Building a House

Today’s reading from the 2^nd Book of Samuel is important for a number of reasons.

First of all, God puts a premium on the fact that the Ark of the Covenant, the solid object which represented God’s presence in their midst, has lived in a tent just like they have.  God has chosen to dwell not only with the children of Israel, but also just as they have been living.  So when David proposes to build a Temple for God much the same as the neighbors of Israel had built temples for their gods, God objects.  God wants to remain living just as the people of Israel are living.  Later on, when Israel has provided homes for its inhabitants, God will allow a Temple to be built by David’s son.

Secondly, God is doing some word play with David in that God is going to build a house for David.  Of course, God does not mean a dwelling place.  Rather, God is promising to raise up a dynasty for David which will last forever.  Like all God’s promises, this promise is fulfilled in an unexpected way.  God’s only begotten Son is the one who will sit on the throne of David forever.

Finally, notice that God tells David that his son will be God’s son as well.  “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” Ever since God made that promise, every king of Israel, every high priest, and every prophet has been called a son of God.  This title is not a title of divinity.  Rather, it is a designation that the person who bears that title speaks for God.  When the evangelists call Jesus the Son of God, they use the title because Jesus spoke for God.  The Divine Title for Jesus does not come about until the Fourth Gospel when John the evangelist tells us that Jesus is the pre-existent Word of God made flesh.

This particular passage communicates much more than a story about a tent and a Temple.  It looks forward and anticipates the Incarnation.  As we break open the Word today, it is this Incarnate God who not only nourishes us with bread for the body, but also with the nourishment of God’s Word for our souls.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator