The Reading
The Summary
Shemuel Bet Chapter 7
David’s kingdom has been consolidated and achieved a considerable level of stability. Reflecting upon this development, David comments to Natan the Prophet that it is inappropriate for him to be sitting in a majestic palace of cedar while the Ark of Hashem resides in a mere tent. Understanding that David intends to build a permanent structure to house the Ark, Natan initially advises David to do as he wishes; however, that night, Natan receives a prophecy from Hashem in which he is told that David is not supposed to build a sanctuary for God.
In the lengthy Divine message, Hashem refers back to the long march of Jewish history that began with the Exodus from Egypt through the period of the Judges and finally culminated in the selection and establishment of David’s monarchy. At no time thus far has Hashem indicated a desire for a Bet Hamiqdash or Holy Temple to be constructed. Indeed, David’s son and successor on the throne will be charged with this task, but David himself has not been chosen for the project. First, Hashem will build a “house” – that is, a dynasty – for David, by providing him with an heir. Only then will the Temple be built.
The chapter concludes with David approaching Hashem (seemingly in the presence of the Ark) and offers a lengthy prayer, expressing his wonderment and gratitude at the manifold blessings with which he has been favored. Not only has David been elevated from obscurity to a position of great leadership, but he has been promised that his monarchy will endure through his descendants forever. David places his own career in the context of Hashem’s providence for His people – the unique God’s relationship with His unique nation, a people called to sanctify His name on Earth – and David prays that Hashem’s promises to him should indeed be fulfilled.
There are a couple of points to highlight in this chapter. David’s plan to build a Bet Hamiqdash is undoubtedly rooted in the Torah’s statement that, once the Jewish people have achieved security and stability in their land, a single, exclusive and permanent location would be selected for the Holy Temple forever. A temporary, mobile sanctuary is representative of a relationship with the Divine Presence that is still tentative and conditional; a full-fledged Temple edifice would symbolize that the Jewish people’s relationship with Hashem was now secure and unshakeable, once and for all.
The transition from temporary to permanent was destined to be made, but only after the political circumstances of Israel and its infrastructure had reached a level of maturity and dependability that allowed Hashem’s presence to reside among them uninterruptedly.
David legitimately assumed that the mandate of facilitating this transition fell upon his shoulders, and was enthusiastic about fulfilling it because of his abiding sense that his political power was nothing more than an instrument for the service of Hashem and the sanctification of His name. David was not alone in his assumption here; Natan the Prophet apparently shared the view that the “time had arrived” for the Temple to finally be built.
Natan, however, was quickly corrected by Hashem: David’s role would not extend to the construction of the Temple, but would be limited to the establishment of the monarchy on a secure footing. David had already been through many ups and downs, trials and tribulations to reach this point in his own development, and even more groundwork remained to be laid before it would be clear that the “House of David” was a force to be reckoned with. After all, Shaul also ruled Israel for a time, but his authority and influence essentially died with him. The proof of the reality of the Davidic dynasty would be its passage from one generation to another – its successful transfer to David’s heir. Once the stability of the regime is made clear and David’s descendant occupies his throne, the construction of the Temple will be the first action item on the royal agenda.
In Sefer Divrei Hayamim, David famously declares that he was forbidden from building the Temple because he had shed much blood during his military career. This would be consistent with the Torah’s teaching that metal tools, associated with warfare, may not be used in the fashioning of the altar. On the surface, however, this explanation seems to contradict our chapter, in which it sounds like it is the fact that David’s kingdom is still new, and not the fact that he was involved in battle, that disqualified him from constructing the sanctuary.
However, in reality, David’s reference to his military career may have been another way of conveying the same idea that Natan expressed to him in this chapter. The bottom line is that David’s primary struggle and the main focus of his energy was on confronting and destroying the enemies of Israel. His essential task has been the establishment of the Jewish government through the “dirty work” of battling those who stood in its way. This is precisely the message of our chapter: David is the warrior, the fighter and the dynasty-founder, he is not the well-established, securely positioned monarch who would be chosen to take the political and spiritual development of the nation to the next level.
The chapter ends with David reiterating the proper Torah view toward his “rejection”; Hashem is the One who assigns us our roles and our mission in life, our job is to understand what the Almighty expects of us and to devote our energies to the realization of His plan. Had the building of the Temple been about David’s own ego or glory, he might have been disappointed or disheartened by the revelation that he was banned from participating in it. However, as a true servant of Hashem (this is how the Almighty refers to him in his communication to Natan) David responds to the Divine message by expressing humble gratitude for his blessings, wholeheartedly embracing his destiny, and committing himself to taking the steps necessary to fulfill it.