Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 7
God rescued Israel’s people from their desperate state as slaves in Egypt; and he established them as a nation in their own land. God did not do these things in order to make them like the other nations. He did these things because he wanted them to be different from the other nations. He wants them to be a nation of people who truly love and obey him. He wants them to show his goodness and to teach his truth to the people in other nations.
Many of Israel’s people only ever wanted God to help them for their own selfish reasons. However, God’s loyal people in Israel cared much more about their relationship with God than about any personal benefits.
Israel’s relationship with God is extremely important in God’s plans (Romans 9:4-5). Jeremiah 31:35-37 declares that God will never end this relationship. Sometimes in history, Israel’s people have turned away from God, but God has still been working in their lives (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). In the end, God will bring Israel’s people back into a right relationship with himself (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1; Romans 11:25-27). Through them, God will bring the whole world under the rule of his future king, called the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-9; Zechariah 14:9; Romans 11:12-15). That is what God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.
Next part: David expresses his agreement with God's promise (2 Samuel 7:25-29)
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