Chronicles – Page 2 – Old Testament Survey

2 Samuel 7

David is amazed at what God has promised, not based on whom David is or what David does, but on whom God is and what God will do. This is the essence of the unconditional New Covenant God makes to us through His Son Jesus. It is and has and will always be about Him, not us.

2 Samuel 7 (cf. 1 Chronicles 17)

God makes a promise to David that is unconditional [listen to this message on Romans 3.1-8 preached at Evangelical Formosan Church of Cerritos on October 17, 2010 by Pastor David]. David responds to God with a prayer of praise. This is how it is. God promises us great things in Christ, and we need to respond with gratitude. How much gratitude have you shown God today?

God gave David peace )rest( from his enemies. The evidence of this is seen in the promises God makes with David in this chapter. Verse two reminds us of Hiram who provided David with the cedars of Lebanon (2 Samuel 5.11). This is the chapter that introduces the prophet Nathan. He plays a key role throughout the rest of the story of David (2 Samuel 12.1, I Kings 1.10, 22, 34, 2 Chronicles 9.29).

This is also the chapter that is central to the doctrine of Christ’s coming (12-13, 21). Christ is the seed that will come from David upon whom God will establish the eternal kingdom. Peter made sure the people of Jerusalem understood this in his first sermon (Acts 2.25-36). Paul mentions this covenant in Romans 1.1-3. Jesus even refers to it in Revelation 22.16. Both passages mention that Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenantal promise. The prophet Jeremiah, as an Old Testament example, awaited the day when the Messiah would come as fulfillment of this covenant (Jeremiah 23.5). Gabriel was sent with the same message in Luke 1.32-33 stating that the One who was to be born of Mary would be the One to sit on the throne of David. It is this covenant that ties the Abrahamic Covenant to the New Covenant made by Jesus (John 13-17).

According to this passage (10-16), the Davidic covenant is:

a house—a continued posterity of the royal line
a kingdom—a realm of political power, a literal earthly kingdom that can be interrupted (Hosea 3.4-5). Psalm 89 informs us that although individual members of the house of David may fail the conditions of the covenant because of their disobedience, the covenant itself remains unconditional (3-4, 19–24, 27–37; see our study on Psalm 89).
a throne—the rulership of that kingdom centered in David’s posterity, his offspring will have the only right to the throne in Israel

To conclude the matter of the covenant for the moment, ultimately God’s promise to Israel through the Davidic covenant will become evident in the Messiah, who is David’s seed (Jeremiah 33.19-26, Ezekiel 34.22-31, 36.16-38). Each of the covenants presented in Scripture, the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New covenants, will find their fulfillment (Ezekiel 37.21-28) in Christ, through whom the provisions of these three covenants come together (cf. Matthew 26.28-29, 31-33, 54-55, Luke 1.68-78, Acts 2.29-36, 3.25-26, 15.16-17, Galatians 3.13-16, 26-29, Hebrews 9.16-28, and Revelation 11.15).

The final thought in this chapter is David’s response to all this. He is amazed at what Nathan told him. He then enters the tent of worship, where the newly placed Ark is found, and he worships the Lord for a lengthy amount of time (7:18–29). During his prayer, he calls on the “Sovereign Lord” seven times. This title stresses God’s control over the nations and over this unconditional covenant God has made with David and the nation Israel. David is amazed at what God has promised, not based on whom David is or what David does, but on whom God is and what God will do. This is the essence of the unconditional New Covenant God makes to us through His Son Jesus. It is and has and will always be about Him, not us.

Psalm 132

During times of difficulty or praise, we need to record our prayers, desires, thoughts, and life so we might see God at work in our lives. When trials come, and they will, having a recorded testimony of God’s work in your life along with answered prayers will strengthen you and those around you. What is God writing in your life?

Psalm 132

This is another psalm of ascents and is the longest one. The authorship is unknown. It could have been Davidic (but verses 1, and 10-11 belie this) or Solomonic as a dedication of the newly built Temple. Whoever the author, this is a prayer given which asks God to remember His promises and is in connection with the Ark coming to Jerusalem and with the promise of the building of the Temple. This places the topic of the writing in time with our studies in 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 7.8-16 [see study] and 1 Chronicles 17.11-14 [see our study]). Second Samuel is the Davidic Covenant and 1 Chronicles is the oath by God to build the Temple through David’s son, Solomon.

