The Ultimate King
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Introduction: In chapter 22 we took a look at David’s thanksgiving psalm where David looked back at his life and reign and recounted the mercy and faithfulness of God. Here in chapter 23 1). David is looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises, 2). he is praising the benefits of a righteous kingship, and his conclusion is that 3). his must have been such a kingship since God has made with him “an everlasting covenant.”
It is fair to mention, however, that these are not the literal last words of David because we see David speaking in . The last words of David that are recorded for us in Scripture are found in where we find David, ready to leave this life, speaking words of instruction to his son Solomon. His instruction was basically 1). be strong; 2). be a man; 3). keep God’s commands; 4). you know what kind of man Joab is and what to do with him; 5). deal kindly with the sons of Barzillai; and 6). deal with Shimei. Right after he gives his final instruction to Solomon it is recorded for us that David slept with his fathers.
So, those were the last words of David. What we have here in is David’s last prophetic poem. The Hebrew word for says in verse 1 (נְאֻם; neʾǔm) is used 375 times in the Old Testament and is used exclusively when referring to prophetic announcements. So, this is the last saying or the last words of prophetic announcement from David.
Read 2 Samuel 23:1-7
The poem kind of reads as if it were an epitaph on a tombstone. Only as David comes to the end of his life his epitaph does not read like the typical epitaph. Instead of his mouth being filled with sayings that would point to his own greatness his mouth was filled with sayings that brought to mind the greatness of God and pointed to the future fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.
David Identified
David Identified
In the first stanza, David is characterized in two significant ways: 1). He is the son of Jesse; and 2). he is the exalted, anointed one.
First, it is ironic that honor would be ascribed to David who is the son of Jesse since Saul had used David’s lineage in order to deride David in ,
And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
So, now it is son of Jesse who receives honor in the place of Saul and his supposed royal lineage, and by identifying David as the son of Jesse the poem distinguishes David as being from the tribe of Judah to whom the right to rule belonged.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Second, David is the exalted, anointed one. This designation of David as the “anointed one” connects this poem with the poem in chapter 22.
“He is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forevermore.”
2 Samuel 22:51
In chapter 22 we saw David burst with excitement in verses 47-51 as he describes the God who is the Rock of Salvation, who is the Deliverer, who lifts up out of the danger of the violent man, therefore, David says, he will give thanks and sing praises to God because He is the tower of salvation who shows mercy to His anointed who is David and David’s descendants forever. God’s blessing and favor then is promised to be poured out on David and his descendants which ultimately culminates with Christ () who is the promised Messiah referred to in and prayed for by Hannah in . It is Christ that ties the whole book together, and it is for the sake of Christ that God shows mercy (חֶ֫סֶד;ḥěʹ·sěḏ; steadfast, unfailing love) to David and his descendents. Ultimately, viewing the Bible as a whole, it is only because of Christ that all the nations of the earth can be blessed and we can experience the mercy and the steadfast, unfailing love of God.
Righteous Rulership Commended
Righteous Rulership Commended
David then turns to commend the benefits of one who rules righteously. A righteous ruler can be compared to the beauty of an early morning sunrise on a cloudless day giving warmth and life to all the citizens of the kingdom. When there is a righteous ruler, it is as if the citizens of the kingdom wake up every morning and the ground is wet after the life-giving rain of the evening and then the sun comes out and every day is like the best day of your life.
Example: Ocean City Sunrise
David then points out that his own kingship is regarded by God as acceptable and just. The phrase “Although my house is not so with God,” is probably better understood as a question, “Is not my house so with God?” The implied answer then is yes. The reason he is confident of God’s approval is due to the fact that God had made with him an everlasting covenant. The word covenant (בְּרִית; berîṯ) is an Old Testament term that parallels a contract, however, it is a contract that has no ending point and that exists in perpetuity. God, again, out of His unfailing love has established David’s rule as just and right and will ultimately result in blessing for all who fall under the rule of David’s lineage. Again, the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant is Christ (the ultimate “anointed one”) and under his rule there will be no end, and it will be as glorious as the sun after life giving rain that shines forth in the morning giving life and warmth to all in the kingdom. It is this idea that became the foundation for Israel’s messianic hopes, and it is this ultimate king for whom humankind longs. If one thing has been made clear throughout the Old Testament up to this point it is that priests have failed to rule justly, prophets have failed to rule justly, and now the kings have failed to rule justly, and that what man needs is this promised “anointed one” who we know will come from the line of David as a result of God’s covenant and who will be the perfect priest, the perfect prophet, and perfect king. This is the messianic promise, David says, that God has chosen to order in all things and secure, or, in other words, God has chosen to make this covenant legally binding and totally valid emphasizing the fact that it will not and cannot be broken.. David then ends this stanza the way he began it, with a question. “Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?” In other words, “Will God not cause the covenant to be kept and the ultimate hope of salvation to prosper?” And even more emphatically then the first time the answer is YES! All of our hopes depend on it.
David’s Warriors Commended
David’s Warriors Commended
As David ends his last prophetic announcement, the author of 2 Samuel enthusiastically lists the heroes we have read about in 1 and 2 Samuel. The heroes we have cheered on, the heroes we have identified with, the heroes that have made the kingdom of David possible. While remembering them, the author also adds in a highlight reel of some of their more spectacular exploits. From a human perspective these are the men that loyally supported David and set in motion a dynasty that would change the world. However, the author also reminds us that the human perspective is often inadequate to see the whole picture. Behind the scenes, only visible to those who have a heart to see has been the hand of God moving these men. The author brings to our attention after recalling a couple of their amazing feats that it was the Lord who brought about great victory that day, and it was the Lord establishing the dynasty of David in order to give His ultimate “anointed one” the right to rule. And he ends the chapter, once again, reminding us (subtly) with the name of Uriah the Hittite that we desperately need a perfect king. As good as David’s rule was it was not without its flaws but the perfect king is coming.
Conclusion: But before we leave the last prophetic announcement of David, his last words include for us a warning. Christ will one day sit on the throne of David as the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant bringing about the first ever righteous kingdom on which the sun never sets and where every day is the best day of your life. But not everyone will live in this kingdom. David says that there will be rebels that reject the ultimate Messiah. They are like thorns in the kingdom and when it comes time to establish the ultimate rule of the ultimate king there is nothing to do with these thorns but to go into the field, cut them out, and burn them. They didn’t want a part of the kingdom and neither can they have it.