“And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.” — 1 Chronicles 17:11-12

Promises are a big deal to most children. They certainly were to me when I was young. I remember asking my parents, “Do you promise?” when tentative plans were mentioned regarding a coming event. I figured if I could get my mom or dad to make a promise, the plans assuredly would come to pass. 

When it came to commitments made by my siblings or friends, I felt—often rightly, as it happens—that many of them were made a bit too casually. Even when the commitment maker said yes to my question, “Do you promise?” I frequently demanded additional reassurance. “Do you mean it? Do you really, really promise?” I would ask. I was not allowed to say the childhood chant my school friends used to verify promises, “Cross your heart and hope to die?” but I sometimes wished I could come up with an equivalent avowal that would provide certainty. 

A promise is a declaration or pledge that something will or will not be done . . . but when made by a fallible human being, it is not a guarantee. Even when the person making the promise has every intention of honoring it, circumstances can intervene and cause the most sincere of pledges to be broken. 

God’s promises are different. When God makes a promise, we can be absolutely, positively, confidently sure it will happen! Numbers 23:19 tells us, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible records commitments that God made to people, and every one of those promises has been or will be fulfilled. 

In today’s focus verses, God made a wonderful promise to David—that David’s son would build a “house” for God, and that God would establish a hereditary monarchy from David’s descendants that would endure. God was guaranteeing the permanence of David’s line upon the throne! 

At a casual glance, we might wonder at the second part of this promise. History tells us that while the descendants of David did rule over Israel for more than four centuries, the nation eventually crumbled and the Israelites were taken into captivity because of their disobedience. However, God’s promises are true. Although the nation of Israel disappeared for a time, out of the lineage of David came a Son who will one day rule forever—Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 

The English pastor and author Charles Spurgeon once said, “Do not treat God’s promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but believe them and use them.” We use them by learning what God declares in His Word, putting His promises deep into our hearts, and then giving Him space to work them out in our lives day by day. We can depend on God’s promises; they will never fail!

BACKGROUND

This chapter records David’s desire to build a house for the Lord (verses 1-2), God’s denial of that desire and His covenant with David concerning his descendants, as communicated through Nathan the prophet (verses 3-15), and David’s humble prayer of acceptance (verses 16-27). A parallel account of these events is found in 2 Samuel chapter 7. Most Bible historians agree that chronologically, chapter 17 should be placed after the end of the wars described in chapter 18. 

Verse 1 relates that David was troubled when he compared his “house of cedars” with the “tent” where the Ark of the Covenant was located. Cedar was especially valued in that era, and the inference is that David lived in a fine, elaborate home. 

David shared his desire to build a Temple for God with the Prophet Nathan, and the prophet initially gave his approval. However, that night “the word of God came to Nathan” and he was instructed to tell David he would not be permitted to carry out his plan. Other places in Scripture indicate this was because David was a man of war (see 1 Chronicles 28:3 and 1 Kings 5:3). 

God followed that denial with a great promise: that He would build David a “house”—a hereditary monarchy that would endure forever (verses 11-12). In addition, though David would not build a place of worship for God, his son would do so. 

David responded to God’s denial and subsequent promise with acceptance and gratitude. He acknowledged his unworthiness and praised God for His greatness, His promises, and His instructions. David’s humble reception of God’s gracious promise is revealed by his repetition ten times of the phrase “thy servant” in his prayer. He concluded by boldly asking that God’s promise be fulfilled as spoken.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

II. The reign of David
     B. The establishment of his kingdom
          2. The prosperity of David’s reign
               b. The promise to the Davidic line (17:1-27)
              (1) The desire of David toward God (17:1-6)
              (2) The promise of David’s perpetual throne (17:7-15)
              (3) The prayer and praise of David (17:16-27)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Where did God say He had dwelt since He brought Israel out of Egypt? (verse 5)
2. Why do you think David was able to accept God’s denial of his desire with such grace and thanksgiving?
3. What elements do you identify in David’s prayer, recorded in verses 16-27, that you can incorporate into your own prayers?

CONCLUSION

God’s promises are true. Even though we may not see how they can come to pass, we can rely upon them as David did.