Verses 1-5-Remember David’s oath to build the Temple (see our study on 2 Samuel 5)
Verses 6-7-Remember David’s bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (see our study on 1 Chronicles 16). The writer recollects that David heard of the Ark in his youth as seen in the reference to Ephrathah, which is another name for David’s hometown of Bethlehem (Micah 5.2 and Genesis 48.7).
Verses 8-10-A prayer for God to remember the Ark and the King. The phrase “Your anointed” could refer both to David’s descendants and his ultimate descendant Jesus Christ, the Anointed One (Messiah).
Verses 11-18-A restating of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7.8-16)

The prayers of verses 8-10 are answered in verses 16-18.

Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength (8).

This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it (14).

Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (9a).

Her priests also I will clothe with salvation (16a).

And let Your godly ones sing for joy (9b).

And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy (16b).

For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed (10).

There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. . . . But upon himself his crown shall shine (17, 18b).

Psalm 105

When you remember what God has done for and through you, do you trust Him with today and tomorrow? If you state He has done nothing, look again. Begin writing down so you may remember more clearly what the Lord has done.

Psalm 105

This and Psalm 78 are historical psalms that trace the history of Israel in order to teach a current generation about God. As you read through this psalm, attempt to find the eleven commands given to God’s people (“give thanks,” etc.). Historic psalms are good for us to read through as we see that God called His people to remember the good He has done. When we do this, we can trust Him to do good for us in the present and future.

1-6-Call to Praise
7-11-Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
12-22-Joseph
23-38-Exodus
39-41-Wilderness
42-45-Summary of all blessings mentioned and a command to praise God

This psalm was written when David brought the Ark into Jerusalem as an offering of praise to God (see our study on 1 Chronicles 16).

Whereas this psalm stands as a testimony of the good God brought to Israel, Psalm 106 presents the case of how God’s people betrayed Him (see our study).

Psalm 101

The question then comes for each of us, what do we strive after as children of God? Have we allowed worthless things to deter us from God? Where do you stand?

Psalm 101

This psalm was written by David at the time the Ark was placed in Jerusalem establishing the city as the political and religious capital of Israel (see our study on 1 Chronicles 16).

A possible outline of Psalm 101: The Ideal King is Pure in Life (1-4) and Pure in Justice (5-8). The only true King that reflected this was Jesus Christ. The character expected of a leader by God is presented in this psalm (Word in Life Study Bible, 1997).

To govern wisely, without compromising their integrity.
To completely disassociate themselves from wicked schemes and those who promote them.
To tolerate no slanderous talk and to dismiss subordinates who even appear to be using privileges to unfair advantage.
To surround themselves only with people who are faithful to the Lord.
To purge their administrations of deceivers and liars.
To root out and destroy wicked people from the land.

Loosely stated, he is to avert his ways from syncretism. David goes so far in saying that he will not set any wicked thing before his eyes (3). The word for wicked happens to be belial (בְּלִיָּעַל) wherein we get the term of a god found in Scripture (Deuteronomy 13.13 and 2 Corinthians 6.15). A worthless thing becomes our god, which is syncretism.

The question then comes for each of us, what do we strive after as children of God? Have we allowed worthless things to deter us from God? Where do you stand?

Psalm 96

How does your life lead to a celebration of life for God? Even in our dark times, our life should celebrate what He does for us. Who has praised God because of what He has done in your life? He is active. What have you shown or told others about Him?

Psalm 96 (1 Chronicles 16.23-33; see our study)

This psalm does not tell us who wrote it but 1 Chronicles 16 informs us it is David. The account for this is the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem This is called a royal psalm emphasizing God’s judgment. One commentary states there are “At least seventeen different ways of praising the Lord, given in the form of crisp commands, are found in Psalm 96” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1997). If you are able to list them, please comment.

Verses 4-6 describes the Lord as full of beauty and splendor. He is Creator and Sustainer. He is unlike the idols (אֱלִילִים), which by definition are “worthless” (the root of the Hebrew word for idol is worthless [אלל]).

David is calling us to sing a new song, to tell of God’s glory to those around us (1-3). David then celebrates who God is and how great is our God (4-6). David then calls us to great and festive worship of God with our whole life (7-9). David then celebrates who God is in that He will judge righteously (10-13). This psalm is like what Paul does in a few of his writings (Ephesians 3 with verses 20-21 for example). He writes of what God has done then goes into a hymnic praise of Him not by Israel alone but by the whole earth. All the peoples will praise Him.

