God Cannot Be Outdone in Generosity

God’s Covenant with David

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; 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: Are you the one to build me a house to live 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 and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders 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 to 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 live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers 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 ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth 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 for ever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever. In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people nations and their gods? And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people for ever; and you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it for ever; do as you have promised. Thus your name will be magnified for ever in the saying, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel”; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, “I will build you a house”; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue for ever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever.’

David wanted to build God a house. He tells the prophet Nathan about this, and Nathan basically says, “Go ahead and do what you want.” But then God speaks to Nathan and says, “Tell David not to do this.”

God’s response contains an element of surprise. God is saying I never asked for a house. I’ve been moving about in a tent all this time, and never needed a house.” But God recognized that David wanted to do him good and to give God glory. So God is more generous than David. He says to David, “You are not going to build a house for me; I will build a house for you. Your son shall be my son.” God and David are going to share fatherhood in one of David’s sons. This prophecy would take 1000 years before it was fulfilled in Jesus.

David’s son Solomon built God a temple, as God had predicted. But God built his own temple in David’s son Jesus.

What incredible love existed between David and his household and God! God introduced a new way to approach God, to search for God, to become a closer friend of God. God taught us a great lesson, to lean on God’s mercy. God built his own temple on Jesus, and that new temple is the Church. The temple of Solomon was destroyed and rebuilt until it was finally destroyed and never rebuilt. But the temple of the Catholic Church built on Jesus will last forever. It has endured sufferings, blows, and beatings, but it has endured. We see in the Church God’s love for us. To those who give, Scripture tells us, more will be given. We give to God, and he gives far more generously back to us. God cannot be outdone in generosity. The more we realize that God is building something beautiful in our lives, the more we will trust God, the more we will understand the beauty of the relationship with God and how awesome we are to him.

Jesus told his disciples that he would not ask the Father for them, because they could ask the Father themselves. The Father loves you, Jesus said. Take courage and approach the heavenly Father. Our Lord and God is so good, so near, so merciful. He cannot be outdone in generosity. Give something, and God will give you more back. Trust in God who so loves us and who gave Jesus to us. What more can we ask for than that?

--Transcribed in general from a homily by Father David Engo, FBM