Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of II Samuel Chapter 7
Metaphysically Interpreting II Samuel 7:1-17
7:1And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, 7:2that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. 7:3And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.
7:4And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying, 7:5Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? 7:6for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7:7In all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? 7:8Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people, over Israel; 7:9and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 7:10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, 7:11and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. 7:12When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 7:13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 7:14I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 7:15but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 7:16And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 7:17According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
July 26, 1896: II Sam. 7:4-16
4. Every faculty of the mind has its own mission to fulfill in the development of character. But no faculty can perform the work of another; the other must do its own work in its proper time and order. When any faculty is perfectly fulfilling its function, it is the establishment of a consciousness. Thus the Kingdom of David stands for the establishment of the dominion of the Love consciousness.
5. The body is God's temple, which Love desires to be so built as to manifest Divine perfection. Solomon signifies the peacefulness of Wisdom or understanding.
6-7. In all states of consciousness there is no upbuilding without understanding, which brings into manifestation the perfect body-temple, “house of cedar.” Love cannot build, though it may provide material. The building must be done by the equally important faculty of peaceful understanding (Solomon) which proceeds from Love. In the stillness of peace, which is brought about by Love, is the “temple of the Holy Ghost” built – “Wisdom hath builded her house” – Prov. 9:1. Love is a “man of war” (I Chron. 28:3), and not a builder. Love has to do with thoughts, not a manifestation. Love's special sphere of action is to conquer and subdue its enemies; it is a great conqueror; and, having reached its full dominion through overcoming, “must reign until it has put all enemies under its feet.” Even the “last enemy” is to be destroyed by Love.
8-9. Infinite Love finds individualized Love by the “sheep cotes,” shepherding innocent thoughts, and leads it along, until, through its conscious oneness with Infinite Love, it has “cut off all enemies out of its sight,” giving it full dominion over all, subduing all thoughts inimical to Love – all hate, all malice, all selfishness, all carnality, until it becomes a great king – a Consciousness.
10. Under the dominancy of Love, Israel (spiritual thoughts) [is] become settled and established in the peacefulness of understanding (Solomon) – “dwell in a place of their own, and move no more.”
11. “Also the Lord telleth thee, that he will make thee an house” – not make a house for thee, but “make thee an house”; that is, thy body shall be a temple of God,” “the Most High dwelling not in temples made with hands.” – Acts 7:48.
12. When Love has fulfilled its mission as a consciousness, it must be succeeded by a still higher consciousness, that of Understanding. It is derived from Love (“out of thy bowels”), and is established in Wisdom and peace – not wisdom in the abstract, but Wisdom proceeding from Love, the fruit of which is Peace. “And I will establish his kingdom” – the establishment of the consciousness of Understanding.
13. It is Understanding, proceeding from Love that builds the body-temple holy, according to the “pattern shown in the mount.” The building up of this holy temple on the permanent foundation of Divine Wisdom is not accomplished in or through the act of overcoming (Love's victories); but all constructiveness is in the stillness of peace following overcoming. Stillness is the place where greatest upbuilding is accomplished. The perfectly fitted stones for the Temple, each exactly fitted the others, “without sound of ax or hammer or other tool of iron” (masonic) – in the stillness.
14. Wisdom is Divine Principle. Father and Son are one. But if the individual in this consciousness “commit iniquity,” according to the unvarying operation of Divine Law, that impartial Law will “chasten him with the stripes of the children of men,” as surely as, in obedience, it will bless him.
15. Wisdom, which is Divine, proceeding from Love, also Divine, fails not to recognize the fact that Divine “mercy endureth forever,” which the lower Saul-consciousness did not discern; for Wisdom is on a higher plane of understanding. Wisdom is Understanding, and therefore enduring.
16. Love's “house” is established in Wisdom, and her “reign” is perpetuated in perfect manifestation; that is, the “house” and “reign of Love are perpetuated in the resultant peaceful manifestations of the Consciousness of Understanding (Solomon's Kingdom) “established forever.”
