2). Wonder at what this great YHWH has done for those whom He has chosen as His own people (2 Samuel 7:22-24).
“ For this reason you are great, O YHWH God, for there is none like you, nor is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
And he recognises that it is this especially that makes YHWH great and like no other gods, that He faithfully carries forwards His own sovereign will in accordance with His own power and promises. He is always consistent and totally reliable. Thus there is none like Him, nor any gods who can compare with Him, at least as far as they have heard, One Who acts consistently and graciously on behalf of those Whom He chooses quite apart from their deserving (compare 2 Samuel 7:23; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 3:24; Deuteronomy 4:33-35; Deuteronomy 7:7-8).
“ And what one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for your land, before your people, whom you redeem to yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?”
As David thinks back he is filled with awe and reverence as he considers what nation there is on earth which has experienced what Israel has experienced. What one nation on earth has been privileged like the one which He has chosen and redeemed for Himself, that is, like the nation of Israel ‘Whom God went to Egypt to redeem for Himself as a people', thereby making a Name for Himself, in contrast with the other deities who did not do such a things for their people. (This contrast lies at the back of the Hebrew text - see comment below). He did this both so as to make for Himself a Name, and in order to do great things for His people whom He had bought for Himself. Indeed He did terrible things for His land before His people (see Deuteronomy 10:21), whom He redeemed out of Egypt and out of the hands of the nations and their gods whom He drove out before them. David thus sums up in a few words the whole activity of God on behalf of His people from their deliverance in Egypt to their success in finally being established in Palestine after all the obstacles that they came up against. And all was due to YHWH's redeeming love and power.
(The Hebrew text is a little difficult to translate into English, although we have brought out the sense above. For example ‘went' is in the plural suggesting that there is a contrast intended between YHWH Who did go to redeem His people, and other deities who did not go to redeem their people. Thus ‘what one nation on earth -- is like Israel -- of which their deities went to redeem its people?'. The remainder of the sentence is then dealing with YHWH and His people, the ‘you' switching from addressing God's people back to addressing God Himself, as it had indicated in the beginning).
“ And you established to yourself your people Israel to be a people to yourself for ever, and you, YHWH, became their God.”
And He thus established to Himself His people Israel, to be a people to Himself for ever, while He became their God. It was an eternal arrangement that would never cease, and would be fulfilled on all those who truly responded to His covenant and obeyed Him. He would never fail those whose trust was in Him.
This does not mean that there is what we call ‘a nation' which He would treat as His people whatever they did and however they responded, and who are now languishing in unbelief in Jerusalem waiting for His special favour. It refers to those whom He had redeemed for Himself, who would genuinely ‘be a people to Himself'. As Paul put it, ‘they are not all Israel who are of Israel' (Romans 9:6). Thus those who revealed themselves as not His true people would be (and now are) cut off, and rejected from the covenant, resulting in their ceasing even nominally to be His people, while those who responded to Him and came within the covenant in accordance with His provision (Exodus 12:48), becoming circumcised in heart (Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11), would become His true people. This situation was especially highlighted through the coming and death of great David's greater son, Jesus Christ, so that the true Israel was revealed as those who believed in Him and put their trust in Him (Matthew 19:28; Matthew 21:43; John 15:1-6; Galatians 3:29; Galatians 6:16; Romans 11:16-28; Ephesians 2:18-22;
‘ So he also made for the entrance of the temple doorposts of olive-wood, out of a fourth part of the wall; and two doors of pine-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.'
Similarly doors were made to cover the entrance into the outer sanctuary. These were made of pine wood, and the door posts of olive wood. The door posts took up a quarter of the space, and two doors, which folded in two, covered the remainder of the space.
‘ And he carved on them cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the graven work.'
And on these also were carved Cherubim and palm trees and open flowers. And these also were overlaid with gold. Thus anyone who approached the sanctuary would be made aware of Cherubim guarding the way, and palm trees and open flowers reminding them of how once their ancestor had walked in the garden of God. And the priests who entered would find themselves surrounded by these on all sides as they sought to maintain the access of the people into God's mercy.