The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalms 1-2, 33, 127, 132
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 5: Kings and Prophets: God shapes a kingdom people
Background Information: 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalms 1-2, 33, 127, 132
The high point of the books of Samuel and Chronicles is God’s Davidic Covenant. Some of the promise will be fulfilled in his son Solomon, who will build the temple, but Solomon’s throne will not endure. In fact, Solomon will fail to obey the Lord, and his son will split the kingdom in half leading to its eventual downfall. The ultimate fulfillment of this promise is Jesus. “Today in the city of David” the angels said, “a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”(Luke 2). Messiah means the anointed one, the true king. David’s great Psalm, the second in the Psaltery, foretells the coronation of the anointed one, King Jesus. The enemies of God, physical and spiritual, set themselves against this anointed one, but they will ultimately fail. Luke shows us that this Psalm finds its fulfillment in King Jesus.
“Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed”(Acts 4:25) “This he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’” (Acts 13:3).
David has good intentions in his desire to build a temple, and Nathan tells him to essentially “follow his heart.” The problem is, God has not told him to build a temple. Good intentions are irrelevant to the will of God. Many people have followed their own hearts straight into rebellion against God. God’s promises will stand, and his will, will be done. But his will, not our intentions, is what matters. If our hearts are pointed his direction, this fact should be a comfort to us. David prays God’s promises back to him. This is not a show of doubt or an attempt to manipulate, rather it is good practice. We would be helped if we repeated God’s promises to him in order to train our own minds: “Self, put your trust in Christ, his promises cannot fail. Self, obey the Lord; his will, not your desire, is what matters the most.”
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Isaac & Suzanne to have wisdom as they teach many MK’s at Black Forest Academy. Pray for their son Ambrose to grow up loving God.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.