Above: Icon of Kings David and Solomon with the Madonna and Child
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART XXXIV
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2 Samuel 7:1-29
1 Chronicles 17:1-27
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The LORD has sworn an oath to David,
in truth, he will not break it:
“A son, the fruit of your body,
will I set upon your throne.
If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.”
–Psalm 132:11-13, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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This is a familiar story. When reading a familiar story, one ought to read it closely, for one may not know it as well as one imagines.
I like wordplay, for I am a notorious punster. Imagine my delight, O reader, in the wordplay regarding bayit, or house. We read that King David dwelt in a bayit (palace), but God had no bayit (temple). Extremely attentive readers of the Hebrew Bible may recall the references to the House of the LORD in 1 Samuel 1. Nevertheless, 2 Samuel 7:6 has God deny ever having had a house. This is a minor matter, but one worth mentioning, for the sake of thoroughness. A note in The Jewish Study Bible points out that God had a house as well as a tent (Joshua 18:1; 1 Samuel 2:22), the tent indicating that
the LORD is not restricted to one fixed place.
The wordplay with bayit continues with God establishing a covenant and making David the founder of a house (dynasty). The texts allude to King Solomon presiding over the construction and dedication of the first Temple (See 1 Kings 6:1-8:66; 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:9; 2 Chronicles 2:1-7:22). One ought to know that hindsight is the lens through which people recall the past.
God changes the divine mind sometimes, according to scripture. One example is 1 Samuel 2:30-31. Keep the divine tendency to change the divine mind in your mind, O reader, when reading David’s prayer (2 Samuel 7:25-29; 1 Chronicles 17:23-27).
What am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far?
–2 Samuel 7:18b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Covenants are not contracts. Covenants do not entail quid pro quos. Covenants do entail grace, which, in turn, imposes obligations. Many people are comfortable with quid pro quos and uncomfortable with grace. Perhaps grace reminds them of this unworthiness. Perhaps they prefer to have earned something. Perhaps the obligations that accompany grace put them ill at ease. Grace is free, not cheap.
I, having read the rest of the story of David and his dynasty, cannot reread these two versions of this portion of the narrative without feeling sadness over the wasted potential. I know the rest of the story. I know of the abuses of David and Solomon. I know that scripture gives most of their successors negative reviews. I know about the division of the kingdom and the fall of both successor kingdoms. I know that David’s lineage continued, but that the dynasty ended. And I, as a Christian, link this portion of the narrative (in two versions) with Jesus, not Just Solomon and the other Davidic kings.
We are all unworthy. Grace is our only hope. This realization may threaten our egos. On the other hand, this realization may prompt us to live gratefully and to seek to honor God in our own lives, as we relate to God and other human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 30, 2020 COMMON ERA
PROPER 17: THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT JEANNE JUGAN, FOUNDRESS OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR
THE FEAST OF JOHN LEARY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL ACTIVIST AND ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR AND THE MARGINALIZED
THE FEAST OF KARL OTTO EBERHARDT, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST, MUSIC, EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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