Palm Sunday (2)

7:17–29

HBI - Our response to God’s gift of eternal life should be humble awe—“Who am I?”—recognizing that His promises, fulfilled through Israel, have always included us. God is faithful to accomplish His purposes and establish His kingdom, whether or not we are obedient. Therefore, we are invited to respond not with pride or passivity, but with grateful humility and trust.

Intro

Imagine a small town that has been promised, for generations, that a great king would one day come from their people—a king who would bring peace, security, and a lasting kingdom. Stories are passed down, hope builds, and expectations grow. Over time, people begin to picture what that king must look like: powerful, impressive, unmistakable.

Then one day, word spreads: “The king is coming!”

The streets fill. People line the roads. But instead of a warhorse, he rides in on something humble. Instead of commanding armies, he comes in gentleness. Some cheer, but others are confused—this doesn’t match what we expected.

That’s the tension of 2 Samuel 7 and Matthew 21 coming together.

In 2 Samuel 7, God promises David an eternal King and an everlasting kingdom. For centuries, Israel holds onto that promise, building expectations of what that King will be.

Then Palm Sunday happens.

Jesus enters Jerusalem, and the crowds shout “Hosanna!”—they know the promise—but they misunderstand the King. He is the fulfillment, but not in the way they expected.

And here’s where it connects to your main idea:

Just like David responds in humility—“Who am I, O Lord God?”—Palm Sunday invites the same response. Because when the true King shows up, not in the way we expect but exactly as God promised, the right response isn’t control, assumption, or even shallow praise—it’s humble awe.

17-21 - David’s humble response

Davids response to the Lord’s revelation astonishment at the grace of God and Humility over the choice of God.

David likely entered the tent he had pitched for the ark and sat in the presence of the Lord

A prayer from David, starting with Humility, who am I? This is the correct response to the grace of Godwhen you realize that God has allowed you to be be part of His family not because of who you are but based on His grace.

God has done something great by our standards, but for the almighty God it was no big thing. We serve a powerful God.

He realized what God had done was not just for Him and His household but for all of mankind. In v.21says that God has done these great things not for David’s sake but for the sake of God’s word and God’s heart, meaning His desires

These things where done according to the word of God for the will of God.

when the word of God goes forth, it becomes a force of its own. You will have the same response when you see the word of God working itself out in your life

Palm Sunday reminds us that God always keeps His promises—but often in ways that humble our expectations and call us to ask, “Who am I that the King would come for me?”

HBI - Our response to God’s gift of eternal life should be humble awe—“Who am I?”—recognizing that His promises, fulfilled through Israel, have always included us. God is faithful to accomplish His purposes and establish His kingdom, whether or not we are obedient. Therefore, we are invited to respond not with pride or passivity, but with grateful humility and trust.

17-21 - Who Am I?

when Jesus rode into Jeruselam on that donkey, people where worshipping Him as the king they thought he was going to be and he became the king they didnt know they needed. He came first to defeat sin and death.

We went through last week How David was promised a kingdom, a great house, a blessing to the nations around them. This blessing was fulfilled in JesusAnd today we celebrate the ushering in of the kingdom of God as was foretold here and happened when Jesus came riding into the city. And our response to this is to be one of humility, who am I that God would save a wretch like me.

2 Samuel 7:18–19 CSB

18 Then King David went in, sat in the Lord’s presence, and said, Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? 19 What you have done so far was a little thing to you, Lord God, for you have also spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. And this is a revelation for mankind, Lord God.

Humility is what this conveys before a sovereign God, He felt unworthy to have the blessings of God on His life. This is always the first and right response to someone receiving God’s grace…how did I deserve what is undeserved? 

When you realize that God chose you to be part of the family of God for no reason except His grace, it leaves you in awe

David says the wonderful things God did for David and his family are insignificant compared to the honor of receiving God’s revelation

And this is the second response to God’s grace Naturally, we give thanks for the many ways God confirms us in this life but none can compare to the blessing of God’s word

2 Samuel 7:20–21 CSB

20 What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord God. 21 Because of your word and according to your will, you have revealed all these great things to your servant.

David is speechless in response to the grace of God. That He would save a wretch like us should leave is in humble repose for all that He has done.

All this talk about approaching God in humility for all that He has done for us also points to Jesus first cominng in Humility.

As a baby that needed to rely on the help of others. Riding in as king during the passover, he came in humility. And we still ask the question, or at least we should have the same mind set when we approach God, “who am I that you would save someone like me

22-24 - Our Great God

Even though Jesus first came in humility, what happened after His death is such a great thing, and we respond not only with remembering how great our God is but with praise because of what he has done.

