2 Samuel 7:18-29 – Every blessing is a God-granted privilege

God had made His extensive plan for David known to him through Nathan the prophet. Touched by what he had heard, David responded by going to the LORD personally. In other words, David went into the tent where he had pitched for the Ark of God. And there he sat before the LORD  and poured out his heart to Him. David did the right thing by responding personally to God. He could have relayed what he wanted to say to God through Nathan since the message came through him. But he did not. Instead, he respectfully went before the LORD  and personally expressed his heart to Him. Like David, we must always respond personally to God. Notwithstanding whom God uses to speak to us, we must always personally and committedly respond to Him.

Notice the attitude David adopted to come before God. He came humbly before the Lord. He knew that it was because of the graciousness of God that he was the recipient of all the victorious experiences. He dared not consider himself so great and God should want to bless him. If he had adopted that attitude, he would have become susceptible to pride. The Bible has made it amply clear that God will resist the proud but will give grace to the humble.  

David responded to God in a lengthy but honest prayer. He presented himself humbly before God. He recognized that in himself there was nothing to commend him to God. He was sure that had God not initiated and showed His kindness to him and his family, they would not experience the blessings they had enjoyed. Like David, when God chooses to use us, it is not because we have anything that merits His attention. But that He is a gracious God. And every kind gesture towards us is an act of His grace.

David also knew that God in Himself has the capacity to bring honor to Himself.  God could get all the tribute He wanted without the help of any man. But He chose to give David the privilege of being the instrument to bring Him praise. It was for God’s own sake that He blessed David and through it to reveal His own greatness.

In verse 22, we see that David recognized the greatness of God hence he could not help but explode in adoration and praise to Him. David also acknowledged that Israel became God’s favored nation by His own gracious design. It was He who had chosen them and shown favor to them, granting them all the victorious experiences since their deliverance from Egypt. God did everything for His own sake.

There one’s lesson we need to learn from 2 Samuel 7:18-24. That is: we exist for God’s pleasure. He blesses us with all good things in life for His own pleasure. Though He could have derived all the pleasures He wants by Himself, yet He graciously allows us to share in His pleasure. So like David, we must declare God’s praise. And like the  elders in Revelation 4:11, let us declare, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”