– UNITY magazine
October 11, 1903: II Sam. 7:4-16
The temple which David contemplated was symbolical of his own spiritual body. Man is the temple of God “if so be that the spirit of God dwelleth in you. This conscious dwelling of God in the body is an important part of the process. If man makes a body that is but a temporary abiding place of life, it is likened unto a tent, impermanent, transient, unenduring. This kind of a habitation does not represent God, who is omnipresent life, substance and intelligence. From this all present and ever-abiding source man is bidden to draw the materials for his body. It does not require deep logic to prove that, if life is perpetually expressing itself, that which manifests it should be permanent.
So with substance and intelligence. All that goes to make up the body is omnipresent in Spirit, and may be poured into the body in unceasing streams. The physiologist cannot understand why the body should deteriorate when every organ is so formed that it naturally perpetuates itself. This is the law of Being, and if man did not interfere with it, the body would never decay or grow old, but constantly increase in vigor, strength, beauty and spirituality.
But there has been interference, and the oneness of the race in mentality makes all suffer the errors of the individual. If you abuse your body and disregard the guidance of the spirit in its development, you are Adam, bringing death upon all men. “In Adam all die. If, however, you are lifting your thought up and trying to strengthen and purify your body, you are Christ, bringing life to all men. “In Christ all shall be made alive.”
David is a type of Christ-love, dominant in consciousness. Love is the soul builder, and soul builds body. But love alone has not the ability to make the living temple of God – it requires power, will, understanding, life – in fact, a complete bringing out in their fullness of every faculty. Love is the drawing power, the magnet that attracts to the soul the invisible forces of Being, which the other faculties build into the Christ Temple. David provided for the temple about one hundred and fifty million dollars worth of gold, besides vast quantities of other material.
The very first Step in building the temple of God is the realization that it can be done. This is actually innate in every one. It is this innate builder that causes us to so strenuously protest against the external decay which sets up its dominion in body. A healthy man never wants to die. When we begin to bring to the surface this innate truth, that death is a mistake, and perpetual life in the organism the divine law, we are paving the way for its demonstration. This is the promise and covenant that will be fulfilled in an undying body. The “word” is the seed, and the promise to David is, “I will set up thy seed after thee . . . and I will establish his kingdom.”
It is not vital to the issue that we demonstrate perpetual life in any certain body – we may have many bodies before we master all the details of immortal body building. Those who have pierced behind the veil tell us that Jesus had many trials of body building before he could say, “'Destroy this temple and in three days I will build it up again. He spake of the temple of his body.” (John 2:21) They say that Moses and David , and many other personalities mentioned and not mentioned in history were the manifestations of that identity known as Jesus. When he manifested as David, he was to told by the prophet of the Lord that he would “sleep with his fathers,” but his “seed” and out of his “bowels” should come one who “shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom forever.” The New Testament repeatedly speaks of Jesus as the son of David and inheritor of the promises. (Luke 1:31-35; 20:41-44; Acts 2:29-31; 13:22-23.) All through the Old Testament are promises made to the “seed” of those who do God's will. This always refers to the fruits in a future life of the right seed-words sown in the present. How could a dead man be benefited by the good which might come to his progeny?
Never put off to the future the building of God's temple – a perfect body. Begin right now to affirm immortality in the flesh and thus make the start in mind, which will at once commence to gather for you that precious material that will be incorporated into your Jesus Christ body. “ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee.”
– UNITY magazine
July 30, 1950: II Sam. 7:1-6
What faculty of man rules in spiritual consciousness? Love, which is represented by David.
Is the rule of love complete from the beginning? No. In the beginning the rule of love is humble, but it increases by degrees until it includes the whole man, body, soul, and spirit. At first David ruled over only two of the tribes of Israel; eventually “David reigned over all Israel.”
What thoughts are aroused and encouraged by a state of peace? When love (David) begins to dwell in peace in a high state of consciousness (house of cedar), thoughts leading to the physical, mental, and spiritual improvement of the whole man are aroused and encouraged.
What is a fit abode for the Holy Spirit or Spirit of truth? A mind and heart at rest, a life at peace with the universe. When love overcomes contending forces, it establishes itself in peace.
