1 & 2 Samuel Catholic Bible study Lesson 14

The United Kingdom of Israel:
Saul, David & Solomon
Foreshadow Christ the King

Lesson 14 God’s Promise to David
the Second Book of Samuel 7:1—10:19

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for The United Kingdom of Israel
cross references in The United Kingdom of Israel
next lesson: David’s Sin & the Birth of Solomon

This material coordinates with Lesson 14 on pages 85–91 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, 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.”
—the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–13

welcome to our in-depth study of Saul, David & Solomon
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson videos, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has been granted an imprimatur and may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Second Book of Samuel 5:6—6:23
In Lesson 13 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem, the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem falls to David’s forces, and David establishes it as his capital. He settles in, building a house for himself and fathering more children in addition to the four children born in Hebron. (A complete list of David’s children can be found in the First Book of the Chronicles 3:1–9.) The Philistines attack when they discover David has become king over all of the descendants of Jacob, but David and his army defeat them. David decides to move the ark of God to Jerusalem from Baale-Judah, where it’s been semi-neglected for 20-some years. During transport, the oxen stumble and God takes the life of Uzzah, the man who reaches out his hand to steady the ark. This causes David to reconsider moving the ark into Jerusalem, and it’s left instead in the household of Obed-Edom the Gittite. After three months, when no harm and much blessing has come to Obed-Edom’s household, David decides to move the ark the rest of the way to Jerusalem. There’s a great celebration, and David wears an ephod, the apron worn by priests, and dances before the LORD. He makes sacrifices and blesses the people. David’s wife Michal despises her husband for his lack of royal decorum, and David chastises her. Scripture records that Michal remains childless, implying this is a consequence of her haughty attitude toward the LORD.

map notes—many new people & places in Aram
The eighth chapter in the Second Book of Samuel introduces a number of unfamiliar people and places. Not all of the locations fall within the scope of our map. Many lie in Aram, a collection of small kingdoms north and east of territory inhabited by the descendants of Jacob; these kingdoms are in the region of Syria and Mesopotamia. A description of the locations of places that don’t appear on the map can be found in the glossary. It also includes listings for the people in every lesson of this Bible study. Audio links that can be used as a pronunciation guide can be found at the bottom of this page. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 90 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

the spirit of David’s prayer (25:10)
The Second Book of Samuel 7:18–29 records David’s response to God’s spectacular promise, made more amazing by the LORD’s addition of the fact that this covenant is eternal. In the video overview for Lesson 14, “God’s Promise to David,” Turning to Gods’ Word author Matthew Phelps discusses the importance of David’s prayer as well as the reasoning behind why the Psalms are so highly regarded in Catholic liturgy and why David serves as a model for Christians. With which of the Psalms are you most familiar, and why? What about David’s relationship with God might have led to the Hebrew songs he composed so long ago continuing to serve as models for personal prayer for present-day Christians?

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 14, “God’s Promise to David,” on pages 85–91 in the study book.

the popes inspire us—true shalom
The Second Book of Samuel 7:1 records that it’s only after the LORD has given David rest from all of Israel’s enemies that David begins to think about building a house for the ark of God. Pope Benedict XVI, in a general audience January 25, 2006, taught that peace points toward the ultimate destination of history where the voice of evil will be silenced, “replaced by a more spacious positive dimension, that of a new world, a joyful one about to appear. This is the true shalom or messianic peace. This portrait of a different yet possible world is entrusted to the work of the Messiah and to the work of his people.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK peace has to do with anything?
It’s of interest that the Church’s Christmas proclamation recounts significant events in salvation history and sets the stage for Jesus’ birth with the announcement that the whole world was at peace when the Messiah was born.

? Consider why David apparently never thought of building a more permanent dwelling for the ark of God before conquering Jerusalem.
? How is it that David has obtained rest from all his enemies?
? What is the political reason behind the whole world being at peace at the time of Christ’s birth?
? Why might peace be a necessary condition for the LORD’s promise to David as well as for the birth of Jesus?
? What does this suggest about the importance of striving for peace in our present-day world?

the prophet Nathan is introduced
With Samuel dead, David has been running the kingdom without the benefit of a prophet from God to advise him. So far, no situation has come up that David couldn’t handle by simply following the LORD’s commandments. In the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–2, however, David decides it’s time to build a house for God, and he consults with Nathan. Although Nathan is described as a prophet, there’s no biblical evidence that he’s at any previous time instructed David concerning God’s wishes. At first Nathan tells David that building a house for God is a fine idea. Then the word of the LORD comes to Nathan. That this occurs at night suggests the possibility of at least two things—Nathan has been in the dark about God’s instructions to David until this time, and the LORD now may be communicating while Nathan is in a dreamlike state. Nathan returns the next day to tell David what God thinks, a clear indication that the LORD has chosen Nathan to act as prophet.

