7:1–10:19 Section
David wanted to build a house for the ark of the covenant. The ark had been kept in the holy tent. The tent had moved from place to place with the Israelites since they left Egypt.
The ark was a sign of God’s presence on earth. Through the ark, God had moved from place to place with his people. He did this so that they could trust that he was with them. God didn’t want David to build a house for him. Instead, God promised to build a royal house for David. This was a way of talking about how David’s family line would be Israel’s rulers. The sons born after him would be Israel’s kings. One of David’s sons would build a house for God. That house was the temple.
God promised to be like a father to the kings in David’s family line. This meant that there would always be someone from David’s family line who ruled as king. Many years later, people understood that this was a prophecy about Jesus. David was surprised and amazed at God’s promises to him. He understood that these promises were a covenant. God’s covenant with David would last for ever.
David’s heart was full of thanks. He trusted that God would do what he said he would do. God also promised to give David and the Israelites peace and rest from their enemies. This happened as David won battles over the people groups around the Israelites. The Israelites finally lived in all the land that God had promised to give Abraham.
David did what was fair and right and led the Israelites as a faithful shepherd. One example of this is how he treated Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. He made sure that Mephibosheth received all the land that had belonged to Saul. He made sure that Mephibosheth always had what he needed. In this way David was faithful to Jonathan’s covenant of friendship with him (1 Samuel 23:16–18).