Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 7
David was Israel’s king, but God calls David ‘my servant’. As God is the King of kings (Revelation 19:16), so this world’s rulers are called his servants (Romans 13:3-6). They govern the countries of this world on his behalf and by his authority. So, they are responsible to him for their decisions and their actions.
God’s people are especially called God’s servants because they respect and obey him (Psalm 123:1-2). They are loyal to him; they depend on him in every situation. So it was a great honour for David that God called him his servant (compare Hebrews 3:5). In fact, it seems that David considered it a greater honour to be God’s servant than to be a king. In David’s reply to God, he calls himself God’s servant many times (7:18-29).
The master directs his servant’s actions (1 Corinthians 3:5-8); the servant does not choose for himself what he will do. David wanted to build the temple, God’s house in Jerusalem - but God must build his own house (Psalm 127:1). Even when God directs people to build it (7:13), God must choose who, and when.
A servant must obey his master even when he does not know his master’s reasons. 2 Samuel chapter 7 does not explain why David was not the right person to build the temple. However, in the end, God did explain the reason to David, as 1 Chronicles 28:3 shows.
Next part: The places where the tabernacle and the ark stood (2 Samuel 7:6)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 1000+ page course book.
© 2023, Keith Simons.