Deathbed Wisdom

1 & 2 Kings  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  45:46
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Welcome/Prayer
The 19th century baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon once wrote- “It is remarkable that the Holy Spirit has given us very few deathbed scenes in the book of God. We have very few in the Old Testament, fewer still in the New. And I take it that the reason may be, because the Holy Ghost would have us take more account of how we live than how we die, for life is the main business. He who learns to die daily while he lives will find it no difficulty to breathe out his soul for the last time into the hands of his faithful Creator.”
Today we read of such a scene…
The deathbed is the context of which King David gives his last words… his final instructions to his son, King Solomon.
Instructions given by a dying man to another so that he may know how to live.
If you haven’t already… go ahead and turn to 1 Kings 2… we’ll be covering verses 1-11.
There are three things to consider this morning
The Wisdom of Death
The Wisdom of Life
The Blessing of Heeding Such Wisdom
Let’s begin by reading the verse 1 and the first half of verse 2.
1 Kings 2:1–2 (ESV)
1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth.
(The Wisdom of Death)
The expression that David uses here is the same used by Joshua when he was about to die in Joshua 23:14 (only first part)
Joshua 23:14 ESV
14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.
An expression which reveals the acknowledgement David had of his pending death…
As such… this understanding leads David to pass on some wisdom before he goes… but before we look at that wisdom… let us consider David’s understanding some more...
For I believe the topic of death is an often ignored...
Ecc 7:4 tells us that there is wisdom to be found in death while we are still living
Ecclesiastes 7:4 CSB
4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
But in order for us to find such wisdom we must, like David did… recognize our inevitable end… death
As Gen 2:17 (Don’t read) tells us, death is the judgement for eating the fruit of the tree
Genesis 2:17 ESV
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Which we see God enact in Gen 3:19
Genesis 3:19 ESV
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
In Rom 6:23 (don’t read) we are told told the wages of sin is death…
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And in Rom 5:12 through Adam, death became a reality for all mankind for through him sin entered into the world and sin is the mechanism of which death spread to all humanity
Romans 5:12 ESV
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
We do ourselves harm by ignoring the reality of death or by sanitizing death… by writing it off and having others deal with it...
Not having to smell dead bodies… not having to bury the corpses of those we love… we miss out on wisdom… we miss out on perspective and what we ought to learn about life from death...
Here the words of (Ecc 7:2, Psalm 90:12)
Ecclesiastes 7:2 ESV
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
Psalm 90:12 ESV
12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
The reality of death reminds us that our lives… are brief… are fragile… and they too will extinguish and they will extinguish sooner rather than later.
Spurgeon again, wrote - “We admit that we shall die, but not so soon as to make it a pressing matter. We imagine that we are not within measurable distance of the tomb. Even the oldest man gives himself a little longer lease, and when he has passed his eighty years, we have seen him hugging life with as much tenacity as if he had just commenced it. Brethren, in this we are not wise. Death will not spare us because we avoid him.”
Pondering death is healthy. We must not be afraid to do so.
People treat death as if it’s a dark matter… absent Christ this life is already dark… with Christ death brings us to the light in His fullness...
Pondering death causes us to ponder life… causes us to ask why...
When I was in Afghanistan and a father of three was killed in an ambush, that was the main question… a question not only to try to understand why he died… but how and why I might die… for what purpose… for what reason… why was I doing what I was doing...
What you do with your life matters… how you spend your time matters…
We are all burning the candle of life… but only God knows how much wick we have… therefore, let us burn well in anticipation of the day of which we no longer will be able to burn anymore...
Sports?
Academics?
Social butterfly?
Your hobbies… passions… interests… etc...
These things aren’t bad… but how much time/energy you put in them needs to be measured… what are you living for? The moment? Or Eternity?
What you prioritize in life matters...
Luke 14:28-30 Jesus speaking on the cost of discipleship and the need to consider that cost before committing oneself to a life of faith says this…
Luke 14:28–30 ESV
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
What is your end game? What are you hoping to achieve? To accomplish? What will it cost you? Your reputation? Your career? Your family? Your soul?
And what makes you think you will get there? That you have enough wick in you to burn for that long?
