2 Sam 23:1-7 RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE FEAR OF GOD ES 19 Mar 17 1830
2 Sam 23:1 “These are the last words of David…” – not in the sense that they are his words at death-bed or before his last breath.
• 1 Kings 2 mentions David’s last charge to his son Solomon and that might be his last personal words.
• Here the author says it is the oracle of David - in order words, it is a message of God, the last one that comes through David. “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me…”
The oracle affirms David’s role in God’s plan, but it also points to something in the future.
• David has a part to play, but God’s plan goes beyond David. It is more than David. It does not end with David.
23:1 "The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs…”
• God chose David, the son of Jesse; the boy who looks after his father’s sheep, and exalted him to be King over Israel, to look after his Father’s sheep.
• This did not start as David’s career plan. It was not his doing. God anointed him, prepared him, and put him in the place He wants him to be.
God speaks to David and God speaks through David. “The Rock of Israel said TO me…” (23:3) and “the Spirit of the Lord spoke THROUGH me…” (23:2)
• And the Lord says, 3“When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” (23:3-4)
God affirms his role. When he leads with righteousness and the fear of God, the land is blessed with fruitfulness.
• He is like the LIGHT of the rising sun, on a cloudless morning. Bright and clear, not obstructed or diffused.
• He is like the SUNSHINE after the rain and it brings forth LIFE from the earth.
• He brings forth LIGHT and LIFE for the land. It’s a picture of fruitfulness and blessings.
Fruitfulness flow FROM righteousness and the fear of God.
• David, and all who serve God, are to serve with righteousness and the fear of God.
• The Lord highlights these regarding David’s reign – not his bravery, musical talents or wisdom, which can be true of David.
• But they are not God’s emphasis. His greatest concerns for the King is that he rules with righteousness and the fear of the Lord. That brings LIGHT and LIFE.
That explains why many nations are in chaos and unrest today. Their leaders are doing the opposite, caught in corruption.
• The ex-Presidents in Taiwan, in South Korea, North Korea, in Hong Kong, China… The nation suffers as a result.
• We pray that God will keep our leaders on the right path, for as long as it takes.
For those of us who lead in managerial or other positions, who have a group of workers under us, do remember what God is looking for.
• Don’t compromise. No shortcut. Don’t play office politics. Wherever God puts us in, we serve with righteousness and the fear of God.
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David reflected upon God’s Word and commented - 23:5 "Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?”
• This verse is difficult to translate. Is not my house right with God? Is my house really like this – demonstrating righteousness and the fear of God?
• It does not seem to be so. Yet “Has He not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part?”
• God can still accomplish His plan despite all these. Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?
• David was reflecting on his life and what he has done.
God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, but the covenant he made with DAVID is significant – because it is the first time God mentioned something ETERNAL.
• God promised that David’s lineage would last forever and that His kingdom would never pass away. David might not fully understand this but he believed God.
• David remembers God’s promise (through Nathan): “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Sam 7:16)
Obviously this could not be his throne in Jerusalem because it didn’t last.
• Many of the Kings of Israel/Judah sinned against God. The nation was displaced. They lost their land for 70 years!
• YET this is a prophecy of God – the Kingdom will stay. God points to a descendant of David who will reign and usher in this eternal Kingdom - the Son of David JESUS.
• Jesus’ first proclamation in ministry is: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matt 4:17)
Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise to David here in 2 Samuel (7:6).
• When the Lord says, 3“When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God…” (23:3) – He is also referring BEYOND David to the reign of Christ.
• The Son of David will rule in perfect righteousness and the fear of God!
• Whoever submits to His reign is blessed with the LIGHT and the LIFE that He brings.
For DAVID, it is the goal of the Kings – to rule with righteousness and the fear of God.
For JESUS, it is the fulfilment – He rules with righteousness and the fear of God.
David dies at the age of 70 after reigning 40 years (2 Sam 5:4). His life is short but significant! He served faithfully, as the signpost that points to the future Christ.
• PAUL says in Acts 13:36 “Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.”
Are we serving God’s purpose in our generation? In this time and place that God has put us in? What are we doing for God’s Kingdom?
Let righteousness and the fear of God be the marks of our lives.
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David did not ends there. Sadly there will be those who rebel against the King.
• 2 Sam 23:6-7 “6But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. 7Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie."
Jesus says, “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)
• The same sun that brings light and life will burn them up where they are.
Treasure what God has given us.
• Heb 12:28-29 “28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."
Let’s honour Him with reverence and awe.
• Our lives can be short but we want it to be significant. We serve God’s purpose in our generation.
• We serve with righteousness and the fear of God.
I like to close with the reading of this prayer – A PRAYER OF GOD’S SERVANTS.
• Hudson Taylor III (great grandson of Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China) shared this when I was in college.
• Not sure if he wrote it, or took it from somewhere.
A PRAYER OF GOD’S SERVANTS
We are God’s servants. We put God’s love for all people first. No race is superior to another. No government is more loved than another. No nation is dearer than another.
We do not put our nation’s economy before God’s economy.
He tells us to seek first His Kingdom, He will then meet our needs.
We are driven to action daily, with the knowledge that billions do not know our Saviour.
Our passion in life, our unquenchable desire, is to take God’s love to them.
No task is too small for us. All that limit us is our unwillingness to believe God can enable us to do it. We are sold-out to Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord, nothing less.
We understand following Him means absolute death to ourselves. It costs everything to be His disciples.
Don’t give us blessings. Give us grace to be unquestionably obedient to Your every last command & desire.
Don’t give us status. Give us a place to serve.
Don’t give us things for our use. Use us.
Don’t give us a mansion to live in. Give us a springboard to take Christ love to the whole world.
Don’t give us good jobs. Put us to work.
Don’t give us comfort. Command us.
Don’t give us pleasure. Give us perspective.
Don’t give us satisfaction. Teach us sacrifice.
Don’t give us entertainment. Enable us.
Don’t give us good salary. Give us strength to do Your will.
Our great joy in life is in pleasing our God, and there is no other joy comparable.
We’re tired of playing religion, tired of seminaries and bible schools that pump out thinkers who have no action.
Tired of a church life that consist of a few regular function and sermons that sound good, as if they were being rated as speeches, but have no consequential value except complacency.
Life is not some seventy years stretch we endure until Christ returns to take us home. Nor is it a time to seek personal fulfilment.
We don’t seek self-actualization... rather we pursue the actualization of God’s love in all hearts.
We don’t seek our personal rights... we seek to see all people set free.
We make no plans... we take orders.
We have no complaints... except our thankless hearts.
We have not excuses... they limit God.
We don’t ask for reasons... we ask for responsibility.
We don’t give 10% of our income to God... we give it all.
We don’t work for Him from 8 to 5... we are His 24 hours of each day.
No, we are not stolid... we hurt and cry when loved one leave us. But we hurt all the more for people who pass into eternity without making Jesus Christ their Lord.
We are not drop-outs because we don’t hold respectable, secured jobs... we are sold-outs.
We are not cynics although there are unanswered questions... we know Christ has all the answers.
We are not bitter although we have been hurt... Christ is our healer.
We are not disillusioned although we sin... Christ forgive us and make us strong in our weakness.
We don’t spend endless hours squabbling over side-line issues such as pre-, mid-, post-tribulation or charismatic gifts.
We don’t take pride in acquiring things. No, hoarding shames us.
We say it is senseless to talk about availability or willingness. We would rather obey and do the job, not talk about it.
We are God’s servants!
