Sometimes He Says No
After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent." Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you." That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. 'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' " Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. 2 Samuel 7:1-17
David had good intentions. God had given Jerusalem into his hands, and he had a beautiful palace made of cedar to live in. But the ark of God was still in the same old tent (the Tabernacle) it had been in for years. David felt guilty. The Lord had brought him this wonderful victory, given him the holy city of Jerusalem, had allowed him to have this beautiful palace, while the Lord’s dwelling place resided in a shabby old tent (the Tabernacle). No one could fault David’s noble intentions when he said he wanted to build a temple for the Lord. His heart was right, but his request was denied.
God was not rejecting David himself with His “no” to David’s request. Far from it. God had much greater plans for David, plans far beyond David’s vision. But God’s plan and purpose for David was not to build the temple. The job of building God’s temple would not rest in the hands of a warrior. That job would be given to Solomon, the peacemaker.
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You and I can have intentions that are just as noble as David’s. We can want very badly to do something for the Lord, something that we, like David, have reasoned is His purpose for us. All our logic agrees with us. Our hearts are right. We’re living for the Lord and doing everything we can for him. We have this great idea, this wonderful thing we could do for the Lord. So we ask Him. And He says no.
If this happens to you, don’t be disheartened. Perhaps, like David, God has something much greater in mind for you than you can envision. Remember, He sees with eternal eyes. Only He holds the entire script. You and I can only see one page at a time. Rejoice in His sovereign wisdom and mercy and continue to seek His will. At the right time, He’ll reveal it to you. Then you will understand His “no”.
From Dogwood Ministries, Inc.
J-R-and-Bonnie@dogwoodministries.org
Used with Permission