All of us are expending our lives for something… what are you expending it for? The moment at hand? A hypothetical future? Or Eternity?
Now, having spoken on the reality and the wisdom of death…
Let us continue and consider the words of King David who with the remaining strands of his wick thought were worthy to share
Let’s read the rest of the passage starting in the second half of verse 2 and going through verse 11… then we’ll look at the wisdom of life that David imparts to Solomon and consider the blessings associated with heeding such wisdom...
1 Kings 2:2–11 (ESV)
2 Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.” 10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
The Wisdom of Life(2-9), words to live and rule by, from David to Solomon… with death’s hand upon David’s shoulder...
And David begins by telling Solomon to Live in accordance to your identity
Solomon is to be strong… and play the man… and keep the charge of Yahweh… that is to play his part...
For who made Solomon king? Who charged Solomon to be the Lord’s anointed? Yahweh did… now he must rise to the occasion...
For he had some kingly business to deal with in order to protect the kingdom…
In verses 5-6 and 8-9 David gives advice on how Solomon ought to handle two opponents… of David and Solomon… in essence how Solomon can further secure his reign and the stability of the kingdom by ridding it of the two trouble makers… Joab & Shimei…
In between the two troublemakers David reminds him of the kindness of Barzillai and that he should treat them in kind...
In other words… it is time for Solomon to do what kings do… and some of that business is not nice, is not pleasant… but it is necessary...
What’s our identity? What’s our charge given by God?
At a minimum we all share in the identity of our Creator by bearing His image… regardless of our faith or lack therefore… all of us are image bearers of the Creator… of the Holy God… who has charged us to care for His creation. Gen 1:28
Genesis 1:28 ESV
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Then again, post-fall, post-flood Gen 9:1
Genesis 9:1 ESV
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Beyond this bare minimum our identities and their respective charges from God diverge...
If you don’t believe in Christ.... then your identity currently is that of a sinner… a traitor… a man or woman bearing the image of God yet refusing to submit to His authority and to His will… the part that you are called to play is one of two things...
Either you repent, deny yourselves, look to Christ, be born again by becoming a new creation by His power and live as those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them
Or you continue down your path of darkness and blindness into further depravity and when judgement comes you will be judged according to your works.... realizing that the one and only way to escape judgment and to be redeemed was made possible only by the work of Christ and nothing that you could have or can do will save you...
Now, if you believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ...
Then your identity is one of holiness... you have His Spirit in you… your body is a holy temple
In the context of sexual immorality Paul writes these words to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Therefore, what David told Solomon we ought to heed as well… be strong… play the man… play the part… Rise to the occasion… your flesh will fight you, this world will fight you
This world would have you think that you are your own… that your destiny… your desires… your plans… your rights… your dreams… your charge in life… that is for you to decide… but no… it’s not… you’re holy… therefore you must do only what one who is holy does and that’s the will of God...
In other words… for believers… it’s the Savior’s prerogative to determine our charge…
And our Savior has been clear what our charge is…
Matt 28:19-20
Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Heb 10:24-25
Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Col 3:15-17
Colossians 3:15–17 ESV
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
So, ask yourself… is your schedule conducive to obeying this charge of faithfulness? Or does it get in the way?
Do the priorities in your life allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly? Are you able to gather with the church regularly?
Are you able to disciple others? Or are you too busy with your idols?
Think back to Luke 14 and remind yourself of the words of Jesus when He taught that those who wish to be His disciples ought to consider the cost… because the cost is your life… your wick so to speak...
Christ gets to determine how bright, hot, and fast to burn your wick or how slow… or if He will cut the wick short or simply blow out the flame of life.
This shapes everything about ourselves… down to our attitudes...
Say you receive bad medical news… you’re young and the doctor says you won’t live to old age...
Or the doctor says you can’t get pregnant…
Or the doctor says you’re going blind…
In that moment… play the man… remind yourself… you are not your own… it is not your life… it’s His...
And I know for some of you that is hard to hear… but it is the truth.
Whatever affliction comes your way you must be ready to play your part in His sovereign will… in His sovereign plan and to do so faithfully...
