2 Samuel 7, Psalm 25/29/33/36/39

 

2 Samuel 7

David Plans to Build a Temple

7 Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. ⁷ Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸ “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, to be ruler over My people Israel. ⁹ 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 great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, ¹¹ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.¹² When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, ¹⁵ but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁸ Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. ²⁰ Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God! ²¹ For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. ²² For this reasonYou 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. ²³ And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? ²⁴ ForYou have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God. ²⁵ Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, ²⁶ that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.²⁹ Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

 

Psalm 25

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

25 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. ² O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. ³ Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

⁴ Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. ⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. ⁶ Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. ⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. ⁹ He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. ¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. ¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. ¹³ His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land. ¹⁴ The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. ¹⁵ My eyes are continually toward the Lord, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted. ¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. ¹⁸ Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins. ¹⁹ Look upon my enemies, for they are many, And they hate me with violent hatred. ²⁰ Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. ²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. ²² Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all his troubles.

 

Psalm 29

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

29 Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array.

³ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The Lord is over many waters. ⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful, The voice of the Lord is majestic. ⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷ The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire. ⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹ The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever. ¹¹ The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.

 

Psalm 33

Praise to the Creator and Preserver.

33 Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. ² Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. ³ Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. ⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. ⁵ He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. ⁹ For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. ¹⁰ The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

¹³ The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; ¹⁴ From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, ¹⁵ He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works. ¹⁶ The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. ¹⁷ A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, ¹⁹ To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. ²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. ²¹ For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. ²² Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You.

 

Psalm 36

Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. ³ The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. ⁴ He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.

⁵ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. ⁷ How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. ⁸ They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. ⁹ For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

¹⁰ O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. ¹¹ Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. ¹² There the doers of iniquity have fallen; They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

 

Psalm 39

The Vanity of Life.

For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence.” ² I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse. ³ My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue: ⁴ “Lord, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. ⁵ “Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. ⁶ “Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

⁷ “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. ⁸ “Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish. ⁹ “I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, Because it is You who have done it. ¹⁰ “Remove Your plague from me; Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing. ¹¹ “With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity; You consume as a moth what is precious to him; Surely every man is a mere breath. Selah.

¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers. ¹³ “Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more.”

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)