The office of prophet essentially imposes a check on the king’s power. Because David is a man after God’s own heart—he has a heart in sympathy with God’s desires—David rarely needs much counseling. David is human, however, and so is subject to human limitations in his thinking. As we’ll see later, Nathan’s work is cut out for him, since David also is subject to the human temptation to sin. To reiterate a point made in the supplemental material for one of our earlier lessons, although David’s heart resembles God’s heart, in no way should anyone jump to the conclusion that David is on equal footing with the LORD. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided takes an in-depth look at the role of the Old Testament prophets prior to the Babylonian Exile.

read the Catechism—what kind of house does Scripture mean?
The word translated as “house” in the seventh chapter in the Second Book of Samuel derives from two Greek roots, οἶκος (oikos) and νόμος (nomos). Oikos has multiple meanings. It can mean house as a building, or it can mean the abstract concept of home. It can mean household in the sense of an estate or the goods and possessions of the house, and it can mean house in the sense that we would talk about a ruling house to refer to a politically powerful family or a dynasty. Nomos refers to a “custom,” “rule,” or “law.” These roots combine in oikonomia to mean “the law or management of a house,” typically referring to house in the sense of an estate. Oikonomia came to have a primarily financial sense, though the broader meanings of oikos also can apply. Our English word economy derives from oikonomia. Paragraph 236 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church provides more information about the divine economy.

236 The Fathers of the Church distinguish between theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia). “Theology” refers to the mystery of God’s inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and “economy” to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life. Through the oikonomia the theologia is revealed to us; but conversely, the theologia illuminates the whole oikonomia. God’s works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions.

pray with the Psalms—two related Old Testament hymns
Psalm 89 provides a restatement of Nathan’s oracle and David’s response to the LORD, both in somewhat more poetic form than found in the seventh chapter in the Second Book of Samuel. In Psalm 89:3–4, the Psalmist states the primary evidence of God’s merciful love and fidelity, speaking for God: “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.” Psalm 132:3–5 discloses what appears to prompt God to promise David an eternal kingdom—David first vows not to rest until he’s established a suitable dwelling for God’s ark of the covenant. The LORD’s actual oath to David is recounted in Psalm 132:11: “One of the sons of your body I will set upon your throne.” Psalm 132:12 points to the eternal nature of this promise: “If your sons keep my covenant, and my testimonies which I shall teach them, their sons also for ever shall sit on your throne.” Prayed at Tuesday Vespers (Week II), Psalm 132 is included as part of Lesson 21 May the LORD Bless You in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. Prayed at Saturday Vigils (Week I), Psalm 89 will be included as part of Lesson 13 Praise the LORD Who Rides on the Heavens in Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, which is scheduled for publication in late summer of 2025.

covenant—you could look it up in our archives
The word “covenant” isn’t used in this section of the Second Book of Samuel, but later in the Second Book of Samuel 23:5 when David is speaking as an oracle of God, he’ll refer to the LORD’s promise as a covenant. Learn more about the meaning of covenants by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about God’s previous promises?
Among the most well-known of God’s promises is the one he makes to Abraham, through which the descendants of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, come to regard the land of Canaan as the Promised Land. It’s of interest that the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 6:15 credits Abraham’s patient endurance as the reason why Abraham obtains God’s promise. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation focuses on what arguably is the best biblical example of early Christian apologetics. The idea of patient endurance also shows up in the first three chapters in the book of Revelation. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness examines this apocalyptic final book of the New Testament.

? Consider what make patience and endurance of such high value to God?
? What part, if any, do you think that these virtues might play in the promise given by God to David?
? How does the necessity of patience and endurance figure in your own life?

much military success
David’s military skills already have been established, but after receiving God’s promise David embarks on a campaign to deal with all of the enemies of God’s people. The outcomes of these battles show David’s military career in stark contrast to Saul’s. Scripture is clear about the reason for David’s successes: The LORD gives victory to David wherever he goes. It’s significant that the Second Book of Samuel 8:10–12 records that David dedicates the spoils of war to God. Although David is winning a name for himself, he credits all of his victories to the LORD. Take a moment to consider how much credit you owe to God for any of the successes you’ve experienced in your life.

the king’s inner circle
David is portrayed as a great administrator as well as a great military leader, and members of what amounts to his cabinet are listed in the Second Book of Samuel 8:16–18. It’s noteworthy that David installs what appears to be a pair of chief priests—Abiathar and Zadok. Abiathar previously has been introduced as the sole survivor of the slaughter of priests at Nob. Zadok appears out of the blue, and scholars project different theories about where he’s been practicing the priesthood. Most suggest he had been living at Hebron. Alternate speculation is that Zadok may have been a Canaanite priest in Jerusalem when it was under Jebusite control and that he converted to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and of David, who conquered the city previously believed to be unconquerable.