You can weep… you can lament… in Matthew 23:37-39… even Christ lamented over Jerusalem and its place in His sovereign plan
In the garden, on the night of His betrayal… Christ prayed earnestly with the Father for another way.... but there wasn’t…
Let us be strong… let us be courageous… let us play the saint… the witness… the testifier of God’s grace with the whole of our lives.
And how do we do this?
Let’s read verse 3 again and see what David tells Solomon in regard to how this is to be done… 1 Kings 2:3-4
1 Kings 2:3–4 ESV
3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
For Solomon this is obeying the 10 commandments…
Obeying the commandments of Deut. 17 in regards to how a king is to live and rule...
Obeying all the other commandments of the Torah… as well as all the rules about how to worship God and when and how to conduct sacrifices and offerings....
Along with remembering the testimonies of God… that is His work… the parting of the Red Sea, the drying up of the Jordan, etc.
Is it the same for us today? Essentially, yes. Some details have changed...
For example the ceremonial sacrifices have been fulfilled in Christ and are no longer necessary. But the Law continues to instruct us on how to love one another and how to love God in light of the New Covenant, in light of the death and resurrection of Christ.
So, we must know the decrees of Old and we must know them in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ as given to us by His Apostles...
For all of time and eternity, those desiring to keep the charge given to them by God must know the will of God… we must know exactly what that charge is and what is found in His revealed word as passed down to us by Peter, Paul, and the others.
For in their teaching, for in the Word of God, in Christ, are we able to discern the path before us and do the work God has prepared for us.
Remember the purpose of our salvation Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
2 Tim 3:16-17
2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
And Peter in 2 Peter 1:19 urges us to listen to the revealed Word of God given to them of which they share with us...
2 Peter 1:19 ESV
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
By being faithful and giving heed to the teachings of Scripture… the commands of our God… we protect the witness of Christ… by the power of Christ
For Solomon, his faithfulness would bring about the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant… but as you most of you know, and as we will see, Solomon will fail in this regard… and so will his sons that follow...
Hence why God sent His own Son, to ensure that His Word would not fail, and that the Davidic Covenant would be fulfilled...
And it is through the power of Christ of which we testify to.... that those who are lost are found, those who are blind see… not any other way…
Let’s not deviate from the path of God’s Holy Word thinking we know better or we can do it better… His way is fully sufficient and His promises are reliable and true.
By heeding the wisdom of David and being faithful to God’s Word we are blessed…
Living in accordance to the new nature brings further life...
That is further joy, further blessedness, happiness…
Regardless of situation or circumstance...
Consider the life of David… consider the psalms he wrote
Do you want to speak of God as he did?
Do you want to taste the sweetness of God’s Word as David did?
Do you want to rely and trust in God as he did?
Then heed David’s final words to his son Solomon… and be a man, be a woman, after God’s heart.
And understand, David was no polished spoon...
Meaning your life does not need to be morally perfect… it can’t be… rather you’ll live in such a way that your sin is all the more evident and your desire to remove it from your life will grow stronger by the day...
Otherwise, if you fight the charge given to you by God… if you fight whom God has created you to be… you will lack peace.... you will lack joy
Living in opposition to it brings hardship...
Consider Psalm 32… especially verses 3-4
Psalm 32:3–4 ESV
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Who wants to live this way?
Walk in faithfulness… repent of your sins… trust God…
In doing so we will grow closer to Him as our knowledge and love of Him increases....
And you can’t increase your love of God without increasing your knowledge of Him… essentially, your theology needs to be continually growing
And if your knowledge increases without your love increasing your heart is hard and you need to pray for God to soften it
If you have been living in opposition to God’s will now is the moment to stop living that way and begin living in accordance to His will.
Consider the cost, that it is high, but God provides and makes it possible… for what is impossible for man is possible for God. And only by God are we able to enter into His Kingdom.
Confess your sin, repent of your sin, and walk with us… as we all follow after Christ either to our deaths or until He returns.
And let us be encouraged for those of us who do believe and yet are weary and are tired from the continual mortification of our selves… let us be encouraged by the gifts of grace before us… let us come to the table and taste the goodness of fellowship with our Lord and Savior who brings us peace with our Father in heaven. A peace that in our final breaths… in the final burning moments of our wick with outlast the darkness as we enter into His glorious presence.
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