Covenant of Grace
Do you ever feel like you need to do God a favor? Sometimes we act like it. We act like God needs us. We act like He needs our resources, like He doesn’t own cattle on a thousand hills.[1] We act like He needs our skills and abilities, like He’s not the One who’s gifted us with them.[2] We act like He has needs and we need to help Him out, when reality is the other way around times infinity.[3] And we do all of that with the best intentions. That’s what we see in today’s text. David wants to build God a house. But God wants to build David something far greater. It’s like a little kid who has built a house with popsicle sticks, bringing it to their dad who is building a mansion for him.
God’s better is always better than our better. (1-17)
David wanted to build God a house, and Nathan even agreed, but God had something else in mind. I love what one commentator said about this: “God may say no to our plans without saying no to us as a person.”[4] Aren’t you glad God has said no to some of your plans? I sure am! God’s plans are always perfect. If I got my way with everything I have ever desired, my life would be a mess.
God has something more far-reaching and better in mind than David could comprehend when David desired to build God a house/temple. God had in mind a Davidic dynasty. Instead of David building God a house, God would build David a house. Eugene Peterson explains it like this:
“God’s word to David through Nathan was essentially this: “You want to build me a house? Forget it—I’m going to build you a house. The kingdom that I’m shaping here isn’t what you do for me but what I do through you. I’m doing the building here, not you. I’m not going to let you confuse things by launching a building operation of your own. If I let you fill Jerusalem with the sights and sounds of your building project —carpenters’ hammers, masons’ chisels, teamsters’ shouts—before long everyone will be caught up in what you are doing, and not attentive to what I am doing. This is a kingdom that we’re dealing with, and I am the king.”[5]
God’s better is always better than our better. And He is the One on the throne. God still had something more far-reaching and better in mind than David could comprehend than even a Davidic dynasty that would come from him. God had the greatest rescue plan in mind, that God the Son would take on flesh,[6] through this stained lineage of David, by His grace alone, to build a temple not made with hands.
In the New Testament, hear what Stephen says right before he is martyred for his faith in Jesus in Acts 7:44-53:
44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
He then sees Jesus in heaven and is martyred, with Saul/Paul standing there, giving approval. But do you hear what he is saying? God doesn’t dwell in houses made by hands, and the whole thing is really about Jesus. David is desiring a good thing, but God is planning a far better thing, and Stephen is there bearing witness to Him—Jesus, who came through the house of David. All by the grace of God.
The Davidic covenant is unconditional. So is grace.
There are several covenants in the Old Testament. Some of the major ones we see are the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. That a covenant is unconditional means it has nothing to do with us—it all hinges on God. God does it all. We are responsible actors within it, but it is a one-way covenant. God makes a promise, and God keeps it. Always. For the Abrahamic Covenant, He promised Abraham land and people when he had neither.[7] And God was true to His Word. And He always is.
The Mosaic Covenant, unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, is conditional.[8] God gives us His commands, and says if we follow them, we prosper, and if we don’t we face destruction. That covenant is a two-way street. God is saying, “If you do this, I will bless you, but if you don’t, I won’t.” And again, God is always true to His Word.
Now, what we see in this chapter is the giving of the Davidic Covenant. While the word “covenant” isn’t used here, it is many times elsewhere throughout the Bible in reference to what is happening right here,[9] and covenant language definitely is used here. And this covenant with David is unconditional. Look at the one-sided nature of it—all of the “I wills” from God (verses 9 & 10 & 11 & 12 & 13 & 14). You know what this shows us? God does it all.
It’s the same with our salvation. It is all by grace. The same person who was giving approval for Stephen’s death, that we read about earlier, ended up believing in Jesus and following Him with his life—the Apostle Paul. Hear what he says in Ephesians 2:8-9 about salvation:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Grace is unconditional. That is literally what the word means—unmerited favor—undeserved favor.[10]
David doesn’t deserve the covenant God is promising him here. David was a good king, but he wasn’t completely righteous. Soon we will see his horrible sin with Bathsheba and the sins and havoc that follow that sin. And that sin stains his legacy, too. It follows him around. He’s remembered as a good and righteous king that every other king tries to live up to but ultimately fails. But even then, we have verses like this, referring to King Abijah of Judah in 1 King 15:4-5. Abijah wasn’t a righteous king, but God honored His covenant with David because the covenant is unconditional. Notice how it describes David, though, and this was about 50 or 60 years after David.
4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
If you read the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1, you see the same sin following David even there, and that’s about 1,000 years later. Matthew 1:6 says, “and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.”
Also, the reason David wasn’t allowed to build the temple was because of all the blood on his hands. We see in 1 Chronicles 22:8, “But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth.” And we see in 1 Chronicles 28:3,“But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’”
David’s lineage doesn’t live up to the standards David’s personal life does. They are far worse than David is, and the only reason God keeps the line on Judah going and preserves all of these bad kings is because of His covenant of grace. You see over and over and over again God say that it is because of the covenant He made with David.[11] It’s the same with you and me. We must recognize God’s overabundance of grace in our lives. David did.
We must recognize God’s grace. (18-29)
Eugene Peterson says, “Now, instead of announcing what he’ll do for God, David addresses God as the person who has done and is doing things for him.”[12]Psalms 2 and 21 show us this clearly, as many of the Psalms do, but which reveals itself most clearly in Jesus. In a similar manner to these Psalms, we see David worship in verses 18-29, and we see him humble himself before the Lord, something we need to do a lot more of.
Recognizing God’s grace fosters humility. (18-21)
David’s first response to God’s unconditional grace is, “Who am I…?” in verse 18. This is the king, by the way. But this king knows who he is talking to. He is talking to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He understands God rightly. He knows everything he has and everything he is is because of God alone. And the only appropriate response is humility. You cannot get too low before God. There is no room for pride when you stand before God.
When we’re talking about grace, where do we see it most clearly displayed? At the cross. God’s character necessitates the cross. In Exodus 34:6-7, God describes His character.
6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
David says in verse 21, “Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.” David didn’t fully know it yet, but all the greatness David was talking about is an explanation of the cross. And God’s own heart necessitated it. The cross is where God’s mercy and justice perfectly collide. And nobody can stand before the cross and say they are worthy because each one of us know that the only thing we are worthy of is to hang on it ourselves. There is absolutely zero room for pride in the Christian’s heart and life. Everything you have is a gift of God’s grace.
Recognizing God’s grace causes us to magnify God. (22-24)
Because of all this, David magnifies God. We see that with a “therefore” in verse 22. “Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you…” And all that follows, even though it seems like David is magnifying Israel, look at it again. In verses 23 and 24, it is all for God. “Your people,” “you redeemed for yourself,” “You established for yourself.” Everything that David has and is, including Israel, is from God and for God. David sees this and sees God as He is. And when you see God as He is, you can do nothing but magnify Him. There is none greater! There is none other who is worthy in all heaven and earth and under the earth!
Listen to how Christ is magnified in heaven in Revelation 5:5-14:
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Notice the Davidic covenant fulfilled even there in heaven, and notice how Christ is magnified by those in heaven. We far too often magnify ourselves rather than Christ. He must be supreme in all things! He must be the supreme pursuit. He must be our ultimate allegiance. He must be our magnificent obsession. He must occupy our every thought. He must rule as sovereign King over every aspect of our life, because He is king over every aspect of our life.
Recognizing God’s grace propels us to pursue God’s eternal glory. (25-29)
We shouldn’t just magnify Him now, but forever. Verse 26 says, “And your name will be magnified forever…,” and the concluding words in verse 29, “Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
God’s grace lasts for all eternity. The Davidic covenant lasts for all eternity. The One who sits on the throne from the line of David lasts for all eternity. And the redemption He offers each one of us through His shed blood and resurrection lasts for all eternity. 700 billion years from now all of this will still be true. If you have placed your faith in the son of David—Jesus, whom all of this is about—you will still be living in the abundance of grace that was freely given to you through Him because of how much He loves you. Think of that. Forever. Grace forever. And I’m not making this up.
Hear from the very final chapter in our Bible—the very end of the story. Revelation 22, starting at verse 16 and to the end. Pay close attention to verse 16 and the final verse 21:
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
[1] Psalm 50:10 - For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
[3] Acts 17:25 - Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
[4] John L. Mackay, “1–2 Samuel,” in ESV Expository Commentary: 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, vol. 3, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 341.
[5] Eugene H. Peterson, Leap Over a Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997), 160.
[6]Matt 21:9; 22:42; Rom 1:3-4; Rev 22:16
[7]Genesis 12:1-3; https://www.gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html
[8]Exodus 19:5-8; https://www.gotquestions.org/Mosaic-covenant.html
[9]2 Sam. 23:5; 2 Chron. 13:5; Ps. 89:3, 28, 34; 132:12; Isa. 55:3; Jer. 33:20-21
[10]https://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm; https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/grace.html
[11]1 Kings 11:12-13,32,34,36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chronicles 21:7
[12] Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, 165.
