Flush with victory and filled with pride in his accomplishments, King David grandiloquently declares that he will build the Lord a magnificent house: a temple. Yet God declines the king’s offer. “I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day,” says the Lord, “but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle” (v. 6). Instead, God promises to build David a house (v. 11). What the Lord has in mind is not a physical structure, but rather a spiritual dynasty: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (v. 16). |
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