Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Chronicles 17:1-15.

“And it came about, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under curtains.”  Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

It came about the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the LORD, “You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in;  for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another.  In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’”’  Now, therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel.  I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you;  and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.  I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be moved again;  and the wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel.  And I will subdue all your enemies.

Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you.  When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons;  and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.  I will be his father and he shall be My son;  and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.  But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’”  According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”  1 Chronicles 17:1-15.

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I think of the love of the LORD when I read today’s Scripture, and it leads me to write about the qualities of love that the LORD possesses for this devotion.

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;  love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;  it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails;  …”  1 Corinthians 13:4-8. 

We consider the patience of the LORD in receiving His house.  “I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another.  In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’”’

The LORD was not jealous of David through David having a house of cedar while the LORD went from living in one tent to living in another tent.

The LORD did not brag and was not arrogant.  The LORD could have said something at this time of creating heaven and earth and that all of the earth was His own and that His throne was in heaven.  But, the LORD did not brag and was not arrogant.    

The LORD did not act unbecomingly.  The subject at hand was the desire of David to build Him a house.  And, the LORD only said what He needed to say about the house that David wanted to build for Him.  

Simply, the LORD did not seek His own house.  Instead, the LORD promised to build the house of David.   

The LORD could have been provoked, but He was not provoked.  The LORD did not take into account a wrong suffered, as He thought about the murmurs and rebellions of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness, and He went from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another.  

The LORD did not rejoice in the unrighteousness of Israel, but the LORD rejoiced with all that He would do for David and Israel.

The LORD bore all things, including all the sins of His people, His elect, through His son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

The LORD made promises to David which would be fulfilled by David’s son Solomon, but more importantly through David’s descendant, Jesus Christ, through which the LORD showed that He believed all things, hoped all things, and endured all things to the end.  

The LORD never fails.

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”  1 John 4:16. 

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  1 John 4:10. 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39.