David had a remarkable career.

He started in the family farming and ranching business, taking care of sheep with the rest of the shepherds. It was something that was simple for the youngest son to do.

Then Samuel singled him out, told him that God had chosen him to be king.

Then David got called to the King’s house, was befriended by the king’s son, was the single best military commander of his time. Then he got kicked out by a jealous king and spent years on the run. Where he demonstrated and cultivated his leadership capacity.

Finally, he became king. He unified a divided country. He brought the worship of God to Jerusalem. He entered a season of peace.

And he wanted to thank God, to show God the proper respect.

He wanted to build God a house.

It’s a familiar feeling.

Things go right, our job is good, our family is good, we lean back in the recliner one night and think, “I need to do something for God, you know, to show him that I’m grateful.”

But God’s the one who gets to decide how he wants to be respected. How he wants to be honored. How he wants to be worshiped.

And that’s what he said to David.

“Have I ever said that I needed a house?” God said. “Have I ever told you that the thing I wanted most was to have a house as nice as yours?”

Then God reminds David that God doesn’t need tips for good service. God doesn’t need us to decide what he needs.

Instead, God loves to be acknowledged as the one who gets to decide what we need. He’s the one who sets the terms of relationship (graciously), who wants to tell us what makes him happy (us), what shows him respect.

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Reflecting on 2 Samuel 7:1-14