For those of you who tried, here is another author’s attempt at finding the commands.

Three times in verses 1–2 we hear the summons, “sing to the LORD”; three times in verses 7–8, “ascribe to the LORD.” In each case further injunctions follow: “bless … tell … declare” in verses 2–3; “bring … come … worship … tremble” in verses 8–9 (Davidson, R. 1998).

Psalm 89

Psalm 89 (See Pastor David’s Sermon on Psalm 89.1)

This psalm struggles with the universal problem of God keeping His promises, much like Psalm 73 struggled with the prosperity of the wicked (see our study).

The psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, is referring to the Davidic Covenant which we will cover shortly when we cover 2 Samuel 7 (study to come later). He is complaining that God seems to have forgotten (39-47) His promises (1-38). He then prays that God will remember them (48-51) and ends with praise (52).

Even amidst all this doubt, the psalmist is reminded that God is a God who keeps His word (2 Corinthians 1.18–20 and Romans 15.8):

His commitment is incomparable because He is without equal (6)
He is overwhelmingly faithful (8, 24, 33)
The covenant with Him lasts forever (28–29, 36)
His commitment is unbreakable and unalterable (34)

This is how life always played out. We know the promises God has made, we do not see Him keeping them as we presume He should, we shake our fists at Him, then realize that He is God, He is Good, and He will keep His promises as we praise Him. After each section, the psalmist asks us to pause and think through the statements (Selah). When did you last consider the promises of God? If you have doubted whether He keeps them or not, why do you suppose you doubt Him? Have you offered prayers to Him for what He has promised to do, no matter how harsh?

Historical matters

This psalm might have been written when Jehoiachin (comp. verses 38-45 with 2 Chronicles 36.9 and 2 Kings 24.10-16) was king and is the second chapter, so to speak, of Psalm 78 (see our study) where God judged the northern kingdom. Here, it might be an indication of His judgment on the southern kingdom.
Rahab in verse ten does not refer to the ancestor of David but of Egypt (see our study in Psalm 87).

Music

Psalm 68

When looking through this psalm, we need to ask if people see and know who our God is and how great He is.

Psalm 68 (cf. Judges 5–see our study)

This is another psalm written in response to the Ark being moved into Jerusalem (see our study of Psalm 47). Numbers 10.35–36 and 2 Chronicles 6.41–42 (see our study) both describe the words to be said when the Ark is to be moved and laid to rest. It is describing the movement from Obed-edom into Jerusalem with the pomp given it. The psalm calls us to praise the God who cares for the needy with a pause )Selah( for us to ponder whether we do the same.

History unfolds placing the Ark in its proper place with another pause for us to reflect on the God who saves us.

The procession is marked with various peoples participating in the festivities. David then gives two short songs proclaiming God’s deliverance and God’s rule over all the earth.

Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 4.8.

What is of interest are the varied names God is called in this one psalm. He is called Elohim (1-אֱלֹהִים), Yah (4-יָהּ), Shaddai (14-שַׁדַּי), Yah Elohim (18-יָהּ אֱלֹהִֽים ), Adonai (19-אֲדֹנָי), and Jehovah Adonai (20-יהוִה אֲדֹנָי). El (אֵל) is also found throughout this psalm.

The psalm is neatly outlined this way:

Hymn of praise to God (1–6)
Moving the Ark from Sinai through the wilderness (7-8)
Entrance and conquest of the land of Canaan (9–14)
Capture of Jerusalem by David (15–18)
Praising God for victory over the Jebusites (19–23)
Procession of the ark to the sanctuary in Jerusalem (24–27)
Jubilation in anticipation of the final victory of God (28–35)

When looking through this psalm, we need to ask if people see and know who our God is and how great He is.

Psalm 47

Selah-Pause on these two matters. Is God your victory (1 John 4.4 and 5.4) and is Jesus your King (Philippians 2.9-11)? If so, how do those around you know? Do you clap your hands and sing of who He is?

Psalm 47

This is a Maskil of the Korahites probably sung at the annual New Year celebration or at the festive Feast of Tabernacles.

This psalm has been associated with David’s move of the Ark to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6(cf. 1 Chronicles 15). See our study of 2 Samuel.

The psalmist calls us to praise God in verse one, then asks us to pause and consider who this God is in verse four. He then repeats this pattern in verses six and nine. However, he changes from God the Victor to God the Son the King in subject matter. The first is the Father in the past tense and the second is the Son in the prophetic future.

