring praise to Him in one place, God saw an opportunity to establish a Kingdom that would one day bring allow the Kingdom to spread in the hearts of all people throughout the world. Through that people, the temple of God would be wherever they were, because His temple would be in each of their hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Ben