II Samuel 23:1-7 offer the last words of David.[1] The last words of a loved one are always highly valued. Many people want to die quickly. Such was not always the case. A good death, if we can have one, was one in which we could express ourselves to those who surround us at the time of death. We can find the literary genre of Last Words (or Testament or Blessing) elsewhere in the Old Testament: Genesis 27:27-29 (Isaac); 49:1-28 (Jacob); Deuteronomy 33 (Moses). David’s words are in the form of an oracle, the literary device most used by prophets and seers. Israel remembered David as a singer, but he also founded Jerusalem as the center of religious life. The oracle becomes an appropriate form for his final testament. They raise the issue of the type of message David felt compelled to leave as he confronted his mortality. This passage focuses on the general qualities of leadership and less on the personal legacy of David. The poem is of high quality. See Balaam in Numbers 24 and Agur in Proverbs 30:15 for the same style. David first describes himself. The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted. David's last words, then, are not to be his own. They are fundamentally God's words, the great king serving as a mouthpiece for the Divine. All of this suggests he is a sacral figure. David, like the king before him and the kings to follow is the anointed (Anointed one, mashiah), the word becoming a technical term for God's anticipated deliverer, his "Messiah"/"Christ," from David's line. Jesus Messiah/Christ was in the legal line of David (see Matthew 1). NT writers believe that he is the ultimate fulfillment of God's dynastic promises to David: See Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 1:30-33; 2:4; Romans 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 5:5; 22:16. Also see multiple references in Matthew, Mark and Luke to Jesus as "Son of David," a messianic title. The king is the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel: 2 The spirit (ruach) of the Lordspeaks through me, the word of the Lord is upon my tongue. David sees himself as a sacral figure. He sees himself as inspired, as anointed and as singer. He is bearer of the Spirit and mediator of the word. The metaphor “word of the Lord” opens difficulties. What do such metaphors mean when rooted in human reasoning and creativity? [2] The word of the Lord that David has been instructed to proclaim on his deathbed is a description of divinely approved leadership. His final words reflect a theology we find in Deuteronomy and the history of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. He begins by stating that the just ruler, mindful not only of the divine presence but also of the divine law, brings prosperity to his land through his obedience. In verses 3b-5, we see some powerful images. David refers to the king in a two-fold relation -- humanity and God. 3 The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock (II Samuel 22:47, the Lord is his rock and the rock of salvation) of Israel has said to me.[3] The metaphor that God is like a rock is equally as metaphorical as when we refer to the Word of the Lord. Such metaphors arise out of human reasoning and its creativity, but what do they mean when referring to God? [4] David now gives voice to his belief that what had sustained him through the years of triumph and tragedy, sanctity, and sin, was God his Rock, who kept his promises to be with him. David could now lie down and rest, assured that God would continue to be with those who would come after him. One who rules over people justly [tsaddiq], ruling in the fear of God, 4 is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, the sun intricately connected with righteousness in the Near East, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land, an image that refers to the dealings of God with humanity. One may read verses 3b-4 conditionally: When (as some translations word it) or if a king rules over God's people justly/righteously, in the fear of God (which means reference for and obedience to God), then the king is like morning sunlight playing on fresh rain-generated grass. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 warns that kings must obey the torah and not multiply in wives, wealth, or military strength to enslave fellow Israelites. The "sun" had a close connection with righteousness in the Near East. The key to this leadership is its pursuit of justice, upholding not only the laws of the land but also the cause of righteousness. This commitment to justice is possible even for leaders who might doubt their abilities always to ascertain the correct path. According to these last words of David, all that is necessary for leaders to trust their judgment is to make all their decisions "in the fear of God." Such a ruler will be easily identifiable. Just as light, warmth, and moisture enable crops to grow to maturity, a leader is to govern in such a way as to enable individuals to develop to their fullest potential. A harvest of capable, confident, and productive individuals - not blindly obedient, status quo-seeking subjects - populates the domain of a just and righteous ruler. 5 Is not my house (bayit) like this with God? He could refer to his dwelling, his palace, but hear to means the descendants of the line of David who would occupy the throne of Israel and soon of Judah alone. He has defined successful leadership. David's words next link this type of enabling power to God's promise of a Davidic dynasty. David confidently proclaims that his house now stands firmly before the Lord, committed to the vision of governance that he has just described. Nevertheless, David speaks for himself only, knowing that each generation must rededicate itself to justice and embody righteousness in its own life. For he has made with me an everlasting covenant (berit ‘olam), ordered (the same Hebrew word as Psalm 23:5's "You prepare a table before me") in all things and secure (the same Hebrew word as Psalm 121's and Numbers 6:24's "keep(s) you"). God will look after and protect his Davidic kings. As promised in II Samuel 7:16, the house, throne, and kingdom of David will stand forever. The Davidic covenant is still central, but David tempers