It's Not About the House

2 Samuel 7:1–14 ESV

Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Wrong Sort of House

Trouble in the Text

There is one little Hebrew word all tangled up in the middle of this confusing passage: Bet’. The closest word we have in English is “house”, but we tend to forget in English how many uses there are for the word “house”. It can be a verb or a noun. And as a noun, it can mean a few different things.

I live in a house. Many of you live in houses. House can mean the building you live in.

But we are also gathered in a house this morning - a house of worship. House can mean the building you worship in .

And I am also from the house of Clark - a family line. House can mean the line of people you come from. If I were more pretentious, I would call it a dynasty, but that’s a bit much, even for me.

David and God are talking about houses in today’s passage, but they are talking about different types of houses and it causes them some confusion.

David says I’m in a house (palace), so I should build GOd a house (temple). But God says, no, this is about building a house (dynasty).

In today’s passage, after some drama and fighting, David has finally settled in as established king, so he’s looking for something to do. He’s feeling secure in his power. He’s built himself a lovely palace. And now he’s thinking it’s time to build something for God. It’s like the football player who thanks God AFTER the touchdown as if the player’s earthly success is what God is concerned about.

So David asks the prophet Nathan what he thinks about it and Nathan says it sounds like a good idea because it basically always sounds like a good idea to build a beautiful new place to worship if you have he means to do so. Just like today, in David’s time, it was easy to get people excited about building a lovely new church building when there was money to spare.

God didn’t ask David to do this, though. He’s just doing it because it’s what seemed like the thing to do. David was just caught up in the latest church planting fad.

Later that night, after Nathan had given David the stamp of approval on his temple idea, God came to Nathan and said, “Wait a minute. I didn’t tell you guys I wanted this. I’ve been dwelling in a tent for all this time and suddenly you’re worried about building me something? You’re supposed to follow MY lead on this sort of thing.”

It wasn’t David’s decision to decide where God would be worshiped. David didn’t have the power to tell God where to live. God’s concern was so much greater than where David lived or worshipped.

“It is not within David’s power to house God.”

David says I’m in a house (palace), so I should build GOd a house (temple). But God says, no, this is about building a house (dynasty).

David says I’m in a pretty great house (a palace), so I should build God a house (a temple). But God says, no, this is about building a house (a dynasty). It’s about the future of God’s people, not about the buildings in which they live or worship.

Looking Forward

David says I’m in a pretty great house (a palace), so I should build God a house (a temple). But God says, no, this is about building a house (a dynasty). It’s about the future of God’s people, not about the buildings in which they live or worship.

Today’s lectionary talks about God’s establishment of David’s lineage:

Psalm 89:20–37 ESV

I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

Nowhere in God’s promises to David does it say that he will have a beautiful home or build a fabulous temple.

God’s choice to be homeless is surprising. But it’s because God isn’t interested in a house to live in. God isn’t interested in the sort of house of worship David worships in. God is interested in a legacy: a legacy that leads to Jesus. When we move into the new testament, the gospel writer Matthew starts off by following this family line that God established with David all the way through to Jesus.

But it’s because God isn’t interested in a house to live in. God isn’t interested in the sort of house of worship David worships in. God is interested in a legacy.

We’re Not Here to Impress Anyone

We’ve been talking lately in session meetings about the purpose and mission of the church. Why are we here and what are we doing? This is really important as we continue to explore creative and collaborative ministry with St. Andrews/Emsworth and other churches in our area. If we don’t have a strong sense of why we are here as a congregation and what we are doing here as a congregation, we’re just sort of wandering around trying to figure out what sort of temple to build for God when God is trying to tell us “I’m not talking about that kind of house!”

We want to build God a big house because big houses are what the world tells us are important. But that distracts us from what we’re really supposed to be doing. God wants the church to establish a legacy through the work of Christ in the world, not a particular building or name.

If we want to assess what sort of house we’re building, we need to ask ourselves: whose need is being met? Who are we serving? Are we just serving ourselves or are we serving the community? Are the things we’re doing benefiting others first or us first? If we have more fundraisers than service projects, our priorities are skewed. If we spend more on church administration than on local and world mission, we have our list upside down.

Are we building this house to SERVE the world or to IMPRESS the world?

