Who Am I? 2 Samuel 7:18-29

Have you ever wanted to do something for a really long time and then been disappointed when you found out you couldn’t do it? How did you react?

At this time of the year, my friend Norm spends a good hour each morning cleaning all the leaves that have fallen into his pool. I recently dropped by for coffee and there he was, using his long net to remove the leaves from the pool. While doing this, he was singing and completely happy. I asked him if he found it disappointing or frustrating to have to do this continually. His response was this: “I have to clean the leaves from the pool because I have a pool.”

In 2 Samuel 7:18, King David goes in and sits (dwells) before the LORD and asks, “Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” David had just been informed by Nathan that he will not be the one to build a house for the LORD, but the LORD who will build a house for him. David had dreamed of building a permanent home for the LORD. But God told him no; David would not build the house. However, David would receive the promise of forever having an earthly king on the throne. The promise David received, a blessing extending into eternity, far outweighed any disappointment he may have felt. David’s heartfelt response, begun with humility and deference, reflects that David was more interested in the glory of God than he was in his own glory.

My friend Norm did not let the leaves blind him from the blessing he had received. Nor did David. Both understood that everything they had was a gift from God.

Today, a descendent of David sits on the throne. His name is Jesus Christ. The house that Solomon, David’s son, built for the LORD is no longer in existence.

Do we honour the LORD still and believe His promises? Are we letting the leaves in the pool distract us from seeing the pool as His rich gift to us?