it with his last words describing how a true leader for his country must think and act. The covenants of God with his king can be either conditional or unconditional. For conditional expressions see I Kings 2:4; 8:22-25. See also Psalm 132:10-18 (Zion is Jerusalem). For unconditional expressions see II Samuel 7:8-18, 25-29. See also I Kings 11:36; 15:4-5; II Kings 8:19; Isaiah 9:6-7. There may be an interplay between conditional and unconditional aspects of God's covenantal promises in this passage. However, the stronger, even more comforting, emphasis in these verses is on the unconditional aspect of God's covenant with David's descendants. Thus, the rainbow is a sign of an everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:16). The Lord has established a covenant forever with David and his offspring (Psalm 89:3-4, 29). The Lord will make an everlasting covenant with Judah, or anyone who affirms the one God (Isaiah 55:3). As sure as the covenant implied in the regularity of night and day and the regularity of the stars of heaven, so sure is the covenant with David and his offspring and the patriarchs and their children (Jeremiah 33:22-26). Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? In the NET, "He [God] always delivers me, and brings all I desire to fruition." In Psalm 37:3-6, we read that if we delight in the Lord, the Lord will give us the desires of our hearts. Although this promise is one we could practice in a self-centered way, I like to think of it spiritually. What is the desire of your heart, what is the longing that seems to persist, regardless of your stage of life or circumstances? The Lord honors such genuine desire that arises out of the depths of who we are and whom we hope to be. A second theme of Deuteronomy is that the destiny of the godless is destruction. This view of divine reward and punishment continues to exercise profound influence in Western religion and is one of the Old Testament’s most enduring legacies. 6 Thus, the godless (the enemies of David, who are in sharp contrast to the example he set) are all like thorns that God will throw away; for one cannot pick them up with the hand; 7 to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. God entirely consumes them in fire on the spot. The leadership of the ungodly is sterile, incapable of creating a new generation. Those cut off from God are like worthless thorns, too prickly even to gather by hand back into the community. Their destiny is utter destruction as if by an all-consuming fire. David could indeed testify that his enemies had in fact been "burnt." These thorns are worthless except for burning. For similar passages about the destruction of the godless wicked, see Proverbs 11:7-8; Job 8:13-14 (Bildad's words); 20:4-7 (Zophar's words); Isaiah 9:18-19; 27:4; 33:12-14. Matthew 3:10-12 (and Luke 3:16-17) -- words of John the Baptizer; 10:28; 13:30; Luke 19:27; Hebrews 6:8. Also see the contrasts in parts of the book of Revelation. David asserts that the Lord will protect him and his descendants from those who would oppose the Davidic kings whom God had chosen to rule over God's people Israel.
Everyone has a story, and the more we can connect our story with the stories of others, the more we see ourselves in a different light. Capturing our stories and sharing them is not just a way of leaving a legacy, but of opening a door to a future filled with hope, not only for us but also for those who will relate to both our pain and our triumph.
What is God doing with our story? We could reflect upon how grace has turned even our greatest failures into something good. Like David's memoir, ours must always end with a hope for a future made possible by God. While our past can make for a remarkable story, God's future for us will be an even better one that is full of hope, possibilities, and new life. That is the kind of memoir that the world needs to read, even if we only write it on our hearts.
What does your story look like so far? What information would you include? If you were to write your memoirs ...- Would you include noteworthy events? What are the events in your life that have shaped your attitudes, informed your understanding of the world, and changed the direction of your life? - Would you make a list of significant people if you were writing your memoirs? Who are those people? Who has influenced you most for good or for ill? What was their contribution? How did it affect you? - Would you make a list of significant places that are a part of your life's geographical story? What are those places? Why are they important to you? - Would you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth -- or will your story be self-serving, .... - Would you try to distill your major philosophy of life? What is that philosophy? Why does life have meaning for you? - Would you try to put in one paragraph of the advice you would pass on to others? What is that advice? - Would you try to answer the question, "If I had it to do over again, I'd ..."? - Would you try to understand where God has been in your story? Were there times when you thought God had gone AWOL and you never expected to hear from God again? Was there a time in your story when you went AWOL? You just completely opted out? Would you share how God and your relationship with God have the overriding orientation that explains who you are, everything about you?
[1] Some scholars view these last words as an exercise in public relations. Undoubtedly known in ancient Israel, no less than in contemporary religious circles, for his notorious affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (II Samuel 11), as well as the systematic extermination of the house of Saul, David could hardly be known as someone who ruled “in the fear of God” (v. 3). David’s judgment throughout his life was seriously compromised by his passionate loves, his driving ambition and his calculating nature.
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[3] At least from v. 3b-7, it is of David.
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this would be great for a bible class or a small group. Lots to think about. Interesting take on this scripture. From Lynn Eastman
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