‘“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘this is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.’”
~ 2 Samuel 7:8
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you want to be when you get big? What do you want to do when you get big? How many times have you already been asked these questions? What do you say? Do you say that you want to be a policeman so that you can help catch bad men? Do you say that you want to be a fireman so that you can help put out fires? Do you say that you want to be a zoologist because you like animals? Do you say that you want to be a missionary so that you can be like your grandmaa and grandpaa? You do not have to decide today what you want to be or what you want to do. You may change your mind a number of times as to what you would like to be or what you would like to do. As you are growing up, you will hear a lot about a man in the Bible who grew up shepherding sheep. The guy’s name is David. David was the youngest in a family that had eight boys. When Samuel mentioned David for the first time in the 1 Samuel book, Samuel describes David as being a strong young guy. David was also per Samuel a courageous, nice looking dude. Does David sound anything like you James? Your grandpaa knows that you do not have any bros but . . . do you think that when David was a kid, that he wanted to be someone special? Do you think that David dreamed about being a king or a leader – like being the king or the leader of Israel, so that he could help defeat all the bad people who were living in the land which God had returned to His specially chosen people? What do you think David was thinking about when he was taking care of his dad’s sheep? David had to always be watching for wild animals. David had to kill a lion one time because the lion wanted to eat his dad’s sheep. He also had to kill a bear one time, too. David was a responsible young man. David did what his dad asked him to do. When you do what God asks you to do – and what your dad asks you to do, you are blessing God. If you are blessing God, you are pleasing God. When you are being obedient to God – and when you are being obedient to your ma and dad, God just may allow you the privilege of being special ambassadors for Him – like He has for your grandmaa and grandpaa.
David in 2 Samuel 7 had been Israel’s king for years. David had finished doing something that he knew that God had wanted Him to do. David had gotten rid of all of his people group’s enemies who had been trying to take back the land which God had given to His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelites, to have as their very own land to always to have to live in if . . . David wanted to do something next for God. David had already built for himself a beautiful palace using cedar. Four hundred years or so before this – while God’s specially chosen people were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt to go to a land which God had promised to return to them to have as their very own land to always to have to live in if . . ., God told Moses to make something special. This special something was called the ark of the covenant. After Moses saw to the construction of the ark of the covenant, God’s presence entered into the ark of the covenant. Wherever God’s specially chosen people – the Israelites, went after Moses had seen to the construction of the ark of the covenant, God’s presence would always be there alongside His specially chosen people. The ark of the covenant is not needed today because God – as the Holy Spirit, lives now in His Christ-followers. Your grandpaa someday will tell you how God as the Holy Spirit will live in a Christ-follower. From the time when Moses followed God’s instructions as to how to make the ark of the covenant and now to this time when David was looking for something else to do, God’s presence continued to stay in the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant was being kept in a nice tent but . . . David though saw himself living in a better place than where God’s holy presence was being kept. David wanted to build a better place for God’s presence to be. God tells David that He did not want him to build Him a better place. God does promise David that He would allow one of his sons – Solomon, the privilege of building what he had hoped to be able to build. God also promised David that He would always remember David and David’s family. God kept His promise. Over nine hundred years later, Jesus was born. Jesus’ lineage – lineage meaning family tree, includes David.
When David was a young kid, David did not know what he would be when he got older or what he would do. David grew up doing what his dad asked him to do – which was to take care of his sheep. David probably never said that he wanted to be a king or a leader when he got big but . . . God wanted David to be a king or a leader of Israel. What God wants will happen. In verse 8, God tells a prophet – Nathan, to tell David ‘“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘this is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.’” Your grandpaa’s dad used to have your grandpaa – when your grandpaa was young, watch his cows while they ate grass along the road that went past the house where your dad’s grandma and grandpa lived. When your grandpaa was young, your grandpaa milked a couple of cows every day by hand, made and fed pigs slop and collected eggs on the farm where your grandpaa’s ma and dad still live. Your grandpaa did what his dad asked him to do. Your grandpaa did not think about what he wanted to be or what he wanted to do when he got big. Your grandpaa knew that he did not want to be a farmer – like his dad, as he did not enjoy being around animals or the work involved in raising crops. Your grandpaa is glad though that he grew up on a farm. It is not important to God where we are born, who we are and what we can do; God knows who will lead His people. God chose a shepherd to lead His specially chosen people in Israel. God chose your grandpaa and grandmaa to make disciples in Guatemala.
2 Samuel 7 (19)