Metaphysically Interpreting II Samuel 7:18-29
7:18Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? 7:19And this was yet a small thing in thine eyes, O Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come; and this too after the manner of men, O Lord Jehovah! 7:20And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord Jehovah. 7:21For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make thy servant know it. 7:22Wherefore thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 7:23And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, whom thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 7:24And thou didst establish to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. 7:25And now, O Jehovah God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm thou it for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. 7:26And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of thy servant David shall be established before thee. 7:27For thou, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. 7:28And now, O Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: 7:29now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
March 15, 1924: II Sam. 7:18-25
What is the main subject of today's lesson? The main subject of today's lesson is the building of a house or temple for the dwelling place of Jehovah.
In the preceding verses of this lesson King David is quoted as saying to Nathan, the prophet: “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” What is the metaphysical meaning of this passage? The house represents the body consciousness. Body consciousness is founded upon a body idea. The metaphysical meaning expressed in these symbols is that King David (ruled by love) has established himself in an enduring body consciousness, but has not incorporated God as the ever-abiding life.
How does man, in consciousness, go in and sit before Jehovah and humble himself, as described in verse? To hold communion with the ruling ego within, one must humble the will by acknowledging the greatness and wisdom and power of the supreme I AM, Jehovah.
What state of mind follows after man has sat before Jehovah and has humbled himself in the sight of Jehovah? When one has entered into the secret place of the Most High and felt the power of Spirit sweeping over him, he is overwhelmed by the greatness of Spirit, and in his mind he exclaims as did David: “Wherefore thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
What great thing does contact with Spirit within do for man? The greatest work that the inner spiritual consciousness performs for man is redemption from materiality (Egypt), as described in verse 23.
Paul says: Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, . . . glorify God therefore in your body.” In what respect is David here fulfilling the glorification of God in his body? The theme of the whole text, after David the king went in and sat before Jehovah, is a glorification of Jehovah, the everliving One. David exalted Jehovah concerning his house, called upon him to confirm it forever, and prayed that his name might be magnified: “and the house of thy servant David shall be established before thee.
September 24, 1944: II Sam. 7:17-29
What effect has the habit of meditation on the inner life of mind and heart? It enriches both beyond measure, especially so if we meditate on the nature and power of the I AM, and follow up our meditation by claiming our spiritual heritage.
Of what is the prophet Nathan representative? Of the spiritual consciousness. The name means “giver,” “gift,” “given.”
Is the faculty of love one that is conducive to meditation? The nature of love is to meditate on its object. “Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah.” We sit in meditation and kneel in prayer. Love meditates on the soul's relation to God.
What is one of the outstanding characteristics of love? Humility in contemplation. “Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?”
In love for God has personality any place? None whatever. What can David say more unto thee? David, the person realizes his insignificance in the presence of infinite Spirit.
In a finite sense how is spirituality related to love? Spirituality develops in us to the degree that we realize that our world is the manifest expression of God’s love. “For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness to make thy servant know it.”
Does love bring us into spiritual consciousness or does the spiritual consciousness inspire love in us? The former may seem the true way, but in reality spiritual consciousness inspires love in us. David desired to build a house for Jehovah, but Jehovah said to him, “I will build thee a house.”
What is the “house” of the Holy Spirit? It is the spiritual consciousness in which we may abide for ever. This house is built with the substance of Truth.
What affirmation should we make to increase our consciousness of divine love? “O Lord Jehovah, thou are God and thy words are truth,” and they are to me “a joy and the rejoicing of my heart”.
July 50, 1950: II Sam. 7:17-29
What does Nathan represent? Nathan (“giver, gift, given”) represents spiritual power and understanding in and back of our words of Truth.
Is this power always active? Yes, but it becomes more active with prayer and meditation. Nathan first told David to proceed with his plan, but he later was inspired with a different idea and countermanded his first instruction. In this incident we see symbolized this truth: Sometimes a course of action that appears at the moment to be right for us to follow may in the light of deeper understanding not be right at all. In such case spiritual understanding reveals the right way to us.
Is love humble in the face of inhibitions? Yes. David said, “Who am I, O Lord Jehovah . . . And what can David say more unto thee?” Love is humble and conforms at once to the divine will. By so doing it becomes receptive and ready for the blessings that God has prepared.
What was David's final reaction to the prophecy of Nathan? It was one of praise and thanksgiving. “Thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee.” Love reaches its supreme fulfillment in the spirit of praise and thanksgiving.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 11-05-2013