David’s fascinating interaction with the priesthood
A few questions naturally arise concerning David’s interaction with the priesthood. The first is tied to the Second Book of Samuel 8:18, which contains the information that David apparently has appointed his sons as priests. Since they clearly aren’t in the hereditary line of Aaron, this is a bold move on the part of David. In the video for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps suggests that this sets a precedent for God’s son Jesus, born into the line of Judah (like David and his sons), to be identified as a priest by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. You can learn more about the priesthood of Jesus in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation.

rival priestly lines
The First Book of the Chronicles 24:1–3 records that Abiathar and Zadok represent two rival priestly lines, which David consolidates. Abiathar is descended from Ithamar, and Zadok is descended from Eleazar. David’s move solidifies Jerusalem as the center of worship for all of the tribes. It’s something of a mystery that the people and both priestly lines agree to David’s appointment of his sons to be priests, as well as to David’s reorganization of the priesthood. What’s less of a mystery is David’s extreme popularity as a ruler. David’s charismatic personality obviously played a part in enabling him to unite his people spiritually as well as politically. In addition, we’ve already seen biblical evidence of the waning power of the priesthood with the destruction of all of Eli’s line except Abiathar.

all about promises & what’s up with Mephibosheth being lame
The ninth chapter in the Second Book of Samuel is about more than one promise. In addition to the LORD’s promise to David, David admirably honors his own promise not to destroy Saul’s line. He seeks out Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth and restores all of Saul’s property to him. He also treats Mephibosheth as one of his own sons when he insists that Mephibosheth take his meals at David’s family table. That Mephibosheth is lame suggests he’s in no position to challenge David for the throne. The biblical text also mentions that Mephibosheth has a son, Mica, about whom nothing more is written in the First and Second Books of Samuel, causing readers to question why Mica is mentioned at all. It appears that the authors wish to establish that David does indeed allow Saul’s line to continue. Mephibosheth’s single son also is in contrast to Ziba’s large number of sons, 15 in total.

do you remember the Ammonites?
The Ammonites mentioned in the tenth chapter in the Second Book of Samuel are the same Ammonites who attacked Jabesh-Gilead during the reign of Saul, an event discussed at some length in Lesson 2 in this Turning to God’s Word Bible study. The Ammonites are descended from an incestuous union between Lot and his younger daughter, recorded in the book of Genesis 19:30–38. You can learn more in Lesson 11 The Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

biblical vocabulary—odious
The Second Book of Samuel 10:6 records that in treating David’s emissaries with disrespect, the Ammonites become odious to David. Odious means repulsive or foul. This only happens after the Ammonites insult the emissaries, whom David has sent to them in a gesture of good will. Apparently undaunted by David’s many recent military successes, the Ammonites decide to hire mercenaries to assist in fighting David’s army, a decision that goes against the Ammonites.

multi-dimensional characters
In the Second Book of Samuel 10:11–12, Joab and his brother Abishai lead David’s forces in a battle in which the odds are against them. Joab displays spiritual understanding as well as bravery and military skill when he says that the LORD will do what seems good to him. In this instance, Joab is an extremely sympathetic character, even though Scripture previously recorded his obsession with vengeance for the death of his brother Asahel. Saul also has been portrayed as a man of complex character. When he first learned that he’d been chosen to lead God’s people, he displayed a humility that later disappeared. These complex personalities with their human failings have captured readers’ imagination for centuries.

related videos—what do you know about the foundation of the priesthood?
Our 2016 Bible retreat at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri, looked at the Old Testament underpinnings of the priesthood and what they mean to present-day Christians. The First and Second Books of Samuel are especially interesting in terms of development of the priesthood. We’ve posted videos of talks at those conferences by Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps. Find links to Biblical Foundations of the Priesthood Part I (1:34:09) and Biblical Foundations of the Priesthood Part II (1:34:31) on our videos page, TtGW videos.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–29—paragraph 709
the Second Book of Samuel 7:14—paragraphs 238, 441
the Second Book of Samuel 7:18–29—paragraph 2579
the Second Book of Samuel 7:28—paragraphs 215, 2465

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Second Book of Samuel 7:1—10:19 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on the biblical text in this lesson in the study book The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

O God, you promised David an eternal kingdom.
Help your people to embrace the laws of that kingdom,
so that at the end of time we may not be judged and found wanting.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who fulfills your promise to David and opens the door
for all men and women to inherit a place in your eternal kingdom. Amen.

Lesson 15 David’s Sin & the Birth of Solomon—the Second Book of Samuel 11:1—12:31
Lesson 13 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem—the Second Book of Samuel 5:6—6:23

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.