Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 7
God’s thoughts are much better than any plans that people may make (Isaiah 55:9). His wisdom is much greater than any human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25). We can only know God’s mind by the power of his Holy Spirit, and not by any human intelligence (Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
David wanted to build the first temple, the house of God in Jerusalem. Nathan had already approved of that plan. However, until God spoke, Nathan was merely expressing his own thoughts. Until then, neither David nor Nathan knew what God wanted.
God’s message came to Nathan by night. Sometimes God speaks to his people in dreams (Job 33:14-18). However, God’s people do not only pray during the day (Psalm 63:6). For them, the night too gives opportunities for prayer (Mark 1:35) and to think about God’s word (Psalm 1:2). So, perhaps Nathan was praying about David’s plan when God spoke to Nathan.
Nobody must ever pretend that their own thoughts are a message from God (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). The prophets (the holy men who received God’s messages) had to learn the difference between their own thoughts and God’s word (1 Samuel 3:1-10). So, they studied carefully those parts of the Bible that God had already provided (see Psalm 119). They prayed at every opportunity, and so they developed an extremely close relationship with God. They also gained personal experience of God’s messages to them as they learned to trust him in the circumstances of their lives (for example, 1 Kings 17:2-6).
Next part: David, the servant of God (2 Samuel 7:5)
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