2 Samuel 7:22 ESV

22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And in v.22 David sums it up saying God is great, there is none like you and no God besides you

And David says this is all according to what we have heard David’s referring again to the word of God which was mostly an oral experience in that day since written text was rare Today we would say God is exactly as the word of God says 

Have you noticed a pattern so far? God’s love and mercy and greatness is directly associated with Him revealing and keeping His word

The word of God is how we come to know God and how we learn of God And it’s proof of God’s love for us and the evidence of His greatness It’s His power to do all that we hope and the thing that distinguishes Him from all false gods

1 Chronicles 16:25 CSB

25 For the Lord is great and highly praised; he is feared above all gods.

You are great oh Lord and there is none like you.

2 Samuel 7:23–24 CSB

23 And who is like your people Israel? God came to one nation on earth in order to redeem a people for himself, to make a name for himself, and to perform for them great and awesome acts, driving out nations and their gods before your people you redeemed for yourself from Egypt. 24 You established your people Israel to be your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

In vs.23-26 David says that there no other nation on the earth like Israel nor will there ever be Israel is central to God’s plan, which is now plainly and clearly evident in the Davidic Covenant promises 

Israel was created by God, redeemed from Egypt and made into a nation so that He could bring about the promises He made to the world Those promises are sure and cannot change, for if God could go back on His promises to Israel, then He could do the same to you

Out of His wisdom God decided to redeem the world through His people. The word of God was to go through the people of Israel to the rest of the world. Israel is central to God’s plan, which is now plainly and clearly evident in the Davidic Covenant promises

Israel was always meant to share the message of God with the nations around them. Abraham being a blessing to the nations because if they turn to God Jesus will die for them as well. a passage in Isaiah is one of the clearest examples of this.

Isaiah 49:5–6 CSB

5 And now, says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him; for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength— 6 he says, “It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

God would accept anyone who came to him in faith. Just like He does now as well. The message of passover sunday is that Jesus came to first be king over sin and death.

25-29

2 Samuel 7:25–26 CSB

25 Now, Lord God, fulfill the promise forever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised, 26 so that your name will be exalted forever, when it is said, “The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your servant David will be established before you

Do as you have promised, not do what I want you to do.

Remember, the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants are both unconditional covenants They are not dependent on Israel’s obedience in any way, so they will come to pass for Israel without question Israel’s disobedience under the Law brought certain consequences spelled out in the Law But the nation’s unfaithfulness could not lessen God’s faithfulness…He is forever the God of Israel

2 Samuel 7:27–29 CSB

27 since you, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant when you said, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Lord God, you are God; your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now, please bless your servant’s house so that it will continue before you forever. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing your servant’s house will be blessed forever.

so the name of the Lord might be glorified. He is praying that through what Israel does people would see God and glorify Him. They are not dependent on Israel’s obedience in any way, so they will come to pass for Israel without question

God’s words are true, even if we are not going to see them come to pass in this lifetime. that the revelation of God gave him the courage to pray this prayer 

our courage to pray or testify or do anything in the name of Christ will grow as you devote yourself to the study of His word It’s not simply the transfer of information…it’s the way we build a relationship with God And that relationship changes us on the inside bringing us, among other things, courage to speak and act in His name And David now rests in the promises he’s heard and he knows they will come to pass without a doubt

So What

the revelation of God gave him the courage to pray this prayer 

Your courage to pray or testify or do anything in the name of Christ will grow as you devote yourself to the study of His word

It’s not simply the transfer of information…it’s the way we build a relationship with God

And that relationship changes us on the inside bringing us, among other things, courage to speak and act in His name

And David now rests in the promises he’s heard and he knows they will come to pass without a doubt

If you’ve ever heard someone say they rest in the word of God, this what they mean

Resting in the word isn’t feeling drowsy or comforted…though you may experience those feelings too

truly resting in the word means relying upon it and depending upon it

Knowing it’s the rock and the enduring thing in the universe gives us confidence when everything else is falling apart

And now David knew that his future and the future of his dynasty and the nation itself was assured

And that gave David rest

Fit to Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday shows that God is faithfully fulfilling His promise of an eternal King, but in a way that calls for humble trust rather than misplaced expectations or shallow praise.

Palm Sunday (e.g., Palm Sunday, especially in passages like Matthew 21 or John 12) shows the King arriving—but in a way that confronts expectations:

The crowd celebrates, but misunderstands the kind of kingdom Jesus is bringing. Jesus comes humbly, not in political power. God is fulfilling His promises (like 2 Samuel 7), but not on human terms.

humble arrival of the King. “Who am I?” humility

Palm Sunday is the visible unfolding of the Davidic promise. God fulfills His promises

the crowd praises Him, yet many will reject Him days later—yet God’s plan still moves forward.God accomplishes His purposes regardless of human response