Each of us knows the following situation. All current challenges have been eliminated, all associated battles fought, all defeats coped with, all victories won. One of the big goals has been achieved and peace is finally returning. Now is the time when we can enjoy what we have achieved. A new car, a trip around the world, a break. Now we can finally think of ourselves. We made it. The problems and difficulties we had to contend with recede into the background and are forgotten. We reach out for the beautiful things life has to offer.
2 Samuel 7:1-3
David is also in such a situation. The time of Saul's persecution is over. Now he is king over Israel. God's promise has been fulfilled. The ark of God, the abode of God's spirit, also dwells in Jerusalem. But David would not be the man after "God's heart" if he were to sit back and enjoy what he had achieved. This man, once a young shepherd who defeated the Gittite Goliath, chief of king Saul's army, close friend of Johnathan the king's son, and many years persecuted and rejected and hunted man by king Saul; is not like other men. He can't just sit back and enjoy what he has achieved. Now that peace has finally returned and the Ark of the Covenant is near, he is thinking about building a house for God. Because for him God is central. And so he speaks to me Nathan (the prophet) about his plans. And Nathan encourages him by telling David, "Do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you" (2 Samuel 7:3). But already in the next verse we find that Nathan had answered of his own accord and that God had completely different plans. For me, in these three verses of the seventh chapter, two things are elementary. First, the attitude of David. He loved God with all his heart. And before he thought of himself, he thought of God. He wanted to erect a monument to his god in the form of a house that was at least as grand and grand as his own palace. But instead of asking God directly and himself, he turned to the prophet Nathan. Secondly, Nathan's reaction and response to David's announcement that he would build a house for God. Nathan also neglected to ask God for his will and in a way speaks after David's mouth. As strong as Nathan's connection to God is, he is first and foremost just a human.
Our church leaders and elders in the church are also human first. And this is how they react to ideas and projects presented to them by community members. Human. This does not always have to be automatically bad, but human wisdom is out of proportion to the wisdom of God. And just as Nathan already experiences God's correction in the next verse of this chapter, we too must be willing to be corrected by God. But being corrected by God is not bad, on the contrary. He knows each and every one of us intimately. And he also knows exactly where we are right now and since he only wants what is best for us, correction is simply necessary. It's like a child, you don't give your 3-year-old son a sharp pocket knife because the risk of him injuring himself is just too great. You make this decision out of concern and love. And it's the same with us humans. Sometimes we are not yet ready to take on a greater degree of responsibility and are therefore steered in a different direction by God. God does this because he loves us beyond measure and only wants what is best for us. So do not quarrel with his decisions, but take them out of his hands with gratitude, because he wants your best.
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