“…The Lord declares to you that The Lord will establish a house for you: …I will raise up an offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Sam. 7:11c, 12).
“May the favour of The Lord, our God, rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes establish the work of our hands” (Ps. 90:17).
According to Wikipedia, the term ‘establishment’ is generally used to refer to a dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation or organisation. It also suggests a closed group which selects its own members by simple method of association. It is used more specifically by academics. The above definition gives us a simple idea of the word ‘establishment’ and its ordinary usage.
However, in Biblical context, establishment is fundamentally used to express God’s plan to settle the course of humanity. It is His firm promise and prerogative to give us a stable living condition and home that offers joy, comfort, peace, love, progress and unity of purpose among God’s people. His plan is to favourably settle us securely on a firm position of life.
The principle of establishment was actually ordained by God for the perpetuation of the human race (Psalm 148:6). God, in His infinite knowledge, had a better understanding of historical course as well as every problem that we would ever face as individuals. Consequently, in eternity past, He set up a plan of grace for mankind. On the merit of this grace and righteousness, this design for establishment is unbroken and flawless.
In 2 Samuel 7:11, and in the period of the Judges, God made a firm promise to establish David and to give him rest over all his enemies. David’s victories over threatening powers will be complete, so that the rest already enjoyed will be assured for the future. God promised to build a house for David and to establish his dynasty forever which implies His divine favour and choice of David’s household as a royal throne in Israel. It is a covenant that establishes God’s firm and gracious purpose for His people and this finds its ultimate fulfilment in the in the kingship of Christ.
Accordingly, God’s plan endures to eternity, because His own nature is eternal. His chain of actions proceeds from His uncompromising Spirit, and His grace therefore erases the frailties of human prejudice. The Lord will certainly establish His own in the real sense of settlement through His act of mercy and grace.
As God remains our eternal security in the world, so also He will make our labour effective, enduring and fruitful, though we be transient. Therefore, our honest labour in God shall abide even after we had gone. God will certainly establish a legacy of remembrance for those who diligently strive in grace and righteousness to make progress in life. This is the sense of Ps.90:17.
In the book of Isaiah 14:1-2, God chose to show compassion to Jacob and settle Israel again on their land, against the wishes of their enemies. Similarly, He chose to establish the throne of David forever. Here, God’s emphasis is the establishment of David on a stead that rightly belongs to him and his children. By this act of grace, David was divinely elevated to the enviable top as a sole controller of the royal institution and empire of his world.
People of God, it is not, however, the interest of God to subject anybody to perpetual slavery, so that you remain a mere employee labouring for others. He rather wants you to be an employer of labour yourself. That way, God establishes you firmly.
God shall surely turn the tide of times to your favour. You may have been labouring for others without appreciation. You may have been subjected to hardship due the unstable nature of your work. Someone may have exploited you as a servant by using your talent and effort without rewarding you. You may have worked for several years without promotion.
Don’t give up. The Lord who remembered David and established his throne forever shall definitely establish you in your own house, business, marriage and career. Your visions shall come alive again. The world around you shall escort you to the place of your enthronement. Then those who despised you shall honour you.
It is very pertinent to understand that God establishes the work of our hands, when He finds us diligent working for our well-being and that of others. Indeed, you are operating in the right season of Divine establishment.
