David’s Prayer of Thanks
July 16, 2021
Commentary
This chapter dealing with David’s ambition to build a worship center for the Lord and the Lord’s response and promise concerning it is almost identical to 2 Samuel 7:1-29. Expressing a desire to provide the Lord with a temple was right, but his timing was wrong. David went into the tent he had set up for the Ark of the Covenant and sat down to talk to the Lord (v. 16).
David began by telling the Lord he didn’t deserve all He had done for him and what He had promised to do for his descendants (vv. 17-19). He said the Lord was treating him as a VIP when he was just His servant. He expressed how He alone was God and there was no other God like Him (v. 20).
He went on to say that there was no other nation on earth like Israel, the nation He rescued from slavery in Egypt (v. 21). He stated how the Lord had chosen Israel to be His special people forever and He had become their God (v. 22). David then asked the Lord to do what he had promised for him and his descendants so that the people would then recognize how powerful a God He really was (vv. 23-27). David knew his kingdom would be strong because God had promised to bless his descendants forever.
Application
When God told David not to build a temple (vv. 3-4) he was willing to abide by God’s timing. If I have my mind made up to do a particular thing (perhaps to buy a new car) but circumstances are against me (I must borrow money) perhaps God wants me to wait awhile. I need to be willing to move according to God’s timing.
1 Chronicles 17:16– 27 (NET)
16 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point? 17 And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. You have revealed to me what men long to know, O Lord God. 18 What more can David say to you? You have honored your servant; you have given your servant special recognition. 19 O Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing in order to reveal your greatness. 20 O Lord, there is none like you; there is no God besides you! What we heard is true! 21 And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation in the earth? Their God went to claim a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds when you drove out nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods. 22 You made Israel your very own nation for all time. You, O Lord, became their God. 23 So now, O Lord, may the promise you made about your servant and his family become a permanent reality! Do as you promised, 24 so it may become a reality and you may gain lasting fame, as people say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is the God of Israel.’ The dynasty of your servant David will be established before you, 25 for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you. 26 Now, O Lord, you are the true God; you have made this good promise to your servant. 27 Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Lord, have blessed it and it will be blessed from now on into the future.”