ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף שמואל ב 7:12

When we examine the promise of the prophet Nathan to David concerning the future of his son Solomon, we find that G-d had almost precluded Himself from severing His covenant with Solomon even if the latter should be steeped in sin. (Samuel II 7, 12-17) We read there something that sounds like Solomon had been given carte blanche by G-d, come what may. Similarly, we see Eytan Haezrachi describe the absolute assurances G-d gave to David and his descendants. (Psalms 89,21-38) How does all this square with the statement "G-d is not mortal man that He deceives?" (Numbers 23, 19) Reading verses 39,53, in Psalms 89, certainly poses a difficult problem concerning the absolute nature of assurances from G-d. We also find Solomon being warned repeatedly that his kingdom would not endure if he failed to live up to G-d’s expectations of him. (Kings I chapter 9) Even though the tabernacle, i.e. temporary collapsible structure did endure long, -due to the sin of the spies-, G-d expressed His plan for residence on earth by giving all the instructions for such a residence. In G-d’s own good time, an enduring structure will be built, such as is envisaged in the concluding chapters of the book of Ezekiel. That however, will be when the Jewish people will have become so refined in character through having been persecuted in exile, that success can be ensured and the Divine Presence would not again be forced to withdraw. The entire book of Ezekiel can be viewed as concentrating on this subject, seeing that it commences with a vision of ma-asseh merkavah, i.e. G-d’s residence in the heavens, and concludes with visions of G-d’s residence on earth. The intervening chapters only provide the rationale why a permanent residence for G-d on earth had not been possible, due to the errant ways of G-d’s chosen people. Only after "and I shall sprinkle on you cleansing waters...and give you a new heart," (chapter 36) have the conditions been met that must precede the establishment of a permanent home for G-d on this earth. Interestingly, when Ezekiel mentions the date of his first vision, he begins with the exile of the Divine Presence,- when Jewish exile began-, only to mention the date of the day of Atonement, when forgiveness is granted as the last day in all his recorded visions. If G-d did not command building of a temple when Israel entered the holy land, it was because Israel did not remove all the vestiges of idol worship and idol worshippers from that land. They left in place many people and many objects that would cause them to sin at a later date. Even though David, of his own accord, proposed to establish such a temple, G-d asked "how could you do so unless I had commanded you?" As to the promise that his son would be chosen to do so, the son referred to, is not Solomon, but the Messiah. G-d emphasized that He never requested from Moses a permanent residence, neither does He request it at that time. (Samuel II 7,7) However, "your son" meaning the Messiah, "he will build it." David prepared blueprints etc., but he did not realise that it was not Solomon who had been meant by the words of the prophet Nathan, but that the descendant who would build the permanent house would do so many years after David's departure from this earth. Chronicles I chapter 17, confirms this interpretation. Verse 14 reads "I will make him stand in My house and My kingdom forever," a phrase that can certainly not be applied to Solomon. This is all in line with the prophecy in Isaiah chapter eleven, describing the nature of the Messiah. This is the person referred to already in David's time (Samuel II 7, 14) "I will be his father" etc. The kind of sins committed in those distant days will indeed be subject to forgiveness because the people will respond positively to teachings and rebukes. As the prophet Zecharyah (12,8) says "anyone that stumbles in those days will be equal to David; the house of David will be G-d like, like an angel before the Lord." G-d will not abandon them as He has not abandoned David himself." Nathan's prophecy to David referred in large measure to this distant future. Whether Nathan himself was fully aware of this, does not matter. When David refers to G-d’s promise for the distant future in gratitude, (Samuel II 7, 19) we notice that he was not unaware of the meaning of Nathan's message. David also understood that the very nature of man made it necessary for this process of refinement to extend over millenia. Chronicles I 17, 17, states "You have seen me and chosen me like the row (group) of men of the elite, Lord G-d." As the Talmud (Baba Metzia 114) says "man, i.e Israel will qualify for the term ADAM after going through long periods of trials and afflictions etc. before realising that the object of our hopes is the glory of G-d manifested by what He builds, not the glory of man manifested by what man has erected.

And afterwards, I will speak about the end of the days of [a person's] life: And I say that the Creator of [the body and the soul] placed a measure of specific days to their combination. This is like (Exodus 23:26), "I will fill the count of your days." And He said to some prophets (Deuteronomy 31:14), "Here, your days are drawing near to die"; and to others (II Samuel 7:12), "When your days are filled," and that which is similar to this. And afterwards I say that there are times when He adds to this measure, knowing that the soul will remain [longer] with the body - given that his knowledge is no different than the truth about something. However this measure, for me, which absorbs the increase or reduction [in years] is the measure of strength that He gave to the body. And that is that - from the beginning, when He created him - there is no doubt that He built him with a specific strength, be it great or little. And the measure of the endurance of this strength is what is called the end (ketz). But He is able to add to him and strengthen him - such that with the seventy [years, on average,] He can establish thirty [more] years - and He is [also] able to weaken him and make him wilt, so that he wilts (dies) at forty. And according to this explanation, we can understand the addition to the end of the days [of a person], and the shortening of the life that there would be for a person; beyond the increase or reduction that His Creator knew [his natural strength] would bear in truth (naturally). And the explanation of this is that He knows that the root strength of the body (on average) is seventy years, and he may [then] add thirty years to it, or subtract thirty. And what is the source that obligates this reduction [or increase in years]? It is its statement (Proverbs 10:27), "The fear of the Lord adds days." And it [also] stated about some of the righteous ones (II Kings 20:6), "And I will add fifteen years to your days." And it states about many rewards, "in order that your days will be lengthened," and that which is similar to it. And with the wicked, it stated (Exodus 12:29), "and the Lord smote every firstborn in the Land of Egypt"; "And those that died in the plague were" (Numbers 25:9), and that which is similar to it. And if they died according to the strength of their [natural] end, the plague would not have been on account of their sin, nor would the plague have been stopped on account of Pinchas' deed . And the prophet already distinguished the plague from the end of [a person's days], when he said (I Samuel 26:10), "the Lord will strike him with a plague, or his day will come and he will die." But I am not saying that they add to the life of every righteous person, or that they subtract from every wicked person. Rather it is according to the choice of the Creator and according to the good [done by the person]. And [for] the righteous ones whose lives were not increased, the reward of the world to come is before him. And [for] the wicked ones whose lives were not shortened, the punishment of the world to come is before him. It is as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 3:1), "and there is a time for everything,"