2 Samuel 23:5-7 ESV

“For does not my house stand so with God?

For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,

ordered in all things and secure.

For will he not cause to prosper

all my help and my desire?

6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away,

for they cannot be taken with the hand;

7 but the man who touches them

arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,

and they are utterly consumed with fire.”

AN EVERLASTING COVENANT.

God’s covenant to perpetuate his house is unconditional. From the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah, the Messiah would come and establish a kingdom that would endure forever. The guarantee of the promises did rest solely on God’s faithfulness and neither depend at all on David nor in Israel’s obedience.

At one time, Nathan conveyed to David God’ plan, saying,” When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”[1 Chron 7:11-14]

As God covenanted with David with his ‘house’, Jesus likewise had established his covenant to the church. He purchased it with His own precious blood [Acts 20:28] and is secured towards eternity of bliss in heaven. [John 14:1-3] It will last forever, that even the gates of hell couldn’t prevail against the advancement of His “kingdom.” [Matt 16:18] His subjects are sinners redeemed by the blood of Christ alone and for no other merit whatsoever. [Titus 3:5,6] And thus, for having been gifted with this free salvation solely, everyone of them are unworthy.

The apostle Peter had guaranteed our inheritance as solely dependent upon the power of God. Thus, he said, “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” [1 Pet 1:3-5]

A mother and son ere about to cross a busy street. “Son hold unto me tightly.” the mother said. But, the boy replied, “ Not me Mommy, but you hold me. It’s because I will surely loss my grip on you but you won’t loss your grip on me.” As we cross from darkness into light, it’s not we holding on by trusting on our strength. But, it’s God who is holding us.” [John 10:28-29] That is, the God who do promise will surely keep us through. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful.” [2 Timothy 2:13]

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2 Samuel 23:1-4  ESV

Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man who was raised on high,

the anointed of the God of Jacob,

the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;

his word is on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel has spoken;

the Rock of Israel has said to me:

When one rules justly over men,

ruling in the fear of God,

4 he dawns on them like the morning light,

like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,

like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

JESUS, OUR LIFE AND LIGHT.

“The last words of David” according to J. Gill, refer not to the psalm in the preceding chapter, but to what follows; not the last words he spoke, for he said many things afterwards”

Now at his old age, he looked back and saw God’s hand in and through his life. He was not a self made man but a God molded-one, wasn’t he? His descriptions of himself did reveal it. Who was he?

“The son of Jesse,

…the man who was raised on high,

the anointed of the God of Jacob,

the sweet psalmist of Israel:”[v.1]

This has made David’s oracle authoritative. A message backed up by the stamp of God in His life should be considered. Having been anointed by God, the Spirit had revealed to him God’s message. He became the spokesman of God. The psalms and songs he composed were not the fruits of his own genius, but were written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. [2 Tim 3:16]

Moreover, he was able to ‘rule justly over men, ruling in the fear of God.’ Solomon later did write;

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” [Prov 29:2]

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.” [Prov 14:34]

Beyond his kingship, David had been promised to a perpetual kingdom. He had a vision to a glorious ruler ruling on a glorious day, none other than Jesus, the son of David. Out of a dark night, He ‘dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning.’ Jesus did come and shine to dispel the darkness of sin. He claimed, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [John 8:12]

Like rain that makes the grass to sprout from the earth, so Jesus did pour His grace of life to men’s dead souls. He is life. [John 14:6] Simply put, Jesus is both our ‘light and life’ in this darkened and barren world.

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2 Samuel 22:47-51

47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

48 the God who gave me vengeance

and brought down peoples under me,

49 who brought me out from my enemies;

you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you delivered me from men of violence.

50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and sing praises to your name.

51 Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.”

I WILL PRAISE YOU, O LORD, AMONG THE NATIONS.

Again, we saw David ascribing God as the “Rock of my salvation.” In the past, David had many chances to take revenge against his enemies, particularly Saul. But, he didn’t play the place of God. He trusted that God would vindicate his righteousness, that was, God would reward his cleanness[v.21,25]

The apostle Paul later, had articulated this by saying,” Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”[Rom 12:19-21]

God didn’t just let David escape from his enemies but He had exalted him above them. That is, He had bestowed him honor. In fact, He shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” [v.51] Similarly, didn’t Paul say in Eph 2:4-7,”But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

“For this, David burst in thankfulness exclaiming, “I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.”[v.51] We are delivered in order to declare the greatness of God, are we not? We are saved in order to show forth His glory unto the nations.

A heart full of praise is a powerful testimony to the world, isn’t it? As the spring that flow downstream so is the bubbling heart that experience the reality of God’s grace and mercy. May our witness be an overflow from God’s work, especially Christ’s sacrifice at the cross. As Paul had expressed, “So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”[Rom 1:15,16]

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-2 Samuel 22:32-46 ESV

32 “For who is God, but the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

33 This God is my strong refuge

and has made my way blameless.

