1Chronicles 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.
1Chronicles 17:2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.
2Samuel 7:1-17 is a parallel passage to this chapter.
At some time after the events of the last chapter, David sat talking with the prophet Nathan. He expressed the thought that he was housed in beautiful house made of cedar while the ark of the covenant of the LORD that represented God’s presence among His people was housed in a tent behind curtains. He didn’t have to say anything else. Nathan knew what he was thinking and told him to follow his heart because God supported him.
Even a prophet can be guilty of assuming to know God’s will based on human reasoning. The next section will reveal that God did not support David’s desire to build Him a house. It obviously was not a bad thing that David wanted to do; it just wasn’t God’s will for him to do it. Principle: Just because something is good, doesn’t mean it is according to God’s will. We need to diligently seek His will in everything we do.
We will find out later in our studies that David was not allowed to build the LORD a house because he had so much blood on his hands as a soldier of war.
1 Chronicles 22:7–8 “And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.”
1Chronicles 17:3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
1Chronicles 17:4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:
1Chronicles 17:5 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.
1Chronicles 17:6 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?
That same night, the LORD spoke to Nathan. He told him to go back and tell David that he was not to build Him a house. He was to remind David that He had not dwelt in a house since the day that He had brought Israel out of Egypt to the present time. He had not uttered one word of complaint about being housed in a tent, nor had He questioned why they had not built Him a temple of cedar.
I liked this comment from Guzik: “David wanted to do more than God commanded. This is a wonderful place to be in our relationship with God. Most of us are so stuck in the thinking, How little can I do and still please the Lord? that we never really want to do more than God commands.”
1Chronicles 17:7 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:
1Chronicles 17:8 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.
Although the LORD’s message denied David the privilege of building Him a temple, it was a message of encouragement. The LORD reminded David that He took him away from shepherding his father’s flocks to make him a shepherd of God’s people Israel. He reminded David that He had been with him at all times and delivered him from all his enemies. He had made the name of David respected as one of the great men on earth.
1Chronicles 17:9 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,
1Chronicles 17:10a And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies.
The LORD went on to declare that He had appointed a place (that they now possessed) for His people Israel and would plant them there so that they would no longer have to wander. The LORD would no longer allow their enemies to oppress them as they had in the beginning during the time of the judges. The LORD Himself would vanquish their enemies.
1Chronicles 17:10b Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.
1Chronicles 17:11 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.
1Chronicles 17:12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.
1Chronicles 17:13 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:
1Chronicles 17:14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.
Now an interesting twist that shows that the LORD was honored with the desire of David’s heart. He declared that He would build David a house, a reference to his posterity. When David died, the LORD would raise up a son of his seed and establish his kingdom. This son would build him a house, and the LORD would establish his throne forever. He promised to be a Father to this son and not take His mercy away from him as He had Saul. The LORD would establish him on the throne of His kingdom forever.
David would come to understand this prophecy in reference to his son Solomon. I believe, however, that the primary reference is to Jesus. The LORD did raise up Solomon to the throne and allow him to build Him a house. The LORD did not take His mercy away from Solomon even though he sadly made many wicked choices and ended much worse than he started. Obviously, Solomon was not established on the throne of David forever.
We learn from the prophet Ezekiel that Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, is going to build a temple when He comes to reign as King of kings on the throne of David in Jerusalem for 1000 years; that throne will never be usurped.
Zechariah 6:12–13 “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
Jeremiah 23:5–6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
1Chronicles 17:15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Thus ended the word of the LORD to David as told by Nathan the prophet.
1Chronicles 17:16 ¶ 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?
1Chronicles 17:17 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.
1Chronicles 17:18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.
1Chronicles 17:19 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.
In the last part of this chapter we are told David’s response to the LORD’s message. He first went to sit before the LORD (before the ark I assume) and talk to Him. He declared his wonder that the LORD God would choose to bless him so greatly. Not only had the LORD made David king over Israel, He had promised to establish his throne for a long time to come. He acknowledged that God was treating him like a very great man. David declared that he didn’t know what to say; he knew that the LORD knew him intimately and was very aware of his weaknesses. David recognized that the LORD’s blessing upon him was according to His will and that He had made it known to David for his encouragement. As Guzik so aptly notes, “God’s giving reflects the greatness of the Giver, not the receiver.”
1Chronicles 17:20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
1Chronicles 17:21 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?
1Chronicles 17:22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.
David breaks out in praise to the LORD, declaring that He is the only God. There was no other “god” on earth that had acted on behalf of a nation in the way that the LORD had for His people Israel. He had delivered them from Egypt to be His own and declare His greatness before the nations. He had given them a homeland by driving out the wicked nations that lived in the place He had chosen to give them. Israel was the nation that God had chosen as His own, and He became their God.
1Chronicles 17:23 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.
1Chronicles 17:24 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.