If this is about getting people in here and looking good and impressing the neighborhood, we might as well close our doors right now.

If it’s just about keeping the lights on and the pulpit filled so the name of this congregation isn’t replaced with another on the sign out front, let’s start packing up.

It’s already late July and before we know it, we will be in nominations and budget season again. And while nominations matter - it’s important to make sure we have good, Christlike leadership in the church, the budget can actually say more about a church’s priorities and future.

The church budget is a theological document. You can tell a great deal about a community from their budget. Many churches have cut mission spending in order to try and hang on to something from a time past: An attempt to keep the fancy house built for God and to keep it as full as we can. That is not what God asks of us. If we aren’t giving for worship and for mission, we have no business being here. If we are only raising money so that we can stick around to raise more money next year and maintain our current standards, we have effectively said, “We are no longer worried about God’s mission. We only care about our own house.”

If it’s just about keeping the lights on and the pulpit filled so the name of this congregation isn’t replaced with another on the sign out front, let’s start packing up. If that’s our game plan, we have no hope. At that point, we’re just eating up resources that could better serve God elsewhere.

God Builds Up Those Who Build Up Others

God will build up those who are there to build up others, not themselves.

Rest is found in sharing God’s peace and shelter with others: offering others rest and security. One way we are thinking of reaching out to do that soon is through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance trip to Texas to help with the rebuilding after the floods.

We will be hosting a Presbyterian peacemaker - a missionary from Greece - this October. He will be here to talk to us about how he is reaching out to the poor and refugees in his home country and how we can reach out as well here. We have the opportunity to worship with him one Sunday morning, he will lead bible study one Wednesday evening, and we will also get to share him with the larger community - hosting a community event as well as an event at the seminary and one for local clergy.

We are currently in the beginning stages of some concentrated fundraising because we have had to incur some major costs to repair the roof of this house of worship. The elders decided that it was appropriate to fix that because it would be bad stewardship of the building we have to let the roof issues cause further damage. But in that, we are also acknowledging that our worship and our ability to offer our space to others in the community and to have vital things happening here is of the utmost importance. That’s why right alongside the roof costs, you’ll see we’re raising funds to replace the aging sound system and do some repairs to the organ. We have a darn fine organist here, so it makes sense to have a workable organ. We have had people visit here and never come back because the sound system is a barrier to keeping up with what’s happening in worship. These are things that were carefully thought through and deemed important to building the house as in the legacy, the whole church, the future of the church, and not just the house as in the building.

Worship, mission and service are VITAL to the health of a congregation.

You can give toward the roof fund. But give just as much for the worship of this church as well.

Worship, mission and service are VITAL to the health of a congregation.

If we rely on a particular building or a particular congregational name or a certain denomination for our peace, we will never find real peace in this lifetime. But throughout scripture, we are promised real and lasting peace. That peace is in Jesus and nothing else.

Two opportunities now: giving toward

God will build up those who are there to build up others, not themselves.

You can sign up for the PDA mission trip.

This whole building could fall down tomorrow and the church would still be just fine because Jesus is transforming US into a place of worship.

Ephesians 2:11–22 ESV

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

In Christ who brings us peace, we - PEOPLE - are built together to be God’s dwelling place. People are the dwelling place of God. God dwells where people dwell together in compassion and friendship.

God will build up those who are there to build up others, not themselves.

God will build up those who are there to build up others, not themselves.

The peace that we read and sing about in and other parts of scripture is a peace that comes in knowing that it’s not about the dwelling place - it’s about the people. never says that God leads me to a beautiful palace or a fancy sanctuary. We rest not in a manmade structure, but near to the heart of God.

Rest is found in sharing God’s peace and shelter with others: offering others rest and security. One way we are thinking of reaching out to do that soon is through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance trip to Texas to help with the rebuilding after the floods. Mission and service are VITAL to the health of a congregation.

You can give toward the roof fund. But give just as much for the worship of this church as well.

You can sign up for the PDA mission trip.

This whole building could fall down tomorrow and the church would still be just fine because Jesus is transforming US into a place of worship.

The peace that we read and sing about in and other parts of scripture is a peace that comes in knowing that it’s not about the dwelling place - it’s about the people. never says that God leads me to a beautiful palace or a fancy sanctuary. We rest not in a manmade structure, but near to the heart of God.