When the king was settled in his house, and Yahweh had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark ha-elohim stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for Yahweh is with you.”

But that same night the word of Yahweh came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says Yahweh: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says Yahweh of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, 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 forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

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This is the Track 1 Old Testament option for reading aloud on the eighth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 11], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it will be accompanied by a partial singing of Psalm 89, where is written: “I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of heaven.” Those will precede an Epistle reading from Ephesians, where Paul wrote: “So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where it is written, “[Jesus] saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

In the first verse, where the NRSV translation shows, “When the king was settled in his house,” the meaning of “house” should not be limited to a physical structure. The statement says the “house” was also that of his reign as king over a united Israel and Judah. The verb translated as “settled” can also be used to mean “sat enthroned” or even “married.” [NAS Exhaustive Concordance] This then says time had elapsed since David moved the Ark of the Covenant into the City of David; and, during this time “a house of cedar” had been constructed and furnished.

In these selected verses, the name “Yahweh” was written seven times, with all translated benignly by the NRSV to say “the Lord.” The name of the God of Moses is Yahweh; and, that specific name being uttered in writing says Yahweh was married to the writer and all characters to whom Yahweh communicated. The general meaning of a capitalized “Lord” says an eternal presence that inhabits a body of flesh and possesses the soul of that flesh. Satan is such a “Lord,” as well as all demonic possessions or evil spirits that would cause a soul to lead a life of sin. Rejecting Yahweh, by name, means one is inclined towards an evil spirit coming to the threshold of one’s soul, wanting to come in and be one’s “Lord.” David and Nathan were both possessed by their souls having married Yahweh, specifically; thus, that specific God is named. All true Christians should feel comfortable naming Yahweh as their Husband.

When we then read that “Yahweh had given [David] rest from all his enemies around him,” this says the conflicts that had faced Saul’s Israel had ceased. In 2 Samuel 6:17-25, after David was made King of Israel and Judah, he led an attack against Philistines who challenged his new reign over that expanse of a kingdom, defeating them. In verse 25 is written: “David did just as Yahweh had commanded him; and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.” In that, it must be understood that David was possessed by Yahweh, so that possession made him as powerful as he had been when he faced Goliath. With that possession, there was no need to call for the Ark to be brought out, where the Ark was a know place where Yahweh sat enthroned between two Cherubim. David being possessed by Yahweh [not some generic “Lord”] was the embodiment of the Ark; therefore, Israel was given “peace” [synonym of “rest”] when David became King of Israel and Judah.

With peace at hand and the Ark resting on Mount Zion in the place where David had prepared, David saw his new cedar house having been completed as a sign to make a permanent structure for the Ark to be properly housed. The motivation of this thinking must be realized as David being one with Yahweh, just as Yahweh was one with the Ark. If David deserved a cedar house for him to reside in, as a soul married to Yahweh, then so too should the Ark deserve the same, rather than a canvass Tabernacle. This should be seen as the logic of a human brain being used to think for God; and, David is now shown how human logic is flawed, when applied to Yahweh. When Nathan told David, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for Yahweh is with you,” that recognized David’s “soul” [“bil·ḇā·ḇə·ḵā” was written, meaning “in your heart,” with a “heart” meaning “inner man” or “soul”] was possessed by marriage to Yahweh. Therefore, David’s thought was assumed to be the Word of Yahweh telling David what to do, such as he took Jebus and moved the Ark [and probably ordered his own cedar house to be built too] because of that inner voice.

When we next read, “But that same night the word of Yahweh came to Nathan,” that says Nathan’s soul had likewise married Yahweh, so he was a true prophet. As a true prophet, Nathan’s only goal in life was to please Yahweh. Knowing David was also married to Yahweh, Nathan knew David was the same way in his desire to please their God. When Nathan told David, “Because your heart and soul are married to Yahweh, go where your heart tells you to go,” that was based on the same human state of being that David used to think logically, rather than pray to Yahweh for guidance. This exchange between Nathan and David says they conversed as would wives of Yahweh, discussing ways to please Him without being told what to do. This says a soul married to Yahweh still has the freedom to think independently, as Yahweh is not a micromanager of the lives of His souls possessed.

To sum up what Yahweh told Nathan, He spoke to the eternal soul of Nathan, which was not limited to only that current incarnation as the prophet of Israel. By Yahweh saying, “I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day,” that goes beyond the written texts of the Torah and speaks the truth that was known by Yahweh and the soul of Nathan. In the text, neither the Ark nor the Covenant existed when the children of Israel were led my Moses out of Egypt. There was a pillar of cloud that went before them by day, and stood behind them by night. The Tabernacle of canvass was requested for housing the Ark afterwards, so that became a tent of meeting between the soul of Moses and Yahweh. Anything permanent was both unnecessary and unwanted.

In the translation of the NRSV that says, “I have moved about among all the people of Israel,” the actual Hebrew states: “hiṯ·hal·laḵ·tî bə·ḵāl bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl.” That literally translates to say, “I have moved about with all the sons of Israel.” This says Yahweh was married with many souls of the Israelites, spread through all the tribes, possessing all the elders, as well as most of the others. This says the marriage vows were not only written in stone and kept in a special box, protected by elohim [ark ha-elohim], but also in the hearts of all who served Yahweh. Wherever those souls took their flesh, they also took Yahweh with them. That widespread marriage between the Israelite people and Yahweh had been broken many times over their history, but repaired through repentance. During those times of breakage, the presence of Yahweh married to the Ark meant their prayers would be heard and a judge would be sent to bring the hearts of the people back to Yahweh. However, when the elders chose to have a king, that was the last break allowed; and, David was the last ‘Mr. Fix-it’ that would ever be sent to the Israelites, meaning David was the messenger [an elohim Israel] sent to keep Yahweh readily available to all those souls under David.