2 Samuel 6

When we try to do God’s work our way, we may succeed for a moment, but we are destined for failure. When we do things God’s way, despite what some may think, He will bless us. Sometime our closest friends will turn on us when we decide to praise God properly. This should never detract us from rejoicing in Him. When was the last time you sang for God in such a way that it didn’t matter who was there?

2 Samuel 6 (cf. 1 Chronicles 13.1-14 [read our study] and 15.25-16.6 [read our study]; 1 Samuel 7.1, 2 [read our study])

This chapter presents David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It is a rather strange story though. After the Israelites received the Ark back from the Philistines, they placed it in Kirjath-Jearim (here it is called Baale-Judah) with Abinidab in order to make Jerusalem both the political and religious capital of Israel. The goal is admirable. It seems, however, the means was less than godly. David intended to transport the Ark via a cart and not using Kohathites (Levitical priests) to carry it as prescribe in Numbers 4.15.

As the party of more than 30,000 were celebrating the transport of the Ark, it began to fall. Uzzah, in an attempt to save the Ark from desecration by having it fall to the ground, stopped it from falling. For his attempts, God struck him dead. Why? Was God being too harsh with Uzzah for touching the Ark? If we are unaware of God’s character, we might trivialize this incident with such a response. However, knowing the holiness of God, we need to respond differently. Uzzah was attempting to “save” the Ark from desecration by desecrating the Ark with his hand (he broke the law in order to save the Ark). Now, some would say that his hand was less dirty than the ground, so it was the lesser of the two evils. I posit a query or two: Is God so incapable that He is unable to keep the Ark from falling without causing someone to sin? Do we really think our sinfulness is less dirty than the dirt? Dirt is dirt and sin is what brought Christ out of Heaven to die for us (it is filthy rags-Isaiah 64.5-7). God’s law demands that any who touch it, die; he did, and he did.

David is in fear and anger. I think he was fearful of whom God actually is and in anger over his mishandling of the situation.

He deposits the Ark at the home of a Levitical priest, a Kohathite, in the city of Gath-rimmon in Manasseh. This would be the proper place to leave it. After David sees that God is not mad at him but blesses the household of Obed-edom, David retrieves it properly and takes it to Jerusalem.

Along the way, the entourage continues their celebration. David celebrates with them. His first wife, Michal, becomes embarrassed by David’s dress and dancing and despises him. When he returns home, she blasts him for rejoicing in the manner he did. David defends himself. God judges her.

2 Samuel 5.11-25

As long as we are in submission to God’s commands and following His Word, will, and way, we are promised victory (1 John 4.4 and 1 John 5.4). Are you living in obedience or living in syncretism?

2 Samuel 5.11-25 (cf. 1 Chronicles 14-see our study)

The remainder of chapter 5 (see our study of 2 Samuel 5.1-10), establishes David as an international king, not merely a tribal king (12). The description of his home, built with wood rather than stone, presents a palatial estate (2 Samuel 7.2).

David is seen as an international sovereign. In being this he takes on the customs of those around him (syncretism). He adds more wives and concubines. God forbade this in Deuteronomy 17.17 but David allowed this probably because it was accepted cultural protocol for a king in making a peace treaty to take wives from the other’s family. This is the definition of syncretism, taking on what culture mandates as part of your life without regard to what God’s Word has to say. They, and we, always want to be like the others around us (1 Samuel 8.5 [see study] and Ezekiel 20.32).

David establishes a treaty with Hiram of Tyre [more research]. He will later supply David with the material to build the Temple (1 Kings 5.1-18).

As long as David was king over Judah only, the Philistines apparently were not concerned. When he was established as king over all Israel, they began attacking. The remainder of this chapter highlights the exploits of David’s men as seen in our study of 1 Chronicles 11 and will be seen when we return to 1 Chronicles 14.

The highlight is that David discussed his plans with God (19, 20). He did what God commanded and was victorious because of it. Some have suggested the marching on the tops of the trees are the angels marching to battle. Interesting thought that requires more research. Also, in this verse (24), it states that the Lord will go before them. This is not a foreign concept for the Lord is a warrior (Exodus 15.3) and He goes before His people to fight for them (Exodus 14.14; Deuteronomy 1.30; Joshua 5.13-15–see our study).

As long as we are in submission to God’s commands and following His Word, will, and way, we are promised victory (1 John 4.4 and 1 John 5.4). Are you living in obedience or living in syncretism?