When God Says No
God said no to David’s request to build a temple to house the sacred chest. David thought he was doing the right thing—he wanted to please and honour God—but God had other plans in mind for him. The Lord promised David that someone from his family would always be Israel’s king. This promise must have overwhelmed David!
Has God ever said no to your prayers? Even when you prayed with pure motives for something you thought would please God, he still said no. We need to remember that when God refuses our request, He is not rejecting us. He has a better plan in mind for our lives.
The Lord’s Covenant with David
2 Samuel 7: 1-17
(See Also 1 Chronicles 17: 1-15)
King David moved into his new palace, and the LORD let his kingdom be at peace. Then one day, as David was talking with Nathan the prophet, David said, “Look around! I live in a palace made of cedar, but the sacred chest has to stay in a tent.” Nathan replied, “The LORD is with you, so do what you want!” That night, the LORD told Nathan to go to David and give him this message: David, you are my servant, so listen to what I say. Why should you build a temple for me? I didn’t live in a temple when I brought my people out of Egypt, and I don’t live in one now. A tent has always been my home wherever I have gone with them. I chose leaders and told them to be like shepherds for my people Israel. But did I ever say anything to even one of them about building a cedar temple for me?
David, this is what I, the LORD All-Powerful, say to you. I brought you in from the fields where you took care of sheep, and I made you the leader of my people. Wherever you went, I helped you and destroyed your enemies right in front of your eyes. I have made you one of the most famous people in the world. I have given my people Israel a land of their own where they can live in peace, and they won’t have to tremble with fear anymore. Evil nations won’t bother them, as they did when I let judges rule my people. And I have kept your enemies from attacking you.
Now I promise that you and your descendants will be kings. I’ll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried in the tomb of your ancestors. I’ll make him a strong ruler, and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I’ll see that he is corrected, just as children are corrected by their parents. But I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. I will make sure that one of your descendants will always be king.
Nathan told David exactly what he had heard in the vision.