34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your gentleness made me great.

37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip;

38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,

and did not turn back until they were consumed.

39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;

they fell under my feet.

40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

42 They looked, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;

I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

44 “You delivered me from strife with my people;

you kept me as the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

45 Foreigners came cringing to me;

as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

46 Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

OUR VICTORY IN CHRIST.

David had decisive victory over his enemies. He wrote, "I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.”[v.43] Yet he acknowledged that it wasn’t him but God. He said;

“You delivered me from strife with my people;

you kept me as the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.”[v.44]

His victory however wasn’t just dropped at his lap. By God’s enablement, he had to train his feet like the feet of a deer and set to secure himself secured on the heights. Moreover, he trained his hands to war and bend a bronze bow. There is no shortcut from hard work. He had trained hard for God had ‘ equipped him with strength for the battle.’ [v.40]

Similarly, Joshua, previously, was promised by God that the land belonged to them already. But, he had to actualize it by moving forward into the enemies’ territories. The Lord had said, ”Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.”[Jos 1:3] On the other hand, Joshua mustering his courage said,”.. go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”[Jos 1:10]. The ownership of the land was a gift. But, they must grind to get it. Let’s remember that in Christ we are already victorious. That is why we could and should strive to live victoriously. “ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”[Rom 8:37]

As Paul had exhorted,” work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”[Phil 2;12-13]. As we receive the gospel freely, let us also live in the power of the gospel victoriously. A balance truth regarding God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. God has ensured us 100% of our salvation. Correspondingly, we have to strive 100% to express our salvation in Christ.

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2 Samuel 22:26-31 ESV

26 “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

27 with the purified you deal purely,

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

28 You save a humble people,

but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

29 For you are my lamp, O Lord,

and my God lightens my darkness.

30 For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

31 This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

HIS WAY IS PERFECT.

Despite that David’s climb to the throne was as a labyrinth of dark tunnels. David had to run head on against the troop and scale walls. [v.30] Yet, God was his lamp that lighted his darkness.[v.29] If Jesus is our light, we shouldn’t walk as one groping in the darkness, should we? [John 8:12]Thus interestingly, he did recognize that “His way is perfect.” [v.31]

Far from being smooth and plain, God’s ways for David to take were narrow and rugged. And, the nights may be were long and dreary. God did not promise us an easy journey but a sure arrival.

Let’s remember that God led his people out of Egypt through Moses in and through the wilderness. Why? For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. [see Ex 13:17-18] Hence, the shortest way is not always the best way.

God leads us today through His word as our light. His ‘word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’[Psa 119:105] His words always prove to be true. And if we are going to follow it, there is no stumbling.

Today, we must not slack in our grasp to the word of God. As somebody had said, “Don’t doubt in your darkness the truth and promises you have learned in the light.” There is a ‘need of endurance, so that when we have done the will of God we may receive what is promised.’[Heb 10:36]

Thus, let’s trust God though though His pathway is long and dreary. For, His way is perfect.

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2 Samuel 22:17-25 ESV

17 “He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

20 He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

21 “The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his rules were before me,

and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

24 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from guilt.

25 And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to my cleanness in his sight.

INTEGRITY.

David was as a desperate drowning man pulled ‘out of many waters.’ No doubt, the enemy was overwhelmingly strong. Then, the Lord had ‘brought him out and rescued him’. Why? The Lord has delighted in him.[v.20] The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.[v.21,25]

David had maintained his integrity before God. He kept his heart in check as he testified, such as; his righteousness, cleanness, keeping his ways, departing from wickedness, abiding to His rules and statutes, his blamelessness, and keeping away from any guilt or unconfessed sin.

Looking back, didn’t David sin against Bathsebah and Uriah? Didn’t he sin against his sn Absalom by neglecting him? And, many more.

David’s blamelessness wasn’t perfection but by purification. Only Jesus is perfect. David and everyone of us, are sinners. Like David, should we sin, we have to ‘confess our sins, [for] he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’[1 John 1:9]

David in his brokenness had written,

“I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” [Psa 32:5]

When we are overwhelmed with challenges, let us maintain our integrity before God. The key is to keep our righteousness. This is the only guarantee that God will be on our side, isn’t it? Didn’t the psalmist say;

“ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.” [Psa 66:18]

Even Isaiah added, saying, “but your iniquities have made a separation

between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not hear.”[Isa 59:2]

May we will be able to say with David at the close of the day,” I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.”[v.24]

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2 Samuel 22:8-16 ESV

8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations of the heavens trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

10 He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

11 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he was seen on the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness around him his canopy,

thick clouds, a gathering of water.

13 Out of the brightness before him

coals of fire flamed forth.

