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1CHRONICLES
CHAPTER 17

1 Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains. 2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.

When we live in a fine house, and God's house is not better than ours, it oughta start our conscience to hurting. David's desire should be our desire. And that is to see that God's house is a fine house indeed.
At first, Nathan (the prophet) agreed with David. It would be good to do all that was in his heart concerning the building of a house for worshipping God.
Nathan has been around David. He has seen how God is blessing him, and he has seen how David loves God. His first response was that whatever David wanted to do would be ok with God.

3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in: 5 For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 6 Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars? 7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel: 8 And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth. 9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning, 10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house. 11 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. 12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. 13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: 14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. 15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

But that night God spoke to Nathan very clearly. And God said that David could NOT build a temple for Him.
God deosn't NEED a house on earth (verse 5). MEN need to have a house for God on earth. God desires to dwell in the hearts of men. And when God DOES dwell in the hearts of men, He will have a fine house on earth in which men will gather to worship Him.
The business of God's "called men" is to feed His people (verse 6).
God can take a nobody like David (according to the world's standards) and make them a somebody. Surely He can care for ALL His people in the same manner (verse 7).
As God has been with David, so shall He be with His people (verses 7-10). He will GROW them and HELP them by His grace.
All men eventually die (verses 11-12) and leave behind the work to be carried on. Our business as Christians should be to teach "...faithful men who will be able to teach others also.." (2Timothy 2:1-2).
God will establish His throne forever through faithful men.
This is a prophecy that will be fulfilled by David's immediate successor (verse 12). There will be a physical descendent through whom God will establish David's throne (Solomon). And this descendent shall build the temple of David's desire.
Neither David nor Solomon completed their tasks as God had called them. But God was faithful to His promises.
You see, this is a long-term prophecy also (verse 14). There WILL BE a descendent of David through Whom God will establish His eternal throne for mankind. Jesus Christ was that physical descendent.

16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 17 And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God. 18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. 19 O LORD, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

David reflects on what God told him through Nathan. Then he went before God and sat down to praise Him. In verse 16, David realizes that was just a "small thing" because God has now promised a Successor Who wil rule FOREVER! And that Successor will come through David's descendents! Now THAT'S no SMALL thing!!
God has honored the servant more than the servant can honor God (verses 18-19). And David acknowledges that there is NO OTHER GOD besides the LORD.

21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? 22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God. 23 Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said. 24 Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee. 25 For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee. 26 And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 27 Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.

God has named Israel as a special nation and redeemed them from slavery in Egypt so that they could have this land and serve Him.
And those whom God has CHOSEN He has chosen FOREVER (verse 22).

[[[Now let's look realistically at verse 21 and the requirements for being chosen of God. First one must be chosen, then saved, then given a task to complete, then be faithful in the task. Without being chosen and saved, one cannot fulfill the latter two requirements.
Obviously God did not choose them simply because of their genetic condition. God chooses because of a heart condition. The heart condtion of Israel in Egypt was humility and repentant calling upon God for salvation.
Just because a person is of a certain genetic strain does not mean that they will be with God in glory forever. God has chosen to save ALL people (2Peter 3:9). But a person must humbly come before God in repentance before He can be saved.]]]

David completes His prayer by asking God to complete His promises. Only God can complete the promise of salvation and an eternal home in glory!

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