1Chronicles 17:25 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.
1Chronicles 17:26 And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
1Chronicles 17:27 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.
David’s talk with the LORD ends by expressing his desire that the prophecy concerning his house be fulfilled. He wants the fulfillment of that prophecy to testify to the greatness of The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel. He again acknowledges that his prayer and praise was an attempt to say, “Thank you.” Since the LORD had made a promise, David confidently called for the fulfillment of that promise. He also acknowledges that only as an act of the LORD could his house be blessed forever.
David knew that God is pleased when we receive His promises in faith. The writer of Hebrews affirms this truth.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
We can confidently thank the LORD for the coming fulfillment of His promises as we eagerly await that fulfillment.
1Chronicles 18:1 ¶ Now after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
1Chronicles 18:2 And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
After David was forbidden to build a temple to the LORD, David set himself to the task of securing the boundaries of his kingdom. He fought with the Philistines and subdued them, taking possession of Gath and its surrounding towns. He also subdued Moab and made the Moabites tributaries to Israel.
Wiersbe notes that with this victory David took back the territory that Saul had lost in his last battle.
1Chronicles 18:3 And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates.
1Chronicles 18:4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots.
1Chronicles 18:5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.
1Chronicles 18:6 Then David put garrisons in Syriadamascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought gifts. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
In a move to solidify his boundaries to the river Euphrates at Hamath, David defeated the forces of Hadarezer, king of Zobah (in Syria). The spoils of victory included 1000 chariots, 7000 horsemen and 20,000 footmen. David hamstrung (cut the tendons to cripple) all the horses except those needed to pull 100 chariots. When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer, 22,000 men were killed by the troops of Israel. David then established garrisons in Syriadamascus and made the Syrians his tributaries as well.
Guzik provides this insight on the hamstrung horses: “This was military necessity instead of mere animal cruelty. David could not care for so many horses while on military campaign and he could not give them back to the enemy.”
JFB notes that Hadarezer “seems to have become the official and hereditary title of the rulers” of Zobah.
They also make the following note concerning a discrepancy in number between this account and the account in 2Samuel: “In 2 Samuel 8:4 David is said to have taken seven hundred horsemen, whereas here it is said that he took seven thousand. This great discrepancy in the text of the two narratives seems to have originated with a transcriber in confounding the two Hebrew letters which indicate the numbers, and in neglecting to mark or obscure the points over one of them. We have no means of ascertaining whether seven hundred or seven thousand be the more correct.”
It is noted that it was the LORD that gave David the victory (from the Hebrew for “preserved”) wherever he went. That is a principle that we need to remember as we seek to serve the LORD. Scripture is clear that without the LORD as our help, we cannot hope to accomplish His purpose for us.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
1Chronicles 18:7 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
1Chronicles 18:8 Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
The writer also notes that David accumulated a wealth of gold and brass in the spoils of his victories. The brass would eventually be melted down and used by Solomon to make the brazen sea, the two pillars and the vessels of brass for the temple.
1Chronicles 18:9 ¶ Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah;
1Chronicles 18:10 He sent Hadoram his son to king David, to enquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had war with Tou;) and with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
1Chronicles 18:11 Them also king David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
When Tou, king of Hamath, heard how David had conquerd his enemy Hadarezer, he sent his son Hadoram to King David to congratulate him on his victory. He also sent a generous gift that included all types of vessels of gold, silver and brass.
David dedicated these gifts to the LORD along with all the silver and gold he had acquired from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines and Amalek.
1Chronicles 18:12 Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand.
1Chronicles 18:13 And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became David’s servants. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
The writer makes note that Abishai, David’s nephew led an attack in which 18,000 Edomites were killed in the valley of salt. He established garrisons in Edom and also made them tributaries to David.
Again it is noted that the LORD gave David the victory wherever he went.
1Chronicles 18:14 So David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people.
1Chronicles 18:15 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder.
1Chronicles 18:16 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Shavsha was scribe;
1Chronicles 18:17 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.
So David ruled Israel, dispensing justice fairly among all his people. Some commentators note that the kingdom of Israel was at its largest under David. An article, “Ancient Israel (the United and Divided Kingdom),” from the Purdue University website states: “David quickly defeated the Philistines and established the United Kingdom (1000-922 BC). As a military commander of remarkable ability, he conducted successful campaigns along the entire coastal strip from Gaza to Phoenicia. He ultimately extended his authority to the Euphrates River in the north and perhaps as far as the Red Sea to the south. His reign represented the greatest territorial extent of Israel and was later recalled as a “golden age."
David’s main assistants were:
Joab, son of Zeruiah, his nephew, chief military commander
Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, recorder or historian
Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, son of Abiathar, chief priests
Shavsha, secretary
Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, commander of the Cherethites and Pelethites, his personal bodyguards
His sons