The reason “sons of Israel” should not be generalized as “people of Israel” is it reduces the meaning in the same way that reducing “Yahweh” to “the Lord” does. The masculinity of “sons” [Hebrew “benê”] is stating the spiritual ‘gender,’ not human gender. While men certainly ruled the day back when in the wilderness, up till well after David’s reign came and went, all souls in human flesh are deemed neuter gender, with them taking on the essence of the flesh, which is feminine. Therefore, a “son of Israel” means a soul [neuter, of feminine flesh] married to Yahweh [masculine Spirit] has taken on the ‘masculinity’ of a “son,” regardless if in the feminine flesh of males or females.

The word “yiś·rā·’êl” must then be seen as a statement of this masculine Spiritual presence, such that the word means “He Retains God” or “God Is Upright.” This was what the soul of Jacob was told he could identify with, after his elohim wrestling match. All of the children of Jacob had to be taught to become children who were “Israel,” as “sons” [males and females, husbands and wives] whose souls were married to Yahweh. Thus, David was being reminded, through Nathan, that he had become a “Messiah” – an Anointed one of Yahweh – to shepherd the people to return to the sheepfold where all knew they needed to each be “sons” of Yahweh, “Israel” in being.

By realizing the importance of “yiś·rā·’êl,” as it is repeated five times in this reading selection, one can see Yahweh speaking to the soul of Nathan refers to the divine level of meaning, much more than the mundane name of a wayward people who had demanded they no longer be led by Yahweh, but by some human king. Thus, when Yahweh said this to Nathan: “I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies,” that speaks loudly of each soul under David – his flock of priests for Yahweh – would no longer be rescued by an Ark that sat in a cave, guarded by elohim, which meant the people thought they were free to break all their marriage vows and still claim to be “He Retains God.” Therefore, there would never be a time when Yahweh should ever again be seen as a god that was no longer needed, so He could be kept in a house or a fixed place.

At this point, Yahweh tells Nathan to say to David, “Moreover Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will make you a house.” In that, the literal translation says more clearly, “you Yahweh , that house will make you Yahweh.” This says that David is where Yahweh resides, so the ‘House of David’ will become synonymous with a ‘house of servants’ who will be the “ark of elohim.” Each individual born into that house will then be like David, as all their souls will be individually married to Yahweh. Because the name David means “Beloved,” all of the ‘house of David’ will be wives of God.

When this understanding of “a house” is seen, where there was no promise made for God to physically allow a box for Him to be stowed away in, the following states, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” While the history of Israel makes this appear to be Yahweh prophesizing the coming of Solomon and his kingdom, that is not the deeper truth revealed to Nathan. The “offspring” [from “zar·‘ă·ḵā,” meaning “sowing”] are not any of the sons of David. They are the “sons of Israel” that will follow the spiritual ‘house of David,’ being all the prophets whose souls would marry Yahweh and become the voices of God speaking to all the wayward kings, queens, and false prophets that would come. These would all be like David, as physical bodies whose souls were led by Yahweh’s Spirit. This would be the true “kingdom” Yahweh intended, where all of His children would have Yahweh as their king, each individually.

Where the NRSV has translated, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever,” this again is wrong to think Yahweh was so nearsighted that he would only look forward to Solomon, as Solomon would lead the union of Israel and Judah to the ruin of divorce. The Temple built took on the name of its builder, not Yahweh. This means the “house for my name” is “Jesus,” whose name means “Yah[weh] Will Save.” The soul of Jesus will become the king of a ‘house of Yahweh,” where each ‘house’ will be an Apostle-Saint. Those ‘kingdoms’ will last “forever,” through those souls having gained eternal life. That prophecy given to Nathan then extends throughout the duration of all Christianity, where “Christ” becomes a “house built for my name,” as a house of those Anointed by God as holy.

Again, Solomon was not the intent, although he was the heir to David’s physical throne. When this reading ends with Yahweh telling Nathan, “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me,” this speaks of Jesus, but also all who will be reborn in his name, through the marriage of their souls to Yahweh. Here, again, is the element of “sons of Israel” being foretold to be continued through all who would be Anointed by Yahweh, as was David, as were the Prophets, as was Jesus, and were all the Apostles and Saints to this day. All are the “sons” of Yahweh, with Him the “Father” of all.

As the Old Testament optional reading for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry to Yahweh should be well underway, this speaks of one’s own body of flesh needing to become a “house” of Yahweh. That can only come from one’s soul marrying Yahweh and receiving His Spirit. It also says one must become Anointed, as a new Christ, which means the Spirit has allowed one’s soul to be possessed by the resurrected soul of Jesus. One becomes a “house in the name of Yahweh” by being reborn as His Son Jesus. Because Yahweh told Nathan to tell David He did not want, had never wanted, nor would ever want a fixed structure of materials made for him to be housed in, this not only rejected a house of cedar and a temple of stone, it also rejects a church, cathedral, and/or any house said to be a place of God. The only place where Yahweh resides is human flesh, where the soul within has solemnly married Yahweh.