Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:18-29 (NKJV)
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O
Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet
this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of
Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O
Lord GOD? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your
servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have
done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You
are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides
You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your
people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for
Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great
and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for
Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your
people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their
God. 25 Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant
and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So
let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over
Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27
For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant,
saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his
heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your
words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now
therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may
continue forever before You; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your
blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
Devotion
King David went into the sanctuary on Mount Zion in order to pray and praise
the God Who had done so much for him. David had a tremendous sense of humility
as he sat in the presence of Almighty God. One cannot have any real sense of
who one is without a real sense of who one is before the Eternal God.
In a recent survey, 55% of Americans believe that they are smarter than the
average American. This attitude shows a real lack of humility on the part of a
large segment of the American populace. Americans also tend to flatter
themselves with regard to their morality. But even if one were superior to
others in various ways, one is not superior to God in any way. This realization
is the first step in understanding who you are in the world.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). The next bit of
wisdom is to know Who has made one greater than others, if that is the case.
God chooses whom He chooses. His favor makes kings. He also chooses whom His
people will be. Of all nations, He chose Israel in His good pleasure. He has
made Israel His “own people forever,” and so it is true to this day. Israel is
still His own people, but we must understand the proper the definition of
Israel: only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. David’s house has been
established forever in us. So, let us magnify God’s Name among us.
Posted by The Reverend Jeffrey A. Ahonen on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran
Diocese of North America, publisher of the Lutheran Herald.
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