14 The Lord thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them;

lightning, and routed them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;

the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at the rebuke of the Lord,

at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

GOD’S IMMANENCE.

In this song, Moses had articulated and rehearsed God’s activities within creation. That is, God is expressed through but distinctively over and above His creation. He is immanent.

“God’s immanence refers to His presence within His creation. (It is not to be confused with imminence, which refers to the timing of Jesus’ return to earth.) A belief in God’s immanence holds that God is present in all of creation, while remaining distinct from it. In other words, there is no place where God is not. His sovereign control extends everywhere simultaneously. [https://www.gotquestions.org/immanence-of-God.html]

David had expressed that God controls everything He has made. It’s a preposterous thought that the creator of the universe have no control over it, isn’t it? God is neither identified with creation nor distant from it.

Paul had written,” He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”[Col 1:16-17]

Our world won’t go wild as a headless chicken as the skeptics believed. A sovereign personal God is in control. Next time when we hear we see and hear lightnings and thunders, respectively, may we recognize the sovereignty of God. He who could rock the foundations of the heavens also could give us sleep in the midst of the storms.

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2 Sam 22:1-7 ESV

And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold and my refuge,

my savior; you save me from violence.

4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry came to his ears.

THE LORD IS MY ROCK.

David could just looked back and retrace God’s indelible footprints all over the places he had been through. The treacherous ‘ebbs and flows’ of life were not able to shake his “rock’, not even a micro-inch of it.

His ordeal was unimaginable when he related;

“For the waves of death encompassed me,

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.” [v.5,6]

Later, he also wrote Psalm 23:4 and did say;

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

God’s presence had assured David that He is just a prayer away. Thus he said,”

“In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry came to his ears.” [v.7]

Certainly our challenges are as drowning as storm surges. We must neither descredit nor deny the magnitude of our problems. But, we should also recognize the impregnability of our God as our Rock. In other words, it isn’t how overwhelming are our loads but how awesome is our Lord. Theris no wave so big that our God isn’t bigger still. Yes, like David, we may claim;

““The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold and my refuge, my savior.”

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2 Sam 21:15-22 ESV

15 There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. 16 And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”

18 After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. 19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20 And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. 21 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. 22 These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

THE LAMP OF ISRAEL.

During the confrontation with the Philistines, David fought but grew weary in battle. Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his rescue and attacked the Philistine and killed him.

Like the ageing David, we might be assuming that we are physically strong as before. There is a time to go to war and a time to rest from it. The willingness is there but the body doesn’t warrant anymore. Let’s recognize that there is a time to press the accelerator and a time to press the break. Everything is beautiful in his time.[Ecc 3:11]

David's men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” They demanded David to rest from battle. Thus, it was David’s last. His soldiering days was over. Although he wasn’t there at the succeeding battles, all of their victories were ascribed to him interestingly. [see v18-22] Success in leadership is getting things done through others. Simply put, David lived a life of influence and significance among his people. For them, he was ‘the lamp of Israel’.

I am so glad to see godly and loving children who insist that their parents had to take rest from labor and toil and enjoy the life afforded to them, such as vacations and breaks. They see their parents as the lamp of their lives. Conversely, I am saddened to see grandparents having to work in their old age as burning a candle at both ends in order to support their families.

May we will seee in our churches more ageing leaders who do inspire the young generations to pursue the gospel work. Leaders may not last long but their godly legacy should continue. May the baton be passed effectively to the next generations. Conversely, it would be sad to see a bitter generation drifting slowly yet surely away from the love of Christ and the gospel. May God help us.

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2 Sam 21:10-13 ESV

10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.

DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.

Rizpah, the mother of two sons having been executed, held a vigil over the bodies until the late rains came. Undeniably, she resigned quietly to the fate of his sons but her grief didn’t just go away easily.

This means that the bodies of these men were deliberately hanged and left unburied. Definitely, it was disgraceful but a stern warning to the nation. For “he who is hanged is accursed of God.”[Deut 21:23] David did what was right though how painful it was. This was to emphasize the fact that these men were executed as an act of judgment. Indeed, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”[Heb 10:31] “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”[Ecc 12:13,14]

And surely, the coming of rain showed that the famine was over, that justice was satisfied, and that Israel was delivered. That, God responded to the plea for the land to bring in productivity again. Our God is both tough and tender, isn’t He?

When David had heard about what Rizpah did, he did give a decent burial to Saul and his son Jonathan. He commanded that the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan be gathered and buried in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father.

Saul did what was wrong and the nation of Israel had suffered for it. What happened to his seven sons was incomprehensible. It was tough and painful but David had to do it. Indeed, it is always the right time to do what is right. Disciplining our kids is painful but we’ve got to do it quickly now. For. it’s not right to delay doing what is right.

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