The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 188
SECT. CLXXXVIII.
DAvid at this preſent enjoying peace and quietneſs, being not diſturb'd with the invaſion of neighbouring Nations, he began to take into his pious thoughts the building of a Temple for God and his Ark. In order hereunto he ſent for Nathan the Prophet to adviſe with him about it. He tells him he was come to dwell in a ſtately houſe which he had built for himſelf (Hiram King of Tyre having furniſhed him with Cedar-trees, and Carpenters, and Maſons for that purpoſe) but he thought it unfit that he ſhould dwell in ſo ſtately a Palace, and the Ark of God ſhould be lodged in the mean time only in a Tabernacle covered with Skins and Curtains. Indeed while the Iſraelites were in the Wilderneſs in a flitting condition, the publick place of Gods Worſhip was only a Tent or Tabernacle, which might eaſily be removed with them, but now they were ſetled in Canaan, he thought it more ſuitable to their preſent ſtate that the houſe allotted to Gods ſervice ſhould be no longer a Moveable Tabernacle, but a ſtanding Temple, eſpecially conſidering that he had ſaid that when they were come into the land of their inheritance, he would chuſe out a place for them to cauſe his name to dwell there, Deut. 12.10, 11, 14. And therefore upon theſe conſiderations, and in zeal to the honour of God he had thoughts of building a Temple for his publick Worſhip. Nathan was much pleaſed with the deſign, and greatly encouraged him in it, ſaying to him, Go on (b)Hence it appears that the Prophets had not always the ſpirit of Propheſie upon them, but ſpake ſometimes as private men, as Samuel did, 1 Sam. 26.6., build an houſe for the Lord as thou haſt deſigned, he ſeems to have moved thee to it, and undoubtedly will anſwer thee in it. This approbation of Nathan ſo far encouraged David that (as ſome think) he bound himſelf by a ſolemn vow that he would not reſt till he had ſet himſelf upon the accompliſhment of it, as they gather from Pſal. 132.2, 3, 4. But God delayed not to bring David quickly out of his miſtake, and therefore that very night he ſpake to Nathan to go to him and to ſpeak to him after this manner, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an houſe unto my name, thou didſt well that it was in thine heart, [1 King. 8.18.] but it ſhall not be done by thee, but by thy Son, 2 Chron. 6.7, 8, 9. it is not my pleaſure that thou ſhouldeſt do it, and that for theſe reaſons:
1. Becauſe thou haſt been a martial man, and haſt ſhed much blood (c)Haec verba non leguntur, 2 Sam. 7. Ergo pertinent ad Paralipomena, i. e. ad praetermiſſa, unde hi duo libri nomen acceperunt., which though it was the blood of mine and my peoples enemies (and ſo was a ſervice well pleaſing to me) yet the Temple being to be a Type of the Body of the Meſſias the Prince of Peace, it ſhall be built by a Peaceable Prince.
2ly. Though thou enjoyeſt peace now, yet thou haſt many wars to wage with the Nations about thee, that are not yet ſubdued, and ſo canſt not have leiſure to go through with ſo great a work as that is.
3ly. I have not made choice of any ſtanding permanent houſe wherein to manifeſt my gracious preſence to this day, but have manifeſted my ſelf in a Tabernacle, flitting and removing from place to place, yet all that while I have been preſent with my people ever ſince coming out of Egypt as their God Alſufficient; therefore there is no abſolute need at preſent of building any other houſe for me, which ſhall be done when my own time is come.
4ly. I did never ſpeak to any of the Tribes of Iſrael, or to the Judges whom I appointed as faithful ſhepherds to govern and provide for my people, that an Houſe of Cedar ſhould be built for me. Moreover do not think that my forbidding thee to do it proceeds from want of love to thee, for thou maiſt remember how I have taken thee from the ſheep-coat from following the ſheep to be ruler over my people, and have proſpered thee in all thine enterprizes, and have deſtroy'd all thine enemies that roſe up againſt thee, and have made thee famous and formidable to the Nations round about thee, and have given thee a name like the name of the great Princes and Potentates of the earth. And as I have already multiplied many bleſſings upon thee, ſo I am ſtill ready to do it for time to come. Moreover I have not only bleſſed thee, but I will bleſs the whole Nation under thy Government. As I have appointed a place (a)V. 10. I have appointed a place for my people. So the Dutch Annotations read it. In the Hebrew it is foreign & poſui., a good land for them, ſo I will plant (b)How was this promiſe fulfill'd that the Lord would ſo plant them in a place of their own, that they ſhou…d thence move no more, and that the children of wickedneſs ſhould not afflict them any more as in former times, &c. when after Solomons days both the Kingdom of Iſrael and Judah were often invaded and waſted by many of the neighbouring Nations, and the people at laſt carried away captive to Aſſyria and Babylon. Either this promiſe therefore muſt be reſtrain'd to the times of David and Solomon, in whoſe days they did enjoy the land as their own, without moleſtation from the neighbouring Nations, or elſe it muſt be underſtood as a conditional promiſe, viz. if they were obedient, elſe God reſerved liberty to himſelf to deal otherwiſe with them.them there, and ſo ſettle them in the land that they ſhall quietly enjoy it as their own lawful inheritance, and not be diſpoſſeſſed of it, and toſſed up and down as formerly they have been, neither ſhall they be moleſted and vexed continually by their oppreſſing neighbours the children of wickedneſs, as they have been ever ſince I appointed Judges to rule over them even unto this time that I have ſet thee over them, and have given thee reſt from all thine enemies round about. And ſeeing thou hadſt a purpoſe to build an houſe for me, I will (ſaith the Lord) make thee an houſe, that is, I will eſtabliſh and continue thy Kingdom in thy poſterity, and (which is far more) raiſe up out of thy ſeed the Meſſiah, who ſhall be an everlaſting King over his people. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou ſhalt ſleep with thy Fathers, I will ſet up one of thy Sons (viz. Solomon) on the Throne after thee, and will eſtabliſh his Kingdom, and he ſhall build an houſe for my name, for my worſhip and ſervice, and I will eſtabliſh the Throne of his Kingdom for ever(c)This is proper and peculiar to Chriſts Kingdom alone, and cannot be literally underſtood of Solomons, ſeeing the Kingdom continued in his poſterity only to Zedekiah, therefore the promiſes here are ſome peculiar to Solomon, and ſome to Chriſt, and ſome to both.; I will be to him a Father (d)This promiſe belonged both to Solomon and Chriſt, to Solomon as we read 1 Chron. 28. to Chriſt as we read Heb. 1.5. To Solomon by grace and adoption, to Chriſt by natural eternal generation., and he ſhall be my Son, and if he commit iniquity (c)This is to be underſtood of Solomon, and not of Chriſt, who committed no ſin., I will chaſten him with the rod of men, and with the ſtripes of the children of men; that is, I will correct him for his ſin, as a loving Father doth his beloved Son, with Fatherly chaſtiſements for his amendment, and not in wrath for deſtruction, but I will not quite caſt him out of my favour, and deprive him of his Kingdom as I did Saul. And thine houſe and thy Kingdom ſhall be eſtabliſht for ever before thee; that is, thy Kingdom ſhall be eſtabliſht in thy ſelf unto the day of thy death, and ſhall in thy ſight be ſetled upon Solomon thy Son, 1 King. 1.28. whence thou maiſt aſſure thy ſelf of the continuance of it in thy poſterity for a long time (f)foreign Apud Hebraeos non ſemper ſignificat tempus infinitum, ſed pro materia de qua agitur, aliquando ſolum tempus bene longum.. Thus Nathan faithfully delivered unto David all that was revealed unto him in the viſion he had from the Lord, though it was contrary to the advice which he himſelf had before privately given him. David having received this meſſage went into the Tent where the Ark was, and having for ſome time ſat down, and meditated on the great goodneſs and mercy of God to him, he then addreſſed himſelf in prayer unto the Lord after this manner: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my Fathers houſe that thou haſt brought me hitherto, and ſo highly advanced me? And yet as if this were but a ſmall thing in thy ſight, thou haſt promiſed to continue thy favour not only to me, but to my poſterity after me for many generations. And is this the manner of men, O Lord God, to deal ſo bountifully with them that have no way deſerved of them; ſurely ſuch love as this is not to be found among mortals, but is only peculiar to thy ſelf, who art God omnipotent. And what can I ſpeak more to thee, or ask more of thee for my honour or benefit, than thou of thy free grace and mercy haſt already promiſed me, and art ready to confer upon me, [ſee 1 Chron. 17.18.] For thou knoweſt thy ſervant, and what is good for me better than I my ſelf. And thou knoweſt the deſire of my heart is to praiſe thy name, though with my tongue I am not able ſufficiently to do it. Thou haſt conferred all theſe benefits on me, not for any deſert in me, but of thy meer grace and love, and for thy truth and promiſe ſake, that thy ſervant might know what thou meaneſt to do for him and his in time to come. Thou art the great and only true God; there is none like thee, nor beſides thee, according to all that we ever heard or underſtood. And what one Nation is there in all the earth like unto thy people ſo advanced in high and holy priviledges, V. 23. To do for you great things, here is an Apoſtrophy to the people. In the next words his ſpeech is directed to God again, for thy land before thy people.whom God came (as it were) down from heaven to redeem and ſeparate for a people to himſelf, for the glory of his great name, and hath done ſuch great and terrible things for them openly in their ſight, whereby he hath delivered them out of Egypt, and ſubdued their enemies in the land of Canaan, and reſcued them from all Nations that ſought their ruin, and from their falſe gods, on whom they fooliſhly relyed for help. And thou haſt confirmed and eſtabliſhed the people of Iſrael for a people to thy ſelf for ever, that is, the natural Iſrael for a very long time, (viz. to the coming of the Meſſiah) and the ſpiritual Iſrael conſiſting of true converts both among Jews and Gentiles for ever. And now O Lord let the word that thou haſt ſpoken concerning thy ſervant, and concerning his houſe be eſtabliſhed for ever, and do as thou haſt ſaid, and let thy name be magnified for ever, that it may be ſaid, the Lord of hoſts is God over Iſrael. Yea let the houſe of thy ſervant be eſtabliſhed before thee, for thou Lord haſt made known to me what was formerly hidden from me, ſaying to me, I will build thine houſe, and continue the Kingdom to thee, and thy poſterity after thee; therefore thy ſervant hath found his heart moved to make this prayer unto thee, that it may be ſo, having thy promiſe as a ſure ground of his faith and confidence, and cannot doubt of obtaining his requeſt, for thy words are true and ſure to be performed, and thou haſt faithfully promiſed this goodneſs unto thy ſervant. Let it therefore pleaſe thee ſo to bleſs the houſe of thy ſervant, that it may continue before thee for ever. Thou haſt, O Lord, ſpoken it, and I firmly reſt on thy promiſe for the performance of it. Thou haſt promiſed to bleſs my houſe, and I firmly believe it ſhall be bleſſed.
2 Sam. Ch. 7. whole Chapter.
1 Chron. Ch. 17. whole Chapter.
1 Chron. Ch. 22. v. 8, 9, 10.
2 Chron. Ch. 6. v. 8, 9.
1 King. Ch. 8. v. 18, 19.