When People Get it Wrong
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7
When David came to Nathan and told him of his desire to build a temple for the Lord, Nathan immediately assumed this was a good idea. He had no reason not to think that. David was, as the Scriptures testify, a “man after God’s own heart.” He had risen to the throne by the direct commission and intervention of God. A temple for the worship of the Lord was not a bad thing. It would, after all, eventually happen.
But God appears to Nathan later that night and informs him that he was wrong and gives him instructions for David. Then, in this word from the Lord, David is given the Davidic Covenant which had massive Messianic implications. God was speaking to David about Solomon, but also about a Son who would come and establish an eternal kingdom.
David erred in his intentions to build a house for God. But there are different levels of error. There is an evil error in which men are led by Satan and their lusts. Then, there are the kinds of errors like the one David makes here. What David desired wasn’t evil. It was what God was going to do, but it was going to be done later and not by David. Nathan’s error wasn’t evil either. Everything David proposed made sense to Nathan.
Therefore, we don’t see a harsh rebuke from the Lord toward Nathan or David. God merely corrects their understanding and gives them a clearer picture of His will. Incredibly, He goes even further by revealing His Messianic purposes in the Davidic Covenant.
When people err, we should follow God’s example. We need to distinguish between errors of evil and errors of good and godly intent. Not all mistakes are the same, and we should treat them accordingly.
